Method and system for controlling a storage location of content in a user device

• US 9,883,242 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pontual, Romulo, Arsenault, Robert G., Kahn, Raynold M., Ling, Sui-Ky Ringo, Crook, Luke J., Choi, John D., Vagnati, Michelle L., Norin, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phillips, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/111,239
• Time in Patent Office: 2,448 Days
• Field of Search: 709213, 709208, 709209, 709211, 709212, 709214, 709215, 709216, 711153, 711173, 725 92, 726 27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A system and method for communicating content to a user device that includes a storage device having a network portion and a user portion. The user device stores content in a network partition thereof. The user device reallocates the content to a user portion of the storage device after storing is complete.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating content having an availability start time and availability end time to a user device;

storing, by the user device, content in a network partition of a storage device of the user device prior to the availability start time and prior to the availability end time, said network partition not controlled by a user;

presenting, by the user device, the content as available for playback selection via a playlist display;

receiving a selection, by the user device, for playing back the content presented for playback selection via the playlist display; and

moving, by the user device, the content to a user portion of the storage device controlled by the user after storing the content in the network partition is complete, after the availability start time and before the availability end time, and in response to receiving the selection for playback from the playlist display.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to storing, receiving content at the user device from a satellite.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein prior to storing, receiving content at the user device through a broadband network.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating an indicator on a display associated with the user device after storing content is complete.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein generating the indicator comprises generating an indicator on a homepage generated by the user device.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein generating the indicator comprises generating a row advertisement indicator in a program guide.

7. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein generating the indicator comprises generating a graphic indicator on a playlist.

8. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein generating the indicator comprises generating the indicator after an availability time of the content.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein moving the content to the user portion of the storage device comprises moving the content to a virtual folder of the user portion.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein moving the content to the user portion of the storage device comprises moving the content to a virtual folder of the user portion when less than a predetermined number of content titles are associated with the virtual folder.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising adjusting the predetermined number by a user controlled setting.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising preventing access to the content within the user device after an availability end date.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising deleting the content from the user device after an availability end date.

14. A system comprising:

a user device comprising a storage device having a network partition not controlled by a user and a user portion controlled by the user, said user device stores content in the network partition prior to an availability start time of the content and prior to an availability end time of the content;

the user device presents the content as available for playback selection via a playlist display;

said user device receiving a selection for selecting content presented for playback selection via the playlist display; and

the user device moves the content to the user portion of the storage device after storing the content in the network partition is complete, after the availability start time and before the availability end time, and in response to receiving the selection for playback from the playlist display.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a satellite communicating content to the user device prior to storing content at the user device.

16. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a broadband network communicating content to the user device prior to storing.

17. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the user device comprises a display, the user device generates an indicator on the display after storing content is complete.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the indicator is displayed on a homepage generated by the user device.

19. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the indicator is displayed on a row advertisement indicator in a program guide.

20. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the indicator is displayed on a graphic indicator on a playlist.

21. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the indicator is displayed after an availability time of the content.

22. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the user portion comprises a virtual folder, the user device reallocating the content to the virtual folder of the user portion.

23. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the user portion comprises a virtual folder, the user device reallocating the content to the virtual folder of the user portion when less than a predetermined number of content titles are associated with the virtual folder.

24. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the predetermined number comprises a user controlled setting.