# US 10,321,189 B1 · Methods and systems for content management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,321,189 B1 - Document ID: US10321189B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/463,650 - Filed: 2017-03-20 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2014-02-27 - Assignees: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC - Applicants: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC - Inventors: Jeffrey Ronald Wannamaker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10321189B1 ## CPC - H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - G11B 27/10: Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel - H04N 7/17336: {Handling of requests in head-ends} - H04N 21/231: Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion - H04N 21/2408: {Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests (monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} - H04N 21/252: {Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data} - H04N 21/4147: PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40}) - H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/472: End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)} - H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand} - H04N 21/6543: for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording {(remote booting in general G06F9/4416)} - H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract Methods and systems for managing content are disclosed. An example method can comprise monitoring a number of users accessing content, and recording a first segment of the content if the number of users accessing the content reaches a threshold value. A second segment of the content can be recorded based on a request to record the second segment of the content, and at least a portion of the recording of the first segment of the content can be associated with the recording of the second segment of the content. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: determining a quantity of user devices accessing content; recording, based on the quantity of user devices accessing the content satisfying a threshold, a first segment of the content; recording, based on a request to record the content, a second segment of the content; associating a portion of the recording of the first segment of the content with the recording of the second segment of the content; and causing output of the portion of the recording of the first segment of the content and the recording of the second segment of the content as a single recording. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: incrementing, based on a notification that a user device has accessed the content, a counter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the quantity of user devices accessing the content does not satisfy the threshold; and terminating, based on determining that the quantity of user devices accessing the content does not satisfy the threshold, the recording of the first segment of the content. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining that the quantity of user devices accessing the content no longer satisfies the threshold; determining, based on the quantity of user devices accessing the content no longer satisfying the threshold, that another quantity of user devices accessing the content will satisfy the threshold within a time period; and resuming, based on determining that the another quantity of user devices accessing the content will satisfy the threshold within the time period, the recording of the first segment of the content. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the content comprises a first part of a content item and the second segment of the content comprises a second part of the content item. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the recording of the first segment of the content begins prior in time to the recording of the second segment of the content. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein recording the first segment of the content comprises storing the first segment of the content in a temporary storage buffer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein recording the second segment of the content comprises storing the second segment of the content in a storage associated with a user device based on a request for the content. ### Claim 9 A method, comprising: receiving, from a first user device, a first request to record content; recording, based on the first request, a first segment of the content; receiving, from a second user device, a second request to record the content; recording, based on the second request, a second segment of the content; associating a portion of the recording of the first segment of the content with the recording of the second segment of the content; and causing output of the portion of the recording of the first segment of the content and the recording of the second segment of the content as a single recording. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising incrementing, based on one or more of the first request to record the content or the second request to record the content, a counter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein recording the first segment of the content is based on a quantity of user devices accessing the content satisfying a threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein recording the first segment of the content comprises storing the first segment of the content in a temporary storage buffer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the quantity of user devices accessing the content no longer satisfies the threshold; determining, based on the quantity of user devices accessing the content no longer satisfying the threshold, that another quantity of user devices accessing the content will satisfy the threshold within a time period; and resuming, based on determining that the another quantity of user devices accessing the content will satisfy the threshold within the time period, the recording of the first segment of the content. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the first segment of the content comprises a first part of a content item and the second segment of the content comprises a second part of the content item. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: storing a first segment of content; receiving a second segment of the content from a storage device, wherein the storage device is configured to store the content in a temporary storage buffer based on a threshold number of users accessing the content; associating a portion of the first segment of the content with a portion of the second segment of the content, wherein the portion of the second segment of the content is stored by the storage device prior in time to the storing of the portion of the first segment of the content; and causing output of the portion of the first segment of the content and the portion of the second segment of the content as a single content item. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the second segment of the content is stored at the storage device in a time-shift buffer when the quantity of user devices accessing the content satisfies the threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the second segment of the content comprises a first part of the single content item and the first segment of the content comprises a second part of the single content item, and wherein the first part of the single content item begins at a first time and the second part of the single content item begins at a second time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the storage device is further configured to determine the quantity of user devices accessing the content. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the storage device is configured to store the portion of the second segment of the content when the quantity of user devices accessing the content does not satisfy the threshold based on a prediction that the quantity of user devices accessing the content will satisfy the threshold within a time period. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the storage device is further configured to store the portion of the second segment of the content while the quantity of user devices accessing the content satisfies the threshold.