Time shifting by simultaneously recording and playing a data stream

• US 20050244138A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dennis M O'Connor, Mark P. Chuang
• Original Assignee: Dennis M O'Connor, Mark P. Chuang
• Inventors: Chuang, Mark P., O'Connor, Dennis M.
• Application Number:
  US11/174,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20050244138A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/298
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10962 wherein both recording and playback take place simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• 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 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A video stream may include portions that are stored while other portions are being displayed. In one embodiment, a portion of the video stream may be stored in digital storage media at one instance while in the next instance another portion of the stream is being read out of the storage media.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method comprising:

selectively displaying a video stream from storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.

27. The method of claim 26 including:

when the time delay is greater than a threshold, displaying a video stream from the storage; and

when the time delay is less than the threshold, displaying the video stream without storing said stream.

28. The method of claim 26 including allowing portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage device and storing in a temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage device while another portion is being read from the storage device.

29. The method of claim 26 further including allowing one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage device to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user-specified.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein storing the video stream further comprises allowing the video stream to be compressed prior to writing the video stream to the storage device.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein displaying the video stream from the storage device when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold comprises decompressing the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage device.

32. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a computer to:

selectively display a video stream from storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.

33. The article of claim 32 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to:

when the time delay is greater than a threshold, display the video stream from the storage; and

when the time delay is less than the threshold, display the video stream without storing said stream.

34. The article of claim 33 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage device and storing in a temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage device while another portion is being read from the storage device.

35. The article of claim 33 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage device to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user-specified.

36. The article of claim 33 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to compress the video stream prior to writing the video stream to the storage device.

37. The article of claim 34 further storing instructions that, if executed, enable the computer to allow portions of the video stream to be displayed from the storage device when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold comprises decompressing the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage device.

38. A system comprising:

a storage to store a video stream;

a controller to selectively display a video stream from said storage or without storing said video stream, depending on a time delay.

39. The system of claim 38 said controller to display the video stream from the storage when the time delay is greater than a threshold, and when the time delay is less than a threshold, said controller to display the video stream without storing said stream

40. The system of claim 38 including a display.

41. The system of claim 38, said controller including a temporary buffer and wherein said storage stores instructions that enable the controller to allow portions of the video stream to be alternately written to and read from the storage and store in its temporary buffer the next portion to be written to the storage while another portion is being read from the storage.

42. The system of claim 40 including said controller to allow one or more portions of the video stream to be read from the storage to retrieve the video stream with one or more time delays that are user specified.

43. The system of claim 41 wherein said controller to allow the video stream to be compressed prior to writing the video stream to the storage.

44. The system of claim 41 wherein said storage decompresses the video stream after retrieving the video stream from the storage when the time delay is greater than the predetermined threshold.