Identifying broadcast content

• US 8,225,368 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2005
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Peters, Marc Andre, Van Den Boomen, Wilhelmus Henrica Gerarda Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US11/719,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20090148122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,440 Days
• Field of Search: 725/37, 725 44- 46, 725/55, 725/58, 725/61, 386/35, 386/45, 386/46, 386/68, 386/70, 386/125, 386/126
• US Class Current: 725/117
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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

Abstract

In a broadcast system (210) each broadcast content item is identified by a broadcast Content Reference Identifier (CRID). In a storage device (220) with a storage (240) each broadcast content item is identified by a local CRID. A processor (230) stores a CRID list that includes for CRIDs an associated validity interval including a starting date and an ending date during which interval the CRID is unique for the content item. When the processor receives (400) a broadcast CRID, it determines (410) an initial validity interval for the broadcast CRID. The initial validity interval includes a starting date and an ending date during which interval the broadcast CRID is unique for the broadcast content item. It then determines (420) whether the initial validity interval overlaps with a validity interval stored in the CRID list for an identical CRID. If there is no overlap it adds (430) the broadcast CRID to the CRID list.

Claims

1. A method of identifying content items in a system including at least one storage device with a storage for storing content items broadcasted through a broadcast system which identifies each broadcast content item by a corresponding broadcast Content Reference Identifier (CRID);

the method including;

identifying each content item in the storage of the storage device by a corresponding local Content Reference Identifier (CRID);

storing in the storage a CRID list that includes a selection of local CRIDs and broadcast CRIDs, an associated validity interval for each of said local and broadcast CRIDs having a starting date and an ending date, each of said local and broadcast CRIDs identifying a respective content item that remains unchanged during said associated validity interval;

receiving a new broadcast CRID;

determining an initial validity interval for the new broadcast CRID, the initial validity interval having a starting date and an ending date, during said initial validity interval the content item associated with said new broadcast CRID remains unchanged;

determining whether said new broadcast CRID is identical to a GRID stored in the CRID list;

determining whether or not the initial validity interval of said new broadcast CRID overlaps with the associated validity interval stored in the CRID list for the GRID identical to the new broadcast GRID; and

adding the new broadcast GRID to the GRID list only if no overlap is determined, and if an overlap is determined, not adding the new broadcast CRID to the GRID list and updating the associated validity interval of the identical CRID stored in the GRID list to having, as the starting date of the updated associated validity interval, an earliest date of the starting dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast GRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored CRID, and as the ending date, a latest date of the ending dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast GRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored GRID.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the step of determining an initial validity interval for the received new broadcast CRID includes using a default validity interval.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the step of determining an initial validity interval for the received new broadcast GRID includes querying a broadcast resolution handler to translate the received new broadcast GRID to at least one broadcast locator, where each locator includes one broadcasting date for the associated broadcast content item, and determining the initial validity interval in dependence on the broadcasting dates of the broadcast locators associated with the new broadcast CRID.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, where, if the new broadcast CRID is associated with a plurality of broadcast locators, the step of determining the initial validity interval includes using, as the starting date, an earliest one of the broadcasting dates of the broadcast locators, and as the ending date, a latest one of the broadcasting dates of the broadcast locators.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the system includes a plurality of said storage devices;

each of the plurality of storage devices including communication means for bi-directional communication with each other through a wide area peer-to-peer (P2P) network;

the method including, in a storage device, in response to receiving a new CRID of interest;

querying the P2P network for whether the received new CRID is locally stored in any of the plurality of storage devices,

receiving, in each positive response, a respective validity interval and content locator identifying a storage location of the associated content item in the responding storage device,

determining, for each positive response, whether the validity interval received in the response overlaps with a validity interval stored in the GRID list for a CRID identical to the new CRID or not; and

adding the received new CRID to the CRID list only if no overlap is determined.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the system includes a server for on-demand retrieval of content items stored in the server through a communication system;

the method including, in the storage device, in response to receiving a new CRID of interest;

querying the server for whether the received CRID is stored in the server,

receiving, in a positive response, a respective validity interval and content locator identifying a storage location of the associated content item in the server,

determining, for a positive response, whether the received validity interval overlaps with a validity interval stored in the CRID list for a CRID identical to the new CRID or not; and

adding the received new CRID to the CRID list only if no overlap is determined.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the storage device comprises a Personal Digital Recorder (PDR).

8. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said method further includes:

storing in the CRID list for each stored CRID metadata associated with the content item associated with the CRID;

wherein the querying also includes receiving in a response metadata associated with the queried CRID and performing the step of adding the received new CRID to the CRID list only if the received metadata is distinct from metadata stored in the CRID list for the received CRID.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method further includes the step of

presenting identical CRIDs in the CRID list as identifying separate content items.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the storage device is operative to record broadcast content in the storage;

the method including using the CRID list to determine at least one of the following for a content item to be recorded;

whether or not the content item has already been recorded;

which broadcast locator to use.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5, where the storage device is operative to record broadcast content in the storage;

the method including using the CRID list to determine at least one of the following for a content item to be recorded;

whether or not the content item has already been recorded; and

whether to use a broadcast locator, a locator for the server or a locator for the P2P storage device for retrieval.

12. A system for identifying content items, the system including a broadcast system and at least one storage device;

the broadcast system including means for identifying each broadcast content item by a corresponding broadcast Content Reference Identifier (CRID);

the storage device including;

a storage for storing content items for broadcast through the broadcast system;

means for identifying each content item in the storage by a corresponding local Content Reference Identifier (CRID);

a processor for, under control of a program, storing in the storage a CRID list that includes a selection of local CRIDs and broadcast CRIDs, an associated validity interval for each of the local and broadcast CRIDs having a starting date and an ending date, each of said local and broadcast CRIDs identifying a respective content item that remains unchanged during said associated validity interval; and

in response to receiving a new broadcast CRID;

determining an initial validity interval for the new broadcast CRID, the initial validity interval having a starting date and an ending date, during said initial validity interval the content item associated with said new broadcast CRID remains unchanged;

determining whether said new broadcast CRID is identical to a CRID stored in said CRID list;

determining whether or not the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID overlaps with the associated validity interval stored in the GRID list for the identical CRID; and

adding the new broadcast CRID to the CRID list only if no overlap is determined, and if an overlap is determined, not adding the new broadcast CRID to the CRID list and updating the associated validity interval of the identical CRID stored in the CRID list to having, as the starting date of the updated associated validity interval, an earliest date of the starting dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored CRID, and as the ending date, a latest date of the ending dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored CRID.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is recorded a program for causing a processor to perform a method of identifying content items in a system including at least one storage device with a storage for storing content items broadcasted through a broadcast system that identifies broadcasted content items by respective broadcast Content Reference Identifiers (CRIDs), said method including:

identifying each content item in the storage by a corresponding local Content Reference Identifier (CRID);

storing in the storage a CRID list that includes a selection of local CRIDs and broadcast CRIDs, an associated validity interval for each of said local and broadcast CRIDS having a starting date and an ending date, each of said local and broadcast CRIDs identifying a respective content item that remains unchanged during said associated validity interval; and

in response to receiving a new broadcast CRID;

determining an initial validity interval for the new broadcast CRID, the initial validity interval having a starting date and an ending date, during the initial validity interval the content item associated with said new broadcast CRID remains unchanged;

determining whether said new broadcast CRID is identical to a CRID stored in said CRID list;

determining whether or not the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID overlaps with the associated validity interval stored in the CRID list for the CRID identical to the new broadcast CRID; and

adding the broadcast CRID to the GRID list only if no overlap is determined, and if an overlap is determined, not adding the new broadcast CRID to the GRID list and updating the associated validity interval of the identical CRID stored in the CRID list to having, as the starting date of the updated associated validity interval, an earliest date of the starting dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored CRID, and as the ending date, a latest date of the ending dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast CRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored GRID.