Managing digital video recorder storage for a plurality of users

• US 9,154,724 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir Singh, Boss, Gregory Jensen, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, O'Connell, Brian Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED Y
• Application Number:
  US13/596,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20120321284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 386/295, 386/291, 386/297, 386/353, 386/E5.001, 386/E5.042, 707/999.107, 725/58
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4334 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 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• 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 21/4667 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

A computer implemented method and apparatus for managing digital video recorder storage for one or more users. Each user in the multi-user environment is assigned an amount of program storage in the digital video recorder. Responsive to receiving a request to record a new program from a user in the multi-user environment, an associated amount of program storage assigned to the use is determined. Responsive to a determination that addition of the new program will not exceed the associated amount of program storage assigned to the user, the new program is recorded to the program storage.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a digital video recorder (DVR) calculating, for each user of a plurality of users of the DVR, a ratio of a number of programs recorded on the DVR for the user to a number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR for the user without viewing by the user, thereby forming a plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining, utilizing the plurality of ratios, a recorded program to delete from the DVR, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR comprises the steps of;

the DVR determining a user of the plurality of users having a highest ratio among the plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining that the recorded program has an association with the determined user, the association having been established in the DVR prior to the DVR recording the recorded program; and

the DVR deleting the determined recorded program from a hard drive of the DVR.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing any part of a recorded program using the DVR.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing the entirety of a recorded program using the DVR.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR further comprises the step of:

the DVR determining that the recorded program was recorded on the DVR before all other programs recorded on the DVR for the determined user were recorded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were deleted from the DVR by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were automatically deleted from the DVR by the DVR.

7. A computer program product comprising a computer readable tangible storage device and program instructions stored on the computer readable tangible storage device, the program instructions, when carried out by a processor of a digital video recorder (DVR), implement a method comprising the steps of:

the DVR calculating, for each user of a plurality of users of the DVR, a ratio of a number of programs recorded on the DVR for the user to a number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR for the user without viewing by the user, thereby forming a plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining, utilizing the plurality of ratios, a recorded program to delete from the DVR, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR comprises the steps of;

the DVR determining a user of the plurality of users having a highest ratio among the plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining that the recorded program has an association with the determined user, the association having been established in the DVR prior to the DVR recording the recorded program; and

the DVR deleting the determined recorded program from a hard drive of the DVR.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing any part of a recorded program using the DVR.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing the entirety of a recorded program using the DVR.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR further comprises the step of:

the DVR determining that the recorded program was recorded on the DVR before all other programs recorded on the DVR for the determined user were recorded.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were deleted from the DVR by the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were automatically deleted from the DVR by the DVR.

13. A digital video recorder (DVR) comprising a processor and a computer readable tangible storage device, the computer readable tangible storage device storing program instructions that, when carried out by the processor, implement a method comprising the steps of:

the DVR calculating, for each user of a plurality of users of the DVR, a ratio of a number of programs recorded on the DVR for the user to a number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR for the user without viewing by the user, thereby forming a plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining, utilizing the plurality of ratios, a recorded program to delete from the DVR, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR comprises the steps of;

the DVR determining a user of the plurality of users having a highest ratio among the plurality of ratios; and

the DVR determining that the recorded program has an association with the determined user, the association having been established in the DVR prior to the DVR recording the recorded program; and

the DVR deleting the determined recorded program from a hard drive of the DVR.

14. The DVR of claim 13, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing any part of a recorded program using the DVR.

15. The DVR of claim 13, wherein viewing a recorded program comprises playing the entirety of a recorded program using the DVR.

16. The DVR of claim 13, wherein the step of determining the recorded program to delete from the DVR further comprises the step of:

the DVR determining that the recorded program was recorded on the DVR before all other programs recorded on the DVR for the determined user were recorded.

17. The DVR of claim 13, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were deleted from the DVR by the user.

18. The DVR of claim 13, wherein the number of recorded programs deleted from the DVR were automatically deleted from the DVR by the DVR.