Personal video recording with pools and groups

• US 20030237086A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Boston, Stephen B., Hately, Andrew Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 7,532,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

Automated personal video recording, including selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, in which the selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders include at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space. The method also includes borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space, and recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by the deficit amount. The borrower can be an individual user or a group comprised of more than one user.

Claims

1. A method for automated personal video recording, the method comprising:

selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, wherein the selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;

borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and

recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by the deficit amount.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected lender is a pool.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the borrower is a user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a pool, including assigning storage space to the pool.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein assigning storage space to the pool comprises allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein assigning storage space to the pool comprises assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising authorizing lending from a pool.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein authorizing lending from a pool further comprises creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the borrower is a group.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising authorizing lending to a group.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein authorizing lending further comprises creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a group, including creating a group profile and assigning group storage space to the group.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein assigning group storage space to the group comprises allocating users'"'"' storage space to the group.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein assigning group storage space to the group comprises assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group.

16. A system for automated personal video recording, the system comprising:

means for selecting a fender from among one or more lenders, wherein the means for selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;

means for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and

means for recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by the deficit amount.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the selected lender is a pool.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the borrower is a user.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for creating a pool, including means for assigning storage space to the pool.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein means for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means for allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein means for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means for assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for authorizing lending from a pool.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein means for authorizing lending from a pool further comprises means for creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the borrower is a group.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for authorizing lending to a group.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein means for authorizing lending further comprises means for creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower.

28. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for creating a group, including means for creating a group profile and means for assigning group storage space to the group.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein means for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means for allocating users storage space to the group.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein means for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means for assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group.

31. A computer program product for automated personal video recording, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, wherein the means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower'"'"'s free space by the deficit amount.

32. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the selected lender is a pool.

33. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the borrower is a user.

34. The computer program product of claim 31 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a pool, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space.

36. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool.

37. The computer program product of claim 31 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending from a pool.

38. The computer program product of claim 37 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending from a pool further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender.

39. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the borrower is a group.

40. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group.

41. The computer program product of claim 40 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending to a group.

42. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower.

43. The computer program product of claim 31 further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a group, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a group profile and means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group.

44. The computer program product of claim 43 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for allocating users'"'"' storage space to the group.

45. The computer program product of claim 43 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group.