Storage management technology

• US 8,831,409 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PurpleComm Incorporated
• Inventors: Sheu, William H., Tuan, Sherman, Chang, Jack H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Aracelis
• Application Number:
  US12/795,296
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 711/159, 386292-295, 725/134, 725/142
• US Class Current: 386/295
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Storage management technology, in which a system determines a first amount of storage space on a downloader device of a user that is available for download of new content made available on channels subscribed to by the user. The system also determines a second amount of storage space needed to download new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user. The system further compares the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space and determines whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space. Based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, the system controls downloading of the new content to the downloader device and deletion of previously-stored content on the downloader device based on a content allocation policy.

Claims

1. A method of controlling storage of content, the method comprising:

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

defining a channel percentage allocation policy;

analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy; and

controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy,

wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises defining a channel percentage allocation policy in which a particular percentage of content items is allocated to each of the channels subscribed to by the user; and

wherein analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy comprises;

determining, for each channel subscribed to by the user, a percentage of content items included in new content associated with the channel and previously-stored content associated with the channel; and

comparing, for each channel subscribed to by the user, the determined percentage of content items for the channel with the particular percentage of content items allocated to the channel; and

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy comprises, based on the comparison of the determined percentage of content items with the particular percentage of content items, controlling, for each channel subscribed to by the user, storage of the new content for the channel and deletion of the previously-stored content for the channel such that a percentage of content items stored for the channel corresponds to the particular percentage of content items allocated to the channel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

monitoring viewing behavior of one or more users;

based on the monitoring, determining viewing statistics for the one or more users; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the determined viewing statistics.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

receiving user input from the user indicating a channel percentage allocation policy; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the received user input.

4. A method of controlling storage of content, the method comprising:

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

defining a channel percentage allocation policy;

analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy; and

controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy,

wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises defining a channel percentage allocation policy in which a particular percentage of viewing time of content is allocated to each of the channels subscribed to by the user; and

wherein analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy comprises;

determining, for each channel subscribed to by the user, a percentage of viewing time included in new content associated with the channel and previously-stored content associated with the channel; and

comparing, for each channel subscribed to by the user, the determined percentage of viewing time for the channel with the particular percentage of viewing time allocated to the channel; and

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy comprises, based on the comparison of the determined percentage of viewing time with the particular percentage of viewing time, controlling, for each channel subscribed to by the user, storage of the new content for the channel and deletion of the previously-stored content for the channel such that a percentage of viewing time of content stored for the channel corresponds to the particular percentage of viewing time allocated to the channel.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

monitoring viewing behavior of one or more users;

based on the monitoring, determining viewing statistics for the one or more users; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the determined viewing statistics.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

receiving user input from the user indicating a channel percentage allocation policy; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the received user input.

7. A method of controlling storage of content, the method comprising:

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a number of content items for the channel;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a total storage space used by the channel;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a total viewing time of content stored for the channel; and

balancing the number of content items, the total storage space, and the total viewing time in allocating storage among the channels subscribed to by the user.

8. A method of controlling storage of content, the method comprising:

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content expiration policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content expiration policy comprises;

accessing an expiration policy for stored content;

determining whether the stored content is expired based on the accessed expiration policy;

based on a determination that the stored content is expired, considering the stored content for deletion based on expiration date; and

based on a determination that the stored content is not expired, maintaining the stored content in storage as unexpired,

wherein accessing an expiration policy for stored content comprises;

accessing, for a first content item, a first expiration policy that defines an expiration policy for a first genre of content items to which the first content item corresponds;

accessing, for a second content item, a second expiration policy that defines an expiration policy for a second genre of content items to which the second content item corresponds, the second expiration policy being different than the first expiration policy and the second genre of content items being different than the first genre of content items;

accessing, for a third content item, a third expiration policy defined by a content curator for a channel that includes the third content item, the third expiration policy being an expiration policy for the first genre of content items to which the third content item corresponds and being different than the first expiration policy;

accessing, for a fourth content item, a fourth expiration policy defined specifically for the fourth content item; and

wherein determining whether the stored content is expired based on the accessed expiration policy comprises determining whether the first content item is expired based on the first expiration policy, determining whether the second content item is expired based on the second expiration policy, determining whether the third content item is expired based on the third expiration policy, and determining whether the fourth content item is expired based on the fourth expiration policy.

9. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

defining a channel percentage allocation policy;

analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy; and

controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy,

wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises defining a channel percentage allocation policy in which a particular percentage of content items is allocated to each of the channels subscribed to by the user; and

wherein analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy comprises;

determining, for each channel subscribed to by the user, a percentage of content items included in new content associated with the channel and previously-stored content associated with the channel; and

comparing, for each channel subscribed to by the user, the determined percentage of content items for the channel with the particular percentage of content items allocated to the channel; and

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy comprises, based on the comparison of the determined percentage of content items with the particular percentage of content items, controlling, for each channel subscribed to by the user, storage of the new content for the channel and deletion of the previously-stored content for the channel such that a percentage of content items stored for the channel corresponds to the particular percentage of content items allocated to the channel.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

monitoring viewing behavior of one or more users;

based on the monitoring, determining viewing statistics for the one or more users; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the determined viewing statistics.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

receiving user input from the user indicating a channel percentage allocation policy; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the received user input.

12. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

defining a channel percentage allocation policy;

analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy; and

controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy,

wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises defining a channel percentage allocation policy in which a particular percentage of viewing time of content is allocated to each of the channels subscribed to by the user; and

wherein analyzing channel information for the new content and the previously-stored content with respect to the channel percentage allocation policy comprises;

determining, for each channel subscribed to by the user, a percentage of viewing time included in new content associated with the channel and previously-stored content associated with the channel; and

comparing, for each channel subscribed to by the user, the determined percentage of viewing time for the channel with the particular percentage of viewing time allocated to the channel; and

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of the previously-stored content based on the analysis of the channel percentage allocation policy comprises, based on the comparison of the determined percentage of viewing time with the particular percentage of viewing time, controlling, for each channel subscribed to by the user, storage of the new content for the channel and deletion of the previously-stored content for the channel such that a percentage of viewing time of content stored for the channel corresponds to the particular percentage of viewing time allocated to the channel.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

monitoring viewing behavior of one or more users;

based on the monitoring, determining viewing statistics for the one or more users; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the determined viewing statistics.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein defining a channel percentage allocation policy comprises:

receiving user input from the user indicating a channel percentage allocation policy; and

defining the channel percentage allocation policy based on the received user input.

15. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a number of content items for the channel;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a total storage space used by the channel;

for each channel subscribed to by the user, determining a total viewing time of content stored for the channel; and

balancing the number of content items, the total storage space, and the total viewing time in allocating storage among the channels subscribed to by the user.

16. A system comprising:

at least one computer; and

at least one computer-readable medium coupled to the at least one computer having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform operations comprising;

determining a first amount of storage space that is available for storage of new content made available on channels subscribed to by a user;

determining a second amount of storage space needed to store new content that has been made available on channels subscribed to by the user;

comparing the second amount of storage space to the first amount of storage space;

determining whether the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space; and

based on a determination that the second amount of storage space exceeds the first amount of storage space, controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content allocation policy comprises controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content expiration policy,

wherein controlling storage of the new content and deletion of previously-stored content based on a content expiration policy comprises;

accessing an expiration policy for stored content;

determining whether the stored content is expired based on the accessed expiration policy;

based on a determination that the stored content is expired, considering the stored content for deletion based on expiration date; and

based on a determination that the stored content is not expired, maintaining the stored content in storage as unexpired,

wherein accessing an expiration policy for stored content comprises;

accessing, for a first content item, a first expiration policy that defines an expiration policy for a first genre of content items to which the first content item corresponds;

accessing, for a second content item, a second expiration policy that defines an expiration policy for a second genre of content items to which the second content item corresponds, the second expiration policy being different than the first expiration policy and the second genre of content items being different than the first genre of content items;

accessing, for a third content item, a third expiration policy defined by a content curator for a channel that includes the third content item, the third expiration policy being an expiration policy for the first genre of content items to which the third content item corresponds and being different than the first expiration policy;

accessing, for a fourth content item, a fourth expiration policy defined specifically for the fourth content item; and

wherein determining whether the stored content is expired based on the accessed expiration policy comprises determining whether the first content item is expired based on the first expiration policy, determining whether the second content item is expired based on the second expiration policy, determining whether the third content item is expired based on the third expiration policy, and determining whether the fourth content item is expired based on the fourth expiration policy.