Personal video recorder e-mail alerts and status

• US 9,351,050 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Reneris, Kenneth S
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbo, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huerta, Alexander Q
• Application Number:
  US14/195,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34, 725 37- 61, 725/86, 725/89
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A web-based service which provides a notification such an email to a user to facilitate managing the recording of broadcast content using a personal video recorder (PVR). The user can agree to participate in the service in exchange for emails which can provide information such as a summary of programs recorded over a few days, missed recordings, and scheduling conflicts. The notification can include targeted recommendations, targeted advertising and information about recording habits of members of a social network of the user. A notification can be provided on an urgent basis if program schedule conflicts or hardware or software problems with the user'"'"'s equipment are detected. The user'"'"'s equipment can include a PC-based PVR, or a PC which communicates with a separate PVR device. PC-related information such as events thrown can also be reported up to the web service.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising:

receiving, at a server, via a network connection, a first report from a standalone computer, where the first report is received according to a reporting schedule, and where the standalone computer manages and communicates locally with a standalone video recorder which records broadcast video content, the first report;

comprises a report of a health status of the standalone computer and the standalone video recorder,

indicates that there is not a problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent by the standalone computer,

identifies broadcast video content which has been scheduled to be recorded or has been recorded, and

identifies a problem with the health status which is classified as being non-urgent by the standalone computer;

receiving at the server, via the network connection, a second report from the standalone computer, the second report is received on an urgent basis and at a time which is not according to the reporting schedule, the second report is a report of the health status and identifies a problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent by the standalone computer; and

based on the second report, providing an urgent notification to a user which identifies the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the second report indicates that the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent is with the standalone computer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the second report indicates that the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent is with the standalone video recorder.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

events are thrown by the standalone computer; and

the problem with the health status which is classified as being non-urgent and the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent are classified by the standalone computer according to which of the events are considered urgent for reporting.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent comprises a software update of the standalone computer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent comprises a restart of an operating system of the standalone computer.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent comprises a problem with an operating system of the standalone computer.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the urgent notification is sent to the user by a communication mode which is selected from among different available communication modes based on a degree of urgency of the urgent notification; and

the degree of urgency is selected from among at least three different degrees of urgency.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the problem with the health status which is classified as being non-urgent and the problem with the health status which is classified as being urgent are classified by the standalone computer according to criteria provided by the server.

10. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising:

receiving, at a server, via a network connection, according to a reporting schedule, a first report from a standalone computer, where the standalone computer manages and communicates locally with a standalone video recorder which records broadcast video content, the report identifying broadcast video content which been scheduled to record or has been recorded;

receiving, at the server, via the network connection, a second report, the second report comprising an identifier of a health problem of the standalone computer and the standalone video recorder, and an indication that the health problem has been assigned a particular level of importance from among different available levels of importance, the second report is received on an urgent basis and at a time which is not according to the reporting schedule;

determining a suggested action to resolve the health problem; and

providing an urgent notification to a user which provides a description of the health problem, the suggested action to resolve the health problem and the indication that the health problem has been assigned the particular level of importance.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the health problem comprises at least one of a disk error, a software update, a restart of an operating system or a failure of a tuner device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the identifier comprises an identifier of an event; and

the urgent notification indicates a date and time the event was set by an operating system of the standalone computer in an event log which is maintained by the standalone computer.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the health problem involves an Internet connection of the standalone computer; and

the suggested action is checking at least one of a power or an Internet connection of the standalone computer.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the health problem involves a disk error; and

the suggested action is running at least one of an anti-virus utility or a disk defragmentation utility.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the indication that the health problem has been assigned the particular level of importance comprises a color coding of the urgent notification.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the different available levels of importance comprise at least three levels of importance.

17. A computing device of a user, comprising:

a computer readable storage device comprising software; and

a processor, the processor is programmed by the software to;

receive an urgent notification which identifies an urgent problem, the urgent problem is classified as being urgent and is distinguished from a problem which is classified as being non-urgent, the urgent problem is regarding a health status of a standalone computer and a standalone video recorder, where the standalone computer manages and communicates locally with the standalone video recorder which records broadcast video content; and

display the urgent notification on a user interface with a color coding which indicates a particular level of importance which has been assigned to the urgent problem from among at least three available levels of importance.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein:

the urgent notification indicates that the urgent problem comprises at least one of a disk error, a software update, a restart of an operating system or a failure of a tuner device.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein:

the urgent notification is provided at a time which differs from a routine notification schedule.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the processor is programmed by the software to:

receive a routine notification according to the routine notification schedule, the routine notification indicates there is not an urgent problem regarding the health status of the standalone computer and the standalone video recorder.