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

• US 7,673,322 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• 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): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/052,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58, 725/80, 725/81, 725/82, 725/85, 725/109, 725/110, 725/119, 725/136, 725/139, 725/141, 725/142, 725/151, 725/153, 725/39, 725/55, 725/59, 386/1, 386/45, 386/46, 386/125, 386/126, 386/83, 386 81- 82, 386/95, 386/108
• 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 and any of a plurality of electronic devices, including at least a recording system containing a recording medium, a central electronics device comprising:

means for electrically connecting any of a plurality of electronic devices using any of a plurality of identical jacks irrespective of the type of signal required to be transmitted or received by any of the plurality of electronic devices, including at least a recording system containing a recording medium, to the central electronics device in a hub and spoke configuration so that any signal that reaches the recording system must be transmitted from the central electronics device to the recording system;

a processor for processing computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media that are accessible to the central electronics device; and

wherein the computer-executable instructions are executed on the processor to implement a method of operating the recording system to record and track the location on a recording medium of a program carried by a signal, and wherein the computer-readable instructions stored on the computer-readable media comprise;

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

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

executable code which, in response to the recording instructions, and prior to sending the specified programming to the recording system to be recorded, causes the central electronics device to automatically send 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;

executable code which, thereafter, and in accordance with the input recording instructions, causes the central electronics device to transmit the specified programming when received at the central electronics device to the recording system so that the programming is recorded on the recording medium;

executable codes which causes the central electronics device to also transmit 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

executable code which thereafter causes the central electronics device to read 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 central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the the computer-executable instructions further comprise computer-executable code for transmitting the programming from any of said plurality of electronics device to the central electronics device.

3. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the central electronics device is an Internet terminal.

4. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first set of programming information includes a title of the programming and a frame number.

5. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to recording the indexing information, the recording system rewinds or forwards the recording medium to the specified location where the indexing information is to be recorded.

6. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the indexing information is recorded to the VBI or overscan area of the specified location.

7. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the indexing information corresponds to multiple recorded programming sessions.

8. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions include computer-executable code for determining a beginning of free space on the recording medium based at least in part on the indexing information stored at the specified location prior to recording the programming.

9. A central electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions include computer-executable code for determining whether there is enough free space to record the programming on the recording medium based at least in part on the indexing information stored at the specified location prior to recording the programming.

10. A central electronics device as recited in claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions include computer-executable code for prompting a user to provide a new recording medium to record the programming upon determining that there is not enough free space to record the programming on the recording medium.