Method and apparatus for storing content

• US 7,522,817 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sankarayan, Mukund, Gates, Matthijs A., Srinivasan, Jai, Chakrabarti, Alok
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/048,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 386/95, 386/98, 386/112, 386/125
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A system receives a broadcast program and temporarily stores the program data. A request is received to permanently record the broadcast program. This request is received after a portion of the broadcast program has been received and temporarily stored. The broadcast program is then permanently recorded, including the temporarily stored program data. A metafile identifies portions of the broadcast program and is accessible by a reader to continuously retrieve the stored portions of the broadcast program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast program;

temporarily storing the received broadcast program;

receiving a request to permanently record the broadcast program, wherein the request is received after a portion of the broadcast program that is to be recorded has been received and temporarily stored;

permanently recording the entire broadcast program by creating at least one media file; and

creating one or more metafiles that identify one or more portions of the broadcast program, wherein at least one metafile overlaps with another metafile by referencing some overlapping content from a referenced media file.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein permanently recording the broadcast program includes converting the portion of the broadcast program that has been temporarily stored to a permanent storage format.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein permanently recording the broadcast program includes recording a portion of the broadcast program already rendered.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the broadcast program is a television broadcast and/or an Internet Protocol multicast.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one metafile references less than an entire media file.

6. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.

7. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

receive a broadcast program;

store the received broadcast program in a temporary data format;

receive a request to permanently record the broadcast program, wherein the request is received after a portion of the broadcast program has been received and stored in the temporary data format;

permanently record the broadcast program by creating at least one media file; and

creating one or more metafiles that identify one or more portions of the broadcast program, wherein at least one metafile overlaps with another metafile by referencing some overlapping content from referenced a media file.

8. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the broadcast program is permanently recorded by converting the data stored in the temporary data format into a permanent data format.

9. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7 wherein the at least one metafile references less than an entire media file.