Resolving scheduling conflicts in a recording device

• US 7,689,995 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avtrex, Inc. (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Daney, David, Shen, Kevin, Schmidt, Johannes, Francis, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHE, MENG YAO
• Application Number:
  US10/754,443
• Time in Patent Office: 2,273 Days
• Field of Search: 718/104
• US Class Current: 718/104
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/47214 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

Abstract

Techniques for resolving scheduling conflicts for recording events are described. A user selects events that the user wishes to record. A PVR determines the times and sources at which each of recording can occur. The PVR determines a schedule for recording all of the user'"'"'s requested events or as many events that can be recorded according to the resources available to the PVR. The PVR can be triggered to determine the schedule each time a new recording event is either added to deleted. The PVR can also determine the schedule each time the PVR receives updated or new scheduling information. If more than one schedule is determined, the PVR can present the schedules to the user for selection. The user'"'"'s selection can be subsequently used to inform the PVR of the user'"'"'s preferences the next time schedules are determined.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs, the one or more inputs requesting recording of one or more of a plurality of jobs, each job identifying particular programming content to be recorded;

determining one or more solutions for each job of the plurality of jobs based on a program schedule, the solutions including null solutions and non-null solutions, each non-null solution for a particular job requiring a set of resources over a set of intervals for recording the job, wherein one or more combinations of solutions for the plurality of jobs require a number of resources greater than a number of resources available at a particular interval, resulting in a scheduling conflict;

resolving the scheduling conflict including automatically determining a plurality of plans for performing jobs, each plan having a combination of solutions including a particular solution for each of the plurality of jobs, wherein resources used by the plurality of jobs for the combination of solutions in each plan are less than or equal to the number of resources available at each interval;

scoring each plan of the plurality of plans, where scoring each plan includes determining whether the plan includes a null solution to a job where the null solution to a job is a solution in which the job is not recorded and if so modifying the score for the plan based on having the null solution;

automatically determining a preferred plan based on the scores, wherein the scores are based on components of each of the lobs, the components including at least one element selected from the group including a recording time, a recording quality, a type of program, a relative position in an order a job of the two or more jobs was input, an inclusion of bonus time and a keyword; and

automatically using a the preferred plan of the one or more plans to determine a recording schedule for a personal video recorder system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a priority for each job from a user.

3. The method of claim 1,

where scoring each plan includes assigning scores based on a user assigned priority for each job.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking the one or more plans based on the scores.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining one or more plans includes determining two or more plans.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trigger;

in response to receiving the trigger, determining one or more new solutions for the plurality of jobs; and

determining a new plan including one new solution for each job such that the solutions use less than or equal to the number of resources available.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the step of receiving the trigger includes receiving an updated program schedule from an input source.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the step of receiving the trigger includes receiving an updated program schedule from an input source, the input source selected from a group including a satellite signal, a cable signal, an antenna signal, and a telephone line signal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the step of receiving the trigger includes receiving a user input.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user with the two or more plans; and

receiving a first user input that indicates a preferred plan.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining from the first user input a user priority for at least one job.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a second user input adding a new job;

determining one or more new solutions for the new job; and

determining a new plan including one of the one or more new solutions, wherein determining the plan is based in part on the first user input.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining one or more plans includes determining the one or more plans based on a pre-defined user preference.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

filtering the one or more plans including keeping a first plan for presentation to a user and ignoring a second plan so that the second plan is not presented to the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first plan has a first set of solutions for the plurality of jobs and the second plan has a second set of solutions for the plurality of jobs, wherein at least one solution for at least one job of the first set of solutions is preferred over a corresponding solution for the at least one job of the second set of solutions.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

scoring the one or more plans based on the pre-defined user preference; and

filtering the one or more plans such that at least one plan with a higher score than other plans of the one or more plans is presented to a user and at least one plan with a lower score than other plans of the one or more plans is not presented to the user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the one or more plans to the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

presenting the one or more plans to the user includes presenting the plans in a first category and a second category, the first category including zero or more plans having no null solutions and the second category including zero or more plans having at least one null solution.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving the one or more inputs requesting the plurality of jobs includes receiving an input request to record a program.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving the one or more inputs requesting the plurality of jobs includes receiving an input request to accomplish a task.

21. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs, the one or more inputs requesting recording of one or more of a plurality of jobs, each job identifying particular programming content to be recorded;

determining one or more solutions for each job of the plurality of jobs based on a program schedule, the solutions including null solutions and non-null solutions, each non-null solution for a particular job requiring a set of resources over a set of intervals for recording the corresponding job, wherein one or more combinations of solutions for the plurality of jobs require a number of resources greater than a number of resources available at a particular interval, resulting in a scheduling conflict;

resolving the scheduling conflict including automatically determining one or more plans for performing jobs, each plan having a combination of solutions including a particular solution for each of the plurality of jobs, wherein resources used by the plurality of jobs for the combination of solutions in each plan are less than or equal to the number of resources available at each interval, where determining each plan includes scoring each job of the plurality of jobs and identifying a high scoring solution for a first job of the plurality of jobs and identifying solutions for each other job of the plurality of jobs compatible with the high scoring solution of the first job, where scoring each job includes determining whether the plan includes a null solution to the job where the null solution to a particular job is a solution in which the particular job is not recorded and if so modifying the score for the job based on having the null solution;

automatically determining a preferred plan based on the scores, wherein the scores are further based on components of each of the jobs, the components including at least one element selected from the group including a recording time, a recording quality, a type of program, a relative position in an order a job of the two or more lobs was input, an inclusion of bonus time and a keyword; and

automatically using the preferred plan of the one or more plans to determine a recording schedule for a personal video recorder system.