METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UPDATING A DATABASE IN A RECEIVING DEVICE

• US 20130290380A1
• Filed: 01/06/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Clevenger, Brian Duane, Flickner, Eric Joseph, Krakora, Randall Frank
• Application Number:
  US13/978,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20130290380A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• 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 21/4435 Memory management allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a media content database on a device is described. The method and apparatus include receiving event data associated with media content, the event data including an event identifier, determining if the event identifier matches an event identifier for event data already stored in a memory, adding the received event data to the event data if the received event identifier does not match an event identifier for the stored event data, and replacing the stored event data with the received event data if the received event identifier matches the event identifier for the stored event data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving event data associated with media content, the event data including an event identifier;

determining if the event identifier matches an event identifier for event data already stored in a memory;

adding the received event data to the event data if the received event identifier does not match an event identifier for the stored event data; and

replacing the stored event data with the received event data if the received event identifier matches the event identifier for the stored event data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a memory swap is to occur, the determination based on the event data stored in the memory; and

updating a first event database with the event data in the memory if it is determined that the memory swap is to occur.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating an event count value if the received event identifier does not match an event identifier for the stored event data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determination is based on the event count value and a time period from a previous memory swap.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining includes determining if at least one of the event count value exceeds a predetermined event count threshold value and a time period value from a previous memory swap exceeds a predetermined time period value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined event count threshold value and the predetermined time period value are based on at least one of the number of events received in a time period, the time of day, and a number of event queries in a time period.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first event database is identified as a write database before the step of updating the first event database and identified a read database after the step of updating and wherein a second event database identified as a read database before the step of updating and identified as a write database after the step of updating.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an event query, the event query requesting information associated with one or more events;

determining if the first event database has been updated;

directing the event query to the first event database if the first event database has been updated; and

copying the contents of the first event database to a second event database, the second event database receiving the event query if the first event database has not been updated.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

directing the event query to the second event database before copying the first event database to the second database; and

providing a first result to the event query based on the second event database and a second result to the event query based on the first database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the event data associated with media content is provided from one of at least two content sources.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the event data is received by a device that receives event data from a broadcast content delivery network and a broadband content delivery network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the event data received from the broadcast content delivery network is included as part of an electronic program guide.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving event data associated with media content, the event data including an event identifier;

means for determining if the event identifier matches an event identifier for event data already stored in a memory;

means for adding the received event data to the event data if the received event identifier does not match an event identifier for the stored event data; and

means for replacing the stored event data with the received event data if the received event identifier matches the event identifier for the stored event data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for determining if a memory swap is to occur, the determination based on the event data stored in the memory; and

means for updating a first event database with the event data in the memory if it is determined that the memory swap is to occur.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for updating an event count value if the received event identifier does not match an event identifier for the stored event data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the determination is based on the event count value and a time period from a previous memory swap.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining includes means for determining if at least one of the event count value exceeds a predetermined event count threshold value and a time period value from a previous memory swap exceeds a predetermined time period value.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the predetermined event count threshold value and the predetermined time period value are based on at least one of the number of events received in a time period, the time of day, and a number of event queries in a time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first event database is identified as a write database before the step of updating the first event database and identified a read database after the step of updating and wherein a second event database identified as a read database before the step of updating and identified as a write database after the step of updating.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

means for receiving an event query, the event query requesting information associated with one or more events;

means for determining if the first event database has been updated;

means for directing the event query to the first event database if the first event database has been updated; and

means for copying the contents of the first event database to a second event database, the second event database receiving the event query if the first event database has not been updated.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for directing the event query to the second event database before copying the first event database to the second database; and

means for providing a first result to the event query based on the second event database and a second result to the event query based on the first database.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a receiving device that receives event data from a broadcast content delivery network and a broadband content delivery network.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the event data received from the broadcast content delivery network is included as part of an electronic program guide.