Network based digital information and entertainment storage and delivery system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for delivering, through a communications network, program content to a terminal at a user location, the system comprising:
- a processor remote from the user location for recording the program content during a broadcast of the program content according to a broadcast schedule and storing the recorded program content in storage, the recorded program content comprising, at least in part, I-frames defining the program content, each I-frame being identified by a respective I-frame identifier;
the processor further creating, at least in part during the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, at least one file separate from the recorded program content, the at least one file comprising an array of selected I-frame identifiers identifying respective I-frames of the recorded program content without the respective I-frames, for delivering manipulated recorded program content during at least the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, wherein the selected I-frame identifiers identify fewer than all of the I-frames of the recorded program content, the at least one file being stored in storage separate from the recorded program content;
a mechanism for delivering, through the communications network, the program content to the terminal according to the broadcast schedule;
an interface for receiving, from the terminal, a request for performing an action on the recorded program content at least during the broadcast of the program content; and
a control unit responsive to the request for manipulating the recorded program content to meet the request, based, at least in part, on at least one of the at least one files.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Live television broadcast and other information and entertainment programs, e.g., videos-on-demand (VOD), are provided to a user through a communications network, e.g., a cable network. A processing unit is employed at an headend of the communications network to respond to user requests for PVR-like functions, e.g., pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding, to be performed on the program content being viewed. The processing unit in accordance with the invention causes a delivery of an appropriate version of the program content to meet such user requests.
-
Citations
66 Claims
-
1. A system for delivering, through a communications network, program content to a terminal at a user location, the system comprising:
-
a processor remote from the user location for recording the program content during a broadcast of the program content according to a broadcast schedule and storing the recorded program content in storage, the recorded program content comprising, at least in part, I-frames defining the program content, each I-frame being identified by a respective I-frame identifier; the processor further creating, at least in part during the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, at least one file separate from the recorded program content, the at least one file comprising an array of selected I-frame identifiers identifying respective I-frames of the recorded program content without the respective I-frames, for delivering manipulated recorded program content during at least the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, wherein the selected I-frame identifiers identify fewer than all of the I-frames of the recorded program content, the at least one file being stored in storage separate from the recorded program content; a mechanism for delivering, through the communications network, the program content to the terminal according to the broadcast schedule; an interface for receiving, from the terminal, a request for performing an action on the recorded program content at least during the broadcast of the program content; and a control unit responsive to the request for manipulating the recorded program content to meet the request, based, at least in part, on at least one of the at least one files. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A system for providing program content to a terminal through a communications network, the system comprising:
-
a first interface for receiving content of an in-progress program from a source via broadcast, the in-progress program content comprising, at least in part, I-frames defining the program content, each I-frame being identified by a respective I-frame identifier; a memory for storing the in-progress program content during the broadcast of the in-progress program content according to a broadcast schedule, the stored in-progress program content comprising, at least in part, the I-frames defining the program content; the memory further storing, during the broadcast of the in-progress program content according to the broadcast schedule, separate from the recorded program content, at least one file based on the content of the in-progress program content for manipulating recorded program content during at least the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, the at least one file comprising an array of selected I-frame identifiers identifying respective I-frames of the recorded program content without the respective I-frames, wherein the selected I-frame identifiers identify fewer than all of the I-frames of the recorded program content; a mechanism for providing first signals containing the in-progress program content onto the communications network, the terminal in response to the first signals helping recover the in-progress program content in perceivable form; a second interface for receiving from the terminal through the communications network a request for performing an action on the stored in-progress program content at least during the broadcast of the in-progress program content; and a control unit responsive to the request for providing second signals containing at least part of the stored in-progress program content to the terminal through the communications network to realize the action on the stored in-progress program content based, at least in part, on at least one of the at least one files. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A method for delivering, through a communications network, program content to a terminal at a user location, the method comprising:
-
recording the program content at a location remote from the user location during a broadcast of the program content according to a broadcast schedule, the recorded program content comprising, at least in part, I-frames defining the program content, each I-frame being identified by a respective I-frame identifier; creating, at least in part during the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, at least one file separate from the recorded program content, the at least one file comprising an array of selected I-frame identifiers identifying respective I-frames of the recorded program content without the respective I-frames, for manipulating recorded program content, wherein the selected I-frame identifiers identify fewer than all of the I-frames of the recorded program content; storing the at least one file separate from the recorded program content; delivering, through the communications network, the program content to the terminal according to the broadcast schedule; receiving, from the terminal, a request for performing an action on the recorded program content at least during the broadcast of the program content; in response to the request, manipulating the recorded program content to meet the request based, at least in part, on at least one of the at least one files. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 51)
-
-
49. A method for providing program content to a terminal through a communications network, the method comprising:
-
receiving content of an in-progress program, the in-progress program content comprising, at least in part, I-frames defining the program content, each I-frame being identified by a respective I-frame identifier; storing the in-progress program content during a broadcast of the in-progress program content according to a broadcast schedule, wherein the stored in-progress program content comprises, at least in part, the I-frames defining the program content; storing, during the broadcast of the in-progress program content according to the broadcast schedule, separate from the recorded program content, at least one file based on the content of the in-progress program content for manipulating recorded program content during at least the broadcast of the program content according to the broadcast schedule, the at least one file comprising an array of selected I-frame identifiers identifying respective I-frames of the recorded program content without the respective I-frames, wherein the selected I-frame identifiers identify fewer than all of the I-frames of the recorded program content; providing first signals containing the in-progress program content onto the communications network, the terminal in response to the first signals helping recover the in-progress program content in perceivable form; receiving from the terminal through the communications network a request for performing an action on the stored in-progress program content at least during the broadcast of the in-progress program content; in response to the request, providing second signals containing at least part of the stored in-progress program content to the terminal through the communications network to realize the action on the stored in-progress program content, based, at least in part, on the at least one file. - View Dependent Claims (50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
-
Specification