PVR OFFLOADER

• US 20110010418A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lipinski, Greg J.
• Application Number:
  US12/865,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010418A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 5/85 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

System and method for offloading and sharing content stored on a storage device of a personal video recorder (PVR) uses an offloader agent that runs on the PVR to provide content stored on the PVR storage device. A server having a server storage device receives, stores, and serves the provided content. A storage manager runs on the server for managing storage space of the server storage device. A communications mechanism connects the PVR storage device to the server storage device via a data communications network.

Claims

1. A system for offloading and sharing content stored on a storage device of a personal video recorder (PVR), comprising:

an offloader agent that runs on the PVR to provide content stored on a PVR storage device;

a server having at least one server storage device for receiving, storing, and serving the provided content;

a storage manager running on the server for managing storage space of the server storage device; and

a communications mechanism for connecting the PVR storage device to at least one of the server storage devices via a data communications network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one server storage device is an external hard drive directly attached to the server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the PVR is a personal computer (PC) operating as a media center (MCPC).

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the offloader agent is installed on the MCPC by the user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the offloader agent is installed on the PVR as a client-side component of the server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the offloader agent runs as one of a service or a background process.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the offloader agent maps/mounts a network drive to a PVR accessible location as an initialization step on each startup of the PVR.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the offloader agent determines a list of storage locations for recorded content, and adds the mapped/mounted network drive to the list of storage locations in the PVR.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the offloader agent monitors the PVR storage device for newly recorded content, and negotiates with the server to provide space on a server storage device for storing the newly recorded content, and copies the newly recorded content to the provided space on the server storage device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the newly recorded content is copied to the server storage device using a communications channel.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the newly recorded content is copied to the server storage device using an out-of-band mechanism.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the out-of-band mechanism uses a server message block (SMB) protocol.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the offloader agent deletes the newly recorded content from the PVR storage device after it has been successfully copied to the server storage device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the PVR indicates to the storage manager running on the server at least one management rule for use in managing the copied newly recorded content.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein a viewing list of the PVR includes at least one network path to content stored on at least one shared storage location of the server storage device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the content in the shared storage location can be viewed by at least one other PVR.

17. A method of offloading content stored on a storage device of a personal video recorder (PVR), comprising:

connecting the PVR storage device to a server storage device of a server via a data communications network, the server running a storage manager for managing storage space of the server storage device;

installing on the PVR an offloader agent;

configuring the PVR to access content stored on the server storage device; and

copying content stored on the PVR storage device to the server storage device via the network, using the offloader agent.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

deleting the copied content from the PVR storage device after it is successfully copied to the server storage device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

viewing over the network on a viewing device connected to the PVR the content stored on the server storage device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a list of storage locations accessible to the PVR for storing recorded content;

mapping/mounting a new network drive to a PVR accessible location; and

adding the mapped/mounted network drive to the list of storage locations in the PVR.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

monitoring the PVR storage device for newly recorded content;

when a new recording is completed, negotiating with the server for space on a server storage device for storing the newly recorded content; and

copying the newly recorded content to the negotiated space on the server storage device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising

deleting the newly recorded content from the PVR storage device after it is successfully copied to the server storage device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

indicating to the storage manager by the PVR at least one management rule for use in managing the copied newly recorded content; and

managing the copied content by the storage manager in accordance with the management rule.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining at least one network path to content viewable by the PVR stored in at least one shared location of a storage device managed by the storage manager; and

viewing content stored in the shared location via at least one other PVR.