Media content crowdsource

• US 9,961,401 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Petruzzelli, Edmund, Kummer, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOMERA, CAROLINE J R
• Application Number:
  US15/389,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20170111696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 725 23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• 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 21/4622 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 21/4627 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 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6162 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless

Abstract

The provisioning of media content to computing devices that might not normally have access thereto. Example types of media or media content may include advertising media, broadcast media, social media, news media, and others.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

outputting, by a television receiver, for presentation with a display a configuration interface, the configuration interface facilitating one or more user-selectable options to configure the television receiver;

responsive to one or more selections received via the configuration interface, configuring the television receiver to, at a direction of a satellite television provider;

utilize idle tuner resources to tune to one or more requested satellite communication channels,

receive television programming via the one or more requested satellite communication channels, and

serve the television programming to one or more arbitrary devices, detected by the satellite television provider, over one or more broadband terrestrial communication channels;

consequent to the configuring the television receiver, receiving an access request, at the television receiver from the satellite television provider, to access particular satellite programming and transfer the particular satellite programming to a secondary device over a broadband terrestrial communication channel of the one or more broadband terrestrial communication channels, wherein;

the television receiver is associated with a first customer account of the satellite television provider,

the secondary device is associated with a second customer account of the satellite television provider different from the first customer account, and

the secondary device is detected by the satellite television provider from the one or more arbitrary devices;

receiving negotiation information, at the television receiver from the satellite television provider, to link the television receiver with the secondary device in order to serve the particular satellite programming from the television receiver to the secondary device; and

responsive to the access request from the satellite television provider;

determining, by the television receiver, to provide the particular satellite programming from storage of the television receiver when the particular satellite programming is accessible from storage of the television receiver;

allocating, by the television receiver, a particular tuner of the television receiver to receive the particular satellite programming over a satellite communication channel when the particular satellite programming is not accessible from the storage of the television receiver;

establishing a communication connection between the television receiver and the secondary device; and

transferring the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, the particular satellite programming over the satellite communication channel.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

terminating the communication connection between the television receiver and the secondary device upon completion of transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring the transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel to identify any disruption in the transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a particular command to authorize transfer of content to any particular requesting device in response to receiving a particular request to transfer content over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a particular command to define a particular number of tuners of the television receiver to make available for receiving satellite broadcast content for transfer over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a particular command to authorize transfer of content accessible to the television receiver from a digital video recorder for transfer over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, a particular command to authorize a particular reimbursement for credit to the first customer account associated with the television receiver in return for transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel.

9. A television receiver, comprising:

at least one processor;

a plurality of tuners each one communicatively coupled with the at least one processor;

a broadband terrestrial communication interface communicatively coupled with the at least one processor; and

at least one memory element communicatively coupled with and readable by at least one processor and having stored therein processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

cause output for presentation with a display a configuration interface, the configuration interface facilitating one or more user-selectable options to configure the television receiver;

responsive to one or more selections received via the configuration interface, configure the television receiver to, at a direction of a satellite television provider;

utilize idle tuner resources to tune to one or more requested satellite communication channels,

receive television programming via the one or more requested satellite communication channels, and

serve the television programming to one or more arbitrary devices, detected by the satellite television provider, over one or more broadband terrestrial communication channels;

consequent to the configuring the television receiver, detect receipt of an access request from the satellite television provider to access particular satellite programming and transfer the particular satellite programming to a secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication interface, wherein;

the television receiver is associated with a first customer account of a satellite television provider different than a second customer account associated with the secondary device, and

the secondary device is detected by the satellite television provider from the one or more arbitrary devices;

process negotiation information, received from the satellite television provider, to link the television receiver with the secondary device in order to serve the particular satellite programming from the television receiver to the secondary device; and

responsive to the access request from the satellite television provider;

determine to provide the particular satellite programming from storage of the television receiver when the particular satellite programming is accessible from storage of the television receiver; and

allocate a particular tuner of the plurality of tuners to receive the particular satellite programming over a satellite communication channel when the particular satellite programming is not accessible from the storage of the television receiver;

establish a communication connection between the television receiver and the secondary device; and

transfer the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication interface.

10. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

acquire the particular satellite programming over the satellite communication channel.

11. The television receiver of claim 10, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

terminate the communication connection between the television receiver and the secondary device upon completion of transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication interface.

12. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

detect receipt of a particular command to authorize transfer of content to any particular requesting device in response to a particular request to transfer content over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

13. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

detect receipt of a particular command to define a particular number of tuners of the plurality of tuners to make available for receiving satellite broadcast content for transfer over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

14. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

detect receipt of a particular command to authorize transfer of content accessible to the television receiver from a digital video recorder for transfer over a particular broadband terrestrial communication channel by the television receiver.

15. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:

detect receipt of a particular command to authorize a particular reimbursement for credit to the first customer account associated with the television receiver in return for the transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication interface.

16. A non-transitory, processor-readable media including processor-readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

causing output for presentation with a display a configuration interface, the configuration interface facilitating one or more user-selectable options to configure a television receiver;

responsive to one or more selections received via the configuration interface, configuring the television receiver to, at a direction of a satellite television provider;

utilize idle tuner resources to tune to one or more requested satellite communication channels,

receive television programming via the one or more requested satellite communication channels, and

serve the television programming to one or more arbitrary devices, detected by the satellite television provider, over one or more broadband terrestrial communication channels;

consequent to the configuring the television receiver, processing an access request, received from the satellite television provider, to access particular satellite programming and transfer the particular satellite programming to a secondary device over a broadband terrestrial communication channel of the one or more broadband terrestrial communication channels, wherein;

the television receiver is associated with a first customer account of a satellite television provider different than a second customer account associated with the secondary device, and

the secondary device is detected by the satellite television provider from the one or more arbitrary devices;

processing negotiation information, received from the satellite television provider, to link the television receiver with the secondary device in order to serve the particular satellite programming from the television receiver to the secondary device; and

responsive to the access request from the satellite television provider;

determining, by the television receiver, to provide the particular satellite programming from storage of the television receiver when the particular satellite programming is accessible from storage of the television receiver; and

allocating, by the television receiver, a particular tuner of the television receiver to receive the particular satellite programming over a satellite communication channel when the particular satellite programming is not accessible from the storage of the television receiver;

establishing a communication connection between the television receiver and the secondary device in order to transfer the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel; and

causing transfer of the particular satellite programming to the secondary device over the broadband terrestrial communication channel.