Multimedia device recording notification system

• US 9,648,380 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Gharaat, Amir H., Barton, James M., Patel, Mukesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARVEY, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US12/631,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20110064377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,713 Days
• Field of Search: 386231, 386200, 386291, 386298
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• 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 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

A command is received to record particular media content on a first device associated with a first user and the particular media content is scheduled for recording on the first device. A notification is provided to a second device associated with a second user of the scheduling of the recording of the particular media content on the first device. The second device may then schedule recording of the particular media content. The second device may schedule the recording of the particular media content without receiving a user command or subsequent to receiving a user confirmation to record the particular media content in response to the notification.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first user device associated with a first user of a social networking website, input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;

in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receiving, by the first user device, a device identification number of the second user device;

transmitting, from the first user device, an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more user devices including the second user device;

detecting published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;

in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmitting, by the first user device, a request for scheduling information from the second user device;

in response to the transmitted request, receiving, by the first user device, scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;

scheduling, by the first user device, the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;

in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, sending, by the first user device, a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on the second user device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on any user device of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of specified users.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on a specified number of user devices of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second user device is notified in response to the first user device receiving a command to notify the second user device of the scheduling of the recording of the media content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises automatically scheduling the recording in response to the detecting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises prompting the first user to record the media content and receiving a user command to record the media content.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause performance of the steps comprising:

receiving, by a first user device associated with a first user of a social networking website, input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;

in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receiving, by the first user device, a device identification number of the second user device;

transmitting, from the first user device, an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more user devices including the second user device;

detecting published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;

in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmitting, by the first user device, a request for scheduling information from the second user device;

in response to the transmitted request, receiving, by the first user device, scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;

scheduling, by the first user device, the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;

in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, sending, by the first user device, a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on the second user device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on any device of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of specified users.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on a specified number of user devices of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the second user device is notified in response to the first user device receiving a command to notify the second user device of the scheduling of the recording of the media content.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises automatically scheduling the recording in response to the detecting.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises prompting the first user to record the media content and receiving a user command to record the media content.

15. A media device comprising:

one or more processors in the user device, the user device associated with a first user of a social networking website; and

a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, causes the user device to;

receive input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;

in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receive a device identification number of the second user device;

transmit an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more media devices including the second user device;

detect published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;

in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmit a request for scheduling information from the second user device;

in response to the transmitted request, receive scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;

schedule the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;

in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, send a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the user device records all media content scheduled for recording on the second user device.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the user device records all media content scheduled for recording on any device of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of specified users.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the user device records all media content scheduled for recording on a specified number of user devices of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the second user device is notified in response to the user device receiving a command to notify the second user device of the scheduling of the recording of the media content.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises automatically scheduling the recording in response to the detecting.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises prompting the first user to record the media content and receiving a user command to record the media content.