Downloading previously aired programs using peer-to-peer networking

• US 20060248553A1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Affaki, John Y., Mikkelson, Erik C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/80 characterised by transmission among terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/42684 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 21/47214 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 21/4788 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 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Downloading previously aired programs using peer-to-peer networking includes, in certain aspects, sending a request identifying a previously aired program to a computing device. A list of a plurality of client devices that may have at least a portion of the previously aired program are received from the computing device, and portions of the previously aired program are received from one or more of the plurality of client devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a request to a computing device, the request identifying a previously aired program;

receiving, from the computing device, a list of a plurality of client devices that may have at least a portion of the previously aired program; and

receiving, from one or more of the plurality of client devices, portions of the previously aired program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an electronic programming guide to a user; and

receiving, from the user, a selection of the previously aired program from the electronic programming guide, the program having been aired prior to a time when the selection is received.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a search interface to a user;

receiving, from the user, search criteria;

comparing the search criteria to data describing a plurality of programs, the plurality of programs including one or more programs having been aired prior to a time when the search criteria is received;

presenting an identifier of each of one or more of the plurality of programs that satisfy the search criteria; and

receiving, from the user, a selection of one of the identifiers, the selected identifier identifying the previously aired program.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving portions of the previously aired program comprises:

choosing one or more client devices from the plurality of client devices;

sending, to each chosen client device, a request for an indication of how much bandwidth the client device has available for downloading at least a portion of the previously aired program and an indication of which portions of the previously aired program the client device has;

receiving, from each chosen client device, the indication of how much bandwidth the client device has available for downloading at least a portion of the previously aired program and the indication of which portions of the previously aired program the client device has; and

determining, based on the received indications, which portions of the previously aired program to retrieve from which client devices of the plurality of client devices.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, rather than the list and the portions of the previously aired program, an indication that the previously aired program is not available if a device that implements the method would not have had rights to record the previously aired program when previously aired.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the computing device, one or more options regarding downloading the requested program;

presenting, to the user, the one or more options;

receiving user selection of at least one of the one or more options;

sending an indication of the user selected options to the computing device; and

wherein receiving the list comprises receiving, from the computing device, a list of a plurality of client devices that may have at least a portion of the previously aired program and that satisfy the user selected options.

7. One or more computer readable media having a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, causes the one or more processors to:

request that a previously aired program be recorded on the device;

receive data identifying a plurality of client devices that may have one or more portions of the previously aired program recorded thereon; and

receive, from one or more of the plurality of client devices, the previously aired program.

8. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

allow a user of the device to select which of a plurality of different quality levels for the previously aired program that the user desires to receive.

9. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

allow a user of the device to select whether the previously aired program was padded when previously recorded by the one or more of the plurality of client devices.

10. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

present an electronic programming guide to a user;

receive, from a user, a selection of a program from the electronic programming guide, at least a portion of the program having been aired prior to a time when the selection is received; and

use, as the previously aired program, the user-selected program.

11. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

present a search interface to a user;

receive, from the user, search criteria;

compare the search criteria to data describing a plurality of programs, the plurality of programs including one or more programs having been aired prior to a time when the search criteria is received;

present an identifier of each of one or more of the plurality of programs that satisfy the search criteria;

receive, from the user, a selection of one of the identifiers; and

use, as the previously aired program, the program identified by the user-selected identifier.

12. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein to receive the previously aired program is to:

choose at least one of the plurality of client devices;

send, to each chosen client device, a request for an indication of how much bandwidth the client device has available for downloading at least a portion of the previously aired program and an indication of which portions of the previously aired program the client device has;

receive, from each chosen client device, the indication of how much bandwidth the client device has available for downloading at least a portion of the previously aired program and the indication of which portions of the previously aired program the client device has; and

determine, based on the received indications, which portions of the previously aired program to retrieve from which client devices of the plurality of client devices.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

repeat the choosing, sending, receiving the indication, and determining until all portions of the previously aired program are received.

14. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from a server device, one or more options regarding downloading the requested program;

present, to the user, the one or more options;

receive user selection of at least one of the one or more options;

send an indication of the user selected options to the server device; and

wherein to receive the data identifying the plurality of client devices is to receive data, from the server device, identifying a plurality of client devices that may have at least a portion of the previously aired program and that satisfy the user selected options.

15. One or more computer readable media having a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, causes the one or more processors to:

receive, from a requesting client device, a request for recording of a previously aired program;

generate a list identifying one or more other client devices that may have a copy of one or more portions of the previously aired program; and

send the list to the requesting client device to allow the requesting client device to obtain portions of the previously aired program from one or more of the one or more other client devices.

16. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

verify that the requesting client device is authorized to record the previously aired program; and

send the list to the requesting client device only if the requesting client device is authorized to record the previously aired program.

17. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send, to each of the one or more other client devices, a notice to expect a request from the requesting client device regarding downloading of portions of the previously aired program.

18. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

include, in the list, an Internet Protocol (IP) address for each of the one or more other client devices.

19. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

include, in the list, one or more parameters for each of the one or more other client devices, the one or more parameters for each client device indicating a quality level of the requested program recorded on the client device.

20. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein to generate the list is to:

check data identifying which other client devices have recorded but not yet deleted the previously aired program; and

include, in the list, only those other client devices that have recorded the requested program using a same one or more parameters requested by the requesting client device, and that have not yet deleted the previously aired program.