User defined rules for assigning destinations of content

• US 9,307,281 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Bryant, Jay S., Fereira, Edgar
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US13/793,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130227615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• 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 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A media guidance application is provided by which users can define rules for assigning user equipment devices as destinations for media content. For example, a user may define a rule by which selected media content having attributes that satisfy a user-defined condition are downloaded, recorded, or streamed to a particular, user-specified user equipment device. The user may define and manage rules using media guidance menus, and may restrict other users from accessing the rules (e.g., parents restricting children).

Claims

1. A method for allowing media content to be automatically assigned to a device among a plurality of devices belonging to a home media network of a user, the method comprising:

receiving, using processing circuitry, a user input selecting the home media network from a plurality of home media networks, wherein each home media network from the plurality of home media networks;

comprises devices associated with the user; and

is in a location away from other home media networks of the plurality of home media networks;

receiving, using processing circuitry, a user input selecting media content;

identifying, using processing circuitry, a rule that applies to the selected home media network, wherein the rule identifies a device in the home media network and includes a condition that comprises at least one media content attribute;

determining, using processing circuitry, if the rule is satisfied by the selected media content by comparing the condition of the rule to attributes of the selected media content; and

in response to determining that the rule is satisfied, automatically assigning, using processing circuitry, the identified device of the selected home media network of the rule that applies to the selected home media network as the storage destination of the selected media content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule is defined by a user input, the user input comprising an identification of a device, an identification of the home media network, and at least one condition that must be satisfied by the media content for the identified device to be assigned as a destination device for the media content, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one attribute that is an attribute associated with media content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the user specified a destination device for the selected media content; and

assigning the specified destination device as a storage destination for the selected media content if a destination device is specified.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input selecting the home media network from the plurality of home media networks comprises receiving input at a device that is associated with the selected home media network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input selecting the media content comprises receiving input identifying media content for recording.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule is stored on a device in the selected home media network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically assigning the identified device of the selected home media network of the rule as the storage destination comprises automatically assigning the identified device to record the selected media content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input selecting the media content comprises receiving input identifying stored media content for transferring.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically assigning a default device as the destination of the selected media content in response to determining that the rule fails to be satisfied by the selected media content for any of the plurality of devices belonging to the selected home media network.

10. A system for allowing media content to be automatically assigned to a device among a plurality of devices belonging to a home media network of a user, the system comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receive a user input selecting the home media network from a plurality of home media networks, wherein each home media network from the plurality of home media networks;

comprises devices associated with the user; and

is in a location away from other home media networks of the plurality of home media networks;

receive, a user input selecting media content;

identify a rule that applies to the selected home media network, wherein the rule identifies a device in the home media network and includes a condition that comprises at least one media content attribute;

determine if the rule is satisfied by the selected media content by comparing the condition of the rule to attributes of the selected media content; and

automatically assign the identified device of the selected home media network of the rule that applies to the selected home media network as the storage destination of the selected media content in response to determining that the rule is satisfied.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the rule is defined by a user input, the user input comprising an identification of a device, an identification of the home media network, and at least one condition that must be satisfied by the media content for the identified device to be assigned as a destination device for the media content, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one attribute that is an attribute associated with media content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether the user specified a destination device for the selected media content; and

assign the specified destination device as a storage destination for the selected media content if a destination device is specified.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive the user input selecting the home media network from the plurality of home media networks at a device that is associated with the selected home media network.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a user input identifying media content for recording.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the rule is stored on a device in the selected home media network.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein processing circuitry is further configured to automatically assign the identified device to record the selected media content.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a user input identifying stored media content for transferring.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to automatically assign a default device as the destination of the selected media content in response to determining that the rule fails to be satisfied by the selected media content for any of the plurality of devices belonging to the selected home media network.