Method for controlling the recording of audiovisual documents and corresponding devices

• US 20050158017A1
• Filed: 01/30/2003
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Hiron, Franck, Maetz, Yves, Grasland, Izabela, Shao, Jiang, Chevallier, Louis
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling recording within a communication network. The communication network comprises audiovisual terminals provided with means for recording audio or audiovisual documents. The method comprises the following steps:—a) calculation of a value representing the compatibility of recording between the document and a terminal, b) reiteration of step a), calculating a compatibility value for each terminal selection of the device with the greatest compatibility value for recording the document. According to a refinement of the invention the calculation of the compatibility value takes account of attributes associated with the terminal and associated with the document. Said attributes relate to the subject of the document for recording and documents usually accessed by said terminal and/or the size of the document, the type of document and the types of document said terminal can reproduce, the moral content of the document and the level of morality associated with the terminal and the time of transfer of the document to the terminal. The invention further relates to a device with means for carrying out said method.

Claims

1. A method of managing recordings of audio or audiovisual documents within a communication network comprising a plurality of audiovisual terminals furnished with recording means, the audiovisual documents to be recorded and the terminals being associated with attributes;

wherein it comprises the following steps;

calculation of a value of fit between the document and a terminal;

the value of fit being calculated by comparing the attributes of the audiovisual document and the attributes associated with the audiovisual terminal, the value of fit being all the higher the greater the similarity between these attributes, the morality of the document and the maximum level of morality accessible from the terminal being compared, a zero value of fit is attributed to the installation whose morality level does not allow the document to be selected;

repetition of step of of calculation by calculating a value of fit for each terminal liable to record it;

selection of the installation for recording the document whose value of fit is greatest.

2. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein the comparison step also takes into account the sense between the attributes of the document and of the terminal so as to evaluate whether they are synonyms.

3. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculation comprises a step of comparison between the topic of the audiovisual document and the topic of the documents customarily accessible on this terminal.

4. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculation comprises a step of comparison between the type of the audiovisual document such as audio audiovisual photo and the type or types of documents that are generally reproduced with the aid of the terminal.

5. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of calculation comprises a step of comparison between the size of the audiovisual document and the an installation in which the average size of the documents is very different from that of the document is not selected in step of selection.

6. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attributes compared in the step of calculation relates to the size of the audiovisual document and the transfer data rate of the terminal, in step of selection an installation having a data rate greater than a determined value is selected in a privileged manner for the recording of an audiovisual document of small size.

7. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein a list of attributes is associated with each terminal, the attributes of said list being the attributes of the documents generally ordered by users on this terminal and reproduced by this terminal.

8. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 7, wherein the attributes list associated with the terminal is modifiable by a user.

9. The method of managing recordings as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a new installation is introduced into the network, a transfer of at least one document is effected to this new installation when the values of fit calculated in step of calculation for this new installation are better than those calculated for any other installation.

10-21. -21. (canceled)

22. The audiovisual terminal furnished with means for recording audio or audiovisual documents and connected to a communication network, the documents to be recorded being associated with attributes characterizing them, the terminals being associated with attributes relating to their characteristics and/or their uses;

wherein the terminal comprises a means for calculating a value representing the fit between a document to be recorded and the terminal, the value of fit being calculated by comparing the attributes of the audiovisual document and the attributes associated with the terminal, the value of fit being all the higher the greater the similarity between these attributes, the morality of the document and the maximum level of morality accessible from the terminal being compared, a zero value of fit is attributed to the installation whose morality level does not allow the document to be selected, the recording means being activated or otherwise so as to record this document according to the value calculated.

23. The audiovisual terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of comparison compares the size of the audiovisual document and the average size of the documents customarily stored in the terminal, the recording means being activated in a privileged manner if the size of the audiovisual document lies in an interval defining the minimum size and the maximum size of the documents that can be recorded in the terminal.

24. The audiovisual terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of comparison compares the size of the audiovisual document to be recorded and the transfer data rate of the terminal, the means of recording of an installation having a data rate greater than a determined value being activated in a privileged manner if the size of the audiovisual document is less than a determined size value.

25. The audiovisual terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein it comprises a memory comprising a list of attributes, the attributes of said list being the attributes of the documents generally ordered by users on this terminal and reproduced by this terminal.

26. The audiovisual terminal as claimed in claims 25, wherein it comprises a means of modification by a user of the list of attributes.

27. The audiovisual terminal as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of calculation is activated automatically upon the introduction of a new terminal into the network, and in that it comprises a means for downloading a document to the new terminal when the value of fit calculated by the means of calculation for this document and this new installation is higher than the values calculated for any other installation.