Method and apparatus for storing content

• US 20050141874A1
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gates, Matthijs A., Srinivasan, Jai, Chakrabarti, Alok, Sankarayan, Mukund
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/212
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A system receives a broadcast program and temporarily stores the program data. A request is received to permanently record the broadcast program. This request is received after a portion of the broadcast program has been received and temporarily stored. The broadcast program is then permanently recorded, including the temporarily stored program data. A metafile identifies portions of the broadcast program and is accessible by a reader to continuously retrieve the stored portions of the broadcast program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast program;

temporarily storing the received broadcast program;

receiving a request to permanently record the broadcast program, wherein the request is received after a portion of the broadcast program that is to be recorded has been received and temporarily stored; and

permanently recording the entire broadcast program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein permanently recording the broadcast program includes converting the portion of the broadcast program that has been temporarily stored to a permanent storage format.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein permanently recording the broadcast program includes recording a portion of the broadcast program already rendered.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the broadcast program is a television broadcast.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the broadcast program is an Internet Protocol multicast.

6. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.

7. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

receive a broadcast program;

store the received broadcast program in a temporary data format;

receive a request to permanently record the broadcast program, wherein the request is received after a portion of the broadcast program has been received and stored in the temporary data format; and

permanently record the broadcast program.

8. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the broadcast program is permanently recorded by converting the data stored in the temporary data format into a permanent data format.

9. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the one or more processors create a metafile that identifies various portions of the broadcast program.