Multimedia content search and recording scheduling system

• US 9,571,892 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Poniatowski, Robert F., Glennon, Shelly, Beach, Brian, Dubois, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US14/597,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 725/45, 725/46, 725/101, 725/58, 725/60, 725/61, 725/86, 725/87, 707/632, 707/914, 348/E5.105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• 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 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4532 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 21/4622 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 21/47214 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 21/4788 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 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• 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: Y10S 707/914 : Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 : Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 : Audio

Abstract

Techniques described herein enable searching for multimedia content and for downloading or scheduling the recording of the multimedia content. The multimedia content may have been previously stored on one or more databases. The client device may download or schedule the recording of multimedia content in one step, for example, in one touch. When desired multimedia content is not available, the multimedia content is added to the client device'"'"'s wish list. When the client device'"'"'s does not have a wish list, the client device'"'"'s wish list may be created on the spot. During the scheduling of the recording, a tag associated with the multimedia content is checked to determine whether the multimedia content is live or delayed. When the tag indicates the multimedia content is live or delayed, the client device prompts with a suggestion to add extra time to the end of the recording of the multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in response to an activation of a synchronization process, accessing, by a server, a wishlist stored on a client device;

wherein each entry in the wishlist was, at a time when the entry was entered into the wishlist, not available for scheduling a recording on a currently available electronic program guide (EPG) data;

searching, by the server, for schedule information of a particular multimedia content to which a program ID obtained from the wishlist corresponds in a database, the schedule information of the particular multimedia content indicating a specific time for at least one showing of the particular multimedia content;

in response to determining that the schedule information of the particular multimedia content is in the database, instructing, by the server, the client device to record the particular multimedia content at the specific time as indicated in the database.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising downloading a user'"'"'s wishlist to the client device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database is a broadcast database.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the database is a broadband database.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining that the client device has opted-in to a service for synchronization and accessing the client device by the service.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a request from the client device to opt-out of the service;

in response to the request to opt-out of the service, stopping access by the server to the wishlist that corresponds to the client device.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that accesses, by a server, a wishlist stored on a client device in response to an activation of a synchronization process;

wherein each entry in the wishlist was, at a time when the entry was entered into the wishlist, not available for scheduling a recording on a currently available electronic program guide (EPG) data;

a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that searches, by the server, for schedule information of a particular multimedia content to which a program ID obtained from the wishlist corresponds in a database, the schedule information of the particular multimedia content indicating a specific time for at least one showing of the particular multimedia content;

a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that instructs, by the server, the client device to record the particular multimedia content at the specific time as indicated in the database in response to determining that the schedule information of the particular multimedia content is in the database.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that downloads a user'"'"'s wishlist to the client device.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the database is a broadcast database.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the database is a broadband database.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that determines that the client device has opted-in to a service for synchronization and accessing the client device by the service.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that receives a request from the client device to opt-out of the service;

a subsystem at least in part implemented in hardware that stops access by the server to the wishlist that corresponds to the client device in response to the request to opt-out of the service.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

in response to an activation of a synchronization process, accessing, by a server, a wishlist stored on a client device;

wherein each entry in the wishlist was, at a time when the entry was entered into the wishlist, not available for scheduling a recording on a currently available electronic program guide (EPG) data;

searching, by the server, for schedule information of a particular multimedia content to which a program ID obtained from the wishlist corresponds in a database, the schedule information of the particular multimedia content indicating a specific time for at least one showing of the particular multimedia content;

in response to determining that the schedule information of the particular multimedia content is in the database, instructing, by the server, the client device to record the particular multimedia content at the specific time as indicated in the database.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions further comprise instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform downloading a user'"'"'s wishlist to the client device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the database is a broadcast database.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the database is a broadband database.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions further comprise instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform determining that the client device has opted-in to a service for synchronization and accessing the client device by the service.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions further comprise instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a request from the client device to opt-out of the service;

in response to the request to opt-out of the service, stopping access by the server to the wishlist that corresponds to the client device.