Personal video channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9419978-B2
Application number	US-201414298307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Jun 21, 2006
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods provide personal channels from a network-capable user terminal. A first user terminal may receive a request from a second user terminal for access to a personal channel created by a user and stored on the first user terminal in association with media content. In response to the request, the first user terminal may access the media content associated with the requested personal channel and provide the media content to the first user terminal over the network. A data center accessible by both the first and second user terminals may facilitate the access to the personal channel by storing information associated with the personal channel, including terminal identifiers and metadata, and providing a searchable catalog interface to identify personal channels to view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting, by a first device and to a second device, information associated with a channel,
the second device being different than the first device,
the channel being associated with media content stored in a memory of the first device;

receiving, by the first device, a request to access the channel,
the request being received from a third device,
the third device being different than the first device and the second device,
the request being transmitted to the first device based on an identifier of the channel,
the identifier of the channel being provided to the third device, by the second device, based on the second device determining that a user of the third device is authorized to access the channel; and

transmitting, by the first device, the media content directly from the first device to the third device based on receiving the request,
the first device being a first user device and the third device being a second user device, and
the media content being transmitted to the third device as part of a streaming media session.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
establishing, by the first device, a communication link between the first device and the third device,
where transmitting the media content includes:
transmitting, using the communication link, the media content directly from the first device to the third device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the information associated with the channel from a user of the first device,
where the information associated with the channel includes metadata associated with the channel.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
storing, in a data structure, information identifying the channel in association with:
the metadata, and
information identifying the media content.

5. The method of claim 3 , where transmitting the information associated with the channel includes:
transmitting the information associated with the channel, including the metadata, to cause the information associated with the channel to be stored, by the second device, in association with the identifier of the channel.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting an option to create the channel or an option to modify the channel;
retrieving the media content after selecting the option to create the channel or the option to modify the channel and prior to transmitting the information associated with the channel; and
associating information identifying the media content with information identifying the channel after retrieving the media content and prior to transmitting the information associated with the channel.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting other content to the second device to permit the second device to send the other content directly to a fourth device.

8. A system comprising:
a first device, comprising a memory, to:
transmit, to a second device and via a network, information associated with a channel,
the second device being different than the first device,
the channel being associated with media content stored in the memory of the first device;

receive a request to access the channel,
the request being received from a third device,
the third device being different than the first device and the second device,
the request being transmitted to the first device based on an identifier of the channel,
the identifier of the channel being provided to the third device, by the second device via the network, based on the second device determining that a user of the third device is authorized to access the channel; and

transmit the media content from the first device to the third device based on receiving the request,
the first device being a first user device and the third device being a second user device, and
the media content being transmitted from the first device to the third device as part of a streaming media session.

9. The system of claim 8 , where the first device is further to:
receive the information associated with the channel from a user of the first device,
where the information associated with the channel includes metadata associated with the channel.

10. The system of claim 9 , where the metadata includes information identifying privacy associated with the channel and information identifying an age rating associated with the channel.

11. The system of claim 9 , where, when transmitting the information associated with the channel, the first device is to:
transmit the information associated with the channel, including the metadata, to cause the information associated with the channel to be stored, by the second device, in association with the identifier of the channel.

12. The system of claim 8 , where the first device is further to:
transmit other content to the second device to permit the second device to send the other content directly to a fourth device.

13. The system of claim 8 , where the first device is further to:
establish a communication link between the first device and the third device,

where, when transmitting the media content, the first device is to:
transmit, using the communication link, the media content directly from the first device to the third device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a first device, cause the one or more processors to transmit, to a second device via a network, information associated with a channel,
the second device being different than the first device,
the channel being associated with media content stored in a memory of the first device;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive a request to access the channel,
the request being received from a third device,
the third device being different than the first device and the second device,
the request being transmitted to the first device based on an identifier of the channel,
the identifier of the channel being provided to the third device, by the second device via the network, based on the second device determining that a user of the third device is authorized to access the channel; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to transmit the media content from the first device to the third device based on receiving the request,
the first device being a first user device and the third device being a second user device, and
the media content being transmitted from the first device to the third device as part of a streaming media session.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , where the instructions further comprise:
one or more instructions to receive the information associated with the channel from a user of the first device,
where the information associated with the channel includes metadata associated with the channel.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where the metadata includes information identifying an age rating associated with the channel and information identifying a level of access associated with the channel.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , where the instructions further comprise:
one or more instructions to store, in a data structure, information identifying the channel in association with:
the metadata, and
information identifying the media content.

Assignees

• Verizon Data Services Llc
• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Zafar Shadman
• Rodrigues Ruchir
• Kassam Shafiq
• Ruiz-Velasco Enrique

Classifications

• H04L63/10 Primary

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04L61/457 Primary

  containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names · CPC title

• H04L9/3215

  using a plurality of channels (network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18) · CPC title

• H04L12/2834

  Switching of information between an external network and a home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856) · CPC title

• H04L69/14

  Multichannel or multilink protocols · CPC title