Network video unit

• US 9,743,147 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goodwin, Mark D., Shaffer, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): Parra, Omar S
• Application Number:
  US14/874,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 689 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Providing content to content receiving devices, such as digital video recorders, connected to a computer network through a content provider is described. According to one aspect, a server maintains a database correlating contact information to content receiving devices in its network. A user navigates to a web site of the content provider and selects a piece of content, which prompts the content provider to query the server for the contact information, and then transmit a request to download the piece of content to the content receiving device. The request can be a set of content identification information that automatically populates a content guide at the receiving device with an entry corresponding to the requested piece of content. This entry allows the user to confirm, interrupt, resume and cancel a download of the content as desired.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, by a video replay server including a processor, a content guide including content guide entries that are transmittable to content player devices registered with the video replay server;

receiving, by the video replay server, a request transmitted over a wide area network from a content provider device, wherein the request includes a request to approve the content provider device as a content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server;

determining, by the video replay server, occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as a registered content provider;

generating, by the video replay server within the content guide, a content guide entry associated with the registered content provider;

transmitting, by the video replay server, to the content player devices registered with the video replay server, a content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider; and

providing, by the video replay server, both a unique ID and at least one label for the registered content provider, wherein the at least one label corresponds to a category in the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider, wherein the content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider further includes the unique ID for the registered content provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the video replay server, to the content provider device a message including the unique ID for the registered content provider and a notice of approval.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message further includes logic instructions for enabling the registered content provider to prepare content descriptions and automatically populate content identification information into program guides on the content player devices registered with the video replay server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to approve the content provider as the content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server comprises a registration form including information provided by the content provider device, and wherein determining, by the video replay server, occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as the registered content provider comprises:

determining, by the video replay server, based on a review of the information included in the registration form, that the request to approve the content provider device is acceptable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content provider device has a network address, and wherein generating, by the video replay server within the content guide, the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider comprises including the network address in the content guide entry.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the video replay server, a report message transmitted over the wide area network from the content provider device, wherein the report message includes information indicative of a content download made by the registered content provider to one of the content player devices registered with the video replay server.

7. A video replay server comprising:

a network interface;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions, that, when executed by the processing system,

facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

storing a content guide including content guide entries that are transmittable to content player devices registered with the video replay server,

receiving a request transmitted over a wide area network from a content provider device, wherein the request includes a request to approve the content provider device as a content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server,

determining occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as a registered content provider,

generating within the content guide a content guide entry associated with the registered content provider

transmitting to the content player devices registered with the video replay server a content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider;

providing both a unique ID and at least one label for the registered content provider, wherein the at least one label corresponds to a category in the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider, and wherein the content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider further includes the unique ID for the registered content provider; and

transmitting to the content provider device a message including the unique ID for the registered content provider and a notice of approval, and wherein the message further includes logic instructions for enabling the registered content provider to prepare content descriptions and automatically populate content identification information into program guides on the content player devices registered with the video replay server.

8. The video replay server of claim 7, wherein the request to approve the content provider device as the content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server comprises a registration form including information provided by the content provider device, and wherein determining occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as the registered content provider comprises:

determining, based on a review of the information included in the registration form, that the request to approve the content provider device is acceptable.

9. The video replay server of claim 7, wherein the content provider device has a network address, and wherein generating within the content guide the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider comprises including the network address in the content guide entry.

10. The video replay server of claim 7, wherein the operations further include:

receiving a report message transmitted over the wide area network from the content provider device, wherein the report message includes information indicative of a content download made by the registered content provider to one of the content player devices registered with the video replay server.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor of a video replay server, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

storing a content guide including content guide entries that are transmittable to content player devices registered with the video replay server;

receiving a request transmitted over a wide area network from a content provider device, wherein the request includes a request to approve the content provider device as a content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server;

determining occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as a registered content provider;

generating within the content guide a content guide entry associated with the registered content provider;

transmitting to the content player devices registered with the video replay server, a content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider;

providing both a unique ID and at least one label for the registered content provider, wherein the at least one label corresponds to a category in the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider, and wherein the content provider update including the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider further includes the unique ID for the registered content provider; and

transmitting to the content provider device a message including the unique ID for the registered content provider and a notice of approval, and wherein the message further includes logic instructions for enabling the registered content provider to prepare content descriptions and automatically populate content identification information into program guides on the content player devices registered with the video replay server.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request to approve the content provider device as the content provider registered to provide content directly to the content player devices registered with the video replay server comprises a registration form including information provided by the content provider device, and wherein determining occurrence of an approval of the content provider device as the registered content provider comprises:

determining, based on a review of the information included in the registration form, that the request to approve the content provider device is acceptable.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the content provider device has a network address, and wherein generating within the content guide the content guide entry associated with the registered content provider comprises including the network address in the content guide entry.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further include:

receiving a report message transmitted over the wide area network from the content provider device, wherein the report message includes information indicative of a content download made by the registered content provider to one of the content player devices registered with the video replay server.