System and methods for digital video recorder backup and recovery

• US 8,776,137 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brandt, Jeffrey L., Sullivan, Marc A., Reynolds, Douglas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi, Nadia
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARSONS, THEODORE C
• Application Number:
  US11/837,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 375/240.26, 725 86- 87, 725/91, 725/125, 725/145, 726/2, 726/27, 726/28
• US Class Current: 725/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for receiving a user input identifying a video signal, recording the video signal to the video data file and sending an instruction to a backup server. The instruction causes the backup server to concurrently record the video signal to a second video data file. The backup server can also record a second video signal to a second video data file based on a second instruction. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a digital video recorder located at a user premises, a user input, the user input identifying a video signal, the video signal comprising a program to be recorded;

recording at the digital video recorder the video signal to a first video data file based on the user input;

sending from the digital video recorder an instruction to a backup server responsive to the user input to cause the backup server to record the video signal to a second video data file, the backup server being remote from the digital video recorder,

wherein the instruction comprises a recording schedule and subscriber information,

wherein the first video data file and the second video data file each include the program in its entirety,

wherein the backup server validates a recovery request for the second video data file according to the subscriber information,

wherein the sending of the instruction causes the backup server to store metadata that includes the subscriber information and that includes access control functions associated with the second video data file,

wherein a plurality of subscribers other than the user are provided access to the second video data file in accordance with the access control functions, and

wherein a subscriber other than the user is provided access to the second video data file based on whether the subscriber previously recorded the program;

detecting, by the digital video recorder, a corrupted portion of the first video data file stored at the digital video recorder;

sending, by the digital video recorder, a recovery query to the backup server to obtain a portion of the second video data file corresponding to the corrupted portion; and

accessing, by the digital video recorder, the second video data file using the metadata responsive to the detecting,

wherein the accessing is limited to the portion without accessing a remainder of the second video data file.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to the detecting of the corruption, sending to the backup server a request for the portion of the second video data file, wherein the request includes identification information to identify a requester of the second video file; and

retrieving the portion of the second video data file from the backup server responsive to the backup server validating the identification information according to the subscriber information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the portion of the second video data file is determined based on a start time and a stop time of a corresponding portion of the video signal.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the metadata provides access control to the second video data file of the backup server, wherein the access control denies access by other subscribers to the second video data file where the other subscribers have not requested a backup version of the video signal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the portion of the second video data file includes a first segment encompassing the start time and a last segment encompassing the stop time.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving at a recording device a user input, the user input identifying a video signal, the video signal comprising a program to be recorded;

recording at the recording device the video signal to a video data file based on the user input, the video data file including the program in its entirety;

sending from the recording device the video data file and subscriber information to a backup server responsive to the user input, thereby providing a video data file at the backup server including the program in its entirety, the backup server being remote from the recording device,

wherein the backup server validates a recovery request for the video data file according to the subscriber information,

wherein the sending of the subscriber information causes the backup server to store metadata that includes the subscriber information and that includes access control functions associated with the video data file stored at the backup server,

wherein a plurality of subscribers other than the user are provided access to the video data file stored at the backup server, and

wherein a subscriber other than the user is provided access to the video data file at the backup server based on whether the subscriber previously recorded the program;

detecting, by the recording device, a corrupted portion of the video data file stored at the recording device; and

accessing, by the recording device, a portion of the video data file at the backup server corresponding to the corrupted portion using the metadata responsive to the detecting of the corruption,

wherein the accessing is in accordance with the recovery request and is limited to the portion without accessing a remainder of the video data file at the backup server.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

sending to the backup server a request for the portion of the video data file, wherein the request includes identification information to identify a requester of the video file; and

retrieving the portion of the video data file from the backup server using the metadata responsive to the backup server validating the identification information according to the subscriber information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the portion of the video data file is determined based on a start time of a corresponding portion of the video signal.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the portion of the video data file is determined based on a stop time of the corresponding portion of the video signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the portion of the video data file includes a first segment encompassing the start time and a last segment encompassing the stop time.

11. A backup server for a digital video recorder, the backup server comprising:

a storage storing computer instructions; and

a processor coupled to the storage, wherein responsive to execution of the computer instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving an instruction from the digital video recorder, the instruction including program information and subscriber information for a first subscriber, the digital video recorder being remote from the backup server;

comparing the program information to program information of a subset of stored video data files within the storage, wherein the subset of stored video data files is limited to content stored by request of the first subscriber;

recording a video signal comprising a program to a video data file within the storage based on the program information, responsive to a comparison indicating that the video data file does not exist among the stored video data files, thereby providing a first stored video data file including the program in its entirety;

generating metadata for the first stored video data file, wherein the metadata includes the program information and includes access control functionality for the first stored video data file, wherein a second subscriber is provided access to the first stored video file in accordance with the access control functionality, wherein the second subscriber is provided access to the first stored data file based on whether the second subscriber previously recorded the program;

receiving a recovery instruction from the digital video recorder, wherein the recovery instruction comprises the program information, and identification information, wherein the recovery instruction is generated by the digital video recorder based on a detection by the digital video recorder of a corrupted portion of a second stored video data file stored at the digital video recorder and including the program in its entirety; and

sending, in response to the recovery instruction, a portion of the first stored video data file corresponding to the corrupted portion of the second stored video data file without a remainder of the first stored video data file to the digital video recorder using the metadata responsive to validating the identification information according to the subscriber information.

12. The backup server of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise validating the identification information according to the subscriber information prior to sending the portion of the first stored video data file to the digital video recorder.

13. The backup server of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise receiving a second instruction from a second digital video recorder, the second instruction including a second program information.

14. The backup server of claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise recording a second video signal to another video data file based on the second program information, wherein the program information and the second program information are substantially different.

15. The backup server of claim 13 wherein the program information and the second program information are substantially similar.

16. The backup server of claim 11 wherein the recovery instruction includes a start time of the corrupted portion.

17. The backup server of claim 16 wherein the recovery instruction includes a stop time of the corrupted portion.

18. The backup server of claim 17 wherein the sent portion of the first stored video data file includes a first segment encompassing the start time and a last segment encompassing the stop time.