Sharing of subscriber-recorded digital video recorder content

• US 9,106,943 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Killick, Raynald, Guillaume, Nadine, Srivastav, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Alata, Yassin
• Application Number:
  US13/100,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 725/111, 725114-116, 725/134, 725/138, 725/142, 725144-147, 725/153
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Digital data associated with recorded programs are uploaded to a Head End facility from user devices (e.g., set-top boxes) in a media distribution network. The Head End facility stores a library of the Digital Video Recording (DVR) assets for programs and makes them available, by streaming, to user devices, including user devices that do not have DVR capability. Techniques are also provided to efficiently upload a DVR asset simultaneously in segments or chunks from multiple user devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

delivering media content from a head end facility comprising a cable modem termination system to a plurality of user devices in a media distribution network;

receiving, at the head end facility, a notification from a first user device in the media distribution network, the notification including information indicating recording of a broadcast program included in the media content at the first user device;

receiving, at the head end facility, notifications from a plurality of user devices indicating that digital data for the recorded broadcast program is available for upload from each of the plurality of user devices;

determining, at the head end facility, that digital data for the recorded program has not already been uploaded to the head end facility;

dividing, at the head end facility, the recorded broadcast program into plurality of segments;

assigning, at the head end facility, a segment of the recorded broadcast program to each of the plurality of user devices for upload of the respective segment from the corresponding user device to the head end facility;

sending a notification from the head end facility to each of the plurality of user devices to schedule a time for uploading the respective segment of the recorded broadcast program from the corresponding user device, wherein each notification indicates parameters describing the segment to be uploaded by the corresponding user device;

receiving the digital data for the respective segments of the recorded program at the head end facility from the corresponding user devices at the scheduled times;

storing the digital data for the recorded program at the head end facility;

at the head end facility, decrypting, transcoding and re-encrypting the digital data received from the corresponding user devices for use by different types of user devices supported by the media distribution network to produce re-encrypted digital data; and

sending the re-encrypted digital data from the head end facility to the different types of user devices.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising receiving a request for the recorded program from a user device in the media distribution network, and streaming the digital data for the recorded program from the head end facility to the user device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request from a second user device that is associated with a first subscriber that is also associated with the first user device, and wherein streaming comprises streaming the digital data to the second user device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the request from a second user device associated with a second subscriber that is different from a first subscriber associated with the first user device, and streaming comprises streaming the digital data to the second user device.

5. The method of claim 1, and further comprising comparing, at the head end facility, the start and stop times of the recorded program to information contained in a program guide, determining whether the start and stop times of the recorded program match information for a program in the program guide, and when it is determined that the start and stop times of the recorded program do not match information for a program in the program guide, storing an indication with the digital data for the recorded program to indicate that the digital data is a partial recording of a program so that it may be subsequently replaced by digital data for a complete recording of a program.

6. The method of claim 1, and further comprising sending to user devices for all subscribers in the media distribution network information indicating that digital data for the recorded program is available.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising sending a notification from the head end facility to user devices for all subscribers in the media distribution network to advise them that the digital data for the recorded program is available for streaming.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving and storing are performed for each of a plurality of programs across a plurality of user devices for a plurality of subscribers in the media distribution network, and further comprising generating a catalog listing recorded programs that have been uploaded to the head end facility and which are available to subscribers in the media distribution network.

9. The method of claim 8, and further comprising including in a program guide an indication that a recording for a particular program has already been uploaded to the head end facility.

10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising generating a control to display a visual indication during a broadcast program that signifies that the program has already been uploaded to the head end facility.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises receiving at a head end facility the digital data from the first user device on a reverse channel of the media distribution network.

12. The method of claim 1, and further comprising assembling the digital data for the plurality of segments received from the plurality of user devices to reconstruct the recorded program for storage.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification from the first user device comprises receiving information indicating start and stop times of a broadcast program recorded at the first user device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification from the first user device comprises receiving information indicating that a broadcast program has been scheduled for recording at the first user device.

15. A method comprising:

at a first user device operable to receive broadcast programs from a head end facility in a media distribution network, sending from the first user device a notification to the head end facility associated with the media distribution network, wherein the notification includes information identifying a broadcast program that is to be or has been recorded at the first user device, and wherein the head end facility comprises a cable modem termination system for delivery of media content to a plurality of user devices in the media distribution network, the broadcast program being included in the media content;

receiving from the head end facility a notification indicating that digital data for the recorded program has not already been uploaded and that the first user device should upload a selected segment of the recorded program to the head end facility, wherein the notification further indicates parameters describing the segment to be uploaded by the first user device and a scheduled time that the segment is to be uploaded to the head end facility;

uploading digital data for the selected segment of the recorded program to the head end facility at the scheduled time;

storing an identifier for the program in a list for a user at the first user device for subsequent use in requesting streaming of the digital data for the recorded program from the head end facility after it is determined that digital data for the recorded program has been uploaded to the head end facility; and

receiving, at a second user device that is a different type of user device than the first user device, re-encrypted digital data from the head end facility, wherein the head end facility decrypts, transcodes, and re-encrypts the digital data for the recorded program for use by different types of user devices supported by the media distribution network.

16. The method of claim 15, and further comprising recording the broadcast program at the user device, and deleting the digital data for the recorded program from storage at the user device in response to receiving a notification from the head end facility indicating that the broadcast program has already been uploaded to the head end facility.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein uploading comprises wirelessly transmitting the digital data for the selected segment over a wireless wide area network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein uploading comprises transmitting the digital data for the selected segment over an upstream channel in the media distribution network.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a storage unit configured to store digital data; and

a cable modem termination system for delivery of media content to a plurality of user devices a media distribution network;

a controller unit configured to communicate with the plurality of user devices in the media distribution network, the controller unit configured to;

deliver media content from the apparatus to the plurality of user devices in a media distribution network;

receive a notification from a first user device in the media distribution network, the notification including information indicating recording of a broadcast program included in the media content at the first user device;

receive notifications from a plurality of user devices indicating that digital data for the recorded broadcast program is available for upload from each of the plurality of user devices;

determine that digital data for the recorded program has not already been uploaded to the apparatus;

divide the recorded broadcast program into plurality of segments;

assign a segment of the recorded broadcast program to each of the plurality of user devices for upload of the respective segment from the corresponding user device to the head end facility at selected times;

send a notification to each of the plurality of user devices to schedule a time for uploading the respective segment of the recorded broadcast program from the corresponding user device, wherein each notification indicates parameters describing the segment to be uploaded by the corresponding user device;

receive the digital data for the respective segments of the recorded program from the corresponding user devices at the scheduled times;

store the digital data for the recorded program in the storage unit;

decrypt, transcode, and re-encrypt the digital data received from the corresponding user devices for use by different types of user devices supported by the media distribution network; and

send the re-encrypted digital data to the different types of user devices.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller unit is further configured to receive a request for the recorded program from a user device in the media distribution network, and generate a command to cause a streaming server to stream the digital data for the recorded program to the user device.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller unit is configured to perform the receive and schedule operations for a plurality of programs uploaded from a plurality of user devices in the media distribution network, and to generate a catalog listing recorded programs that have been uploaded and which are available to subscribers in the media distribution network.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controller unit is configured to include in a program guide an indication that a recording for a particular program has already been uploaded.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a modem configured to receive signals including broadcast programs sent from a head end facility over a media distribution network, wherein the head end facility includes a cable modem termination system for delivery of media content to the modem;

a data storage unit configured to store digital data; and

a processor configured to;

generate a notification to send to the head end facility associated with the media distribution network, the notification including information identifying a broadcast program that is to be or has been recorded, the broadcast program being included in the media content;

receive from the head end facility a notification indicating that digital data for the recorded program has not already been uploaded and that the user device should upload a selected segment of the recorded program to head end facility, wherein the notification further indicates parameters describing the segment to be uploaded by the user device and a scheduled time that the segment is to be uploaded to the head end facility;

cause the digital data for the selected segment of the recorded program to be uploaded to the head end facility at the scheduled time; and

store an identifier for the program in a list for a user at the user device for subsequent use in requesting streaming of the digital data for the recorded program from the head end facility after it is determined that digital data for the recorded program has been uploaded to the head end facility, wherein the digital data for the recorded program is decrypted, transcoded, and re-encrypted at the head end facility so that the re-encrypted digital data may be requested from another user device that is a different type of user device than the user device.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, and wherein the processor is further configured to record the broadcast program at the user device, and delete the digital data for the recorded program from storage at the user device in response to receiving a notification from the head end facility indicating that the broadcast program has already been uploaded to the head end facility.