Strategies for updating schedules

• US 7,571,454 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pasumarthy, Naga Anjaneya Kumar, Taylor, Thomas H., Potrebic, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Featherstone; Mark D
• Application Number:
  US11/122,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 725/50
• US Class Current: 725/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/6582 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Scheduling functionality is employed at a head-end site to update schedules used by a plurality of respective client devices to define the recording of media presentation events. The scheduling functionality operates by: compiling a master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of schedules; determining whether any entries in the master list require updating; and updating, based on the determining, at least one of the plurality of schedules. The scheduling functionality helps reduce the amount of redundant processing operations involved in updating the plurality of schedules, and therefore provides an efficient technique for updating the schedules.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

coupling an operations center for communication with a plurality of client devices;

maintaining recording schedule information at the operations center for a plurality of recording schedules corresponding to the plurality of client devices, each said recording schedule including one or more entries for recording identified media information for playback at the respective client device;

compiling a master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules;

obtaining current program guide information pertaining to the entries in the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules for recording identified media information for playback at the respective client device;

examining each of the entries in the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules in comparison with corresponding media presentations listed in the current program guide information;

determining any differences between the current program guide information and the recording schedule information for the entries in the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules;

updating at the operations center, based on the determining, a plurality of the recording schedules determined to include one or more entries requiring updating due to the differences between the entries in the master list and the current program guide information; and

downloading to the respective client device each updated recording schedule for recording identified media information for playback at the respective client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the recording schedules include series-type entries for recording one or more program series, further comprising:

constructing a unified series table that identifies unique series-type entries in the plurality of recording schedules;

identifying an episode list for each series-type entry in the unified series table by examining the current program guide information;

for a given episode list, accessing the current program guide information for determining a time when series episodes will be broadcast;

identify new series episodes contained in the current program guide information and not contained in previous program guide information; and

adding the identified new series episodes to the recording schedules of the client devices that have registered to record a corresponding series.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations center further includes a mechanism for recording the media information identified in the recording schedules and interfacing with the client devices to access and play back the recorded media information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the compiling of the master list further comprises:

aggregating the plurality of recording schedules associated with the plurality of client devices to compile an aggregation of entries;

eliminating redundant and conflicted entries to compile the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the current program guide information is program guide difference information received from a program guide source, said program guide difference information reflecting only differences between current program guide information and previous program guide information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the differences are caused by one or more of:

a preemption event in which a media presentation corresponding to at least one entry has been pre-empted;

a reschedule event in which a media presentation corresponding to at least one entry has been rescheduled; and

a new entry event in which at least one media presentation episode pertaining to an identified series newly appears in the current program guide information to be added to one or more of the plurality of recording schedules as a new entry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises:

identifying, for an entry in the master list that is determined to require updating, a subset of recording schedules of the plurality of recording schedules that require updating; and

updating the entry in the identified subset of recording schedules on a schedule-by-schedule basis at the operations center.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the compiling of the master list further comprises:

compiling an aggregate list of search entries registered by a plurality of different respective client devices, wherein each search entry in the list describes at least one search term used by the plurality of different client devices to search for presentation entries that match said at least one search term;

executing each search entry in the aggregate list against the current program guide information so that a single search is performed for a plurality of search entries from a plurality of respective client devices;

identifying at least one new entry in the program guide information that matches at least one search entry; and

updating the recording schedules of the plurality of client devices that registered the search entry by adding the identified new entry to the recording schedules of each of the client devices that registered the search entry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein user options for entering the search terms are constrained by requiring users of the client devices to select from predefined acceptable search terms.

10. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-readable instructions for implementing the method of claim 1.

11. A system comprising:

an operations center in communication with a plurality of client devices;

a store at the operations center configured to store recording schedule information for a plurality of recording schedules corresponding to the plurality of client devices, wherein each recording schedule includes one or more entries for recording media information for playback at the respective client device;

a master list forming module configured to compile a master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules;

a program guide comparison module configured to obtain current program guide information pertaining to the entries in the master list, examine each of the entries in the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules in comparison with corresponding media presentations listed in the current program guide information, and determine any differences between the current program guide information and the recording schedule information for the entries in the master list;

a schedule change module configured to update, at the operations center, based on an output result generated by the program guide comparison module, a plurality of the recording schedules determined to include one or more entries requiring updating due to the differences between the entries in the master list and the current program guide information; and

a scheduling functionality at the operations center configured to download each updated recording schedule to the respective client device for recording identified media information for playback at the respective client device.

12. The system according to claim 11,

wherein a plurality of the recording schedules include series-type entries for recording one or more program series;

wherein the program guide comparison module is further configured to;

construct a unified series table that identifies unique series-type entries in the plurality of recording schedules;

identify an episode list for each series-type entry in the unified series table by examining the current program guide information;

for a given episode list, access the current program guide information for determining a time when series episodes will be broadcast;

identify new series episodes contained in the current program guide information and not contained in previous program guide information; and

add the identified new series episodes to the recording schedules of the client devices that have registered to record a corresponding series.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the operations center further includes a mechanism for recording the media information identified in the recording schedules and interfacing with the client devices to access and play back the recorded media information.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the master list forming module is configured to compile a master list by aggregating the plurality of recording schedules associated with the plurality of client devices to compile an aggregation of entries, and eliminate redundant and conflicted entries to compile the master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the current program guide information is program guide difference information received from a program guide source, said program guide difference information reflecting only differences between the current program guide information and previous program guide information.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the schedule change module is configured to update said at least one of the plurality of recording schedules by:

identifying, for an entry in the master list that is determined to require updating, a subset of recording schedules of the plurality of recording schedules that require updating; and

updating the entry in the identified subset of recording schedules on a schedule-by-schedule basis at the operations centers.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the master list forming module is configured to compile the master list by further compiling an aggregate list of search entries registered by a plurality of different respective client devices, wherein each search entry in the list describes at least one search term used by the plurality of different client devices to search for presentation entries that match said at least one search term, executing each search entry in the aggregate list against the current program guide information so that a single search is performed for a plurality of search entries from a plurality of respective client devices, identifying at least one new entry in the program guide information that matches at least one search entry, and updating the recording schedules of the plurality of client devices that registered the search entry by adding the identified new entry to the recording schedules of each of the client devices that registered the search entry.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein user options for entering the search terms are constrained by requiring users of the client devices to select from predefined acceptable search terms.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the client devices are set-top boxes coupled to a head end functionality at the operations center via a cable television infrastructure.

20. A scheduling system, comprising:

a plurality of client devices, each said client device configured to create a recording schedule including one or more entries for determining a timing at which identified media information is to be recorded for playback at the respective client device that is used to create the recording schedule;

an operations center in communication with the plurality of client devices, said operations center including a scheduling functionality, comprising;

a store configured to store recording schedule information for each of the plurality of recording schedules created by each of the respective client devices;

a master list forming module configured to compile a master list of unique entries culled from the plurality of recording schedules;

a program guide comparison module configured to determine whether any entries in the master list require updating by determining current program guide information pertaining to the entries in the master list, examining each of the entries in the master list in comparison with corresponding media presentations listed in the current program guide information, and determining any differences between the current program guide information and the recording schedule information for the entries in the master list;

a schedule change module configured to update, based on an output result generated by the program guide comparison module, a plurality of the recording schedules by identifying, for an entry in the master list that is determined to require updating due to the differences between the entries in the master list and the current program guide information, a subset of recording schedules of the plurality of recording schedules that require updating, and updating the entry in the identified subset of recording schedules on a schedule-by-schedule basis at the operations center;

wherein the master list forming module is configured to compile the master list by further compiling an aggregate list of search entries registered by a plurality of different respective client devices, wherein each search entry in the list describes at least one search term used by the plurality of different client devices to search for presentation entries that match said at least one search term, executing each search entry in the aggregate list against the current program guide information so that a single search is performed for a plurality of search entries from a plurality of respective client devices, identifying at least one new entry in the program guide information that matches at least one search entry, and updating the recording schedules of the plurality of client devices that registered the search entry by adding the identified new entry to the recording schedules of each of the client devices that registered the search entry; and

a scheduling functionality at the operations center configured to download each updated recording schedule to the respective client device.