Shared DVR programming via a web page

• US 9,549,219 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Barton, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy T
• Application Number:
  US14/469,224
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/47214 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 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 5/782 on tape

Abstract

Techniques for shared DVR programming via a web page enable using a DVR widget in a web page and DVR environment on a network to view DVR content from a publisher'"'"'s DVR usage data and based on the viewed DVR content from the publisher'"'"'s DVR, record or schedule to record particular content on the viewer'"'"'s DVR.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a device by a first server, a selected metadata item selected from a list of one or more selectable metadata items on a first user'"'"'s web page displayed on the device, the first user'"'"'s web page served from a social network web site server to the device, each of the one or more selectable metadata items are associated with one or more content stored or scheduled to be recorded in a first multimedia device associated with the first user; and

responsive to receiving from the device an indication that the metadata item was selected from the one or more selectable metadata items, automatically sending, by the first server, in real-time across a network a message causing a second multimedia device to record or schedule to record a content associated with the selected metadata item, the second multimedia device associated with a second user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the message is an instant message and is sent using an instant message communication protocol.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to sending the message, receiving first data that are associated with a second user and second data that are associated with the second multimedia device, wherein the first data and the second data are used for obtaining access to the second multimedia device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending the message causing a second multimedia device to record or schedule to record the content further comprises the step of:

sending the message to a server coupled to a storage device that stores database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device;

wherein the message comprises data that cause the database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device to be updated to reflect that the content is to be recorded or is scheduled to record and that cause synchronization between the updated database tables and the second multimedia device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises copying the content and metadata that is associated with the content from the first multimedia device directly to the second multimedia device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises copying the content and metadata that is associated with the content from the first multimedia device to the second multimedia device through an intermediate storage device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises causing the second multimedia device to download the content from a content provider across a network.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a web page receiver, at a first server, that receives, from a device, a selected metadata item selected from a list of one or more selectable metadata items on a first user'"'"'s web page displayed on the device, the first user'"'"'s web page served from a social network web site server to the device, each of the one or more selectable metadata items are associated with one or more content stored or scheduled to be recorded in a first multimedia device associated with the first user; and

a sending processor, at the first server, that responsive to receiving from the device an indication that the metadata item was selected from the one or more selectable metadata items, automatically sends in real-time across a network a message causing a second multimedia device to record or schedule to record a content associated with the selected metadata item, the second multimedia device associated with a second user.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the message is an instant message and is sent using an instant message communication protocol.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein prior to sending the message, the sending processor receives first data that are associated with a second user and second data that are associated with the second multimedia device, wherein the first data and the second data are used for obtaining access to the second multimedia device.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the sending processor is configured to send the message to a server coupled to a storage device that stores database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device, and wherein the message comprises data that cause the database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device to be updated to reflect that the content is to be recorded or is scheduled to record and that cause synchronization between the updated database tables and the second multimedia device.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the message comprising data that cause the second multimedia device to record or schedule to record the content item further comprises data that cause the content and metadata that is associated with the content to be copied from the first multimedia device directly to the second multimedia device.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the message comprising data that cause the second multimedia device to record or schedule to record the content item further comprises data that cause the content and metadata that is associated with the content to be copied from the first multimedia device to the second multimedia device through an intermediate storage device.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the message comprising data that cause the second multimedia device to record or schedule to record the content item further comprises data that cause the second multimedia device to download the content from a content provider across a network.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of:

receiving, from a device by a first server, a selected metadata item selected from a list of one or more selectable metadata items on a first user'"'"'s web page displayed on the device, the first user'"'"'s web page served from a social network web site server to the device, each of the one or more selectable metadata items are associated with one or more content stored or scheduled to be recorded in a first multimedia device associated with the first user; and

responsive to receiving from the device an indication that the metadata item was selected from the one or more selectable metadata items, automatically sending, by the first server, in real-time across a network a message causing a second multimedia device to record or schedule to record a content associated with the selected metadata item, the second multimedia device associated with a second user.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the message is an instant message and is sent using an instant message communication protocol.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein prior to sending the message, receiving first data that are associated with a second user and second data that are associated with the second multimedia device, wherein the first data and the second data are used for obtaining access to the second multimedia device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein sending the message causing a second multimedia device to record or schedule to record the content further comprises the step of:

sending the message to a server coupled to a storage device that stores database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device;

wherein the message comprises data that cause the database tables that are associated with the second multimedia device to be updated to reflect that the content is to be recorded or is scheduled to record and that cause synchronization between the updated database tables and the second multimedia device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises copying the content and metadata that is associated with the content from the first multimedia device directly to the second multimedia device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises copying the content and metadata that is associated with the content from the first multimedia device to the second multimedia device through an intermediate storage device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein causing the second multimedia device to record further comprises causing the second multimedia device to download the content from a content provider across a network.