System and method for intelligent storage of time shifted content

• US 8,938,467 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Eloy Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Farrelly, Eugene Matthew, Svendsen, Hugh, Pons, Juan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamillapalli, Pavan
• Application Number:
  US12/731,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 725/87
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A media broker comprises a communication interface and a controller associated with the communication interface configured to receive a request from a user to record a requested media item. The media broker proceeds to query an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) including information indicative of each of the media items stored on one or more media storage device communicatively coupled to the media broker to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices. If it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices the user that requested the media item is informed. Conversely, if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices, the requested media item is recorded.

Claims

1. A media broker, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the media broker comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the media broker to one or more media storage devices; and

a controller associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

create an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL;

receive a request from a user to record a requested media item;

query the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices;

inform the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and

request the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

2. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the ASCL is periodically updated at a predetermined time interval.

3. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the ASCL is created in response to a trigger.

4. The media broker of claim 3 wherein the trigger is the storing of a media item on the one or more media storage devices.

5. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the request is derived from a user selection from a channel guide.

6. The media broker of claim 1 wherein the requested media item is a media item currently displayed on a renderer communicatively coupled to the media broker.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied in an article of manufacture encoded with instructions for directing a processor of a media broker to:

create an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL

receive a request from a user to record a requested media item;

query the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices;

inform the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and

request the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the ASCL is periodically updated at a predetermined time interval.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the ASCL is created in response to a trigger.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the trigger is the storing of a media item on the one or more media storage devices.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the request is derived from a user selection from a channel guide.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the requested media item is a media item currently displayed on a renderer communicatively coupled to the media broker.

13. A method, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the method comprising:

creating an aggregated stored content list (ASCL) by querying each of the one or more media storage devices for the one or more media items stored on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of each of the one or more media items stored on one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASCL;

receiving a request from a user to record a requested media item;

querying the ASCL to determine if the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices;

informing the user that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices if it is determined that the requested media item is stored on the one or more media storage devices; and

directing the one or more media storage devices to record the requested media item if it is determined that the requested media item is not stored on the one or more media storage devices.

14. A media broker, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the media broker comprising:

a communication interface communicatively coupling the media broker to one or more media storage devices; and

a controller associated with the communication interface adapted to;

create an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL;

receive a request from a user to record a requested media item series;

query the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded;

inform the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and

store a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied in an article of manufacture encoded with instructions for directing a processor of a media broker to:

create an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL;

receive a request from a user to record a requested media item series;

query the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded;

inform the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and

store a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the processor is further directed to update the information in the ASRL to record at least one media item on a media storage device associated with a renderer on which the at least one media item is most likely to be viewed.

17. A method, executed by at least one electronic hardware component, the method comprising:

creating an aggregated series recording list (ASRL) by querying each of one or more media storage devices for one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices and aggregating information indicative of the one or more media item series requested to be recorded on the one or more media storage devices communicatively coupled to the media broker to provide the ASRL;

receiving a request from a user to record a requested media item series;

querying the ASRL to determine if the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded;

informing the user that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded if it is determined that the requested media item series is already requested to be recorded; and

storing a request to record the requested media item series in the ASRL if it is determined that the requested media item series is not already requested to be recorded.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising updating the information in the ASRL to record at least one media item on a media storage device associated with a renderer on which the at least one media item is most likely to be viewed.