System and method for managing program assets

• US 20110107365A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, Jay, Chen, Zhongming
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/29
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/2747 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 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of operating a communications system storing assets for later transmission, is disclosed. The assets have respective expiration dates beyond which a right to transmit expires. The method comprises checking an expiration date of an asset and deleting the asset from storage based, at least in part, on the expiration date, a predetermined period of time added to or subtracted from the expiration date and/or whether the asset has been selected for later viewing. The predetermined period of time may provide a grace period for completing viewing of a selected asset by a user, either after or before the expiration date, depending on the rights to the asset granted by the source of the asset. The period of time may depend on a playtime of the asset and may be added to the expiration date only if the asset has been selected for viewing. Systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a headend of a communications system storing assets for later transmission to respective terminals at user locations, the method comprising:

receiving selections from terminals for respective stored assets for later viewing;

checking by the headend whether an asset has a pending selection for later viewing; and

deleting the asset by the headend based, at least in part, on whether there is the pending selection for the asset for later viewing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

delaying deletion if there is a pending selection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the assets have respective expiration dates beyond which a right to transmit expires, the method further comprising:

checking by the headend an expiration date of the asset; and

deleting the asset by the headend based, at least in part, on the expiration date and whether the asset has a pending selection.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

deleting the asset based, at least in part, on the expiration date, whether the asset has a pending selection and a current date.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

deleting the asset if;

the expiration date is later than or equal to the current date; and

the asset does not have a pending selection.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

deleting the asset if;

the expiration date is later than or equal to the current date;

the asset does not have a pending selection; and

the expiration date is within a predetermined time interval of the current date.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

deleting the asset if;

the asset has not been selected for later viewing by a predetermined date.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

deleting the asset based, at least in part, on a deletion date, the deletion date being a function of the expiration date and a predetermined period of time.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the asset is provided by a source, the method further comprising:

determining whether the source has authorized transmission of the asset after the expiration date, if transmission starts prior to the expiration date; and

adding the predetermined period of time to the expiration date to determine the deletion date if the source has authorized said transmission;

or

subtracting the predetermined period of time from the expiration date to determine the deletion date if the source has not authorized said transmission.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein a first asset containing previously broadcast content is stored in a first location, a second asset comprising a first pointer to the first asset is stored in a second location, expiration information associated with the content is stored in a third location, and the second asset further comprises a second pointer to the respective expiration information, the method further comprising:

identifying the second asset;

locating the expiration information based on the second pointer in the second asset; and

determining the expiration date corresponding to the content based, at least in part, on the expiration information.

11. A headend of a communications system for storing assets for later transmission to terminals at user locations, the headend comprising:

means for receiving selections from terminals for respective stored assets for later viewing;

means for checking whether an asset has a pending selection; and

means for deleting the asset based, at least in part, on whether the asset has a pending selection.

12. A headend of a communications system to store assets for later transmission to terminals at user locations, the headend comprising:

memory to store assets; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being programmed to;

receive selections from terminals for respective stored assets for later viewing;

check whether an asset has a pending selection for later viewing by a respective terminal; and

delete the asset based, at least in part, on whether the asset has a pending selection.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is programmed to delay deletion of an asset with a pending selection.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the assets have respective expiration dates beyond which a right to transmit expires, and the processor is further programmed to:

check an expiration date of an asset;

delete the asset based, at least in part, on the expiration date, whether the asset has been selected and a current date.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to:

delete the asset if;

the expiration date is later than or equal to the current date; and

the asset has not been selected.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to:

delete the asset if;

the expiration date is later than or equal to the current date;

the asset has not been selected; and

the expiration date is within a predetermined time interval of the current date.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is programmed to:

delete the asset if;

the asset has not been selected by a predetermined date.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

delete the asset based, at least in part, on a deletion date, the deletion date being a function of the expiration date and a predetermined period of time.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the asset is provided by a source and the processor is further programmed to:

determine whether the source has authorized transmission of the asset after the expiration date, if transmission starts prior to the expiration date; and

add the predetermined period of time to the expiration date to determine the deletion date if the source has authorized said transmission;

or

subtract the predetermined period of time from the expiration date to determine the deletion date if the source has not authorized said transmission.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein a first asset containing content is stored in a first location, a second asset comprising a first pointer to the first asset is stored in a second location, expiration information associated with the content is stored in a third location, and the second asset further comprises a second pointer to the respective expiration information, the processor being programmed to:

identify the second asset;

locate the expiration information based on the second pointer in the second asset; and

determine the expiration date corresponding to the content based, at least in part, on the expiration information.

21. A method for delivering program content to terminals at user locations through a cable television network, the method comprising:

receiving broadcast content from a broadcast source by a headend of a cable television network;

delivering the broadcast content to terminals at user locations, through the cable television network, at respective air dates in accordance with a broadcast schedule, by the headend;

storing the broadcast content in the form of assets for delivery to respective users on demand, by the headend;

receiving selections from terminals for respective stored assets for later viewing;

periodically checking a status of a stored asset, at least in part, by checking whether a respective asset has a pending selection for later viewing by a respective terminal; and

deleting the respective stored asset based, at least in part, on whether the respective asset has been selected for viewing.

22. A headend of a communications system for delivering program content to terminals at user locations through a cable television network, the headend comprising:

an interface to receive broadcast content from a broadcast source;

a mechanism to deliver the broadcast content to terminals at user locations, through the cable television network, at respective air dates in accordance with a broadcast schedule;

at least one processor configured to;

record the broadcast content and store the recorded broadcast content in the form of assets for delivery to respective users on demand;

receive selections from terminals for respective stored assets for later viewing;

periodically check a status of a stored asset by checking whether a respective asset has a pending selection for later viewing by a respective terminal; and

delete the stored asset from the memory based, at least in part, on the

deleting the respective stored asset based, at least in part, on whether the respective asset has been selected for viewing.