Enhanced home entertainment system with removable long-term storage

• US 7,886,330 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: JLB Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US09/875,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,535 Days
• Field of Search: 725/134, 725/55
• US Class Current: 725/142
• 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 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42669 the medium being removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A method and apparatus for set top box (STB) receiving a single selection or actuation, and in response to a single selection from a user, transferring a program and auxiliary data related to the program from a first storage device of the STB to a removable storage device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a content rendering system, a command to record a program;

determining whether a second storage device is available, wherein the second storage device is separate from the content rendering system;

in response to determining that the second storage device is unavailable, automatically recording the program to a first storage device;

displaying an electronic programming guide comprising a listing of one or more programs including the recorded program;

receiving, by the content rendering system, input corresponding to an actuation of a command selecting the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs, the actuation including a single pressing of a selected portion of a control device; and

automatically transferring the recorded program from the first storage device in the content rendering system to the second storage device in response to the selection of the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs in the electronic programming guide, wherein the second storage device is removable.

2. The method of claim 1, further including, in response to a second input corresponding to a second actuation of a second command, transferring the program from the second storage device to the first storage device of the content rendering system, wherein the second actuation corresponds to a pressing of a second portion of at least one of:

a control panel of the content rendering system, a remote control device associated with the content rendering system, and a web phone.

3. The method of claim 2, further including maintaining an index of programs and related auxiliary data transferred from the first storage device to the second storage device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further includes, in response to the selection of the recorded program, the content rendering system prompting for the insertion of the removable storage device into the content rendering system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the removable storage device is a DVD-RAM.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the second actuation corresponds to a single pressing of a transfer function button on at least one of the control panel of the content rendering system and the remote control device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion and the second portion are the same portion.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions, which when executed causes a content rendering system to:

receive a command to record a program;

determine whether a second storage device is available, wherein the second storage device is separate from the content rendering system;

in response to determining that the second storage device is unavailable, automatically record the program to a first storage device;

display an electronic programming guide comprising a listing of one or more programs including the recorded program;

receive, by the content rendering system, input corresponding to an actuation of a command selecting the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs, the actuation including a single pressing of a selected portion of a control device; and

automatically transfer the recorded program from the first storage device in the content rendering system to the second storage device in response to the selection of the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs in the electronic programming guide, wherein the second storage device is removable.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further including, in response to a second actuation of a second command, transferring the program from the second storage device to the first storage device of the content rendering system, wherein the second actuation corresponds to a pressing of a second portion of at least one of:

a control panel of the content rendering system, a remote control device associated with the content rendering system, and a web phone.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further including maintaining an index of programs and related auxiliary data transferred from the first storage device to the second storage device.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further includes, in response to the selection of the program, the content rendering system prompting for insertion of the removable storage device into the content rendering system.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the removable storage device is a DVD-RAM.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive, by a content rendering system, a command to record a program;

determine whether a second storage device is available, wherein the second storage device is separate from the content rendering system;

in response to determining that the second storage device is unavailable, automatically recording the program to a first storage device;

display an electronic programming guide comprising a listing of one or more programs including the recorded program;

receive, by the content rendering system, input corresponding to an actuation of a command selecting the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs, the actuation including a single pressing of a selected portion of a control device; and

automatically transfer the recorded program from the first storage device in the content rendering system to the second storage device in response to the selection of the recorded program from the listing of one or more programs in the electronic programming guide, wherein the second storage device is removable.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to transfer the program from the second storage device to the first storage device of the content rendering system in response to a second actuation of a second command, wherein the second actuation corresponds to a pressing of a second portion of at least one of:

a control panel of the content rendering system, a remote control device associated with the content rendering system, and a web phone.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further including an index unit configured to maintain an index of programs and related auxiliary data transferred from the first storage device to the second storage device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a unit configured to prompt for an insertion of the removable storage device into the content rendering system in response to the selection of the program.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the removable storage device is a DVD-RAM.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the content rendering system includes:

a tuner;

a signal input;

a storage medium;

a processor;

a digital video encoder and decoder; and

a digital output port.