Managing record events

• US 7,369,750 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2002
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Scott, Samuel Thomas III, Cheng, David J., Young, Mark G., Rao, Pradhan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US10/131,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,204 Days
• Field of Search: 725/44, 725/57, 725/58, 725/80, 386/83, 715731-734, 700/19
• US Class Current: 386/292
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for managing and prioritizing record events. A priority manager includes an event list that lists scheduled record events. Each event in the event list has a priority that is different from the other events in the event list. If some of the events conflict, then those events with the highest priority in the event list are recorded. A user can assign priority to events when they are scheduled or at a later time. This enables event conflicts to be resolved by the user when the events are initially scheduled. When an event conflict arises later, the conflict is resolved by the priority manager according to the relative priority of the events in the event list.

Claims

1. In a system that includes tuner resources, wherein tuner resources are required to perform record events in the system and wherein one or more record events are scheduled to record, a method for managing the record events such that the events are recorded according to their priority, the method comprising:

maintaining a record event list with a priority manager, wherein the record event list includes one or more record events that each have a different priority;

scheduling a new event that creates a conflict with at least one other event that is already included in the record event list;

assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user;

performing the record events in the record event list that have the highest priority when a conflict arises between events that the user is unable to resolve; and

determining which events to continue recording when a tuning resource is lost, based on priorities of the record events in the record event list.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein maintaining a record event list with a priority manager further comprises providing the record event list to the scheduler and to the user.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein scheduling a new event comprises one or more of:

scheduling a single record event;

scheduling a series record event;

scheduling a single manual record event;

scheduling a repeated manual record event; and

scheduling a smart record event.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a higher priority than the conflicting events in the record event list.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a lower priority that the conflicting events in the record event list.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a priority that is higher than the conflicting event with the lowest priority.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising recording events with the highest priorities even when a conflict with another event is unresolved, wherein the conflicting events that have the lowest priority are not recorded.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising assigning a default priority to the new event when the new event does not conflict with an event that is already scheduled.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

determining that there is insufficient storage to perform the events in the record event list;

deleting at least one program from the storage such that there is sufficient storage to perform a pending event in the record event list, wherein each program deleted from the storage is broadcast at a later time; and

re-recording each deleted program at the later time.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein deleting at least one program from the storage such that there is sufficient storage to perform a pending event in the record event list further comprises:

identifying each program stored in the storage; and

searching guide data to determine a program stored in the storage that is broadcast in the future.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein deleting at least one program from the storage such that there is sufficient storage to perform the events in the record event list further comprises at least one of:

using the priority manager to identify programs for deletion based on a priority of the recorded programs; and

using criteria to determine which programs are deleted, wherein the criteria includes whether a recorded program is watched or unwatched, when a program was recorded, and a priority of the recorded program.

12. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein deleting at least one program from the storage such that there is sufficient storage to perform a pending event in the record event list, wherein each program deleted from the storage is broadcast at a later time further comprises deleting at least one program using a priority manager for recorded programs, wherein the priority manager for recorded shows prioritizes the recorded programs such that recorded programs with the lowest priority are deleted in order to perform the events in the record list.

13. In a system that records video streams received from a source, a method for prioritizing record events to determine which video streams are recorded when the system does not have sufficient tuning resources to record all of the record events, the method comprising:

scheduling one or more record events in an event list, wherein each of the record events in the event list has a priority that is different from other events in the event list;

establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list, wherein new events that conflict with existing events are given a priority by a priority manager that is different from the priorities of the other events in the event list; and

when more record events are currently scheduled than there are tuning resources, recording the record events in the event list that have the highest priority, wherein recording the record events in the event list that have the highest priority further also includes determining which events to keep recording when a tuning resource is lost based on priorities of the record events in the event list.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein scheduling one or more record events in an event list further comprises scheduling new events such that a new event has the lowest priority in the event list.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein scheduling one or more record events in an event list further comprises:

scheduling a single record event;

scheduling a series record event;

scheduling a single manual record event;

scheduling a repeated manual record event; and

scheduling a smart record event.

16. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list further comprises one of:

assigning a new event a priority that is higher than the lowest priority of those events in the event list that conflict with the new event; and

assigning the new event a priority that is lower than those events in the event list that conflict with the new event.

17. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list further comprises receiving an assignment of priority for at least one of the events in the event list from a user.

18. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising altering the priorities of the record events in the event list from another application.

19. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising one of:

assigning a particular event a highest priority; and

assigning a particular event a lowest priority.

20. In a system that includes tuner resources, wherein tuner resources are required to perform record events in the system and wherein one or more record events are scheduled to record, a computer program product for implementing a method for managing the record events such that the events are recorded according to their priority, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer, perform a method, the method comprising;

maintaining a record event list with a priority manager, wherein the record event list includes one or more record events that each have a different priority;

scheduling a new event that creates a conflict with at least one other event that is already included in the record event list;

assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user;

performing the record events in the record event list that have the highest priority when a conflict arises between events that the user is unable to resolve; and

determining which events to continue recording when a tuning resource is lost, based on priorities of the record events in the record event list.

21. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, wherein maintaining a record event list with a priority manager further comprises providing the record event list to the scheduler and to the user.

22. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, wherein scheduling a new event comprises one or more of:

scheduling a single record event;

scheduling a series record event;

scheduling a single manual record event;

scheduling a repeated manual record event; and

scheduling a smart record event.

23. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a higher priority than the conflicting events in the record event list.

24. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, wherein assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a lower priority that the conflicting events in the record event list.

25. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, wherein assigning a priority to the new event such that the conflict is resolved as the new event is scheduled, wherein the priority is received from a user further comprises assigning the new event a priority that is higher than the conflicting event with the lowest priority.

26. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, further comprising recording events with the highest priorities even when a conflict with another event is unresolved, wherein the conflicting events that have the lowest priority are not recorded.

27. A computer program product as defined in claim 20, further comprising assigning a default priority to the new event when the new event does not conflict with an event that is already scheduled.

28. In a system that records video streams received from a source, a computer program product for implementing a method for prioritizing record events to determine which video streams are recorded when the system does not have sufficient tuning resources to record all of the record events, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer perform a method, the method comprising;

scheduling one or more record events in an event list, wherein each of the record events in the event list has a priority that is different from other events in the event list;

establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list, wherein new events that conflict with existing events are given a priority by a priority manager that is different from the priorities of the other events in the event list; and

when more record events are currently scheduled than there are tuning resources, recording the record events in the event list that have the highest priority, wherein recording the record events in the event list that have the highest priority further also includes determining which events to keep recording when a tuning resource is lost based on priorities of the record events in the event list.

29. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein scheduling one or more record events in an event list further comprises scheduling new events such that a new event has the lowest priority in the event list.

30. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein scheduling one or more record events in an event list further comprises:

scheduling a single record event;

scheduling a series record event;

scheduling a single manual record event;

scheduling a repeated manual record event; and

scheduling a smart record event.

31. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list further comprises one of:

assigning a new event a priority that is higher than the lowest priority of those events in the event list that conflict with the new event; and

assigning the new event a priority that is lower than those events in the event list that conflict with the new event.

32. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein establishing a priority for each new record event in the event list further comprises receiving an assignment of priority for at least one of the events in the event list from a user.

33. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, further comprising altering the priorities of the record events in the event list from another application.

34. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, further comprising one of:

assigning a particular event a highest priority; and

assigning a particular event a lowest priority.

35. A computer program product as defined in claim 28, wherein recording the record events in the event list that have the highest priority further comprises determining which events to keep recording when a tuning resource is lost based on priorities of the record events in the event list.