System and method for providing network access to individually recorded content

• US 9,060,156 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Kanojia, Chaitanya, Lipowski, Joseph Thaddeus
• Primary Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US13/299,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 725/63, 725 67- 68, 725/72, 725/93
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/70 using geographical information, e.g. maps, charts or atlases
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• 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 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/455 : Demodulation-circuits

Abstract

A method and system for capturing, storing, and streaming over the air broadcasts based on user requests and at their command is disclosed. The system and method utilize subarrays of antenna elements for receiving over the air broadcasts. Processing pipelines are used to demodulate, transcode and index the content transmissions to produce content data that are streamed to users. In this way, the feeds from antennas can be accessed by users over a network connection.

Claims

1. A method of streaming recorded captured television program content transmissions to user devices, the method comprising:

storing the captured television program content transmissions in a broadcast file store as television program content data, the television program content data being uniquely allocated to each of the users individually such that the television program content data for each stored television program content transmission is only allocated to a single user, wherein the television program content data that are allocated to individual users include stored content data at two or more resolutions, the television program content data being generated by capturing terrestrial television broadcasts with antenna elements that are uniquely assigned to individual users, wherein the antenna elements are arranged in a three dimensional array of the antenna elements;

presenting the users with a list of stored television program content transmissions that were recorded at request of each of the users; and

in response to selections by the users, accessing the television program content data for the stored television program content transmissions and streaming the television program content data of a selected resolution to user devices for the corresponding users and only streaming to the each of the users the television program content data that were uniquely allocated to that user,

wherein the television program content data stored in the file store are identified by antenna information that identifies the antenna elements that were used to capture the over the air broadcasts from which the television program content data were generated.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stored television program content transmissions in the broadcast file store are captured with the antenna elements that are uniquely assigned to each of the users for a duration of their user account.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stored television program content transmissions in the broadcast file store are captured with the antenna elements that are uniquely assigned to each of the users for a duration of the television program content transmissions.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising users accessing the uniquely allocated television program content data in the broadcast file store with user accounts.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining resolution of the user devices and then selecting whether to stream a high resolution or a low resolution version of the television program content data.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the television program content data for each television program content transmission stored in the file store are identified by user information identifying the individual user to which the television program content data are allocated.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the television program content data stored in the file store are identified by time information that identifies time when the broadcasts were captured from which the television program content data were generated.

8. A system for streaming recorded television program content transmissions, the system comprising:

an array of antenna elements that are used to capture terrestrial television broadcasts of television program content transmissions, wherein the antenna elements are arranged in a three dimensional array of the antenna elements;

a broadcast file store that stores television program content data of the television program content transmissions, wherein the file store stores the recorded television program content transmissions at two or more two resolutions;

an application server for providing access to separate accounts of users, wherein the application server provides the users with a list of recorded television program content transmissions that were recorded at a request of each of the separate users by capturing the terrestrial television broadcasts of television program content transmissions with antenna elements that were uniquely assigned to individual users; and

a streaming server that accesses the television program content data at a selected resolution for the recorded television program content transmissions, the television program content data being uniquely allocated to the each of the users separately such that the television program content data for each recorded television program content transmission are only allocated to a single user, wherein the streaming server only streams the television program content data to a device of a user that were uniquely allocated to only that user,

wherein the television program content data stored in the file store are identified by antenna information that identifies the antenna elements that were used to capture the over the air broadcasts from which the television program content data were generated.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the file store identifies the antenna elements used to capture each of the broadcasts.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the streaming server streams one of the television program content transmissions at one of the resolutions based on a resolution of the user device.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the television program content data stored in the file store is identified by user information identifying the single user to which the television program content data are allocated.