Internet event timer recording for video and/or audio

• US 6,012,086 A
• Filed: 06/24/1997
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lowell, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/881,052
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.48, 348/906, 348/10, 386/83, 709/218, 709/219, 709/231, 455/6.2, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A system for automatically recording an event transmitted over a network is provided. A network client is programmed to automatically access a network server at a first specified time, download data from the server to a specified destination device or file, stop the download at a second specified time, and automatically disconnect from the network server. The network client is further programmed to execute additional command sequences required to access the data, and execute diagnostic routines in case of transmission error.

Claims

1. A method for automatically storing data transmitted during a specified date and time of a limited duration over a network in a client system in communication with at least one source server, the method comprising the steps of:

providing one or more text entry fields for the entry of a source address, a date parameter, a first time parameter, and a second time parameter, said date parameter and first time parameter corresponding to the specified date and time the data is available over the network;

establishing a network connection between the client system and the source server;

accessing the source server specified by the source address, and downloading a data stream from the source server on the date specified by the date parameter and at the time specified by the first time parameter;

storing the data in a device coupled to said client system; and

stopping the downloading of the data stream at the time specified by the second time parameter.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of disconnecting the network connection from the source server subsequent to the time specified by the second time parameter.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet and the step of establishing a network connection includes the step of accessing an Internet Service Provider network server coupled to the client computer, and.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a destination text entry field for the entry of a destination descriptor, wherein the data stream is stored in the device specified by the destination descriptor.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a command field for entry of a command sequence specifying commands or user information required to access the data stream from the source server.

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the date, the first time parameter, and the source address are specified in a program guide code, the program guide code providing a mechanism for automatically accessing the source of a program to be recorded at the time and date on which the program is available.

7. A method according to claim 4 wherein the destination descriptor specifies a file in a memory coupled to the client system.

8. A method according to claim 4 wherein the destination descriptor specifies an electronic recording device coupled to the client system.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more text entry fields are contained within a text entry area displayed on a display device coupled to the client system, and the text entry area is a graphic image stored in a memory coupled to the client computer.

10. A method according to claim 3 wherein the one or more text entry fields are contained within a text entry area displayed on a display device coupled to the client system, and the text entry area is provided through an interactive display environment including World-Wide Web content, and the control screen and text entry areas are hypertext markup language (HTML) objects, and the method further comprises the step of executing a web browser program on the client computer.

11. An apparatus for automatically storing data transmitted over a network in a client system, said data available on a specified date and during a specified time of a limited duration, said client system in communication with at least one remote server system, the apparatus comprising:

means for providing a source field for entry of a source address;

means for providing a date field for entry of a date parameter of when the data is available;

means for providing a first time field for entry of a first time parameter, wherein the time entered in the first time field occurs during the day specified by the date parameter and when the data is available;

means for providing a second time field for entry of a second time parameter;

means for providing a destination field for entry of a destination descriptor; and

means for processing the date parameter, the source address, the first time parameter, the second time parameter, and the destination descriptor entered into their respective fields, wherein the processing is operable to transfer a data stream available at an address specified in the source field to an address specified in the destination field during the time specified in the first time parameter and the second time parameter.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising means for providing a command field for entry of one or more commands or user information parameters required to access the data stream provided by the source specified in the source field.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the date field, the source field, the first time field, the second time field, and the destination field are provided in a text entry field displayed on a display device coupled to the client system.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the text entry field is contained within a control screen displayed on the display device, and the control screen and text entry field are graphic images stored in a memory coupled to the client computer.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the text entry field is contained within a control screen displayed through an interactive display environment including World-Wide Web content, and wherein the control screen and text entry field are hypertext markup language objects.

16. A computer comprising:

a processor;

an input/output circuit coupled to the processor;

a display device coupled to the processor;

a network interface device coupled to the processor, the network interface device capable of being coupled to a server computer through a network medium; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having contained therein sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to performn the steps of;

displaying a text entry field on the display device;

receiving a source address entered in the text entry field;

receiving a date parameter entered in the text entry field, said date parameter corresponding to when data is available at the source address, said data available during a specified time of a limited duration;

receiving a first time and a second time entered in the text entry field said first time corresponding to when data is available at the source address;

receiving a destination descriptor entered in the text entry field;

automatically accessing a source server specified by the source address by establishing a network connection over the network medium between the computer and the server computers and downloading a data stream from the source server at the first time;

storing the data in a device specified by the destination descriptor;

stopping the downloading of the data from the source server at the second time; and

disconnecting from the source server subsequent to the second time.

17. A computer according to claim 16 wherein the memory further contains instructions which cause the processor to perform the step of receiving a command sequence entered in the text entry field.

18. A computer according to claim 16 wherein the network medium is part of the Internet and the memory further contains instructions which cause the processor to perform the steps of:

accessing an Internet Service Provider network server coupled to the computer prior to the step of accessing the source server, and

disconnecting from the Internet Service Provider network server after disconnecting from the source server.

19. A computer according to claim 16 wherein the device specified by the destination descriptor is a storage device coupled to the processor.

20. A computer according to claim 16 wherein the device specified by the destination descriptor is an electronic recording device coupled to the processor through the input/output circuit.

21. A computer according to claim 16 wherein the text entry field is provided on a control screen through a display environment, and the control screen and text entry fields are graphics objects stored in a memory coupled to the processor.

22. A computer according to claim 18 wherein the text entry field is provided on a control screen through an interactive display environment including World-Wide Web content, and the control screen and text entry fields are hypertext markup language objects.