Methods and systems for managing a local digital video recording system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9955213-B2
Application number	US-201514701270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

An exemplary web services provider system remote from and communicatively coupled to a local digital video recording (“DVR”) system by way of a network detects an input command provided by a user and representative of a request for the local DVR system to perform a DVR operation with respect to a media program provided by a television service, identifies, in response to the request, a status of the media program, determines, based on the identified status of the media program, an optimal manner in which to perform the DVR operation, and directs the local DVR system to perform the DVR operation in accordance with the optimal manner. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting, by a web services provider system remote from and communicatively coupled to a local digital video recording (“DVR”) system by way of a network, an input command provided by a user and representative of a request for the local DVR system to record a media program during a live transmission of the media program by a television service, the local DVR system comprising a media player device and a local DVR device separate from and communicatively coupled to the media player device;
determining, by the web services provider system in response to the request, that the media program is already being recorded during the live transmission of the media program by more than a predetermined threshold number of DVR devices when the input command is provided by the user;
determining, by the web services provider system based on the determining that the media program is already being recorded by more than the predetermined threshold number of DVR devices, that the local DVR device is to abstain from recording the media program during the live transmission of the media program and instead utilize a catch up television service to record the media program subsequent to the live transmission; and
transmitting, by the web services provider system, a recording command to the local DVR device to begin recording, subsequent to the live transmission, a media stream that includes the media program and that is provided by the catch up television service.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the web services provider system, an additional input command provided by the user and representative of an additional request for the local DVR system to record an additional media program provided by the television service;
determining, by the web services provider system, that an additional media stream that includes the additional media program is available to the local DVR system when the additional input command is provided by the user;
determining, by the web services provider system based on the determining that the additional media stream is available to the local DVR system when the additional input command is provided by the user, that the local DVR device is to begin recording the additional media program in response to the additional input command being provided by the user; and
transmitting, by the web services provider system in response to and within a predetermined time period of determining that the local DVR device is to begin recording the additional media program in response to the additional input command being provided by the user, an additional recording command to the local DVR device for the local DVR device to begin receiving and recording the additional media stream.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the web services provider system, an additional input command provided by the user and representative of an additional request for the local DVR system to record an additional media program provided by the television service;
determining, by the web services provider system, that an additional media stream that includes the additional media program will not be available to the local DVR system until a scheduled time that is subsequent to the additional input command being provided by the user;
determining, by the web services provider system based on the determining that the additional media stream will not be available to the local DVR system until the scheduled time, that the local DVR device is to wait until the scheduled time to begin recording the additional media program; and
waiting, by the web services provider system, to transmit an additional recording command associated with the additional media program to the local DVR device until a point in time that temporally precedes and is within a predetermined amount of time of the scheduled time.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
detecting, by the web services provider system while waiting to transmit the additional recording command to the local DVR device, a change in a status of the additional media program; and
modifying, by the web services provider system in response to the detecting of the change in the status, the additional recording command to reflect the change in the status prior to additional the recording command being transmitted to the local DVR device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the detecting of the change in the status of the additional media program comprises determining that recording the additional media program beginning at the scheduled time will conflict with a scheduled recording of a second additional media program; and
the modifying of the additional recording command comprises
identifying a different time that the additional media program will be available to the local DVR device and that does not conflict with the scheduled recording of the second additional media program, and
updating the additional recording command with data that directs the local DVR device to begin recording the additional media program at the different time.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the detecting of the change in the status of the additional media program comprises detecting a change in the scheduled time; and
the modifying of the recording command comprises updating the additional recording command with data that directs the local DVR device to begin recording the additional media program at the changed scheduled time.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the web services provider system, an additional input command provided by the user and representative of an additional request for the media player device to play back an additional media program subsequent to a previous request to record an additional media program;
determining, by the web services provider system, that the additional media program has been recorded by the local DVR device;
determining, by the web services provider system in response to the determining that the additional media program has been recorded by the local DVR device, that the media player device is to use the local DVR device as a source for the additional media program; and
directing, by the web services provider system, the media player device to play back the additional media program by receiving, from the local DVR device, an additional media stream that includes the additional media program.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, by the web services provider system, an additional input command provided by the user and representative of an additional request for the media player device to play back an additional media program subsequent to a previous request to record the additional media program;
determining, by the web services provider system, that the additional media program has not yet been recorded by the local DVR device and that the additional media program is available from the catch up television service;
determining, by the web services provider system in response to the determining that the additional media program has not yet been recorded by the local DVR device and that the additional media program is available from the catch up television service, that the media player device is to use the catch up television service as a source for the additional media program; and
directing, by the web services provider system, the media player device to play back the additional media program by receiving, from a catch up television service provider system associated with the catch up television service, an additional media stream that includes the additional media program.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the web servic

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Jin Zhiying
• Xia Wei
• Rathi Sandeep G
• Scott Iii Samuel T
• Schmidt Johannes P

Classifications

• H04N21/4334 Primary

  Recording operations (recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27) · CPC title

• H04N21/2747

  Remote storage of video programmes received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server · CPC title

• H04N21/4583

  Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programmes in the same time slot · CPC title

• H04N21/6543

  for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} · CPC title

• H04N21/4135

  external recorder (interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775) · CPC title