Resource conflict resolution for multiple television

• US 8,677,429 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lehman, Yonatan, Darshan, Ezra
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US11/579,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,240 Days
• Field of Search: 725/59, 725/93, 725/116, 725/146, 386292-293, 709225-226, 709/229, 709232-235, 709/240
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• 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 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A system for managing resource-usage conflict among a plurality of viewers associated with a plurality of TVs, including a plurality of resources for shared usage among the viewers, the resources including at least one input device adapted to receive a program broadcast and to transmit the program broadcast onward for display, a resolution arrangement operationally connected to the at least one input device, the resolution arrangement being adapted to identify a usage conflict of at least one of the resources, and send an on-screen display having a resource usage action-choice to at least two of the TVs. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A system for managing resource-usage conflict among a plurality of viewers associated with a plurality of TVs, comprising:

a plurality of resources for shared usage among the viewers, the resources including at least one input device adapted to receive a program broadcast and to transmit the program broadcast onward for display; and

a resolution arrangement operationally connected to the at least one input device, the resolution arrangement being adapted to;

identify a usage conflict of at least one of the resources;

pass, in a consecutive manner, an on-screen display having a resource usage action-choice among the TVs for display by the TVs, so that the on-screen display is first displayed by one of the TVs and then displayed by another one of the TVs; and

determine the order of passing the on-screen display based on a priority assignment of the TVs, the priority assignment being based at least in part on a nature of viewing currently being viewed on each of the TVs, wherein a playback nature of viewing is accorded a lower priority than a live with simultaneous recording nature of viewing which, in turn, is accorded a lower priority than a live viewing which is not being recorded.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resource usage action-choice includes an option for passing the resource usage action-choice to another one of the TVs.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the resolution arrangement is further adapted to determine the other TV based on a priority assignment of the TVs.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the resolution arrangement is adapted to determine the other TV based on a next lowest priority TV, in relation to a priority of the TV which was sent the resource usage action-choice, according to the priority assignment.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the resolution arrangement is adapted to determine the other TV based on a next highest priority TV, in relation to a priority of the TV which was sent the resource usage action-choice, according to the priority assignment.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a physical connection of each of the TVs to the system.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a time of day.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on which of the viewers are viewing each of the TVs.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a channel being viewed on each of the TVs.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on viewing time of each of the TVs.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resolution arrangement is further adapted to resolve the usage conflict based on a reply to the resource usage action-choice.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resolution arrangement is further adapted to apply a default resolution to the usage conflict after a specified time-out after sending the on-screen display.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the resource usage action-choice has a plurality of options including forgo-live and cancel recording.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the options include an option to send the on screen display to another one of the TVs.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a tuner.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a removable media drive.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input device is a broadband internet protocol input.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the resources include a storage arrangement adapted to store the program broadcast therein; and

the input device is adapted to transmit the program broadcast to the storage arrangement.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the resource usage action-choice includes an option to delete a recording.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one input device is adapted to receive informational data about a plurality of program broadcasts; and

the resolution arrangement is adapted to prepare a program catalog screen for display, such that the program catalog screen excludes the informational data about at least one of the program broadcasts for at least one pre-selected time period.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the resolution arrangement is adapted such that exclusion of the informational data about the program broadcasts is at least one of viewer dependent and TV dependent.

22. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a storage arrangement adapted to store program broadcasts therein; and

a database adapted to store recorded program informational data about the program broadcasts stored in the storage arrangement, wherein the resolution arrangement is further adapted to prepare a recorded program catalog screen for display, such that the recorded program catalog screen excludes the recorded program informational data about at least one of the program broadcasts for at least one pre-selected time period.

23. A method for managing resource-usage conflict of a plurality of resources among a plurality of viewers associated with a plurality of TVs, the resources including at least one input device, each input device being adapted to receive a program broadcast and transmit the program broadcast onward for display, the method comprising:

identifying a usage conflict of at least one of the resources;

passing, in a consecutive manner, an on-screen display having a resource usage action-choice among the TVs for display by the TVs, so that the on-screen display is first displayed by one of the TVs and then displayed by another one of the TVs; and

determining the order of passing the on-screen display based on a priority assignment of the TVs, the priority assignment being based at least in part on a nature of viewing currently being viewed on each of the TVs, wherein a playback nature of viewing is accorded a lower priority than a live with simultaneous recording nature of viewing which, in turn, is accorded a lower priority than a live viewing which is not being recorded.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a physical connection of each of the TVs to the at least one input device.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a time of day.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on which of the viewers are viewing each of the TVs.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on a channel being viewed on each of the TVs.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the priority assignment is based in part on viewing time of each of the TVs.

24. A system for managing resource-usage conflict among a plurality of viewers associated with a plurality of TVs, comprising:

means for shared usage among the viewers, the means including means for receiving a program broadcast and transmitting the program broadcast onward for display; and

means for resolution operationally connected to the means for receiving and transmitting, the means for resolution being adapted to;

identify a usage conflict of at least one of the means for shared usage;

pass, in a consecutive manner, an on-screen display having a resource usage action-choice among the TVs for display by the TVs, so that the on-screen display is first displayed by one of the TVs and then displayed by another one of the TVs; and

determine the order of passing the on-screen display based on a priority assignment of the TVs, the priority assignment being based at least in part on a nature of viewing currently being viewed on each of the TVs, wherein a playback nature of viewing is accorded a lower priority than a live with simultaneous recording nature of viewing which, in turn, is accorded a lower priority than a live viewing which is not being recorded.