Data storage management and scheduling system

• US 9,538,243 B2
• Filed: 01/01/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M., Beach, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Reuben M
• Application Number:
  US13/732,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 725/58, 725/112, 725/113, 725/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00246 wherein the key is obtained from a local device, e.g. device key initially stored by the player or by the recorder
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00862 wherein the remote server can grant the permission to use a content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00869 wherein the remote server can deliver the content to a receiving device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1292 Enhancement of the total storage capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1295 wherein the focus is on the read access speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape

Abstract

A data storage management and scheduling system schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of television and Web page program material on a client system storage medium. A schedule of time versus available storage space is generated that is optimal for the viewer'"'"'s scheduled program recordings. The programs include television broadcast programs and Universal Resource Locators (URLs). A program is recorded if at all times between when the recording would be initiated and when it expires, sufficient space is available to hold it. All scheduling conflicts are resolved as early as possible.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

associating a channel metaphor with a Universal Resource Locator (URL) in a program guide, the program guide describing program material and including at least a description of program material contents, the program material including at least television broadcast programs on television broadcast channels and web programs on URL-based channels;

in response to receiving a user command to access the channel metaphor from the program guide, using the channel metaphor to access the URL and display a resultant program material associated with the URL;

storing an aggregation object that references multiple programs in the program guide, the aggregation object associated with at least a particular broadcast program of the television broadcast programs on one or more of the television broadcast channels and at least a particular web program on one or more of the URL-based channels;

based on input requesting recording for the aggregation object, generating a schedule for recording specific programs associated with the aggregation object on at least one storage device, the specific programs including both the particular web program and the particular broadcast program;

recording the specific programs in accordance with the schedule;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the program guide comprises program guide objects describing particular programs of the television broadcast programs and web programs, a program guide object of the program guide objects including at least a title and description of a corresponding content item.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein a given program guide object further includes one or more of:

a rating attribute, an actor attribute, or a director attribute;

wherein the given program object describes a particular television program, movie, advertisement, or trailer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the specific programs associated with the aggregation object together in a directory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregation object further comprises a textual description, a screen-based icon, and other informational attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple programs referenced by the aggregation object are a collection of programs associated with a same event, person, or brand, or are a collection of programs identified based on viewing behavior across multiple client devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the schedule comprises comparing preference data for the aggregation object to preference data for individual programs that are not associated with the aggregation object to resolve recording conflicts between the individual programs and the multiple programs associated with the aggregation object.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a subsystem in a multimedia recording device that associates a channel metaphor with a Universal Resource Locator (URL) in a program guide, the program guide describing program material and including at least a description of program material contents, the program material including at least television broadcast programs on television broadcast channels and web programs on URL-based channels;

a subsystem in the multimedia recording device that, in response to receiving a user command to access the channel metaphor from the program guide, using the channel metaphor to access the URL and display a resultant program material associated with the URL;

a subsystem in the multimedia recording device that stores an aggregation object that references multiple programs, the aggregation object associated with at least a particular broadcast program of the television broadcast programs on one or more of the television broadcast channels and at least a particular web program on one or more of the URL-based channels;

a subsystem in the multimedia recording device that, based on input requesting recording for the aggregation object, generates a schedule for recording specific programs associated with the aggregation object on at least one storage device, the specific programs including both the particular web program and the particular broadcast program;

a subsystem in the multimedia recording device that records the specific programs in accordance with the schedule.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the program guide comprises program guide objects describing particular programs of the television broadcast programs and web programs, a program guide object of the program guide objects including at least a title and description of a corresponding content item.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein a given program guide object further includes one or more of:

a rating attribute, an actor attribute, or a director attribute;

wherein the given program object describes a particular television program, movie, advertisement, or trailer.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a subsystem in the multimedia recording device that presents the specific programs associated with the aggregation object together in a directory.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the aggregation object further comprises a textual description, a screen-based icon, and other informational attributes.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the multiple programs referenced by the aggregation object are a collection of programs associated with a same event, person, or brand, or are a collection of programs identified based on viewing behavior across multiple client devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein generating the schedule comprises comparing preference data for the aggregation object to preference data for individual programs that are not associated with the aggregation object to resolve recording conflicts between the individual programs and the multiple programs associated with the aggregation object.

15. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing software instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of:

associating a channel metaphor with a Universal Resource Locator (URL) in a program guide, the program guide describing program material and including at least a description of program material contents, the program material including at least television broadcast programs on television broadcast channels and web programs on URL-based channels;

in response to receiving a user command to access the channel metaphor from the program guide, using the channel metaphor to access the URL and display a resultant program material associated with the URL;

storing an aggregation object that references multiple programs, the aggregation object associated with at least a particular broadcast program of the television broadcast programs on one or more of the television broadcast channels and at least a particular web program on one or more of the URL-based channels;

based on input requesting recording for the aggregation object, generating a schedule for recording specific programs associated with the aggregation object on at least one storage device, the specific programs including both the particular web program and the particular broadcast program;

recording the specific programs in accordance with the schedule.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the program guide comprises program guide objects describing particular programs of the television broadcast programs and web programs, a program guide object of the program guide objects including at least a title and description of a corresponding content item.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 16:

wherein a given program guide object further includes one or more of;

a rating attribute, an actor attribute, or a director attribute;

wherein the given program object describes a particular television program, movie, advertisement, or trailer.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause presenting the specific programs associated with the aggregation object together in a directory.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the aggregation object further comprises a textual description, a screen-based icon, and other informational attributes.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the multiple programs referenced by the aggregation object are a collection of programs associated with a same event, person, or brand, or are a collection of programs identified based on viewing behavior across multiple client devices.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein generating the schedule comprises comparing preference data for the aggregation object to preference data for individual programs that are not associated with the aggregation object to resolve recording conflicts between the individual programs and the multiple programs associated with the aggregation object.