Recording device for community based recording

• US 20060045471A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Proidl, Adolf, Janisch, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/534,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045471A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• 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

In a recording device (10, 20, 30) having program receiving means (2) for receiving audio/video programs, having program selecting means (12, 22, 23) for selecting receivable audio/video programs for recording on a recording medium (14, 24) or reproduction, and having storage means for storing a user identifier (ID) (13, 23, 33) identifying the recording device or a user thereof, the program selecting means (12, 22, 32) are now arranged to give access to a user profile (15, 55a, 55b) for the recording/reproducing device and to a group list (16, 56a, 56b) containing user identifiers for other recording/reproducing devices, and information receiving means (3) are provided for receiving sets of program selection information (11, 21, 31, 51) that can be correlated with the user identifiers (13, 23, 33) contained in the group list (16, 56a, 56b), wherein the program selecting means (12, 22, 32) are arranged to determine the audio/video programs to be selected, from the sets of program selection information (11, 21, 31, 51) received and by reference to the access to the user profile (15, 55a, 55b).

Claims

1. A recording device (10, 20, 30) for recording audio/video programs on a recording medium (14, 24) and/or reproducing them, having program receiving means (2) for receiving audio/video programs, having program selecting means (12, 22, 23) for selecting receivable audio/video programs for recording or reproduction, having storage means for storing a user identifier (ID) (13, 23, 33) identifying the recording/reproducing device or a user thereof, characterized in that the program selecting means (12, 22, 32) are arranged to give access to a user profile (15, 55a, 55b) for the recording/reproducing device and to a group list (16, 56a, 56b) containing user identifiers (IDs) for other recording/reproducing devices, and in that information receiving means (3) are provided for receiving sets of program selection information (11, 21, 31, 51) that can be correlated with the user identifiers (13, 23, 33) contained in the group list (16, 56a, 56b), wherein the program selecting means (12, 22, 32) are arranged to determine the audio/video programs to be selected, from the sets of program selection information (11, 21, 31, 51) received and by reference to the access to the user profile (15, 55a, 55b).

2. A recording/reproducing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the program selecting means (12, 22) are arranged to create a timer list for the time-controlled recording/reproducing of the receivable audio/video programs, the timer list preferably being storable in a non-volatile memory in the recording/reproducing device.

3. A recording/reproducing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the group list (16) and/or the user profile (15) can be stored in a non-volatile memory in the recording/reproducing device (10).

4. A recording/reproducing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the group list (56a, 56b) and/or the user profile (55a, 55b) are/is downloadable to the recording/reproducing device (20, 30) via the information receiving means (3).

5. A recording/reproducing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by information transmitting means for transmitting the user identifier (ID) (13, 23, 33) and the program selection information (11, 21, 31) created by the program selecting means (12, 22, 32) on being requested to do so by external devices, the transmission preferably being limitable by reference to the access rights defined in the group list (16, 56a, 56b).

6. A recording/reproducing device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recording/reproducing device (30) is a TV set and the programs selected by the program selecting means (32) are offered to a viewer via on-screen information, in which case a final selection can, where applicable, be made by the viewer, preferably via a remote control.

7. A recording/reproducing system (1) having at least two recording/reproducing devices (10, 20, 30) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that communication means (40) for transmitting program selection information (11, 21, 31) and user identifiers (IDs) (13, 23, 33) are provided between the recording/reproducing devices (10, 20, 30).

8. A recording/reproducing system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the communication means (40) provide a connection to a server computer (50) that manages group lists (56a, 56b) and/or user profiles (55a, 55b) and/or user identifiers (IDs) (53) and associated sets of program selection information (51) from recording/reproducing devices connectable via the communication means.

9. A method of operating a server to obtain information from and transmit information to a plurality of recording/reproducing devices as claimed in claim 1 that are connected to the server and, if required, to one another via the communication means, characterized in that the server (50) reads in and stores (53, 51) user identifiers (IDs) (13, 23, 33) and associated sets of program selection information (11, 21, 31) from the recording/reproducing devices connected to it, and in that, on being requested by a recording/reproducing device (10, 20, 30) to transmit user identifiers (IDs), sets of program selection information, group lists (56a, 56b) and/or user profiles (55a, 55b), it transmits the information requested thereto while allowing for access rights.

10. A method of operating a server as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the server adds additional information, e.g. program descriptions or advertising, to the stored sets of program selection information (51).

11. A method of operating a server as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the server performs services for managing group lists and/or user profiles via remote computer terminals (70) with which it is connected via a data transmission network.

12. A method of operating a server as claimed in claim, characterized in that it controls access by recording/reproducing devices (10, 20, 30) or computer terminals (70) to the information managed by it by reference to subscriber lists.