Wireless digital video recorder manager

• US 20060184983A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,613,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/89
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/41407 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• 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 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems for managing the reception and/or recording of video content on a wireless digital video recorder. In certain embodiments, the wireless digital video recorder comprises a wireless phone with video reception and video recording capabilities. One set of embodiments provides a reception manager for managing the reception of video content by the wireless digital video recorder. Merely by way of example, embodiments of the present invention may provide for monitoring of the signal strength of broadcast video content, and certain embodiments may provide for receiving and displaying information concerning video content available to the wireless digital video recorder. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide for the management of recording and/or storing video content on the wireless digital video recorder e. Merely by way of example, in some embodiments, a storage processor may determine the video content to record or may associate values to stored video content.

Claims

1. A manager for a wireless digital video recorder for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of broadcast video content, comprising:

a wireless digital video recorder operable to receive and record broadcast video content; and

a reception processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage reception of the broadcast video content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless digital video recorder and the reception processor are incorporated within a wireless phone.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to control the storage of the broadcast video content received by the wireless digital video recorder.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to monitor a signal strength associated with the broadcast video content received by the wireless digital video recorder.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to provide an alert when the signal strength falls below a threshold value.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver in communication with the reception processor and operable to receive transmitted information concerning the broadcast video content available to the wireless digital video recorder.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the information is transmitted by a provider associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the information is transmitted by a provider of the broadcast video content.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to display the information on a display screen associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a browser in communication with the reception processor, the browser being operable to browse the Internet, wherein the reception processor is operable to browse the Internet via the browser to identify availability of the broadcast video content.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to identify a set of the broadcast video content available to the wireless digital video recorder.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to select video content from the set of the broadcast video content for receiving by the wireless digital video recorder.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the reception processor selects the video content based upon an analysis of reception rules; and

a user of the wireless digital video recorder provides the reception rules to the reception processor.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the reception processor selects the video content based upon an analysis of previous broadcast video content received by the wireless digital video recorder

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a global positioning system transceiver in communication with the reception processor and operable to locate a geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the reception processor is configured to use the geographic location of the wireless digital video recorder to identify availability of a broadcast video signal.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the reception processor is operable to use the geographic location of the wireless digital video recorder to identify an optimum provider of the broadcast video content.

18. A manager for a wireless digital video recorder for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of broadcast video content, comprising:

a wireless digital video recorder operable to receive and record video content; and

a storage processor associated with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage the recording and storage of video content.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the wireless digital video recorder and the storage processor are incorporated within a wireless phone.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a reception processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage the reception of the video content.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the storage processor is configured to receive information concerning the video content received at the wireless digital video recorder.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the storage processor receives the information from a reception processor associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the storage processor is configured to process whether to record the received video content.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the storage processor makes a decision whether to record the received video content based upon an analysis of recording rules; and

a user of the wireless digital video recorder provides the recording rules to the storage processor.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the storage processor makes a decision whether to record the received video content based upon an analysis of a history of the video content recorded by the wireless digital video recorder.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the storage processor associates a priority value to recorded video content.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein:

the storage processor determines the priority value based upon rules entered into the storage processor by a user of the wireless digital video recorder.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein:

the storage processor determines the priority value based upon a one of a prior recording history of the wireless digital video recorder, a prior reception history of the wireless digital video recorder, and a combination of the prior recording and reception history.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the storage processor associates an expiration date with a set of video content stored on the wireless digital video recorder.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein:

the storage processor erases the set of stored video content based upon the expiration date.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the storage processor erases a set of stored video content from the wireless digital video recorder to provide storage space for newly available video content.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the storage processor erases the set of stored video content based upon a first priority value associated with the set of stored video content relative to a second priority value associated with the newly available video content.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the storage processor provides an alert when video content selected for recording by the user exceeds storage space available to the wireless digital video recorder.

34. A method for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of broadcast video content by a wireless digital video recorder, comprising:

identifying a set of broadcast video content available to the wireless digital video recorder; and

recording selected video content from the set of broadcast video content on the wireless digital video recorder based upon a value associated with the selected video content.

35. The method of claim 40, wherein:

identifying the set of available broadcast video content comprises receiving a list of available broadcast video content from a service provider associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein:

identifying the set of available broadcast video content comprises receiving information concerning the available broadcast video content from a provider of the broadcast video content.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein:

identifying the set of available broadcast video content comprises determining the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder relative to sources broadcasting video content.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

monitoring a signal strength associated with the broadcast video content.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

providing an alert when the signal strength falls below a threshold value.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein:

the value associated with the selected video content is determined from preferences entered by a user into the wireless digital video recorder.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein:

the value associated with the selected video content is determined from an analysis of prior recordings made by a user of the wireless digital video recorder.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein:

the value associated with the selected video content is determined from a signal strength associated with the video content.

43. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

deleting video content stored on the wireless digital video recorder when storage space available on the wireless digital video recorder is less than that required to store the selected video content and the selected video content has a higher rating than the stored video content, wherein the rating of the available broadcast video content and the stored video content is based upon preferences of a user of the wireless digital video recorder.