System and method for recording and time-shifting programming in a television distribution system using policies

• US 20070143813A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Zesen, Chou, Peter, Gonsalves, Brian, Chen, Sean, Smith, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content 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 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems to store a policy specifying at least one rule relating to recording, storage or delivery of broadcast programming to a consumer of such programming, and to record, store or deliver broadcast programming in response to at least one of the rules in the policy. According to another example embodiment, a method and system provide for a subscriber requesting that at least one broadcast television program be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system, and further that the at least one program offered to the subscriber for saving is determined based on a policy established for the at least program. According to another example embodiment a system provides at least one computing device including a computer program to control the recording or delivery of at least one broadcast television program in accordance with a policy established to control the recording or delivery of the broadcast television program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a policy specifying at least one rule relating to recording, storage or delivery of broadcast programming to a consumer of such programming; and

recording, storing or delivering the broadcast programming in response to at least one of the rules specified by the policy.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the rule specifies how a particular type of programming may be recorded or delivered.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the rule specifies how a particular channel of programming may be recorded or delivered.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the rule specifies how a particular time slot of programming may be recorded or delivered.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein the policy specifies how a particular type of programming may be recorded or delivered.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the policy specifies how a particular channel of programming may be recorded or delivered.

12. A system according to claim 1 wherein the policy specifies how a particular time slot of programming may be recorded or delivered.

18. A system according to claim 1 wherein the policy specifies how a particular broadcast television program may be recorded or delivered.

5. A method comprising:

a subscriber requesting that at least one broadcast television program be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system; and

wherein the at least one program offered to the subscriber for saving is determined based on a policy established for the at least program.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the policy specifies how a particular type of programming may be recorded or delivered.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the policy specifies how a particular channel of programming may be recorded or delivered.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein the policy specifies how a particular time slot of programming may be recorded or delivered.

9. A system comprising:

at least one computing device including a computer program to control the recording or delivery of at least one broadcast television program in accordance with a policy established to control the recording or delivery of the broadcast television program.

13. A system comprising:

a device located in a subscriber premise including at least one computer program adapted to permit the subscriber to request that broadcast programming be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system;

wherein the device is adapted to enable a subscriber to request the programming be saved for later viewing by the subscriber between the time the programming was broadcast and a later point in time; and

and further wherein recording or delivery of the broadcast programming is determined in accordance with one or more policies establishing digital rights management for the programming.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein the policy specifies how many times a program may be delivered to a subscriber.

15. A system according to claim 13 wherein the policy specifies a delay after the initial broadcast that has to be observed before the programming can be viewed.

16. A system according to claim 13 wherein the policy specifies how a particular type of content may be saved, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of:

sports programming, news, late night television, reruns, old movies or new movies.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program stored on a machine readable medium wherein the computer program is executable on at least one computing device to control the recording or delivery of at least one broadcast television program in accordance with a policy established to control the recording or delivery of the broadcast television program.