This application relates to the following co-pending and commonly-assigned applications, with each application incorporated herein by reference: U.S. application Ser. No. 11/300,125, filed Dec. 14, 2005 and entitled “Presence Detection in a Bandwidth Management System”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/300,061, filed Dec. 14, 2005 and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Devices for Bandwidth Conservation”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/178,075, filed Jul. 8, 2005 and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Devices for Securing Content”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/304,264, filed Dec. 14, 2005 and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Computer Program Products For Providing Traffic Control Services”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/703,352, filed Feb. 7, 2007 and entitled “Methods And Systems For Image Processing”; U.S. application Ser. No. 11/413,886, filed Apr. 28, 2006 and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Products for Recording Media”; and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/703,325, filed Feb. 7, 2007 and entitled “Methods, Systems And Products for Targeting Media”.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figures contain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
This application generally relates to interactive multimedia distribution systems and, more particularly, to recording or to copying of media.
Service and network providers should be able to command a user's digital video recorder. In today's video recording environment, the recorder's operation is initiated by the user. The user views the schedule of programs (usually presented as a grid in an electronic programming guide), selects the desired program, and then instructs the video recorder to record that program. If, however, a network provider or service provider could instruct the user's video recorder to enter a recording mode of operation, the provider could offer the user enhanced and even new services. What is needed, then, are methods, systems, and products that allow a provider to control media recording at the user's premises.
The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are reduced, according to exemplary embodiments, by methods, systems, and products that allow a network, service, and/or content provider to schedule the recording of media. These exemplary embodiments describe how the provider may send instructions to the user's video recorder, computer, or any other electronic device, and those instructions instruct the user's electronic device to record media selected by the provider. The term “media” includes movies, pictures, images, music, text, programs, and data. The provider, for example, may instruct the user's computer to receive and to store any media stream. The provider may additionally or alternatively instruct the user's digital video recorder to receive and to record or store a movie or other programming. As the following paragraphs will explain, because the provider may determine what media is saved or recorded to the user's electronic device, the provider may use that locally-stored media to offer the user enhanced and even new services.
Exemplary embodiments describe a method for recording media. A network command message is received that identifies media to be recorded by a user's device. The network command message was sent on behalf of a network, service, and/or content provider and comprises the provider's instruction to have the user's device record the media. An entry is created in a recording schedule to record the media. The media is received and recorded such that the provider schedules recording of the media.
In another exemplary embodiment, another method is disclosed for recording media. A user's recording schedule is received that indicates media scheduled for recording by a user's device. A network command message is sent on behalf of a provider that comprises the provider's instruction to alter the user's recording schedule, such that the media is recorded at an alternate date and time selected by the provider.
More exemplary embodiments describe a device for recording media. The device comprises a processor communicating with a user interface. The processor receives a network command message that identifies media to be recorded by a user's device. The network command message was sent on behalf of a network, service, and/or content provider and comprises the provider's instruction to have the user's device record the media. The processor creates an entry in a recording schedule to record the media, such that the provider schedules recording of the media.
Still more exemplary embodiments describe another device for recording media. A processor communicates with a network interface and with memory. The processor receives a user's recording schedule that indicates media scheduled for recording by a user's device. The processor sends a network command message on behalf of a provider that comprises the provider's instruction to alter the user's recording schedule, such that the media is recorded at an alternate date and time selected by the provider.
Exemplary embodiments also include a computer program product for recording media. The computer program product stores computer code for receiving a user's recording schedule that indicates media scheduled for recording by a user's device. A network command message is sent on behalf of a provider that comprises the provider's instruction to alter the user's recording schedule, such that the media is recorded at an alternate date and time selected by the provider.
Other exemplary embodiments include more computer program products. Here a user's recording schedule is received that indicates media scheduled for recording by a user's device. A network command message is sent on behalf of a provider that comprises the provider's instruction to alter the user's recording schedule, such that the media is recorded at an alternate date and time selected by the provider.
Other systems, methods, and/or devices according to the exemplary embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or devices be included within this description, be within the scope of the exemplary embodiments, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments are better understood when the following Detailed Description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The exemplary embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The reader should recognize, however, that the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Moreover, all statements herein reciting exemplary embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods of the exemplary embodiments. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing the exemplary embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer.
The server 22 receives the recording schedule 38. The server 22 has a processor 42 communicating with a network interface 44 and with memory 46. A complementary recording application 48 is stored in the memory 46 of the server 22. The complementary recording application 48 includes processor-executable code or instructions that cause the processor 42 to receive the user's recording schedule 38 via the network interface 44 to the communications network 24. The recording schedule 38 indicates what media is scheduled for recording by the user's electronic device 20. The recording schedule 38 is mirrored in the memory 46 of the server 22. Because the server 22 is operated by, or on behalf of, a network, service, and/or content provider 50, the provider 50 is notified of the media selected by the user for recording.
The reader is assumed to be generally familiar with recording schedules. If, however, the reader desires more information, the reader is invited to consult the following sources, with each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety: U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,469 to Callahan et al. (Sep. 14, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2002/0144289 to Taguchi et al. (Oct. 3, 2002); Published U.S. Patent Application 2003/0005432 to Ellis et al. (Jan. 2, 2003); Published U.S. Patent Application 2003/0131355 to Berenson et al. (Jul. 10, 2003); Published U.S. Patent Application 2003/0208767 to Williamson et al. (Nov. 6, 2003); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0008972 to Haken (Jan. 15, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0013409 to Beach et al. (Jan. 22, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0060063 to Russ et al. (Mar. 25, 2004); Published U.S. Patent Application 2004/0078817 to Horowitz et al. (Apr. 22, 2004); and Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0229212 to Kuether et al. (Oct. 13, 2005).
The user's electronic device 20 receives the network command message 52. The recording application 26 instructs the processor (shown as reference numeral 30 in
The complementary recording application 48 may additionally or alternatively access a database 63 of recommendations. The database 63 of recommendations maps, associates, or otherwise relates recommended media content. The processor 42 queries the database 63 of recommendations for the title of media selected for recording. The database 63 of recommendations returns titles of recommended media that are associated with the recorded media. If the user has scheduled a Woody Allen movie for recording, the database 63 of recommendations might return other Woody Allen movie titles. The database 63 of recommendations may return any media recommendation having the same or similar genre, category, actor(s), actress(es), or any other attributes as those selected by the user for recording. Moreover, the database 63 of recommendations may additionally contain, or have access to, advertisements for products and/or services that appeal to such recommendations.
The promotion message 68 may help reduce bandwidth consumption. When network traffic is high, the provider 50 may send the promotion message 68 to alleviate congestion. Again, because network demand sometimes peaks during the evening hours, the provider 50 may incentivize the user to accept locally-stored media, instead of consuming network or “last mile” bandwidth. The promotion message 68 may prompt the user (via the visual and/or audible prompt 70) to accept an alternative selection of media from the library 64 of media. The promotion message 68 may also be sent when the contention for bandwidth along the user's “last mile” link is exceeding the available capacity. The promotion message 68 offers media that should appeal to the user, based on her/his recording schedule (shown as reference numeral 38 in
Relevant advertising media may also be selected based, for example, on the user's demographic information. Exemplary embodiments may use demographic information to schedule and to record advertising media that is relevant to the user. The demographic information may be obtained via method, such as questionnaires, surveys, and online interactions. Exemplary embodiments may also obtain demographic information using a registration process. When the user registers the electronic device 20 with the provider's server 22, for example, the registration process may identify the user and/or the user's electronic device 20. The registration process may even include demographic information that helps identify media preferences for the registering user. The registration process, and the demographic information, however, is more explained in the co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 11/413,886, concurrently filed and entitled “Methods, Systems, and Products for Recording Media”, and incorporated above by reference.
Exemplary embodiments are applicable to any communications network. The communications network 24, for example, may be a cable network operating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol (IP) domain. The communications network 24, however, may also include a distributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimes alternatively known as the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-area network (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communications network 24 may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines, and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 24 may even include wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and any signaling standard (such as the IEEE 802 family of standards).
One example of the central processor 158 is a microprocessor. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., for example, manufactures a full line of ATHLON™ microprocessors (ATHLON™ is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., One AMD Place, P.O. Box 3453, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94088-3453, 408.732.2400, 800.538.8450, www.amd.com). The Intel Corporation also manufactures a family of X86 and P86 microprocessors (Intel Corporation, 2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, Calif. 95052-8119, 408.765.8080, www.intel.com). Other manufacturers also offer microprocessors. Such other manufacturers include Motorola, Inc. (1303 East Algonquin Road, P.O. Box A3309 Schaumburg, Ill. 60196, www.Motorola.com), International Business Machines Corp. (New Orchard Road, Armonk, N.Y. 10504, (914) 499-1900, www.ibm.com), and Transmeta Corp. (3940 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054, www.transmeta.com). Those skilled in the art further understand that the program, processes, methods, and systems described herein are not limited to any particular manufacturer's central processor.
According to an exemplary embodiment, any of the WINDOWS® (WINDOWS® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond Wash. 98052-6399, 425.882.8080, www.Microsoft.com) operating systems may be used. Other operating systems, however, are also suitable. Such other operating systems would include the UNIX® operating system (UNIX® is a registered trademark of the Open Source Group, www.opensource.org), the UNIX-based Linux operating system, WINDOWS NT®, and Mac® OS (Mac® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. 95014, 408.996.1010, www.apple.com). Those of ordinary skill in the art again understand that the program, processes, methods, and systems described herein are not limited to any particular operating system.
The system memory device (shown as memory subsystem 152, flash memory 154, or peripheral storage device 156) may also contain an application program. The application program cooperates with the operating system and with a video display unit (via the serial port 174 and/or the parallel port 176) to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The Graphical User Interface typically includes a combination of signals communicated along the keyboard port 170 and the mouse port 172. The Graphical User Interface provides a convenient visual and/or audible interface with a user of the electrical device 20.
The recording application 26 may be utilized regardless of signaling standard. As those of ordinary skill in the art recognize, some communications devices utilize a Global System for Mobile (GSM) standard. Some other communications devices utilize the Time Division Multiple Access signaling standard, the Code Division Multiple Access signaling standard, the “dual-mode” GSM-ANSI Interoperability Team (GAIT) signaling standard, or a variant of the GSMICDMA/TDMA signaling standard. Exemplary embodiments, however, may be applied to any communications device utilizing any signaling standard or compression technique. Exemplary embodiments may also be applied to any device utilizing any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band (e.g., BLUETOOTH®).
The recording application 26 may be physically embodied on or in a computer-readable medium. This computer-readable medium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, and large-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and other large-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registered trademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067, 801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media, could be distributed to end-users, licensees, and assignees. These types of computer-readable media, and other types not mention here but considered within the scope of the embodiments, allow the recording application 26 to be easily disseminated. A computer program product for recording media comprises the computer-readable medium, and the recording application 26 stores on the computer-readable medium as processor-executable code or instructions.
The recording application 26 may also be physically embodied on or in any addressable (e.g., HTTP, IEEE 802.11, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)) wire line or wireless device capable of presenting an IP address. Examples could include a computer, a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet Protocol mobile phone, or a wireless pager.
While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect to various features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled in the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited. Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.
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