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Apparatus and method for remote control of digital video recorders and the like

Apparatus and method for remote control of digital video recorders and the like description/claims

The present invention relates generally to communications systems and methods, and, more particularly, to techniques fox remote control of a digital video recorder (DVR) or the like through a communications network such as, for example, a cable television network (or other content network), a wireless network such as a cellular network, a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network, a DOCSIS® (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) network (registered mark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc., 400 Centennial Parkway Louisville Colo. 80027, USA), and the like.

With the advent of digital communications technology, many TV program streams are transmitted in digital formats. For example, Digital Satellite System (DSS), Digital Broadcast Services (DBS), and Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) program streams awe digitally formatted pursuant to the well known Moving Pictures Experts Group 2 (MPEG-2) standard. The MPEG-2 standard specifies, among other things, the methodologies for video and audio data compression allowing for multiple programs, with different video and audio feeds, to be multiplexed in a transport stream traversing a single transmission channel. A digital TV receiver may be used to decode an MPEG-2 encoded transport stream, and extract the desired program therefrom.

In accordance with the MPEG-2 standard, video data may be compressed based on a sequence of groups of pictures (GOPs), made up of three types of picture frames, namely, intra-coded picture flames (“I-frames”), forward predictive frames (“P-frames”), and bilinear flames (“B-frames”). Each GOP may, for example, begin with an I-flame which is obtained by spatially compressing a complete picture using discrete cosine transformation (DCI). As a result, it a transmission error or a channel switch occurs, it is possible to resume correct decoding at the next I-frame. The GOP may represent additional flames by providing a much smaller block of digital data that indicates how small portions of the I-flame, referred to as macroblocks, move over time.

An I-flame is typically followed by multiple P- and B-flames in a GOP. Thus, for example, a P-frame occurs more frequently than an I-frame by a ratio of about 3 to 1. A P-flame is forward predictive and is encoded from the I- or P-flame that precedes it A P-frame contains the difference between a current flame and the previous I- or P-flame A B-flame compares both the preceding and the subsequent I- or P-frame data. The B-flame contains the average of matching macroblocks or motion vectors. Because a B-flame is encoded based upon both preceding and subsequent flame data, it effectively stores motion information.

Thus, MPEG-2 achieves its compression by assuming that only small portions of an image change over time, allowing the representation of these additional flames to be quite compact. Although GOPs have no relationship between themselves, the flames within a GOP have a specific relationship which builds off the initial I-frame.

The compressed video and audio data are typically carried by continuous elementary streams, respectively, which are broken into access units or packets, resulting in packetized elementary streams (PESs). These packets are identified by headers that contain time stamps for synchronizing, and are used to form MPEG-2 transport streams. For digital broadcasting, multiple programs and their associated PESs are multiplexed into a single transport stream. A transport stream has PES packets further subdivided into short fixed-size data packets, in which multiple programs encoded with different clocks can be carried. A transport stream not only comprises a multiplex of audio and video PESs, but also other data such as MPEG-2 program specific information (sometimes referred to as metadata) describing the transport stream. The MPEG-2 metadata may include a program associated table (PAT) that lists every program in the transport stream. Each entry in the PAT points to an individual program map table (PMT) that lists the elementary streams making up each program. Some programs are open, but some programs may be subject to conditional access (encryption), and this information (i.e., whether open or subject to conditional access) is also carried in the MPEG-2 transport stream, typically as metadata.

The aforementioned fixed-size data packets in a transport stream each carry a packet identifier (PID) code. Packets in the same elementary streams all have the same PID, so that a decoder can select the elementary stream(s) it needs and reject the remainder. Packet-continuity counters may be implemented to ensure that every packet that is needed to decode a stream is received.

The well-known H.264/MPEG-4/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard is noted for achieving very high data compression and employs basic principles similar to those of MPEG-2, with a number of features that are enhanced, compared to MPEG-2, as will be familiar to the skilled artisan.

Use of digital video recorders (DVRs), also known as personal video recorders (PVRs), such as the TiVo® device (registered mark of TiVo Brands LLC, Alviso, Calif.) and the R Replay TV® device (registered mark of Digital Networks North America Inc., Pine Brook, N.J.), is ubiquitous. Such devices may provide some benefits to TV viewers. For example, a prior art DVR allows a user to record his or her favorite TV programs for later review, and to exercise a season-pass-like option wherein every episode of his or her favorite program is recorded for some period. Such devices may automatically record programs for the user based on his or hex viewing habits and preferences. The presentation of the recorded programming content can be manipulated by exercising rewind, pause, skip and/or fast-forward functions (hereinafter referred to as “trick mode” functions) furnished by the DVR.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,189 of McElhatten, et al. is entitled “Program guide and reservation system for network based digital information and entertainment storage and delivery system.” The disclosure of the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,189 of McElhatten, et al. is expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. A “network PVR (NPVR)” (also referred to as an NDVR (Network Digital Video Recorder)) service allows the user to per form the analogous DVR functions through use of a network, rather than via a local DVR at the user premises. Unlike a DVR device, the NPVR service allows a user to “reserve” past and future programs for his or her review, even if such reserved programs were not identified by the user before their broadcast.

Note that “trick modes” or “trick play” refer to one or more of fast forward, reverse, pause, skip, and the like. Note also that an NDVR can be distinguished from a DVR in that the latter, storage of programs and the like is local to the DVR, while in the former (NDVR) case, such storage is at the server or head end level

US Patent Application Publication 20060062544 of Southwood et al discloses an apparatus and method for programming a video recording device using a remote computing device. In particular, a recorder device, such as a VCR, digital video recorder, or the like, that can be programmed from a remote computing device, such as a personal computer mobile personal digital assistant, or cell phone, over a wired and/or wireless network is disclosed. The recording device includes a recording medium configured to record audio and/or video content. A controller, which is coupled to the recording medium, is configured to control the writing of audio and/or video content onto the recording medium and to control the leading of audio and/or video content stored on the recording medium. The recording apparatus also includes a network interface configured to receive recording commands generated by a remote computer and transmitted via a network coupled to the network interface and to provide the received recording commands to the controller, the recording commands defining a selected programming content to be recorded on the recording medium.

Principles of the present invention provide techniques for controlling at least one digital video recorder. In one aspect, an exemplary method (which can be computer implemented) for controlling a set of one or more DVRs includes the step of storing at least a first permission parameter associated with a first user of the set and at least a second permission parameter associated with a second user of the set. The second permission parameter defines a different level of permission for controlling the set than the first permission parameter. The method further includes receiving, at least one server, a first request to control the set from the first user and a second request to control the set from the second user, and controlling the set in accordance with: (i) the first request, based on the first permission parameter, and (ii) the second request, based on the second permission parameter. The controlling includes at least communicating with the set over a network.

In another aspect, a method for controlling at least one digital video recorder interconnected with a content-based network includes the steps of querying at least one server to obtain program data from the server and DVR data from the digital video recorder, and receiving the program data from the server and the DVR data from the digital video recorder. The DVR data is obtained from the digital video recorder substantially in real time over the content-based network. The method further includes displaying the program data and/or the DVR data on a separate device, and controlling the at least one digital video recorder by selecting a user-operable function from the program data and/or the DVR data on the device.

In yet another aspect, a system for controlling at least one digital video recorder with another device includes a content-based network coupled to the at least one digital video recorder; and a DVR control application module coupled to the content-based network and the device. The DVR control application module may be configured to obtain program data, obtain DVR data from the digital video recorder (the DVR data being obtained from the digital video recorder substantially in real time over the content-based network), facilitate display of the program data and/or the DVR data on the device, and control the at least one digital video recorder by receiving a selection of a user-operable function from the program data and/or the DVR data on the device.

In still another aspect, a system for controlling a set comprising at least one digital video recorder includes a content-based network coupled to the set, and an identity management module configured to store at least a first permission parameter associated with a first user of the set and at least a second permission parameter associated with a second user of the set. The second permission parameter defines a different level of permission for controlling the set than the first permission parameter. The system further includes a DVR control application module coupled to the cable television network and the identity management module and configured to receive a first request to control the set from the first user and a second request to control the set from the second user, and control the set in accordance with: (i) the first request, based on the first permission parameters and (ii) the second request, based on the second permission parameter. The controlling includes at least communicating with the set over the content-based network.

As used herein, “facilitating” an action includes performing the action, making the action easier, helping to carry the action out, or causing the action to be performed. Thus, by way of example and not limitation, instructions executing on one processor might facilitate an action carried out by instructions executing on a remote processor, by sending appropriate data or commands to cause or aid the action to be performed.

An exemplary embodiment of an apparatus, according to yet another aspect of the invention, can include a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor can be operative to facilitate performance of one or more of the method steps described herein. In still another aspect, an apparatus or system can comprise means for performing the various method steps. The means can include one or more hardware modules, one or more software modules, or a mixture of one or more software modules and one or more hardware modules.

One or more method steps of the present invention can be implemented in the form of an article of manufacture comprising a machine readable medium that contains one or more programs which when executed implement such step(s).

Techniques of the present invention can provide substantial beneficial technical effects. For example, one or more inventive embodiments provide direct access to a DVR allowing more accurate determination of programs currently recorded and/or scheduled for recording, as compared to accessing a persisted copy instead of the DVR per se.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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