System and method for recording a signal using a central point of control

• US 7,590,999 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US10/893,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20040261134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 725/55, 725/59, 725/80, 725/151, 725/139, 725/141, 725/153, 386/45, 386/81, 386/95, 386124-126
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• 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 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• 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 21/84 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 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Systems and methods for recording a signal received by a home entertainment system that includes multiple consumer electronics devices interconnected to a central electronics device in a hub and spoke configuration. The configuration allows all signals in the home entertainment system to be accessible by the central electronics device. Accordingly, the central electronics device can process, route, or otherwise respond to any signal. By way of example, any signal can be routed to a recording system, where it can be recorded. The signal is coupled with information from an electronic programming guide that details specific programming. An automatic determination is made as to whether or not there exists enough free space on a recording medium to record a specific program. Upon recording the program on the recording medium, an index is updated on the recording medium from the electronic programming guide information and from the location of the program on the recording medium. By selecting the program from the index, the recorded program can be automatically located on the recording medium.

Claims

1. In a home entertainment system including a display device, a recording system containing a recording medium, a central device connected to the recording system and the display device in a hub and spoke configuration so that any signal that reaches the recording system must be transmitted from a central device to the recording system, a computer program product in the form of physical computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions for implementing a method of operating the recording system to record and track the location on a recording medium of a program carried by a signal, the method comprising steps for:

receiving and storing an electronic programming guide at the central device;

inputting recording instructions to the central device to record specified programming identified in the programming guide at the recording system;

in response to the recording instructions, and prior to sending the specified programming to the recording system to be recorded, the central device automatically sending a first set of programming information from the stored electronic programming guide to the recording system which is then recorded on the recording medium of the recording system and which is used to identify the specified programming that is to be recorded;

thereafter, and in accordance with the input recording instructions, the central device transmitting the specified programming when received at the central device to the recording system so that the programming is recorded on the recording medium;

the central device also transmitting a second set of programming information comprising indexing information that is included in the stored electronic programming guide from the central device to the recording system, so that the recording system records the indexing information to the recording medium after recording the programming, the indexing information identifying the location on the recording medium where the recorded programming begins; and

thereafter, the central device reading the indexing information when a new recording instruction is received for new programming to be recorded, in order to automatically determine the location on the recording medium where the new programming is to be recorded.

2. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein inputting the recording instructions to the central device comprises a step for transmitting the instructions from a user through a remote control device.

4. A method as recited in claims 3 or 1, wherein further comprising step for:

at the location on the recording medium where the new programming is to be recorded, determining whether there is sufficient storage for recording the new programming at that location on the storage medium, and

if not, automatically alerting the user that there is insufficient storage on the recording medium, and

if there is sufficient storage for recording the new programming, recording it at that location on the storage medium.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the step for determining whether there is sufficient storage for recording the new programming at that location on the storage medium identified for recording the signal comprises a step for reading, by the central device, the indexing information.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein after the step for reading the indexing information, the method further comprises steps for:

displaying a list of contents, wherein the list of contents includes a description of the programming recorded on the recording medium; and

selecting, by a user of the home entertainment system, the recorded programming from the list of contents.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the step for selecting is performed by a remote control device.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising the steps for:

identifying a location of the recording medium where the signal for the recorded programming is stored based on the index information; and

reading the signal and playing back the recorded programming.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the step for playing is performed on a display device.

3. In a home entertainment system including a display device, a recording system containing a recording medium, a central device connected to the recording system and the display device in a hub and spoke configuration so that any signal that reaches the recording system must be transmitted from a central device to the recording system, a method of operating the recording system to record and track the location on a recording medium of a program carried by a signal, the method comprising steps for:

receiving and storing an electronic programming guide at the central device;

inputting recording instructions to the central device to record specified programming identified in the programming guide at the recording system;

in response to the recording instructions, and prior to sending the specified programming to the recording system to be recorded, the central device automatically sending a first set of programming information from the stored electronic programming guide to the recording system which is then recorded on the recording medium of the recording system and which is used to identify the specified programming that is to be recorded;

thereafter, and in accordance with the input recording instructions, the central device transmitting the specified programming when received at the central device to the recording system so that the programming is recorded on the recording medium;

the central device also transmitting a second set of programming information comprising indexing information that is included in the stored electronic programming guide from the central device to the recording system, so that the recording system records the indexing information to the recording medium after recording the programming, the indexing information identifying the location on the recording medium where the recorded programming begins; and

thereafter, the central device reading the indexing information when a new recording instruction is received for new programming to be recorded, in order to automatically determine the location on the recording medium where the new programming is to be recorded.

10. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the step for inputting recording instructions comprises instructing the central device to automatically initiate recording of the specified programming at an appointed date and time.

11. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first set of programming information includes the title of the program.

12. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first set of programming information includes a description of the program.

13. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein prior to recording the specified programming at the recording system, the following steps are performed:

inserting, by the central device, a title of the program in a vertical blanking interval or an overscan portion of a signal which carries the specified programming; and

recording the title at the recording system.

14. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein, prior to recording the indexing information at the recording system, for the following steps are performed:

inserting, by the central device, the index information in a vertical blanking or an overscan area of an index signal; and

storing the index signal at a specified location on the recording medium.