Media content recording and healing statuses

• US 8,103,965 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Roberts, Brian, Stallings, Heath, Relyea, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US11/769,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/772, 715/771, 715/764, 715/700, 386/68
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• 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 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a content processing subsystem configured to record at least a subset of a media content program and detect a defective portion of the recorded media content program that failed to be properly recorded. The content processing subsystem is further configured to provide a recording status indicator to an output device for presentation to a user, the recording status indicator identifying the defective portion of the recorded media content program. In certain implementations, the content processing subsystem is further configured to heal at least a subset of the defective portion of the recorded media content program and provide a healing status indicator to the output device for presentation to the user, the healing status indicator identifying the healed portion of the recorded media content program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recording, by a content processing device, at least a subset of a media content program, wherein the recorded at least a subset of the media content program comprises one or more recorded portions and a defective portion; and

healing, by the content processing device, at least a subset of the defective portion;

providing, by the content processing device, a recording status indicator for presentation to a user, the recording status indicator identifying the one or more recorded portions and the defective portion; and

providing, by the content processing device, a healing status indicator for presentation to the user, the healing status indicator identifying the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing the healing status indicator includes providing a numeric indication of a start time and an end time of the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing the healing status indicator includes providing a graphical user interface including a visual attribute identifying the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of providing the recording status indicator includes providing another visual attribute identifying the defective portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing the recording status indicator includes providing a numeric indication of a start time and an end time of the defective portion.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of providing the recording status indicator further includes providing a numeric indication of a start time and an end time of the one or more recorded portions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating, by the content processing device, the healing status indicator as the defective portion is healed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said healing step includes:

requesting a snippet of media content associated with the defective portion;

receiving at least a portion of the requested snippet; and

joining the received at least a portion of the snippet to the one or more recorded portions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said receiving step comprises receiving the at least a portion of the requested snippet from another content processing device communicatively coupled to the content processing device by way of a network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the content processing device, a tool enabling the user to initiate said healing step.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, by the content processing device from the user using the tool, a request to initiate said healing step.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the content processing device, a tool enabling the user to control whether said healing step will be initiated automatically or manually.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the content processing device, at least one recording interruption; and

automatically initiating, by the content processing device, said healing step when the at least one recording interruption is detected to exist for a predetermined length of time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more recorded portions, the defective portion, and the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed are associated with a unique visual attribute configured to distinguish the one or more recorded portions, the defective portion, and the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed from each other.

15. A system comprising:

a content processing device configured to

record at least a subset of a media content program, the recorded at least a subset of the media content program comprising one or more recorded portions and a defective portion that failed to be properly recorded,

heal at least a subset of the defective portion,

provide a recording status indicator to an output device for presentation to a user, the recording status indicator identifying the one or more recorded portions and the defective portion, and

provide a healing status indicator to the output device for presentation to the user, the healing status indicator identifying the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the healing status indicator includes a numeric indication of a start time and an end time of the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the healing status indicator includes a visual attribute identifying the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the visual attribute includes a color or shade distinguishing the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed from representations of the one or more recorded portions and the defective portion.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the recording status indicator includes another visual attribute identifying the defective portion and distinguishing the defective portion from a representation of the one or more recorded portions.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the recording status indicator includes a numeric indication of a start time and an end time of the defective portion.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein said content processing device is configured to receive the at least a subset of the media content program from a content delivery subsystem over a network, said content processing device being configured to heal the at least a subset of the defective portion by requesting and receiving a snippet of media content associated with the defective portion from another content processing device communicatively coupled to the network.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a media content program from a content delivery subsystem; and

at least one processor configured to

record at least a subset of the media content program, the recorded at least a subset of the media content program comprising one or more recorded portions and a defective portion that failed to be properly recorded,

detect the defective portion,

heal at least a subset of the defective portion,

provide a recording status indicator to an output device for presentation to a user, the recording status indicator identifying the one or more recorded portions and the defective portion, and

provide a healing status indicator to the output device for presentation to the user, the healing status indicator identifying the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the healing status indicator and the recording status indicator include contrasting shades or colors distinguishing the one or more recorded portions, the defective portion, and the at least a subset of the defective portion that has been healed from each other.