System and method for networked PVR storage and content capture

• US 9,118,949 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Walsh, Richard J., Issa, Alfredo C., Stafford, Sid, Evans, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Linglan
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECHTEL, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/107,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/266 Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client

Abstract

A content management system for managing content stored by a number of networked Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) associated with a user community is provided. More specifically, the storage space of each of the personal video recorders is physically or logically partitioned into a personal space and a community space. The content management system manages the community spaces of the PVRs such that content relevant to the user community is stored in the collective community space of the PVRs and available to the user community.

Claims

1. A method of managing a collective community space provided by a plurality of networked user devices, wherein each user device of the plurality of networked user devices includes a storage space comprising a community space, where the collective community space includes the community space of each user device, the method comprising, at a server:

receiving a plurality of user interest events from the plurality of networked user devices;

generating a user interest model based on the plurality of user interest events;

generating a community content model based on information describing media content stored in the collective community space;

receiving notification that one of the plurality of networked user devices has obtained content, wherein the content was obtained after generation of the user interest model;

obtaining information describing the obtained content;

determining whether to copy the obtained content from the one of the plurality of networked user devices to the collective community space based on a comparison of the information describing the obtained content to one or both of the user interest model and the community content model, wherein the determination is made in response to the content being obtained at one of the plurality of networked user devices; and

instructing, based on the determination, the one of the plurality of networked user devices to copy the obtained content to a community space of one or more additional user devices of the plurality of networked user devices, in order to copy the obtained content to the collective community space.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising instructing the one of the plurality of networked user devices to add the obtained content to the community space of the one of the plurality of networked user devices.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising effecting distribution of the obtained content to at least one additional one of the plurality of networked user devices.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising effecting distribution of the obtained content to a community space of at least one playback device other than the plurality of networked user devices.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying at least one of the plurality of networked user devices to which the obtained content is to be added; and

effecting copying of the obtained content to the at least one of the plurality of networked user devices.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying at least one device from the plurality of networked user devices and a plurality of playback devices to which the obtained content is to be added; and

effecting copying of the obtained content to the at least one device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein for each one of the plurality of networked user devices, receiving the plurality of user interest events comprises receiving at least one of a group consisting of:

information identifying content scheduled to be obtained by the one of the plurality of networked user devices;

information identifying content watched by a user of the one of the plurality of networked user devices but not recorded;

information identifying actions taken by the user while watching particular content; and

information identifying how long the user watches particular content.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of user interest events is associated with media content and generating the user interest model comprises generating the user interest model based on information describing the media content associated with each of the plurality of user interest events.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein generating the user interest model further comprises providing additional weight to user interest events associated with a particular user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of user interest events is associated with media content and generating the user interest model comprises:

scoring nodes of a content ontology based on information describing the media content for each of the plurality of user interest events; and

combining the scores of the nodes of the content ontology for the plurality of user interest events to provide the user interest model.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information describing the obtained content wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on a comparison of the user interest model and the information describing the obtained content.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information describing the obtained content, wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises:

scoring nodes of a content ontology based on the information describing the obtained content;

comparing the scared nodes of the content ontology to the user interest model; and

determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on the comparison.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information describing the obtained content wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on a comparison of the information describing the obtained content to the user interest model and a comparison of the information describing the obtained content to the community content model.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information describing the obtained content, wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises:

scoring nodes of a content ontology based on the inform information describing the obtained content;

comparing the scored nodes of the content ontology to the user interest model;

comparing the scored nodes of the content ontology to the community content model; and

determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on the comparisons.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on the user interest model and device capabilities of each of the plurality of networked user devices.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the community content model further comprises providing additional weight to a portion of the media content stored in the community space of one of the plurality of networked user devices associated with a particular user.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining information describing the obtained content, wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises:

scoring nodes of a content ontology based on the information describing the obtained content;

comparing the scored nodes of the content ontology to the community content model; and

determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on the comparison.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space comprises determining whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on the community content model and device capabilities of each of the plurality of networked user devices.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage space of each user device of the plurality of networked user devices further comprises a personal space separate from the community space, where the obtained content is added to the community space of each user device.

15. The method of claim wherein the media content stored by the collective community space comprises a plurality of media content units and generating the community content model comprises:

for each media content unit of the plurality of media content, units, scoring nodes of a content ontology based on information describing the media content unit; and

combining the scores of the nodes of the content ontology for the plurality of media content units to provide the community content model.

21. A server for managing a collective community space provided by a plurality of user devices, wherein each user device of the plurality of networked user devices includes a storage space comprising a community space, where the collective community space includes the community space of each user device, the server comprising;

memory;

a communication interface communicatively coupling the server to the plurality of networked user devices via a network; and

a control system associated with the memory and the communication interface and configured to;

receive a plurality of user interest events from the plurality of networked user devices;

generate a user interest model based on the plurality of user interest events;

generate a community content model based on information describing media content stored in the collective community space;

receive notification that one of the plurality of networked user devices has obtained content, wherein the content was obtained after generation of the user interest model;

obtain information describing the obtained content;

determine whether to copy the obtained content from the one of the plurality of networked user devices to the collective community space based on a comparison of the information describing the obtained content to one or both of the user interest model and the community content model, wherein the determination is made in response to the content being obtained at one of the plurality of networked user devices; and

instruct, based on the determination, the one of the plurality of networked user devices to copy the obtained content, to a community space of one or more additional user devices of the plurality of networked user devices, in order to copy the obtained content to the collective community space.

22. The server of claim 21 wherein each of the plurality of user interest events is associated with media content and the control system is further configured to generate the user interest model based on information describing the media content associated with each of the plurality of user interest events.

23. The server of claim 21 wherein the control system is further configured to obtain information describing the obtained content and determine whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on a comparison of the user interest model and the information describing the obtained content.

24. The server of claim 21 wherein the media content stored by the collective community space comprises a plurality of media content units and, in order to generate the community content model, the control system is further configured to:

for each media content unit of the plurality of media content units, score nodes of a content ontology based on information describing the media content unit; and

combine the scores of the nodes of the content ontology for the plurality of media content units to provide the community content model.

25. The server of claim 21 wherein the control system is further configured to obtain information describing the obtained content and determine whether to copy the obtained content to the collective community space based on a comparison of the community content model and the information describing the obtained content.