Wireless digital video recorder manager

• US 8,613,037 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Casey, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAY, MARY ANNE
• Application Number:
  US11/060,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,226 Days
• Field of Search: 725/38, 725/62, 725/131, 725/133, 725/134, 455/438, 455/439
• US Class Current: 725/142
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• 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 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• 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 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems for managing the reception and/or recording of video content on a wireless digital video recorder. In certain embodiments, the wireless digital video recorder comprises a wireless phone with video reception and video recording capabilities. One set of embodiments provides a reception manager for managing the reception of video content by the wireless digital video recorder. Merely by way of example, embodiments of the present invention may provide for monitoring of the signal strength of broadcast video content, and certain embodiments may provide for receiving and displaying information concerning video content available to the wireless digital video recorder. Other embodiments of the present invention may provide for the management of recording and/or storing video content on the wireless digital video recorder e. Merely by way of example, in some embodiments, a storage processor may determine the video content to record or may associate values to stored video content.

Claims

1. A system for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of video content, comprising:

a wireless digital video recorder operable to receive and record video content;

a reception processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage reception of the video content;

a global positioning system transceiver in communication with the reception processor and operable to determine a geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, and

a storage processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder,

wherein the wireless digital video recorder, the reception processor, the storage processor and the global positioning system transceiver are incorporated within a wireless phone, said wireless phone including a display and speakers;

wherein the reception processor is configured to simultaneously generate a visual alert on the display of the wireless phone and an audible alert through the speakers of the wireless phone to indicate at least one of start of video content recording, stop in video content recording, availability of new video content, and change in signal strength associated with the video content;

wherein the reception processor is further configured to use the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, as determined by the global positioning system transceiver, to identify availability of a broadcast video signal based on an available broadcast signal identified using the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, and to select the best receiving option to receive the video content from the at least one video content source, based on at least one of signal strength and signal characteristics, said signal characteristics including digital signal characteristics and analog signal characteristics;

wherein managing reception of the broadcast video content comprises identifying video content available to the wireless phone from at least one video content source;

wherein the storage processor associates a first priority value to a set of stored video content, wherein rating of the available video content and the stored video content is based upon preferences of a user of the wireless digital video recorder;

wherein the storage processor associates an expiration date with the set of video content stored on the wireless digital video recorder and erases the set of stored video content based upon the expiration date;

wherein the storage processor erases a set of stored video content from the wireless digital video recorder to provide storage space for newly available video content based upon the first priority value associated with the set of stored video content relative to a second priority value associated with the newly available video content; and

wherein the storage processor provides an alert when video content selected for recording by the user exceeds storage space available to the wireless digital video recorder.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the storage processor is configured to control the storage of the video content received by the wireless digital video recorder.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver in communication with the reception processor and operable to receive transmitted information concerning the video content available to the wireless digital video recorder.

4. The system of claim 3,

wherein the information is transmitted by a provider associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

5. The system of claim 3,

wherein the information is transmitted by one of the at least one video content source.

6. The system of claim 3,

wherein the reception processor is configured to display the information on the display screen.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a browser in communication with the reception processor, the browser being operable to browse the Internet, wherein the reception processor is operable to browse the Internet via the browser to identify availability of the video content.

8. The system of claim 1,

wherein the reception processor is configured to identify a set of the video content available to the wireless digital video recorder.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the reception processor is configured to select video content from the set of the video content for receiving by the wireless digital video recorder.

10. The system of claim 8,

wherein the reception processor selects the video content based upon an analysis of reception rules;

and

wherein a user of the wireless digital video recorder provides the reception rules to the reception processor.

11. The system of claim 8,

wherein the reception processor selects the video content based upon an analysis of previous video content received by the wireless digital video recorder.

12. The system of claim 1,

wherein the reception processor is operable to use the geographic location of the wireless digital video recorder to identify an optimum provider of the broadcast video content.

13. A device for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of video content for a wireless digital video recorder, comprising:

a wireless digital video recorder operable to receive and record video content;

a storage processor associated with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage the recording and storage of video content;

a reception processor in communication with the wireless digital video recorder and configured to manage the reception of the video content; and

a global positioning system transceiver in communication with the reception processor and operable to determine a geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder;

wherein the wireless digital video recorder, the storage processor, the global positioning system transceiver and the reception processor are incorporated within a wireless phone said wireless phone including a display and speakers;

wherein managing reception of the video content comprises identifying video content available to the wireless phone from at least one video content source;

wherein the reception processor is configured to simultaneously generate a visual alert on the display of the wireless phone and an audible alert through the speakers of the wireless phone to indicate at least one of start of video content recording, stop in video content recording, availability of new video content, and change in signal strength associated with the video content;

wherein the reception processor is further configured to use the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, as determined by the global positioning system transceiver, to identify availability of a broadcast video signal based on an available broadcast signal identified using the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, and to select the best receiving option to receive the video content from the at least one video content source, based on at least one of signal strength and signal characteristics, said signal characteristics including digital signal characteristics and analog signal characteristics;

wherein the storage processor associates a first priority value to a set of stored video content, wherein rating of the available video content and the stored video content is based upon preferences of a user of the wireless digital video recorder;

wherein the storage processor associates an expiration date with the set of video content stored on the wireless digital video recorder and erases the set of stored video content based upon the expiration date; and

wherein the storage processor erases a set of stored video content from the wireless digital video recorder to provide storage space for newly available video content based upon the first priority value associated with the set of stored video content relative to a second priority value associated with the newly available video content; and

wherein the storage processor provides an alert when video content selected for recording by the user exceeds storage space available to the wireless digital video recorder.

14. The device of claim 13,

wherein the storage processor is configured to receive information concerning the video content received at the wireless digital video recorder.

15. The device of claim 14,

wherein the storage processor receives the information from a reception processor associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

16. The device of claim 14,

wherein the storage processor is configured to process whether to record the received video content.

17. The device of claim 16,

wherein the storage processor makes a decision whether to record the received video content based upon an analysis of recording rules;

and

wherein a user of the wireless digital video recorder provides the recording rules to the storage processor.

18. The device of claim 16,

wherein the storage processor makes a decision whether to record the received video content based upon an analysis of a history of the video content recorded by the wireless digital video recorder.

19. The device of claim 13,

wherein the storage processor determines the priority value based upon rules entered into the storage processor by a user of the wireless digital video recorder.

20. The device of claim 13,

wherein the storage processor determines the priority value based upon a one of a prior recording history of the wireless digital video recorder, a prior reception history of the wireless digital video recorder, and a combination of the prior recording and reception history.

21. A method for managing mobile and on-demand digital recording of video content by a wireless digital video recorder, comprising:

identifying, by a reception processor incorporated within a wireless phone, a set of video content available to the wireless digital video recorder from at least one video content source, using the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder, as determined by a global positioning system transceiver incorporated within the wireless phone;

associating, by a storage processor incorporated within the wireless phone, a first priority value to a set of stored video content;

recording, by the storage processor, selected video content from the set of stored video content on the wireless digital video recorder based upon a second priority value associated with the selected video content;

simultaneously generating, by the reception processor, a visual alert on the display of the wireless phone and an audible alert through the speakers of the wireless phone to indicate at least one of start of video content recording, stop in video content recording, availability of new video content, and change in signal strength associated with the video content; and

selecting, by the reception processor, the best receiving option to receive the video content from the at least one video content source, based on at least one of signal strength and signal characteristics, said signal characteristics including digital signal characteristics and analog signal characteristics.

22. The method of claim 21,

wherein identifying the set of available video content comprises receiving a list of available video content from a service provider associated with the wireless digital video recorder.

23. The method of claim 21,

wherein identifying the set of available video content comprises receiving information concerning the available video content from a provider of the video content.

24. The method of claim 21,

wherein identifying the set of available video content comprises determining the geographic position of the wireless digital video recorder relative to sources broadcasting video content, as determined by a global positioning system transceiver in the wireless digital video recorder.

25. The method of claim 21,

wherein the second priority value associated with the selected video content is determined from preferences entered by a user into the wireless digital video recorder.

26. The method of claim 21,

wherein the second priority value associated with the selected video content is determined from an analysis of prior recordings made by a user of the wireless digital video recorder.

27. The method of claim 21,

wherein the second priority value associated with the selected video content is determined from a signal strength associated with the video content.

28. The method of claim 21,

wherein rating of the available broadcast video content and the stored video content is based upon preferences of a user of the wireless digital video recorder.