Systems and methods for operation of recording devices such as digital video recorders (DVRs)

• US 9,402,064 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Video Delivery LLC (Return on Inventions LLC)
• Original Assignee: Dominic M. Kotab
• Inventors: Kotab, Dominic M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shibru, Helen
• Application Number:
  US14/078,419
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 386291-299
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4334 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 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product according to one embodiment includes initiating a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program; sending the request to a local recording system; storing the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on the local recording system; outputting an indication of the television program on a list of recorded programs; receiving a request to upload the television program to the first recording device via selection of the indication from the list; and uploading the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system to the first recording device.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program code embodied therewith, the computer program code readable and/or executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

initiate a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program broadcast in a first time period;

send the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a network;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a first portion of the contiguous television program broadcast in the first time period on the local recording system;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a second portion of the contiguous television program broadcast in the first time period on an additional recording system;

output on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiate a request to receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system via selection of the indication from the list; and

receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein a length of the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program is shorter than a length of an entirety of the contiguous television program, and wherein a length of the representation of at least the second portion of the contiguous television program is shorter than the length of the entirety of the contiguous television program.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer program code readable and/or executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

initiate a request to receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the second portion of the contiguous television program from the additional recording system; and

receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the second portion of the contiguous television program from the additional recording system.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the representation of at least the second portion of the contiguous television program is received at the first recording device via a streaming process.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the local recording system is controlled, at least in part, by the first recording device, including the ability to view, select, transfer, and delete the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program stored on the local recording system.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first recording device is selected from the group consisting of:

a tablet computer, a desktop computer, and a mobile phone.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the local system comprises a digital video recorder.

8. The computer program product of claim 1,

wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a remote network.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a local network.

13. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the length of the first portion of the contiguous television program corresponds to a predetermined percentage of the contiguous television program.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the predetermined percentage is about a first 20% of the contiguous television program.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the representation of the first portion of the contiguous television program is received at the first recording device via a streaming process.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the additional recording system is connected to the local system via a remote network, wherein the additional recording system comprises a digital video recorder.

9. A method, comprising:

initiating a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program broadcast in a first time period;

sending the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a network;

initiating a request to store a representation of at least a first portion of the contiguous television program broadcast in the first time period on the local recording system;

initiating a request to store a representation of at least a second portion of the contiguous television program broadcast in the first time period on an additional recording system;

outputting on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiating a request to receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system via selection of the indication from the list; and

receiving, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system.

10. A system comprising:

a memory system; and

one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system and that are each configured to;

initiate a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program broadcast in a first time period;

send the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a network;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a first portion of the contiguous television program on the local recording system;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a second portion of the contiguous television program on an additional recording system;

output on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiate a request to receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the television program from the local recording system via selection of the indication from the list; and

receive, at the first recording device, the representation of at least the first portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer program code embodied therewith, the computer program code readable and/or executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

initiate a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program;

send the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a remote or local network;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on the local recording system;

initiate a request to store a copy of the representation of at least a portion the contiguous television program on an additional recording system;

output on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiate a request to play back the contiguous television program via selection of the indication from the list; and

receive, at the first recording device, at least one of;

the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system via a streaming process configured to commence at a time after the local recording system commences to store the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program, and the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program via a streaming process configured to commence at a time after the additional recording system commences to store the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the local recording system and the additional recording system each comprise a digital video recorder.

18. A method, comprising:

initiating a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program;

sending the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a remote or local network;

initiating a request to store a representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on the local recording system;

initiating a request to store a copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on an additional recording system

outputting on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiating a request to play back the contiguous television program via selection of the indication from the list; and

receiving, at the first recording device, at least one of;

the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system via a streaming process configured to commence at a time after the local recording system commences to store the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program, and the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the additional recording system via a streaming process configured to commence at a time after the additional recording system commences to store the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program.

19. A system, comprising:

a memory system; and

one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system and that are each configured to;

initiate a request by a first recording device to record a contiguous television program;

send the request to a local recording system, wherein the first recording device is connected to the local recording system via a remote or local network;

initiate a request to store a representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on the local recording system;

initiate a request to store a copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program on an additional recording system,

output on the first recording device an indication of the contiguous television program on a list of recorded programs;

initiate a request to play back the contiguous television program via selection of the indication from the list; and

receive, at the first recording device, at least one of;

the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the local recording system via a streaming process configured to-commence at a time after the local recording system commences to store the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program, and the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program from the additional recording system via a streaming process configured to commence at a time after the additional recording system commences to store the copy of the representation of at least a portion of the contiguous television program.