METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEGMENT BASED RECORDING

• US 20170105036A1
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: VIVEGANANDHAN, Mahesh, CHOU, Hoi-Tauw Jozef, KUMARASWAMY, Gowdish, RICKER, Clint
• Granted Patent: US 10,334,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/412 Distributed storage methods, i.e. the system may autonomously determine for a storage device that provides enough storage capacity for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• 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 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method, system and apparatus are described, for uniquely storing, in a memory, for each one user among a plurality of users which recorded a content item, at least one segment of the recorded content item, generating metadata at a metadata generator, the metadata generator configured to associate, for one user among the plurality of users, the at least one segment of the recorded content item recorded by the one user, the metadata including a bitmap uniquely identifying the one user, and determining, at a processor, for each one user of the plurality of users, at least one offset value indicating at least one starting point for the at least one segment of the recorded content item for the one user, the at least one segment of the one user being disposed in a media sequence including a plurality of segments of the content item for different users of the users that recorded the content item, the at least one offset value being determined based, at least, on the bitmap uniquely identifying the one user and a byte size of the at least one segment of the recorded content item. Related methods, systems and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. :

A system comprising;

a memory to uniquely store, for each one user that recorded a content item among a plurality of users which recorded the content item, at least one segment of the recorded content item;

a metadata generator to generate metadata which associates, with one user among the plurality of users, the at least one segment of the recorded content item recorded by the one user, the metadata comprising a bitmap uniquely identifying the one user as a unique member of one group of users among a plurality of groups of users; and

a processor to determine, for each one user of the plurality of users, at least one offset value indicating at least one starting point for the at least one segment of the recorded content item for the one user, the at least one segment of the one user being disposed in a media sequence including a plurality of segments of the content item for different users of the users that recorded the content item, the at least one offset value being determined based, at least, on the bitmap uniquely identifying the one user and a byte size of the at least one segment of the recorded content item.

2. :

The system of claim 1 wherein the recorded content item comprises a content item which is optimized for download as an adaptive bitrate content item.

3. :

The system of claim 1 wherein the metadata also comprises a result of a hash function operation performed on the at least one segment of the recorded content item.

4. :

The system of claim 1 wherein the bitmap is one of a group of bitmaps, wherein each group of bitmaps is associated with one group of users among the plurality of groups of users.

5. :

The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one segment of the recorded content item for the one user is identified by an offset determined by a location of a bit associated with the one individual user in the bitmap.

6. :

The system of claim 1 wherein the metadata associated with the at least one segment is stored separately from the at least one segment.

7. :

The system according to claim 1 wherein the system comprises a cloud based recording service.

8. :

The system according to claim 1 wherein the memory comprises at least one of a physical disk drive;

a solid state drive;

a cloud based memory; and

a flash memory device.

9. :

The system according to claim 1 wherein the metadata which associates the at least one segment the recorded content item with the one user also comprises;

a unique numeric identifier for a recording;

a media presentation description (MPD);

a channel ID;

a recording start time; and

a recording end time.

10. :

The system according to claim 1 and also comprising a cloud based playback mechanism.

11. :

A method comprising;

storing uniquely, in a memory, for each one user that recorded a content item among a plurality of users which recorded the content item, at least one segment of the recorded content item;

generating metadata at a metadata generator, the metadata generator associating with one user among the plurality of users the at least one segment of the recorded content item recorded by the one user, the metadata comprising a bitmap uniquely identifying the one user, as a unique member of one group of users among a plurality of groups of users; and

determining, at a processor, for each one user of the plurality of users, at least one offset value indicating at least one starting point for the at least one segment of the recorded content item for the one user, the at least one segment of the one user being disposed in a media sequence including a plurality of segments of the content item for different users of the users that recorded the content item, the at least one offset value being determined based, at least, on the bitmap uniquely identifying the one user and a byte size of the at least one segment of the recorded content item.

12. :

The method of claim 11 wherein the recorded content item comprises a content item which is optimized for download as an adaptive bitrate content item.

13. :

The method of claim 11 wherein the metadata also comprises a result of a hash function operation performed on the one segment of the recorded content item.

14. :

The method of claim 11 wherein the bitmap is one of a group of bitmaps, wherein each group of bitmaps is associated with one group of users among the plurality of groups of users.

15. :

The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one segment of the recorded content item for an individual user is identified by an offset determined by a location of a bit associated with an individual user in the bitmap.

16. :

The method of claim 11 wherein the metadata associated with the at least one segment is stored separately from the at least one segment.

17. :

The method according to claim 11 and also comprising providing a cloud based recording service.

18. :

The method according to claim 11 wherein the memory comprises at least one of a physical disk drive;

a solid state drive;

a cloud based memory; and

a flash memory device.

19. :

The method according to claim 11 wherein the metadata which associates the at least one each one segment of the recorded content item with the one user also comprises;

a unique numeric identifier for a recording;

a media presentation description (MPD);

a channel ID;

a recording start time; and

a recording end time.

20. (canceled)

21. :

A system comprising;

means for uniquely storing for each one user that recorded a content item among a plurality of users which recorded the content item, at least one segment of the recorded content item;

means for generating metadata at a metadata generator, the metadata generator associating, with one user among the plurality of users, the at least one segment of the recorded content item recorded by the one user, the metadata comprising a bitmap uniquely identifying the one user, as a unique member of one group of users among a plurality of groups of users; and

means for determining, for each one user of the plurality of users, at least one offset value indicating at least one starting point for the at least one segment of the recorded content item for the one user, the at least one segment of the one user being disposed in a media sequence including a plurality of segments of the content item for different users of the users that recorded the content item, the at least one offset value being determined based, at least, on the bitmap uniquely identifying the one user and a byte size of the at least one segment of the recorded content item.