Systems and methods for modifying broadcast programming

• US 6,931,451 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2000
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gotuit Media Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldhor, Richard S., Logan, James D., Goessling, Daniel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US09/536,969
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 725/36, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/247, 709/231, 709/201, 435/185, 348/3, 380/217, 380/200, 455/166.2, 707/501, 379/101.01, 386/83
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/125 Library distribution, i.e. distributing musical pieces from a central or master library
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/155 Library update, i.e. making or modifying a musical database using musical parameters as indices data structures involving musical parameters G10H2240/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/2543 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 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 : comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 : specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 : involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

A system for selecting, erasing or reproducing program recordings using marking and descriptive data which is transmitted to a client location from a remote processing location. A database of identification signals specifying the characteristics of a known programming is maintained at a remote processing location. In a first embodiment, selected identification signals are downloaded from the database to the client location and are used by a processor at the client location to identify desired programming within a locally stored collection of previously received broadcast programming signals. In a second arrangement, locally stored programming signals are processed to extract identification data which is uploaded from the client location to the remote processing location for comparison to the database, and information describing the content of the matching programs is returned to the client location for use as a program guide, facilitating the selection, permanent storage, or playback of desired program records and/or the erasure of undesired programming. To conserve local storage space, identified program records may be uploaded and stored at the remote processing location, or shared program records in a central library may be made available for remote playback after an the identity of equivalent locally stored programming is confirmed.

Claims

1. A method for selectively reproducing locally stored programming signals comprising, in combination, the steps of:

storing a first set of separate programming segments at a client location,

at said client location, employing processing means to derive identification data from each of said first set of separate programming segments,

transmitting said identification data from said client location to a remote processing location,

at said remote processing location, comparing said identification data with a database containing identification information and associated content descriptions for each of a second set of programming segments to identify common program segments found in both said first and said second set of programming segments,

transmitting from said remote processing location to said client location selected ones of content descriptions stored in said database which describe said common program segments, and

at said client location, presenting said selected content descriptions to a user to facilitate the selective processing of said common program segments.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein at least some of said programming signals are recorded musical performances.

3. The method set forth in claim 2 wherein at least some of said content descriptions specify one or more attributes of the corresponding recorded musical performance from the group of attributes consisting of the title, performer, composer, and date of the corresponding recorded musical performance.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of storing said first set of separate programming segments comprises receiving and recording broadcasted programming signals.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 wherein said identification data contained in said database are derived from said broadcasted programming signals received at said remote processing location concurrently with the reception and recording of said broadcast programming signals at said client location, and said content descriptions transmitted to said client location from said remote processing location are used at said client location to facilitate the selective time-shifted reproduction of said broadcast programming signals.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the steps of transmitting one or more selected ones of said common program segments from said client location to said remote processing location, and storing said selected common program segments at said remote processing location for subsequent retrieval.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including the steps performed at said remote processing location comprising:

maintaining a stored library containing said second set of programming segments at said remote processing location,

accepting a retrieval request from said client location specifying one or more particular ones of said common program segments, and

responding to said request by transmitting to said client location the content of said one or more particular ones of said common program segments.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 further comprising the steps of uploading a copy of a program segment stored locally at said client location to said remote processing location and storing the uploaded copy in said stored library for later retrieval from said remote processing location.

10. The method set forth in claim 8 further including the steps of posting an entry in an accounting file upon the transmittal of said identification data to said remote processing location, subsequently transmitting a playback request identifying said client location and identifying a requested program segment, and authorizing the transmittal of said requested program segment if said accounting file contains data indicating that identification data for said requested program segment was previously transmitted from said client location.

11. The method set forth in claim 10 further including the step of disabling the playback of a local copy of a program segment when the remote playback of said program segment is authorized at said remote processing location.

12. The method set forth in claim 10 further including the step of disabling the transmittal of said requested program segment from said remote processing location when the playback of the copy of said requested program segment locally stored at said client location is enabled.

6. The method as set forth in 1 wherein said content descriptions transmitted from said remote processing location to said client location include information specifying the beginning and ending time of each of said common program segments.

13. A method for selectively reproducing previously broadcast programming segments comprising, in combination, the steps of:

employing a first broadcast receiver at a client location for capturing a broadcast signal,

recording said broadcast signal in a local storage unit in a substantially continuous manner as said signal is received at said client location;

processing said broadcast signal at said client location to extract brief segments from the content of said broadcast signal,

utilizing a communications channel to transmit said brief segments from said client location to a remote processing location;

comparing said segments received from said client location with a library of previously recorded programs to identify particular programs which contain segments matching the segments received from said client location, and

transmitting program guide data describing said particular programs to said client location from said remote programming location.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 further including the steps of displaying said program guide data for use at said client station to facilitate the selection and reproduction of desired ones of said particular programs.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said data identifying said particular programs includes timing information specifying the beginning and ending time of each of said particular programs.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15 wherein the steps of recording and processing said broadcast signal at said client location are performed by a programmed personal computer.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said communications channel is the Internet.

18. The method as set forth in claim 13 further including steps, at said client location, of processing said program guide data to display a listing of the available programs in said local storage unit, and selectively processing said available programs in response to commands from a user.

19. The method set forth in claim 18 wherein said step of processing said available programs to selectively reproduce selected ones of said available programs.

20. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein said step of processing said available programs further includes selectively erasing designated ones of said available programs.