Digital storage media command and control data indexing

• US 9,277,193 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Basse, Hanno, Jijina, Aspandyar M., Kahn, Raynold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Montoya, Oschta
• Application Number:
  US14/047,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• 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 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A system for receiving satellite signals for display on a monitor. A system in accordance with the present invention comprises an antenna, a server receiver, coupled to the antenna, and at least one client receiver, coupled to the server receiver, wherein the server receiver maintains a list of satellite video signals to be recorded by the server receiver, the satellite video signals including network recorded data and metadata associated with the network recorded data, and wherein the list can be accessed by the server receiver and the at least one client receiver.

Claims

1. In a home media center comprising a server receiver and one or more client receivers, a method of providing a media program from the server receiver to at least one client receiver, the method comprising:

receiving a request for an event comprising at least a portion of the media program;

determining that the request is received at a time prior to a start of the event;

examining availability of home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request wherein the examined home media resources exclude storage resources for storing the at least a portion of the media program;

reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager of the server receiver;

weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event, wherein any other event using or attempting to use a weakly bound home media center resource is warned but not pre-empted from using the weakly bound home media center resource;

strongly binding the weakly bound home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, at the start time of the requested event and in a recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module of the server receiver, wherein any other event attempting to use any of the strongly bound home media center resources is pre-empted from using the resource; and

transmitting metadata describing the event from the recording service to a playback manager of the server receiver, to indicate the event is available for viewing;

wherein the home media resources include network bandwidth and storage resource bandwidth, and the examined home media resources exclude the disk bandwidth resources and network bandwidth resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager comprises:

transmitting, from a recording service to the resource manager, a resource scheduling request to reserve the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

determining, in the resource manager, if the requested event conflicts with another requested event that also requires at least one of the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event, resolving the conflict; and

reserving, in the resource manager, the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and adding the event as a booked event to a list of booked events maintained in the recording service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

transmitting the resource scheduling request to reserve available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request comprises;

querying, from the recording service, network recorded metadata describing the requested event;

identifying, in a the recording service, the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request according to the network recorded metadata; and

transmitting a resource request for the identified available home media center resources from the recording service to the resource manager;

determining, in the resource manager, if the requested event conflicts with another requested event that also requires the at least one of the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request comprises;

determining, in the resource manager, that the requested event conflicts with another requested event if at least one of the identified available home media center resources required by the requested event is reserved by another request for another event;

resolving the conflict if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event comprises;

generating, in the resource manager, a request to generate a sufficient set comprising a list of reserved events that if cancelled, would resolve the conflict between the requested event and the another requested event;

transmitting the list of sufficient sets from the resource manager to a conflict resolver; and

receiving, from the conflict resolver, the list of sufficient sets, sorted according to a conflict resolution policy;

reserving, in the resource manager, the identified available home media center resources and adding the event as a booked event to a list of booked events maintained in the recording service comprises;

determining, in the resource manager, whether to reject or allow the recording of the requested event according to the list of sufficient sets; and

granting a resource bundle having the identified available home media center resources for the requested event if the recording of the requested event is allowed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining, in the resource manager, whether to reject or allow the recording of the requested event according to the list of sufficient sets comprises:

determining, in the resource manager, if the at least one of the identified available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request can be shared with at least one event of the list of reserved events; and

allowing the recording of the requested event if all of the identified available home media resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request can be shared with at least one event on the list of reserved events.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event comprises:

transmitting, at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start of the event, a resource pre-acquisition request confirming the reservation of the home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request;

determining, in the resource manager, that the requested event conflicts with another requested event if the another requested event also requires at least one of the reserved home media center resources;

if the requested event does not conflict with the another requested event, weakly binding the reserved available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request; and

if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event, transmitting a warning.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein strongly binding the weakly bound home media resources required to provide the event to the requested event and initiating the recording of the booked event in a writer module comprises:

transmitting, at the start time of the event, a resource acquisition request to acquire and strongly bind the reserved home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, in the recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting, at the start time of the event, a resource acquisition request to acquire and strongly bind the reserved home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, in the recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module further comprises:

transmitting, at the event start time, purchase information from the recording service to the writer module if the event is a pay per view event.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the purchase information is stored in the recording service when the event is booked or when the event is recorded.

9. A home media center, comprising:

a server receiver, for receiving a request from a client receiver for an event comprising at least a portion of a media program, the server receiver comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions comprising instructions for;

determining that the request is received at a reservation time prior to a start of the event;

examining availability of home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request wherein the examined home media resources exclude storage resources for storing the at least a portion of the media program;

reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager of the server receiver;

weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event, wherein any other event using or attempting to use a weakly bound home media center resource is warned but not pre-empted from using the weakly bound home media center resource;

strongly binding the weakly bound home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, at the start time of the requested event and in a recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module of the server receiver, wherein any other event attempting to use any of the strongly bound home media center resource is pre-empted from using the resource; and

transmitting metadata describing the event from the recording service to a playback manager of the server receiver, to indicate the event is available for viewing;

wherein the home media resources include network bandwidth and storage resource bandwidth, and the examined home media resources exclude the disk bandwidth resources and network bandwidth resources.

10. The home media center of claim 9, wherein the instructions for reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager comprises instructions for:

transmitting, from a recording service to the resource manager, a resource scheduling request to reserve the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

determining, in the resource manager, if the requested event conflicts with another requested event that also requires at least one of the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event, resolving the conflict; and

reserving, in the resource manager, the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and adding the event as a booked event to a list of booked events maintained in the recording service.

11. The apparatus home media center of claim 10, wherein:

the instructions for transmitting the resource scheduling request to reserve available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request comprise instructions for;

querying, from the recording service, network recorded metadata describing the requested event;

identifying, in a the recording service, the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request according to the network recorded metadata; and

transmitting a resource request for the identified home media center resources from the recording service to the resource manager;

the instructions for determining, in the resource manager, if the requested event conflicts with another requested event that also requires the at least one of the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request comprise instructions for;

determining, in the resource manager, that the requested event conflicts with another requested event if at least one of the identified available home media center resources required by the requested event is reserved by another request for another event;

the instructions for resolving the conflict if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event comprise instructions for;

generating, in the resource manager, a request to generate a sufficient set comprising a list of reserved events that if cancelled, would resolve the conflict between the requested event and the another requested event;

transmitting the list of sufficient sets from the resource manager to a conflict resolver; and

receiving, from the conflict resolver, the list of sufficient sets, sorted according to a conflict resolution policy;

the instructions for reserving, in the resource manager, the identified available home media center resources and adding the event as a booked event to a list of booked events maintained in the recording service comprise instructions for;

determining, in the resource manager, whether to reject or allow the recording of the requested event according to the list of sufficient sets; and

granting a resource bundle having the identified available home media center resources for the requested event if the recording of the requested event is allowed.

12. The home media center of claim 11, wherein the instructions for determining, in the resource manager, whether to reject or allow the recording of the requested event according to the list of sufficient sets comprise instructions for:

determining, in the resource manager, if the at least one of the identified available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request can be shared with at least one event on the list of reserved events; and

allowing the recording of the requested event if all of the identified available home media resources required to provide the vent to the client receiver initiating the request can be shared with at least one event of the list of reserved events.

13. The home media center of claim 9, wherein the instructions for weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event comprise instructions for:

transmitting, at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start of the event, a resource pre-acquisition request confirming the reservation of the home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

determining, in the resource manager, that the requested event conflicts with another requested event if the another requested event also requires the at least one of the reserved home media center resources;

if the requested event does not conflict with the another requested event, weakly binding the reserved available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request; and

if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event, transmitting a warning.

14. The home media center of claim 9, wherein the instructions for strongly binding the weakly bound home media resources required to provide the event to the requested event and initiating, at the start time of the requested event, in a recording service, the recording of the booked event in a writer module comprises instructions for:

transmitting, at the start time of the event, a resource acquisition request to acquire and strongly bind the reserved home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, in the recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module.

15. The home media center of claim 14, wherein the instructions for transmitting, at the start time of the event, a resource acquisition request to acquire and strongly bind the reserved home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, in the recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module further comprise instructions for:

transmitting, at the event start time, purchase information from the recording service to the writer module if the event is a pay per view event.

16. The home media center of claim 15, wherein the purchase information is stored in the recording service when the event is booked or when the event is recorded.

17. An apparatus for providing a media program from the server receiver at least one client receiver, comprising:

means for receiving a request for an event comprising at least a portion of the media program;

means for determining that the request is received at a time prior to a start of the event;

means for examining availability of home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request wherein the examined home media resources exclude storage resources for storing the at least a portion of the media program;

means for reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager of the server receiver, for weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event, wherein any other event using or attempting to use a weakly bound home media center resource is warned but not pre-empted from using the weakly bound home media center resource, for strongly binding the weakly bound home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, at the start time of the requested event and in a recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module of the server receiver, wherein any other event attempting to use any of the strongly bound home media center resource is pre-empted from using the resource; and

for transmitting metadata describing the event from the recording service to a playback manager of the server receiver, to indicate the event is available for viewing;

wherein the home media resources include network bandwidth and storage resource bandwidth, and the examined home media resources exclude the disk bandwidth resources and network bandwidth resources.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for reserving available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and booking the event in a resource manager comprises:

means for transmitting, from a recording service to the resource manager, a resource scheduling request to reserve the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

means for determining, in the resource manager, if the requested event conflicts with another requested event that also requires at least one of the available home media center resources required to provide the event to the client receiver initiating the request;

means for resolving the conflict if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event; and

means for reserving, in the resource manager, the available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request and adding the event as a booked event to a list of booked events maintained in the recording service.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for weakly binding the reserved home media resources to the requested event at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start time of the requested event comprises:

means for transmitting, at a pre-acquisition request time prior to a start of the event, a resource pre-acquisition request confirming the reservation of the home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client receiver initiating the request;

means for determining, in the resource manager, that the requested event conflicts with another requested event if the another requested event also requires at least one of the reserved home media center resources;

means for weakly binding the reserved available home media center resources required to provide the requested event to the client received initiating the request if the requested event does not conflict with the another requested event; and

means for transmitting a warning if the requested event conflicts with the another requested event.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for strongly binding the weakly bound home media resources required to provide the event to the requested event and initiating, at the start time of the requested event, in a recording service, the recording of the booked event in a writer module comprises:

means for transmitting, at the start time of the event, a resource acquisition request to acquire and strongly bind the reserved home media center resources to the requested event and initiating, in the recording service, the recording of the booked event at the event start time in a writer module.