Personal Video Recording With Storage Space Distributed Among Remote Personal Video Recorders

• US 20090074380A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Brown, Michael Wayne, Boston, Stephen B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/295
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/00 Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs 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 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Automated personal video recording comprising scheduling a show for a user having allocated storage space on a personal video recorder (“PVR”), wherein the show has a storage space requirement that exceeds the user'"'"'s free space, and the PVR is coupled for data communications to a storage space provider; and transmitting to the storage space provider an order to record the show through the storage space provider in storage space on a remote PVR that is coupled for data communications to the storage space provider. Receiving in a storage space provider from a personal video recorder (“PVR”) an order to record a show on a remote PVR, the order comprising an identification of a show and a schedule for recording the show; selecting a remote PVR; and recording the show, in dependence upon the show identification and the schedule for recording the show, in storage space on the selected remote PVR.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A system for automated personal video recording comprising:

means for scheduling a show for a user having allocated storage space on a personal video recorder (“

PVR”

) optionally including free space, wherein the show has a storage space requirement that exceeds the user'"'"'s free space, and the PVR is coupled for data communications to a storage space provider;

means for comparing the show'"'"'s storage space requirement and the particular user'"'"'s free space;

means for determining whether one or more lenders registered on the PVR have free space that satisfies the show'"'"'s storage space requirement if the show'"'"'s storage space requirement exceeds the particular user'"'"'s free space, wherein each lender is an additional user having allocated storage space on the PVR;

means for determining whether the lenders can repossess enough loaned storage space to satisfy the show'"'"'s storage space requirement if the one or more lenders registered on the PVR do not have free space that satisfies the show'"'"'s storage space requirement;

means for transmitting to the storage space provider an order to record the show through the storage space provider in storage space on a remote PVR that is coupled for data communications to the storage space provider if the lenders cannot repossess enough loaned storage space to satisfy the show'"'"'s storage space requirement, wherein the order comprises an identification of the show and a schedule for recording the show;

means for downloading the show from the remote PVR to the PVR and displaying the show from the PVR; and

means for displaying the show on the PVR as video streamed from the storage space provider.

12-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer program product for automated personal video recording comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for scheduling a show for a user having allocated storage space on a personal video recorder (“

PVR”

) optionally including free space, wherein the show has a storage space requirement that exceeds the user'"'"'s free space, and the PVR is coupled for data communications to a storage space provider;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for comparing the show'"'"'s storage space requirement and the particular user'"'"'s free space;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining whether one or more lenders registered on the PVR have free space that satisfies the show'"'"'s storage space requirement if the show'"'"'s storage space requirement exceeds the particular user'"'"'s free space, wherein each lender is an additional user having allocated storage space on the PVR;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining, whether the lenders can repossess enough loaned storage space to satisfy the show'"'"'s storage space requirement if the one or more lenders registered on the PVR do not have free space that satisfies the show'"'"'s storage space requirement;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting to the storage space provider an order to record the show through the storage space provider in storage space on a remote PVR that is coupled for data communications to the storage space provider if the lenders cannot repossess enough loaned storage space to satisfy the show'"'"'s storage space requirement, wherein the order comprises an identification of the show and a schedule for recording the show;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for downloading the show from the remote PVR to the PVR and displaying the show from the PVR; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for displaying the show on the PVR as video streamed from the storage space provider.

22-30. -30. (canceled)