System for remotely controlling client recording and storage behavior

• US 7,543,325 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, James, Look, Howard, Barton, James M., Westbrook, Paul, Lacy, Stephen, Davison, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US10/339,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,337 Days
• Field of Search: 725/9, 725/10, 725/21, 725/58, 725/115, 725/120, 725131-134, 725140-142, 725151-153, 725/86, 725/91, 725/93, 725/97, 386/1, 386/83, 709/203, 709/219, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• 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 21/458 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 21/4622 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• 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 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/025 : Systems for the transmission of digital non-picture data, e.g. of text during the active part of a television frame transmission of digital non-picture data during the vertical blanking interval only H04N7/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling client recording and storage behavior schedules the recording, storing, and deleting of multimedia content on a client system storage device. The invention accepts as input a prioritized list of program viewing preferences which is compared with a database of program guide objects that indicate when programs of interest are actually broadcast. A schedule of time versus available storage space is generated that is optimal for the viewer'"'"'s explicit or derived preferred content. The viewer may request that certain content be captured, which results in the highest possible priority for those content. The invention provides objects called a capture requests that are sent by the service to client systems. Capture requests reflect local storage management decisions about how the client system storage is partitioned. Capture requests also allow the service to determine content to be recorded by the client system in the same manner that a viewer requests that certain content are recorded but are more powerful than what a viewer can request. Recording requests for a capture request can preempt viewer requests or be entered at the same or lower priority as a viewer request. Capture requests can adjust all aspects of a recording request and affect the capture request itself. Client system operational functionality are also manipulated by the service using capture requests.

Claims

1. A process for remotely controlling storage and the operations of a client system, comprising the steps of:

authoring a capture request on a server;

sending said capture request from said server to a client system among a plurality of client systems;

wherein said capture request is received by a client system;

wherein said capture request instructs said client system to record specific content from a television broadcast signal or record specific content from a source across a network;

monitoring said capture request on said client system and tuning an input tuner that is among a plurality of input tuners on said client system to said television broadcast signal and recording said specific content in digital form on a local storage device, or storing specific content from a source across a network in digital form on the local storage device;

autonomously scheduling, by said client system, capture request recordings, user initiated request recordings, and inferred content recordings using a local program guide, resolving recording conflicts, and simultaneously recording content from at least two input sources on the local storage device;

resolving recording conflicts, by said client system, using information that concerns availability of input tuners, available storage space on the local storage device at the time said capture request is instructing said client system to record specific content, and a priority of said capture request and/or said specific content;

wherein said client sends to said server any of;

a report on success or failure of a capture request received from said server, a report on how recorded data or media was used, or data or media that are to be redistributed via a distribution service; and

wherein said client system refers to the local program guide to determine when to start recording a particular content.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request instructs said client system of a time and channel to schedule said recording of specific content.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said specific content is video or data content.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request specifies said specific content using a particular name and optionally an affiliate name.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request schedules single recordings or schedules recordings of all showings of a series.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request sets attributes of said recorded specific content.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein said capture request sets a location of said recorded specific content on said client system'"'"'s storage device;

wherein said location is either user storage space or system storage space.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request sets recording tuner priority level when said client system has multiple input tuners.

9. The process of claim 6, wherein said capture request specifies a suggested minimum length of time that a recording should remain on the client system'"'"'s storage device.

10. The process of claim 6, wherein said capture requests specifies a recording quality setting of a recording.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request instructs said client system to create a season pass for a program series, and wherein a season pass records every showing of a program on a specified channel.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein said capture request specifies an expiration date for itself.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein said server modifies a capture request that said client system has previously received.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein said server targets specific client systems to receive a particular capture request.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein said capture request specifies content to be transferred from said client system to a device connected to said client system.

31. The process of claim 1, wherein client systems are grouped into one or more capture request groups, and wherein said sending step sends said capture request to client systems in a particular capture request group.

16. An apparatus for remotely controlling storage and the operations of a client system, comprising:

a module for authoring a capture request on a server;

a module for sending said capture request from said server to a client system among a plurality of client systems;

wherein said capture request is received by a client system;

wherein said capture request instructs said client system to record specific content from a television broadcast signal or record specific content from a source across a network;

a module, on said client system, for monitoring said capture request on said client system and tuning an input tuner that is among a plurality of input tuners on said client system to said television broadcast signal and recording said specific content in digital form on a local storage device, or storing specific content from a source across a network in digital form on the local storage device;

wherein said client system autonomously schedules capture request recordings, user initiated request recordings, and inferred content recordings using a local program guide, resolves recording conflicts, and simultaneously records content from at least two input sources on the local storage device;

wherein said client system resolves recording conflicts using information that concerns availability of input tuners, available storage space on the local storage device at the time said capture request is instructing said client system to record specific content, and a priority of said capture request and/or said specific content;

wherein said client sends to said server any of;

a report on success or failure of a capture request received from said server, a report on how recorded data or media was used, or data or media that are to be redistributed via a distribution service; and

wherein said client system refers to the local program guide to determine when to start recording a particular content.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture requests instructs said client system of a time and channel to schedule said recording of specific content.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said specific content is video or data content.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture request specifies said specific content using a particular name and optionally an affiliate name.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture request schedules single recordings or schedules recordings of all showings of a series.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture requests sets attributes of said recorded specific content.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said capture request sets a location of said recorded specific content on said client system'"'"'s storage device;

wherein said location is either user storage space or system storage space.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture request sets recording tuner priority level when said client system has multiple input tuners.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said capture request specifies a suggested minimum length of time that a recording should remain on the client system'"'"'s storage device.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said capture request specifies a recording quality setting of a recording.

26. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said capture request instructs said client system to create a season pass for a program series, and wherein a season pass records every showing of a program on a specified channel.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture request specifies an expiration date for itself.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said server modifies a capture request that said client system has previously received.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said server targets specific client systems to receive a particular capture request.

30. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said capture request specifies content to be transferred from said client system to a device connected to said client system.

32. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein client systems are grouped into one or more capture request groups, and wherein said sending module sends said capture request to client systems in a particular capture request group.