System and method for identifying audio/visual programs to be recorded

• US 7,979,881 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2000
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Curtis, Drucker, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Shang; Annan Q
• Application Number:
  US09/650,481
• Time in Patent Office: 3,969 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58, 725106-110, 725/51, 725/55, 725131-134, 725139-142, 386/83, 386/1, 386/46
• US Class Current: 725/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A token schema is provided for identifying a broadcast audio and/or visual program to facilitate recording of the identified program. The token schema includes program criteria for identifying a corresponding audio/or visual program, which is sufficient to enable a recording system that receives the token to record the identified program based on the token. A token also represents an audio and/or visual program in a form that may be sent to one or more recipients, such as part of an email message or by other data transport mechanisms.

Claims

1. A system for representing at least one of an audio and visual program, comprising:

a token application that obtains a token that identifies a particular broadcast program, the token comprises a schema that is a multi-level data structure with a plurality of different fields, the plurality of fields includes at least a program identifier and one or more broadcast program characteristics that specifies different aspects of the particular broadcast program, the program identifier uniquely identifies the particular broadcast program universally across broadcast providers;

the token application that further monitors token translations, wherein the token for selected broadcast program information is translated into local programming data based on identifying information associated with a user;

the token application that further stores demographic and marketing information about the user and the selected broadcast program information;

a recording component that schedules a recording of the particular broadcast program based at least in part on the token and the local programming data; and

the recording component that further records more than one program concurrently, the recording being from one or more broadcast medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the token is operatively associated with a message component that is transportable between the at least two computers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the message component is a text email message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the token is transmittable as a component associated with a message sent from a first computer to a second computer, the first computer not being directly connected to the second computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the program identifier is at least one of a universal program identifier that universally identifies the particular broadcast program regardless of program characteristics employed within a specific local tuning space or a general purpose program identifier that facilitates identification of the particular broadcast program in connection with one or more program attributes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the local programming data includes additional program criteria required to schedule the particular broadcast program in a local tuning space.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of program characteristics includes two or more of a program title, a program description, a program rating, a program director, a program producer, a program actor, a program host, a program format, a program genre, a program channel, a program broadcast network, a program broadcast date, a program broadcast time, or a program category.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the recording program analyzes the token to ascertain the particular broadcast program specified in the token.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable components, comprising:

a first component containing data that represents a text email message;

a second component operatively associated with the first component, the second component comprises a token that includes program criteria that identify a particular broadcast audio/visual program, the program criteria include at least a program identifier that uniquely identifies the particular broadcast program universally among a variety of broadcast platforms;

the second component that further monitors token translations, wherein the token for selected broadcast program information is translated into local programming data based on identifying information associated with a user;

the second component that further stores demographic and marketing information about the user and the selected broadcast program information;

a record component communicatively coupled to the second component, the record component obtains the token and schedules a recording of the particular broadcast audio/visual program based at least in part on the program criteria of the token and the local programming data of a specific broadcast platform; and

the recording component further records more than one program concurrently.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the token is an attachment to the text email message.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9 having further computer-executable components for addressing the email message to an address associated with a remote computer and sending the message and associated token to the remote computer.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of program characteristics includes two or more of a program title, a program description, a program rating, a program director, a program producer, a program actor, a program host, a program format, a program genre, a program channel, a program broadcast network, a program broadcast date, a program broadcast time, or a program category.

13. A system for facilitating programming of an associated device comprising:

a processor;

a token decoder extracting a token from a message received from another computer, the token includes multi-level data structure with a plurality of fields that identifies a particular broadcast program on a variety of broadcast platforms, the plurality of fields includes at least a program identifier and a plurality of program characteristics that specifies different aspects of the particular broadcast program such that the different aspects uniquely identify the particular broadcast program;

the token decoder further analyzing the token to determine the particular broadcast program identified in the token;

a token translation module monitoring token translations, wherein the token for selected broadcast program information is translated into local programming data based on identifying information associated with a user;

a profile database storing demographic and marketing information about the user;

a recording system scheduling a recording of the particular broadcast program based at least in part on the plurality of fields of the token and the local programming data; and

the recording system further recording more than one program concurrently.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of program characteristics includes two or more of a program title, a program description, a program rating, a program director, a program producer, a program actor, a program host, a program format, a program genre, a program channel, a program broadcast network, a program broadcast date, a program broadcast time, or a program category.

15. A method executable on a processor, for facilitating programming a recording system, the method comprising:

receiving a message having at least one associated token, the at least one associated token the token includes multi-level data structure with a plurality of fields that identifies a particular broadcast program on a variety of broadcast platforms, the plurality of fields includes at least a program identifies and a plurality of program characteristics that specifies different aspects of the particular broadcast program such that the different aspects uniquely identify the particular broadcast program, the plurality of program characteristics includes two or more of a program title, a program description, a program rating, a program director, a program producer, a program actor, a program host, a program format, a program genre, a program channel, a program broadcast network, a program broadcast date, a program broadcast time, or a program category;

monitoring token translations, wherein the token for selected broadcast program information is translated into local programming data based on identifying information associated with a user;

storing demographic and marketing information about the user and the selected broadcast program information; and

extracting the at least one associated token from the message; and

scheduling the recording system to record the particular broadcast program based at least in part on the plurality of fields contained in the token and the local programming data, the local programming data includes additional program criteria required to schedule the particular broadcast program in a local tuning space, wherein the recording system records more than one program concurrently.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the message is text email message, the token being received as an attachment to the text email message.

17. The method of claim 15, further including addressing the message to an address associated with a remote computer and sending to the remote computer the message and the associated token.

18. The method of claim 15, further scheduling the recording system comprises identifying and recording the selected broadcast program based upon the universal program global unique identifier.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising analyzing the token to determine the particular broadcast program identified in the token.