Business model for leasing storage on a digital recorder

• US 6,658,663 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Bruynsteen, Geert Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELIVEAU, SCOTT E
• Application Number:
  US09/521,051
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 725/1, 725/5, 725/134, 725/142, 725/132, 725/140, 386/1, 386/45, 386/46, 386/125-126, 386/109-112, 386/124
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

The available amount of storage space of a fixed HDD on a CE device is adjustable via a data network. The consumer can upgrade the device via a third party service that remotely control'"'"'s the HDD'"'"'s settings.

Claims

1. A method of enabling an end-user to locally process content information at a quality level remotely adjustable by a service provider, wherein:

the local processing comprises locally storing the content information; and

the quality of the storing is remotely adjustable by the service provider, and

wherein the adjusting of the quality of the storing comprises regulating a storage capacity available to the end-user, and

wherein the regulating of the storage capacity comprises providing end-user access to a selected portion of a local storage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the local storage comprises a HDD; and

the storage capacity is regulated by controlling a mechanical component of the HDD.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the local storage comprises a solid state memory; and

the storage capacity is regulated by controlling an address range of the memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the local storage comprises an ODD; and

the storage capacity is regulated by controlling a mechanical component of the ODD.