Personal video recorders with automated buffering

• US 20050138659A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bryan, David Alan, Boccon-Gibod, Gilles
• Application Number:
  US10/738,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20050138659A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/47 for recognising genres
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and apparatus for predictive buffering in a media recorder, the method comprising the steps of predictively determining at least one program of interest to a user, and buffering a portion of the program. The program is selected using various criteria. The buffering process allows a user to start viewing the program within a predetermined period after the program has started. If a user does not start watching the program within the predetermined period, buffering is halted, the buffered data is discarded and, optionally, another program is buffered.

Claims

1. A method for buffering in a media recorder, the method comprising the steps of:

determining at least one program of interest to a user; and

buffering a portion of said one program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining said one program is a predictive process based on a frequency measure of previously watched programs.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining said one program of interest is a predictive process based on specific programs watched.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining said one program of interest is a predictive process based on the genre of programs watched.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining said one program of interest is a predictive process based on the recommendations of other users.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the recommendations of other users are extracted from Web Log entries.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the recommendations of other users are extracted from one or more messages from an instant messaging service.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the recommendations of other users are extracted from on-line reviews.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the recommendations of other users are extracted from one or more email messages.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the program is not selected by the user.

11. A method for buffering in a media recorder, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, within a timeslot, at least one channel of interest to a user, wherein said channel has not been preselected by the user for recording;

buffering a portion of a program on said channel.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining said one channel is based on a list of channels most recently viewed by the user.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining said one channel is a predictive process based on a frequency measure of channels watched within the same timeslot of a previous day.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining said channel is a predictive process based on a frequency measure of channels watched within the same timeslot of a previous week.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining said channel is a predictive process based on the genre of channels being watched and previously watched.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining said channel is a predictive process based on recommendations.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the buffering is terminated at the end of the timeslot.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the buffering of the portion of a program on said channel continues until a channel of higher interest is found, after which the -buffering commences of a portion of a program on said channel of higher interest.

19. A method for predictive buffering of programs in a media recorder, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first signal containing a first set of television programs at a first receiving subsystem;

receiving a second signal containing a second set of television programs at a second receiving subsystem;

buffering at least a portion of one program from the first set of television programs while presenting or recording at least one program from the second set of television programs.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein selection of the at least one program from the first set of television programs is based on a predictive process.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein selection of the at least one program from the first set of television programs is based on input from the user.

22. A method for buffering in a media recorder, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a program of interest to a user, said program having a first duration; and

buffering said program for a second duration that is shorter than said first duration, whereby only a portion of said program is buffered.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising sensing that the user has started to watch said program, and in response, continuing to buffer a current portion of the program as the user is watching a previously buffered portion of the program.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising identifying a second program and buffering said second program at the end of said second duration.

25. A system for predictive buffering in a media recorder, the system comprising:

a predictive program selection subsystem, wherein the predictive program selection subsystem selects at least one program of interest to a user;

a buffering subsystem that buffers a portion of said one program.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a subsystem that determines the identity of the user.

27. A system for predictive buffering in a media recorder, the system comprising:

a predictive channel selection subsystem that selects at least one channel of interest to a user;

a buffering subsystem that buffers said one channel.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a user identifying subsystem that identifies a watching user.