# US 11,115,711 B2 · Thumbnail cache > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,711 B2 - Document ID: US11115711B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/564,346 - Filed: 2019-09-09 - Published: 2020-03-05 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2012-08-17 - Assignees: Flextronics AP, LLC - Applicants: Flextronics AP, LLC - Inventors: Mikhail Shoykher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115711B2 ## 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)} - H04N 21/44226: {on social networks} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N 21/4335: Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions {(storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A thumbnail management system is provided for an intelligent TV. Thumbnails may accumulate over time and require removal from a data storage device. Thumbnails may expire based, in part, on the type of media they represent, such as broadcast programs, movies, pay-per-view, games, and user content, such as music and images. Thumbnails may also be removed upon removal of the referencing media file. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operation of a thumbnail engine of an electronic device, comprising: accessing, by a processor associated with the electronic device, a thumbnail image in a storage, the thumbnail image being associated with a media file; upon an occurrence of a thumbnail expiration event, marking the thumbnail image for deletion, wherein the thumbnail expiration event comprises deletion of the associated media file; and upon an occurrence of a delete event, the delete event being different from the thumbnail expiration event, and determining that the thumbnail image is marked for deletion, deleting the thumbnail image from the storage; and wherein the delete event occurs upon determining that an amount of free space in the storage is below a threshold free space value to increase the amount of free space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a stored thumbnail image by a thumbnail identifier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving requests for the thumbnail image; storing a timestamp of a receive request associated with the thumbnail image; and returning the thumbnail image. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail expiration event further comprises determining a last access of the thumbnail image was prior to a threshold expiration value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the thumbnail expiration event further comprises determining that a time the thumbnail image was last accessed was prior to a time that another thumbnail image was accessed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating the thumbnail image with a media type in accord with a category associated with the media file; and wherein marking the thumbnail image for deletion, further comprises, marking the thumbnail image for deletion in accordance with the media type. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the category associated with the media file is at least one of text, audio, video frame, a plurality of video frames, live programming, media provider, media creator, still image and interactive content. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: scanning the media file; extracting a raw thumbnail image from the scanned media; processing the raw thumbnail image; and creating the thumbnail image from the processed raw thumbnail image. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the processing of the raw thumbnail image comprises at least one of scaling, cropping and rotating. ### Claim 10 An electronic device, comprising: a storage; a processor; wherein the storage contains a thumbnail associated with a media file; wherein the processor automatically marks the thumbnail for deletion upon a determination that an expiration event occurred, the expiration event being different from a delete event and wherein the expiration event comprises a determination that the associated media file has been deleted from the storage; and wherein the processor detects an occurrence of the delete event and, in response thereto, deletes the marked thumbnail; and wherein the delete event occurs upon determining that an amount of free space in the storage is below a threshold free space value to increase the amount of free space. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, wherein the processor further retrieves the thumbnail upon receiving a request associated with an identifier associated with the thumbnail. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, wherein the processor further automatically marks the thumbnail for deletion upon the determination that the expiration event occurred wherein the expiration event is associated with a category of the media file. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The electronic device of claim 10, wherein marking the thumbnail for deletion, further comprises, marking the thumbnail for deletion in accordance with a media type of the media file. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor further: scans the media file; extracts a raw thumbnail image from the scanned media; processes the raw thumbnail image; and performs the creating of the thumbnail from the processed raw thumbnail image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processing of the raw thumbnail image comprises at least one of scaling, cropping and rotating. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable medium with instructions thereon to cause a computer to perform: creating a thumbnail image associated with a media; storing a thumbnail image in a storage associated with an electronic device; associating the thumbnail image with the media; upon an occurrence of a thumbnail expiration event, marking the thumbnail image for deletion, wherein the thumbnail expiration event comprises deletion of the associated media; and upon an occurrence of a delete event different from the thumbnail expiration event, deleting the thumbnail image; and wherein the delete event occurs upon determining that an amount of free space in the storage is below a threshold free space value to increase the amount of free space. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to retrieve a stored thumbnail image by a thumbnail identifier. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to: receive a request for the thumbnail image; store a timestamp of the receive request associated with the thumbnail image; and return the thumbnail image. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The medium of claim 16, wherein marking the thumbnail image for deletion, further comprises, marking the thumbnail image for deletion in accordance with a media type of a media file. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to: scan the media; extract a raw thumbnail image from the scanned media; process the raw thumbnail image; and perform the creating of the thumbnail image from the processed raw thumbnail image.