Providing remote access to segments of a transmitted program

• US 9,521,446 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Beals, William Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepperd, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US14/542,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20150074720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method for providing remote access to segments of a transmitted program is presented. The program is recorded, and then stored at a communication server. Information specifying a segment of the stored program is transferred from a communication device to the communication server. Also, a request for access to the specified segment of the stored program is transferred from another communication device to the communication server. In response to the request, the specified segment of the program is transferred from the communication server to the requesting communication device.

Claims

1. A method executable by a communication server to provide remote access to segments of a television program, the method comprising:

maintaining a stored copy of the television program for access by the communication server;

receiving, by the communication server, first information from a first communication device specifying a beginning and an end of a first segment of a television program, wherein the first information is defined by a user viewing a different copy of the same television program, rather than the stored copy of the television program that is maintained by the communication server, the different copy being separately received by the first communication device from a broadcast source that does not include the communication server;

subsequently receiving, by the communication server, a first request for access to the first segment defined by the user of the first communication device, wherein the subsequent request is received from a second communication device; and

in response to the first request, the communication server extracting the first segment of the television program from the stored copy of the television program maintained by the communication server and forwarding the first segment of the television program extracted by the communication server to the second communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving second information specifying a beginning and an end of a second segment of the same television program from a third communication device, wherein the second segment comprises a different portion of the same television program than the first segment;

receiving a second request for access to the second segment from a fourth communication device; and

in response to the second request, the communication server extracting the second segment of the television program from the same copy of the television program stored by the communication device used to extract the first segment, and transferring the second segment of the television program extracted by the communication server from the communication server to the fourth communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the television program is received by the first communication device via a television broadcast.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request comprises an identification of the second communication device, and wherein the method further comprises the communication server considering the identification to thereby ensure that the first segment is only delivered to the identified second communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring a second segment of a second program from the first communication device to the communication server;

storing the second segment of the second program for access by the communication server;

transferring a second request for access to the second segment of the second program from the second communication device to the communication server; and

in response to the second request, transferring the second segment of the second program from the communication server to the second communication device.

6. A communication server, comprising:

a storage configured to store a copy of a television program;

a communication interface configured to receive information from a television receiver that defines a beginning and an end of a segment of the television program that is defined by a user viewing another copy of the television program, separate from the copy stored in the storage, the another copy being separately received as a television broadcast by the television receiver from a broadcast source that does not include the communication server, and wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive a request for access to the first segment of the stored program from a second device other than the television receiver; and

a processor configured to process the first request and, in response, to extract the segment of the television program from the copy of the television program stored in the storage, and to transfer the segment of the television program extracted from the copy of the television program stored in the storage to the second device over the communication interface.

7. The communication server of claim 6, wherein:

the communication interface is configured to receive second information from the television receiver identifying a second beginning and a second end of a second segment of the same television program that is different from the first segment of the television program, and to receive a second request from a third device for access to the second segment of the stored program; and

the processor is configured to process the second request to extract the second segment from the same copy of the television program stored in the storage based upon the second information and, in response to the second request, to transfer the second segment of the stored program extracted from the copy stored in the storage to the third device over the communication interface.

8. The communication server of claim 6, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive the television program and to transfer the television program to the storage.

9. The communication server of claim 6, further comprising a video recorder configured to record the television program and to transfer the television program to the storage.

10. The communication server of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to store the television program in the storage based on at least one of an expected number of requests for segments of the television program, an expected number of segments identified in the television program, and an expected length of the segments identified in the television program.

11. The communication server of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to delete portions of the stored television program from the storage after an amount of time has elapsed, wherein the deleted portions of the stored television program are only those portions of the television program that are not included in any segment identified in the stored television program.

12. The communication server of claim 6, wherein the first information comprises an identification of the stored television program, a starting point of the first segment, and an ending point of the first segment.

13. The communication server of claim 6, wherein:

the first request comprises an identification of a receiving communication device; and

the processor is configured to transfer the first segment of the stored television program from the storage over the communication interface to only the receiving communication device.

14. The communication server of claim 6, wherein:

the communication interface is configured receive further information from the television receiver defining a second segment of a second television program, to transfer the second segment of the second television program to the storage, and to receive a second request for access to the second segment of the second television program; and

the processor is configured to process the second request and, in response, transfer the second segment of the second television program from the storage over the communication interface.

15. The communication server of claim 6, wherein the communication interface comprises an Internet Protocol interface.

16. The communication server of claim 6 wherein the copy of the television program stored in the storage of the communications server is a copy of the same television program that is broadcast to the television receiver, but that is separately received by the communication server.

17. A television receiver operable by a user and configured to receive a television broadcast of a television program, the television receiver comprising:

a storage configured to store a local copy of the television program received by the television receiver;

a user interface configured render the local copy of the television program to the user and to receive inputs from the user comprising a first indication of a starting point of a first segment of the television program, and a second indication of an ending point of the first segment of the television program;

a communication interface; and

a processor configured to process the first indication and the second indication to generate first information specifying the first segment of the television program, and to transfer the first information over the communication interface to a communication server to thereby permit the communication server to extract the first segment indicated by the user from a separate copy of the same television program that is different from the local copy of the television program and that is separately received and stored by the communication server, wherein the local copy of the television broadcast is received by the television receiver from a broadcast source that does not include the communication server.

18. The television receiver of claim 17, wherein:

the inputs from the user further comprise a third indication of a starting point of a second segment of the television program, and a fourth indication of an ending point of the second segment of the television program; and

the processor is configured to process the third indication and the fourth indication to generate second information specifying the second segment of the television program, and to transfer the second information to the communication server via the communication interface.

19. The television receiver of claim 18, wherein the second segment overlaps the first segment.

20. The television receiver of claim 17 wherein the communication server extracts the first and second segments of the television program from the separate copy of the television program based upon the first and second information without the television receiver transmitting the local copy of the television program from the television receiver to the communication server.