Client-server based interactive television program guide with server recording

• US 7,802,285 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellis, Michael D., Lemmons, Thomas R., Thomas, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US11/198,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86- 88, 725/39, 725/50, 725/93, 725/97
• US Class Current: 725/88
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2318 using striping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/274 Storing end-user multimedia data in response to end-user request , e.g. network recorder
• 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 21/4334 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 : for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• 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 21/47217 : for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 : Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

An interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to select programs for recording on a remote media server. Programs may also be recorded on a local media server. The program guide provides users with VCR-like control over programs that are played back from the media servers and over real-time cached copies of the programs. The program guide also provides users with an opportunity to designate gift recipients for whom programs may be recorded.

Claims

1. A method for use in an interactive television program guide system that provides users with access to programs, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of user equipment, each being configured to present video;

providing a server that is connected to each of the plurality of user equipment and that is configured to provide video to the plurality of user equipment;

receiving an indication from a user at a given user equipment of the plurality of user equipment to record a program on the server;

recording the program to the server;

creating an entry for the program recorded on the server in a directory of programs for the user;

receiving an indication from at least one other user to record the program recorded on the server;

receiving an indication from the user at the given user equipment of the plurality of user equipment to playback the program recorded on the server;

accessing the program from the server in response to receiving the indication;

displaying the program to the user at the given user equipment;

providing the user at the given user equipment and the at least one other user with an opportunity to indicate a desire to delete the program recorded on the server; and

in response to the user indicating a desire to delete the program, deleting the entry of the program recorded on the server in the directory of programs for the user and not deleting the program recorded on the server if the at least one other user has not indicated a desire to delete the program.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of user equipment has a storage device and further comprising:

storing the program on the storage device of the given user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at least one other indication from at least one other user at least one other user equipment of the plurality of user equipment to playback the program stored on the server; and

displaying the program to the at least one other user at the at least one other user equipment, wherein the display of the program for the user at the given user equipment is simultaneous with the display of the program for the at least one other user at the at least one other user equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other user is located at user equipment different than the given user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the at least one other user indicating a desire to delete the program, deleting the program recorded on the server from the server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording program guide data with the program on the server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is a remote media server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is a local media server.

9. An interactive television program guide system that provides users with access to programs, the interactive television program guide system comprising:

a plurality of user equipment including a given user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of user equipment is configured to present video;

a server that is connected to each of the plurality of user equipment and that is configured to;

provide video to the plurality of user equipment; and

record a program that is user-selected; and

an interactive television program guide implemented at least partially on circuitry, wherein the interactive television program guide is programmed to;

receive an indication from a user at a given user equipment of the plurality of user equipment to record a program on the server;

create an entry for the program recorded on the server in a directory of programs for the user;

receive an indication from at least one other user to playback the program recorded on the server;

receive an indication from a user at the given user equipment to playback the program recorded on the server;

access the program from the server in response to receiving the indication;

display the program to the user at the given user equipment;

provide the user at the given user equipment and the at least one other user with an opportunity to indicate a desire to delete the program recorded on the server; and

in response to the user indicating a desire to delete the program, delete the entry of the program recorded on the server in the directory of programs for the user and not delete the program recorded on the server if the at least one other user has not indicated a desire to delete the program.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the interactive television program guide is further programmed to:

store the program on a storage device of the given user equipment.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the interactive television program guide is further programmed to:

receive at least one other indication from at least one other user at least one other user equipment of the plurality of user equipment to playback the program stored on the server; and

display the program to the at least one other user at the at least one other user equipment, wherein the display of the program for the user at the given user equipment is simultaneous with the display of the program for the at least one other user at the at least one other user equipment.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one other user is located at user equipment different than the given user equipment.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the interactive television program guide is further programmed to:

in response to the at least one other user indicating a desire to delete the program, delete the program recorded on the server from the server.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is further configured to:

record program guide data with the program.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is a remote media server.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the server is a local media server.