Method To Enable Cooperative Processing And Resource Sharing Between Set-Top Boxes, Personal Computers, And Local Devices

• US 20090031355A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Swix, Scott Russell, Watson, P. Thomas, Gray, James H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A system and method for resource sharing are provided. The method includes storing an electronic programming guide (EPG) application and an EPG, determining when local memory of a local video device lacks capacity to download additional time of the EPG, and communicating with another device to transmit a resource request to the other device to download the additional time of the EPG to storage in the other device. The method also includes processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the other device, querying the other device to determine what programming is being viewed, and processing controls included in the EPG application that enable access to the storage of the other device to interact with the EPG stored on the other device through the local video device to schedule a programming event at the local video device.

Claims

1. A local video device, comprising:

means for communicating with local memory that stores an electronic programming guide application and an electronic programming guide,

means for determining when the local memory of the local video device lacks capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide,

means for causing a communications element to communicate with another device to transmit a resource request to the another device to download the additional time of the electronic programming guide to storage in the another device;

means for processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the another device;

means for querying the another device to determine what programming is being viewed; and

means for processing controls included in the electronic programming guide application that enable access to the storage of the another device to interact with the electronic programming guide stored on the another device through the local video device to schedule a programming event at the local video device.

2. The local video device of claim 1, further comprising means for determining that a resource is needed to perform the task.

3. The local video device of claim 1, wherein the video device operates as a control member, and further comprising means for querying the another device to determine whether a shared resource associated with the another device is available to a second video device, in response to receiving a resource request from the second video device.

4. The local video device of claim 1, further comprising means for collecting a viewing history associated with the another device and for processing an instruction to disable the another device when a maximum allowable viewing time is exceeded.

5. The local video device of claim 1, wherein the local memory stores a predetermined amount of recently viewed video content on a revolving basis, and further comprising means for causing the communications element to communicate with the another device to send a segment of stored video content to a remote location.

6. The local video device of claim 1, further comprising means for deleting content from the local memory due to lack of activity.

7. The local video device of claim 1, further comprising means for performing a security check that prevents access and copying of pay-per-view video.

8. A method of resource sharing, comprising:

storing an electronic programming guide application and an electronic programming guide;

determining when local memory of a local video device lacks capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide;

communicating with another device to transmit a resource request to the another device to download the additional time of the electronic programming guide to storage in the another device;

processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the another device;

querying the another device to determine what programming is being viewed; and

processing controls included in the electronic programming guide application that enable access to the storage of the another device to interact with the electronic programming guide stored on the another device through the local video device to schedule a programming event at the local video device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

when a shared resource is not available, then querying a second device to determine whether a shared resource is available from the second device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising collecting a viewing history associated with the another device and processing an instruction to disable the another device when a maximum allowable viewing time is exceeded.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing a predetermined amount of recently viewed video content on a revolving basis, and communicating with the another device to send a segment of stored video content to a remote location.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising deleting content from the local memory due to lack of activity.

13. The method of claim 8, performing a security check that prevents access and copying of pay-per-view video.

14. A system, comprising:

means for storing an electronic programming guide application and an electronic programming guide;

means for determining when local memory on a local video device lacks capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide;

means for communicating with another device to transmit a resource request to the another device to download the additional time of the electronic programming guide to storage in the another device;

means for processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the another device;

means for querying the another device to determine what programming is being viewed; and

means for processing controls included in the electronic programming guide application that enable access to the storage of the another device to interact with the electronic programming guide stored on the another device through the local video device to schedule a programming event at the local video device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for collecting a viewing history associated with the another device and for processing an instruction to disable the another device when a maximum allowable viewing time is exceeded.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for storing a predetermined amount of recently viewed video content on a revolving basis and for communicating with the another device to send a segment of stored video content to a remote location.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for deleting content from the local memory due to lack of activity.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for performing a security check that prevents access and copying of pay-per-view video.

19. A computer readable medium on which is encoded instructions for performing:

storing an electronic programming guide application and an electronic programming guide;

determining when local memory lacks on a local video device capacity to download additional time of the electronic programming guide;

communicating with another device to transmit a resource request to the another device to download the additional time of the electronic programming guide to storage in the another device;

processing for display monitoring data that indicates remaining storage space in the storage of the another device;

querying the another device to determine what programming is being viewed; and

processing controls included in the electronic programming guide application that enable access to the storage of the another device to interact with the electronic programming guide stored on the another device through the local video device to schedule a programming event at the local video device.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions for collecting a viewing history associated with the another device and to process an instruction to disable the another device when a maximum allowable viewing time is exceeded.