Digital video recorder with segmented program storage

• US 8,995,824 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Montalvo, Valerie H., McCarthy, Mary C., Lopez, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelagay, Shewaye
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/014,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,633 Days
• Field of Search: 386239-240, 386/241, 386/243, 386/248, 386/282, 386/290, 386/326, 386291-299
• US Class Current: 386/291
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• 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 21/47214 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs 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 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network including a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network, a user input interface for receiving user inputs, and a storage resource including executable instructions including a recording module for recording the multimedia content in accordance with the user inputs. The user inputs also include a multimedia selection signal for indicating the multimedia content to be recorded, and a segmenting signal for indicating a size of at least one of a plurality of segments in which the multimedia content is recorded.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recording multimedia content transmitted over a network, the apparatus comprising:

a hardware processor;

a reception interface for receiving the multimedia content from the network;

a user input interface for receiving user inputs; and

a storage resource comprising processor executable instructions wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a multimedia selection signal indicative of multimedia content to be recorded;

determining, from content metadata pertaining to the multimedia content, a suggested segment size;

prompting a user to indicate a selected segment size for the program, wherein the selected segment size is selected from the group consisting of;

the suggested segment size and a user specified segment size;

recording the multimedia content in the content segments in accordance with the selected segment size;

saving the content segments in storage;

generating a menu of segment selection options including a single segment option, an ordered list of multiple segments option, and an all segments option;

prompting the user to indicate one of the segment selection options;

responsive to the user indicating the ordered list of multiple segments option, receiving user input indicating an ordered subset of the plurality of content segments to view; and

wherein the subset of the plurality of content segments is played back in an indicated order, and wherein unselected content segments of the multimedia content are skipped during play back, altering a chronological order of program segments.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of content segments records a successive transmission segment of the multimedia content.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network is an internet protocol television network.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the network is a coaxial cable-based network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations include enabling a user to interact with a user display.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the operations include:

listing the multimedia content in a catalogue by program;

presenting the catalogue to the user; and

enabling the user to select multimedia content from the catalogue for viewing.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the operations include:

determining whether the multimedia content has segments associated with a content title; and

displaying a separate menu of the segments to a user when segments are associated with the content title.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the operations include:

determining whether the multimedia content has segments associated with a content title; and

displaying the segments in the catalogue to a user when segments are associated with the content title.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein when one content segment is selected, the display displays the content segment selected and each successive segment to the user.

10. A method for recording a program, the method comprising:

selecting a program for recording;

determining from program metadata pertaining to the program, a suggested segment size;

prompting a user to indicate a selected segment size for the program, wherein the selected segment size is selected from the group consisting of;

the suggested segment size and a user specified segment size;

recording the program in content segments in accordance with the selected segment size;

saving the content segments in storage;

generating a menu of segment selection options including a single segment option and an ordered list of multiple segments option;

responsive to the user indicating the ordered list of multiple segments options, receiving user input indicating a subset of a plurality of content segments to view; and

selecting, by a multimedia handling resource including a processor, an ordered subset of a plurality of content segments for viewing;

responsive to the user selecting the ordered subset, playing back the plurality of content segments of the ordered subset in an indicated order, and skipping unselected content segments during play back, altering a chronological order of program segments.

11. The method for recording a program of claim 10, wherein successive content segments correspond to successive transmission segments of the program.

12. The method for recording a program of claim 11,

wherein prompting the user to indicate the selected segment size includes:

prompting the user to accept the suggested segment size; and

responsive to the user declining the suggested segment size, determining a segment size in accordance with user input.

13. The method for recording a program of claim 12, wherein the selected segment size applies to multiple programs.

14. The method for recording a program of claim 10 further comprising, erasing specific content segments from storage.

15. The method for recording a program of claim 10, wherein each content segment is listed in a catalogue and the catalogue is saved in storage.

16. The method for recording a program of claim 15 further comprising, selecting a content segment from the catalogue.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including stored, processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

including a segmenting option in an interface for selecting a program for recording; and

in response to detecting a user selection of the segmenting option;

determining, from content metadata pertaining to the selected program, a suggested segment size; and

prompting the user to indicate a selected segment size, wherein the selected segment size is selected from a group of segment sizes consisting of;

the suggested segment size and a user specified segment size;

inserting a plurality of bookmarks, within a recorded copy of the selected program, in accordance with the selected segment size, when the selected program is recorded to demarcate chapters;

generating a menu of segment selection options including a single segment option and an ordered list of multiple segments option;

responsive to the user indicating an ordered list of multiple segments as the segment selection option, receiving user input indicating an ordered subset of a plurality of content segments to view; and

wherein when the user selects a subset of segments to view, the subset is played back in an indicated order, and wherein unselected content segments of the selected program are skipped during play back, altering a chronological order of program segments.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations include responding to detecting a playback input by displaying a listing of recorded programs including displaying the selected program with the chapters displayed hierarchically under the selected program.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including stored, processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a multimedia content selection menu to a user;

receiving, from the user, a multimedia content selection signal indicative of a selected multimedia content;

determining, from content metadata pertaining to the selected multimedia content, a suggested segment size;

prompting the user to select a segment size for the selected multimedia content, wherein the segment size is selected from a group of segment sizes consisting of;

the suggested segment size and a user specified segment size;

receiving the segment size from the user;

recording the selected multimedia content in segments of the size selected by the user;

saving the segments of multimedia content in storage; and

generating a menu of segment selection options including;

a single segment option, an ordered list of multiple segments options, and an all segments option;

responsive to the user selecting the ordered list of multiple segments option, receiving user input indicating an ordered subset of a plurality of content segments to view; and

wherein when the user selects a subset of the segments to view, the subset is played back in an indicated order, and wherein unselected content segments of the multimedia content are skipped during play back, altering a chronological order of program segments.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations include:

displaying segments to the user; and

responding to receiving a content selection signal corresponding to a specific segment from the user by displaying the specific segment.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations include:

listing segments corresponding to a multimedia content in a catalogue by the multimedia content;

displaying the catalogue to the user; and

enabling the user to select the multimedia content.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the operations include responding to the user selecting the multimedia content from the catalogue by displaying the segments to the user.