Video data recorder with personal channels

• US 7,773,860 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shannon, Douglas, Woodward, Donald Jr., Townsend, Karl, Wood, Anthony, Shanson, Spencer, Kessler, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn; Mishawn
• Application Number:
  US10/386,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20050047752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,709 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/83, 348/906, 725 44- 47, 725 52- 53, 725/10, 725/39, 725/42, 725/58
• US Class Current: 386/296
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A video data recordable having integrated channel guides allowing a user to control recording and storage of television signals into personal channels for later playback and viewing. In the described embodiment, the user may specify criteria for recording of shows from an input source such as a broadcast signal and shows are then selected based on the user specified criteria and recorded for later playback. Storage of the shows may be organized into personal channels in order to facilitate later playback, e.g., the user may specify a channel of action movies, a channel of nature programming, a channel for sports, etc. The shows to be recorded may also have a predefined format which may be used to ease playback of recorded programming by allowing the user to easily locate and playback sections of programming of interest.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a user a name at a digital video data recorder for a viewable personal channel, the personal channel to automatically receive programming that meets selection criteria related to said personal channel, wherein the personal channel is a logical organization of recorded shows;

receiving at least one selection criteria entered by the user;

searching a channel guide data source for programming that matches the at least one selection criteria;

if a show matches the at least one selection criteria, automatically recording the matching show on a randomly accessible storage media for inclusion in the personal channel; and

specifying a size for the personal channel indicative of an amount of memory in the randomly accessible storage media that is allocated to the personal channel, wherein the size specifies a number of episodes of the matching show recordable in the personal channel.

2. The method as recited by claim 1 wherein receiving the name from the user comprises:

allowing the user to select a show from a channel guide database; and

utilizing a name of the show as the name of the personal channel.

3. The method as recited by claim 1 wherein the size is specified when the personal channel is created.

4. The method as recited by claim 1 further comprising automatically deleting from the personal channel an oldest program if the personal channel becomes full.

5. The method as recited by claim 1, further comprising:

providing to the user a list of personal channels available on the randomly accessible storage media, the personal channel included in the list of available personal channels; and

providing to the user a list of programming associated with the personal channel, the matching show included in the list of associated programming.

6. The method as recited by claim 1 wherein the size is specified by the user.

7. A method comprising:

receiving from a user a name at a digital video data recorder for a new viewable personal channel, the new personal channel to receive a recorded show, wherein the new personal channel is a logical organization of recorded shows, wherein a size is specified for the new personal channel indicating an amount of memory in a randomly accessible storage media used by the new personal channel, wherein the size specifies a number of episodes of the show recordable in the personal channel;

recording the show on the randomly accessible storage media;

creating the new personal channel in response to receipt of the name from the user;

providing to the user a list of available personal channels, the new personal channel included in the list of available personal channels, wherein recorded programming from a channel guide data source associated with each of the available personal channels is automatically stored on the randomly accessible storage media; and

providing to the user a list of programming associated with the new personal channel, the recorded show included in the list of associated programming.

8. The method as recited by claim 7, wherein receiving the name from the user comprises:

allowing the user to select the show from a channel guide database; and

utilizing a name of the show as the name of the new personal channel.

9. The method as recited by claim 7 further comprising:

receiving at least one selection criteria entered by the user, the new personal channel to receive programming that meets the at least one selection criteria;

storing the at least one selection criteria in a criteria database;

searching for programming that matches the at least one selection criteria stored in the criteria database; and

if a show matches the at least one selection criteria, automatically recording the matching show on the randomly accessible storage media for inclusion in the new personal channel, wherein the matching show is included in the list of programming associated with the new personal channel.

10. The method as recited by claim 7 further comprising automatically deleting from the new personal channel an oldest program if the new personal channel becomes full.

11. A digital video data recorder comprising:

a data input device at the digital video data recorder allowing a user to specify a label for a viewable personal channel and to specify selection criteria for selection of programming for recording in the personal channel, wherein the personal channel is a logical organization of recorded shows;

a randomly accessible storage media; and

a processing device coupled with the randomly accessible storage media, the processing device to search for programming that matches the user specified selection criteria, if a channel guide show matches the user specified selection criteria, automatically record the matching show on the randomly accessible storage media for inclusion in the personal channel, and specify a size for the personal channel indicative of an amount of memory in the randomly accessible storage media that is allocated to the personal channel, wherein the size corresponds to a number of episodes of the matching show recordable in the personal channel.

12. The video recorder as recited by claim 11 further comprising channel guide data storage to store programming information.

13. The video recorder as recited by claim 11, wherein the processing device provides to the user:

a list of personal channels available on the randomly accessible storage media, the personal channel included in the list of available personal channels; and

a list of programming associated with the personal channel, the matching show included in the list of associated programming.

14. The video recorder as recited by claim 11, wherein the processing device receives the specified size for the personal channel from the user.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a selection at a digital video data recorder from a user, the selection identifying a show for recording;

setting up a new viewable personal channel in response to receipt of the selection from the user, the new personal channel to receive channel guide programming that meets selection criteria provided by the user;

allocating space on a randomly accessible storage media for the new personal channel, the randomly accessible storage media to store recorded programming associated with each of a number of available personal channels, wherein the user specifies a size of the space to be that of a number of episodes of the show;

the digital video data recorder utilizing a name of the show as an initial name of the new personal channel;

automatically recording the show on the randomly accessible digital video data recorder storage media for inclusion in the new personal channel;

providing to the user a list of the available personal channels, the new personal channel included in the list of available personal channels; and

providing to the user a list of programming associated with the new personal channel, the recorded show included in the list of associated programming.

16. The method as recited by claim 15 wherein receiving a selection from the user comprises:

allowing the user to select the show from a channel guide database; and

allowing the user to select a record function.

17. The method as recited by claim 15 wherein receiving a selection from the user comprises allowing the user to select a record function while viewing the show.