Dividing and managing time-shift buffering into program specific segments based on defined durations

• US 8,565,578 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Harold J. Plourde Jr
• Inventors: Plourde, Harold J. Jr., Rodriguez, Arturo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/008,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,338 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386111-112, 386/200, 386/235, 386/241, 725/1, 725/46
• US Class Current: 386/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A media content recording system in a subscriber network television system includes a memory for storing logic, a storage device comprising a buffer space for continuously buffering media content instances, and a processor configured with the logic to represent each of the media content instances in the buffer space.

Claims

1. A media content recording system in a subscriber network television system, comprising:

a memory for storing logic;

a storage device comprising a buffer space for continuously buffering media content instances; and

a processor configured with the logic to buffer media content instances into the buffer space, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to represent the media content instances in the buffer space as a linked list of management files in the memory, wherein the logic is further configured to track the duration of the buffered media content instance, wherein the duration of the media content instance corresponds to hard disk space, wherein the management files comprise the locations of data for said files and locations to a previously created management file and to a subsequently created management file, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to configure each of the management files as a data structure that includes media content instance guide data, a buffering start time, an active playback location within the media content instance in the buffer space, a status flag, and a media content instance file name, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to use and store the scheduled stop time of each of the media content instances from the media content instance guide data to determine when to close the management file for an ended media content instance and open a new management file for a next media content instance to be downloaded to the buffer space, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to receive media content information from a remote server, wherein the media content information comprises a scheduled media content instance start time and a scheduled media content instance end time, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to track when the buffering of the media content instance starts, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to determine the media content instance duration by subtracting the media content instance buffering start time from the scheduled media content instance end time, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to organize a plurality of management files as a linked list of the management files comprising the locations of data for said files and locations to a previously created management file and to a subsequently created management file, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to use the receipt time of a media content instance into the buffer space by using the start time as indicated by an internal clock, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to configure the media content instances as media content instance files, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to identify the media content instance files by file names, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to generate the media content instance file names using the media content instance guide data, wherein each of the media content instance file names include channel number, media content instance title, and the source of the media content instance, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to access the media content instances by the media content instance file names, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer analog broadcast media content instances, received at a communications interface, as digitally compressed media content instances, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer an analog signal received at a connector from a consumer electronics device, as a digitally compressed media content instance, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer digital broadcast media content instances, received at a communications interface, as digitally compressed media content instances, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer digital media-on-demand media content instances, received at a communications interface from a remote server, as digitally compressed media content instances, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer digital media content instances, received at a digital communications port from a local network, as digitally compressed media content instances, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to buffer digital media content instances, received at a digital communications port from a local device, as digitally compressed media content instances, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to maintain the status flag in the management file wherein the status flag is configured as temporary for a buffered media content instance that is not designated for permanent recording, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to configure the status flag of the management file for a buffered media content instance as permanent when the user requests that said media content instance be permanently recorded, wherein the processor is further configured with the logic to cause the permanently recorded media content instance to have a permanent designation in a file allocation table in response to having the status flag of the corresponding management file configured as permanent, such that the buffer space storing the permanently recorded media content instance becomes designated as non-buffer space.

2. A media content recording method in a subscriber network television system, comprising:

buffering by a processor media content instances into a buffer space;

representing by the processor the media content instances in the buffer space as a linked list of management files in memory;

tracking the duration of the buffered media content instance, wherein the duration of the media content instance corresponds to hard disk space, wherein the management files comprise the locations of data for said files and locations to a previously created management file and to a subsequently created management file;

configuring each of the management files as a data structure that includes media content instance guide data, a buffering start time, an active playback location within the media content instance in the buffer space, a status flag, and a media content instance file name;

using and store the scheduled stop time of each of the media content instances from the media content instance guide data to determine when to close the management file for an ended media content instance and open a new management file for a next media content instance to be downloaded to the buffer space;

receiving media content information from a remote server, wherein the media content information comprises a scheduled media content instance start time and a scheduled media content instance end time;

tracking when the buffering of the media content instance starts;

determining the media content instance duration by subtracting the media content instance buffering start time from the scheduled media content instance end time;

organizing a plurality of management files as a linked list of the management files comprising the locations of data for said files and locations to a previously created management file and to a subsequently created management file;

using the receipt time of a media content instance into the buffer space by using the start time as indicated by an internal clock;

configuring the media content instances as media content instance files;

identifying the media content instance files by file names;

generating the media content instance file names using the media content instance guide data, wherein each of the media content instance file names include channel number, media content instance title, and the source of the media content instance;

accessing the media content instances by the media content instance file names;

buffering analog broadcast media content instances, received at a communications interface, as digitally compressed media content instances;

buffering an analog signal received at a connector from a consumer electronics device, as a digitally compressed media content instance;

buffering digital broadcast media content instances, received at a communications interface, as digitally compressed media content instances;

buffering digital media-on-demand media content instances, received at a communications interface from a remote server, as digitally compressed media content instances;

buffering digital media content instances, received at a digital communications port from a local network, as digitally compressed media content instances;

buffering digital media content instances, received at a digital communications port from a local device, as digitally compressed media content instances;

maintaining the status flag in the management file wherein the status flag is configured as temporary for a buffered media content instance that is not designated for permanent recording;

configuring the status flag of the management file for a buffered media content instance as permanent when the user requests that said media content instance be permanently recorded; and

causing the permanently recorded media content instance to have a permanent designation in a file allocation table in response to having the status flag of the corresponding management file configured as permanent, such that the buffer space storing the permanently recorded media content instance becomes designated as non-buffer space.