Cycling of recording states for program selections during video recording conflict resolutions

• US 7,603,688 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Taylor, Thomas H., Potrebic, Peter J., Fong, Jeffrey C., DeYonker, Aaron J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beliveau; Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huerta; Alexander Q
• Application Number:
  US10/946,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58, 725/89, 725/134, 725/142, 386/37, 386/124
• US Class Current: 725/58
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• 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 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to conflict management resolution. Typically systems for resolving conflicts between television programs with coinciding broadcast schedules use preferences, a confusing and limited display, or a combination thereof. The present invention, on other hand, provides for determining time spans or time slices, that indicate the duration of the conflict, and uses these to determine the available recording options. These can then be displayed in a user friendly interface, that is easy to understand and simple to use. In addition, other example embodiments ensure that the various programs and/or available options are capable of being cycled through, regardless of preference settings.

Claims

1. In a home entertainment system including a processor and system memory, the home entertainment system also including a recording device configured to automatically record scheduled television programs, the recording device having a plurality of tuners, a method implemented by the home entertainment system for cycling through available recording options for resolving conflicts between programs with coinciding broadcast times, the home entertainment system configured to ensure that a user is able to cycle state for each of the available recording options in succession, the method comprising acts of:

the processor identifying that a conflict exists within a selected time span between a first, second, and third television program based on coinciding broadcast times for portions of the first, second, and third television programs;

presenting a first recording option indicating that the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

storing the first recording option as first state information indicating that the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

receiving first user input selecting the first television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the first state information;

in response to the first user input selecting the first television program;

the processor automatically deselecting the second television program for recording based on a user assigned priority of the second television program relative to a user assigned priority of the third television program;

presenting a second recording option indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span; and

storing the second recording option as second state information indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

receiving second user input selecting the second television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the second state information; and

in response to the second user input selecting the second television program;

referring to the first and second stored state information to determine that a third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second programs are selected for recording in the selected time span has not yet been presented;

the processor automatically deselecting the third television program for recording based on the stored first and second state information to override user assigned priorities indicative of the third television program having a higher priority than the second television program; and

presenting the third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span not withstanding that the third television program has a higher user assigned priority than either of the first and second television programs, so as to avoid a ping-pong effect between the first and second recording options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the deselecting of the second program is based on priority data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the priority data is based on one or more of a percentage of desired program recordings, a ranking of desired program recordings, an order for which the programs where selected for recording, genre of the content for the programs, whether the programs are repeatedly recorded, or whether there are alternative broadcast schedules for the programs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state information is based on priority data, wherein the priority data is based on one or more of a percentage of desired program recordings, a ranking of desired program recordings, an order for which the programs where selected for recording, genre of the content for the programs, whether the programs are repeatedly recorded, or whether there are alternative broadcast schedules for the programs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third television programs are available options.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state information is a random selection.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of:

generating a user interface that allows a user to visually see and enable or disable a subset of the plurality of programs, the user interface being generated based on the detection of the conflict.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first program includes multiple programs and wherein the user enables all the multiple programs within the first program in a single user input.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein programs enabled for recording are identified by one or more of a highlighting, selected radio button or a marked check box.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more programs disabled for are identified by one or more of an unselected radio button or no mark in a check box.

11. In a home entertainment system including a processor and system memory, the home entertainment system also including a recording device configured to automatically record scheduled television programs, the recording device having a plurality of tuners, a method implemented by the home entertainment system for cycling through available recording options for resolving conflicts between programs with coinciding broadcast times, the home entertainment system configured to ensure that a user is able to cycle state for each of the available recording options in succession, the method comprising:

an act of the processor identifying that a conflict exists within a selected time span between a a first, second, and third television program based on coinciding broadcast times for portions of the first, second, and third television programs;

an act of presenting a first recording option indicating that the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

an act of storing the first recording option as first state information indicatingthat the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

based on the initial state information, a step for allowing a user to successively change state for each of the plurality of programs, including;

receiving first user input selecting the first television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the first state information;

in response to the first user input selecting the first television program;

the processor automatically deselecting the second television program for recording based on a user assigned priority of the second television program relative to a user assigned priority of the third television program;

presenting a second recording option indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span; and

storing the second recording option as second state information indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

receiving second user input selecting the second television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the second state information; and

in response to the second user input selecting the second television program;

referring to the first and second stored state information to determine that a third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second programs are selected for recording in the selected time span has not yet been presented;

the processor automatically deselecting the third television program for recording based on the stored first and second state information to override user assigned priorities indicative of the third television program having a higher priority than the second television program; and

presenting the third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span not withstanding that the third television program has a higher user assigned priority than either of the first and second television programs, so as to avoid a ping-pong effect between the first and second recording options.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first state information is based on priority data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the priority data is based on one or more of a percentage of desired program recordings, a ranking of desired program recordings, an order for which the programs where selected for recording, genre of the content for the programs, whether the programs are repeatedly recorded, or whether there are alternative broadcast schedules for the programs.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first state information is a random selection.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first program includes multiple programs and wherein the user enables all the multiple programs within the first program in a single user input.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of programs are available recording options.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more programs disabled for are identified by one or more of a highlighting, an unselected radio button or no mark in a check box.

18. A computer program product for use in a home entertainment system that includes a recording device configured to automatically record scheduled television programs, the recording device having a plurality of tuners, the computer program product for implementing a method of cycling through available recording options for resolving conflicts between programs with coinciding broadcast times, the system configured to ensure that a user is able to cycle state for each of available recording options in succession, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the distributed computing system to perform the following:

identify that a conflict exists within a selected time span between a first, second and third television programs based on coinciding broadcast times for portions of the first, second, and third television programs;

present a first recording option indicating that the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

store the first recording option as first state information indicating that the first television program is not selected for recording and that the second and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

receive first user input selecting the first television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the first state information;

in response to the first user input selecting the first television program;

deselect the second television program for recording based on a user assigned priority of the second television program relative to a user assigned priority of the third television program;

present a second recording option indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span; and

store the second recording option as second state information indicating that the second television program is not selected for recording and that the first and third television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span;

receive second user input selecting the second television program for recording in the selected time span subsequent to storing the second state information; and

refer to the first and second stored state information to determine that a third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second programs are selected for recording in the selected time span has not yet been presented;

deselect the third television program for recording based on the stored first and second state information to override user assigned priorities indicative of the third television program having a higher priority than the second television program; and

present the third recording option indicating that the third television program is not selected for recording and that the first and second television programs are selected for recording in the selected time span not withstanding that the third television program has a higher user assigned priority than either of the first and second television programs, so as to avoid a ping-pong effect between the first and second recording options.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the deselecting of the second television program is based on priority data.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the priority data is based on one or more of a percentage of desired program recordings, a ranking of desired program recordings, an order for which the programs where selected for recording, genre of the content for the programs, whether the programs are repeatedly recorded, or whether there are alternative broadcast schedules for the programs.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the first state information is based on priority data.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the priority data is based on one or more of a percentage of desired program recordings, a ranking of desired program recordings, an order for which the programs where selected for recording, genre of the content for the programs, whether the programs are repeatedly recorded, or whether there are alternative broadcast schedules for the programs.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the first state information is a random selection.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer executable instructions that:

generate a user interface that allows a user to visually see and enable or disable a subset of the plurality of programs, the user interface being generated based on the detection of the conflict.

25. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the first program includes multiple programs and wherein the user enables all the multiple programs within the first program in a single user input.

26. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein programs enabled for recording are identified by one or more of a highlighting, selected radio button or a marked check box.

27. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein one or more programs disabled for are identified by one or more of an unselected radio button or no mark in a check box.