Automatic content update for a target device

• US 20060184968A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stinson, Jeffrey S., Villevieille, Jean-Marc A., Clayton, Richard M., Ulmer, David E., Gaumond, Michael T.
• Application Number:
  US11/296,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184968A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Channel configuration information is sent to a content service, and the content service determines content to be provided in each channel of a set of channels using the channel configuration information. A first target device receives and stores content for the channels. The first target device may transmit at least some of the content to a second target device and automatically update the content stored at the second target device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending channel configuration information to a content service, wherein the content service determines content to be provided in each channel of a set of channels using the channel configuration information;

receiving content for the channels in the set of channels at a first target device;

storing the content for the channels;

transmitting at least some of the content to a second target device; and

automatically updating content stored at the second target device with content received from the content service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device further comprises:

transmitting content to the second target device from the first target device, wherein the transmitted content replaces content consumed at the second target device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device further comprises:

transmitting content to the second target device from the first target device, wherein the transmitted content replaces stale content stored at the second target device, wherein stale content includes at least one of content for which a predetermined period of time has lapsed and content having an expiration data and time that has passed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device further comprises:

receiving a report from the second target device;

determining content to send to the second target device based on the report; and

transmitting the determined content to the second target device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the report indicates consumption of content for each channel at the second target device, and determining content to send to the second target device further comprises determining an amount of content to send to the second target device based on at least one of the consumption and storage capacity of the second target device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the report indicates whether content stored at the second target device is stale, and determining content to send to the second target device further comprises determining content to send to the second target to replace the stale content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device further comprises:

automatically updating the content stored at the second target device when the second target device is re-connected to the first target device at a later time subsequent to the transmitting the at least some content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device with content received from the content service further comprises:

automatically updating the content stored at the second target device with content stored at the first target device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically updating content stored at the second target device with content received from the content service further comprises:

receiving new content from the content service without connecting to the first target device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises channel configuration information for a plurality of sets of channels, such that the first target device is operable to receive content for the plurality of sets of channels.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a set of channels from the plurality of sets of channels to be available for consumption at one or more of the first and second target devices.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a common user interface for the first and second target devices, wherein the common user interface provides one-click selection of a channel from the set of channels for playing content in the selected channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the common user interface includes a plurality of presets, each preset mapped to a channel in the set of channels.

14. A device operable to receive content from a content service, the device comprising:

storage operable to store content received from the content service, wherein the content includes content for a plurality of channels in a channel set, wherein the device is operable to transmit at least some of the stored content to a second device;

a processor operable to determine content stored in the second device that was consumed and is further operable to automatically update the consumed content with new content when the second device is connected to the device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is operable to determine the content consumed for each channel, and is further operable to automatically update the consumed content for each channel with new content for the respective channel.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein each channel comprises content associated with a particular category.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the new content for the automatic update is received from the content service and cached in the device, and the new content is transmitted to the second device when the second device is connected to the device.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the device is further operable to send channel configuration information to the content service, wherein the content service determines content provided in each channel of the set of channels using the channel configuration information, the content in each channel including content from one or more content providers providing content to the content service.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the configuration information comprises channel configuration information for a plurality of sets of channels, such that the first target device is operable to receive content for the plurality of sets of channels.

20. The device of claim 14, further comprising a common user interface, wherein the common user interface is also used in the second device, the common user interface providing one-click selection of a channel from the set of channels for playing content in the selected channel.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the common user interface includes a plurality of presets, each preset mapped to a channel in the set of channels.

23. The first target device of claim 21, further comprising:

a common user interface means for receiving input from a user, wherein the common user interface means is also used in the second target device, the common user interface means providing one-click selection of a channel from the set of channels for playing content in the selected channel.

22. A first target device operable to receive content from a content service and connect to a second target device to transfer content to the second target device, the first target device comprising:

means for sending channel configuration information to the content service, wherein the content service determines content to be provided in each channel of a set of channels using the channel configuration information;

means for receiving content for the channels in the set of channels;

means for storing the content for the channels;

means for transmitting at least some of the content to the second target device; and

means for automatically updating content stored at the second target device with content received from the content service.

24. A computer readable medium storing one or more computer programs including code that when executed causes a computer to perform the following:

generating channel configuration information from user input, wherein the channel configuration is transmitted to a content service and the content service determines content provided in each channel of a set of channels using the channel configuration information;

receiving content for the channels in the set of channels;

storing the content for the channels;

transmitting at least some of the content to the second target device; and

automatically updating content stored at the second target device with content received from the content service.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the code when executed causes the computer to further generate:

a common user interface receiving input from a user, wherein the common user interface is also used in the second target device, the common user interface providing one-click selection of a channel from the set of channels for playing content in the selected channel.