Multimedia device recording notification system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648380-B2
Application number	US-63177809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2009
Priority date	Sep 14, 2009
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A command is received to record particular media content on a first device associated with a first user and the particular media content is scheduled for recording on the first device. A notification is provided to a second device associated with a second user of the scheduling of the recording of the particular media content on the first device. The second device may then schedule recording of the particular media content. The second device may schedule the recording of the particular media content without receiving a user command or subsequent to receiving a user confirmation to record the particular media content in response to the notification.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a first user device associated with a first user of a social networking website, input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;
in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receiving, by the first user device, a device identification number of the second user device;
transmitting, from the first user device, an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more user devices including the second user device;
detecting published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;
in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmitting, by the first user device, a request for scheduling information from the second user device;
in response to the transmitted request, receiving, by the first user device, scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;
scheduling, by the first user device, the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;
in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, sending, by the first user device, a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on the second user device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on any user device of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of specified users.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on a specified number of user devices of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second user device is notified in response to the first user device receiving a command to notify the second user device of the scheduling of the recording of the media content.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises automatically scheduling the recording in response to the detecting.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises prompting the first user to record the media content and receiving a user command to record the media content.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause performance of the steps comprising:
receiving, by a first user device associated with a first user of a social networking website, input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;
in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receiving, by the first user device, a device identification number of the second user device;
transmitting, from the first user device, an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more user devices including the second user device;
detecting published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;
in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmitting, by the first user device, a request for scheduling information from the second user device;
in response to the transmitted request, receiving, by the first user device, scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;
scheduling, by the first user device, the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;
in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, sending, by the first user device, a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on the second user device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on any device of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of specified users.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first user device records all media content scheduled for recording on a specified number of user devices of a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein the second user device is notified in response to the first user device receiving a command to notify the second user device of the scheduling of the recording of the media content.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises automatically scheduling the recording in response to the detecting.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 8 , wherein scheduling the recording by the first user device comprises prompting the first user to record the media content and receiving a user command to record the media content.

15. A media device comprising:
one or more processors in the user device, the user device associated with a first user of a social networking website; and
a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, causes the user device to:
receive input selecting a second user of the social networking website, the second user associated with a second user device;
in response to receiving the input selecting the second user of the social networking website, receive a device identification number of the second user device;
transmit an instruction, including the device identification number, to mimic one or more user devices associated with the second user of the social networking website, the one or more media devices including the second user device;
detect published information on a webpage of the social networking website, the published information indicating a scheduling of a recording of media content by the second user device;
in response to detecting the published information on the webpage of the social networking website, transmit a request for scheduling information from the second user device;
in response to the transmitted request, receive scheduling information from the second user device for the recording of the media content;
schedule the recording of the media content on the first user device based on the received scheduling information;
in response to receiving a command to play the recording of the media content on the first user device, send a notification of the playing of the media content to the second user device.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15 , wherein the

Assignees

• Gharaat Amir H
• Barton James M
• Patel Mukesh K
• Tivo Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Gharaat Amir H
• Barton James M
• Patel Mukesh K

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• H04N21/422

  Input-only peripherals {, i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices}, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] {(input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104)} · CPC title

• H04N21/8358

  involving watermark {(protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467)} · CPC title

• H04N5/765

  Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus · CPC title

• H04N21/442

  Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk {(arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00)} · CPC title