# US 11,303,938 B2 · Systems and methods for optimizing a set-top box to retrieve missed content

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- Number: US 11,303,938 B2
- Document ID: US11303938B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/182,626
- Filed: 2021-02-23
- Published: 2021-06-10
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-30
- Assignees: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Applicants: Rovi Guides, Inc.
- Inventors: Madhusudhan Srinivasan; Piar Chand; Labhala Gowtham; Durga Prasad Pulicharla; Aditya Rautray; Deviprasad Punja
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11303938B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement}
- H04N 21/4147: PVR [Personal Video Recorder] (H04N5/76 takes precedence {; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40})
- H04N 21/21825: {involving removable storage units, e.g. tertiary storage such as magnetic tapes or optical disks}
- H04N 21/23106: {involving caching operations (prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568)}
- H04N 21/44016: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip}
- H04N 21/4425: Monitoring of client processing errors or hardware failure
- H04N 21/458: Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules {; time-related management operations (arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10)}
- H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)}
- H04N 21/43637: {involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth®, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] (arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

The systems and methods described herein optimize the retrieval of missed content by playing back cached content to enable tuners with limited capacity to retrieve the missed content. A content presentation system may receive, with a tuner, a transmission of content comprising media content and advertisements. The content presentation system may cache the advertisements. The content presentation system may determine whether an interruption during the transmission resulted in a missed portion of content and, in response, determine whether an advertisement upcoming at a time period in the transmission of content is cached. If the upcoming advertisement is cached, the content presentation system may play back the cached advertisement at the time period and release the tuner previously receiving the transmission of content to retrieve the missed portion of the content during the time period.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, at a user device, a first media content item;
receiving, at the user device, a second media content item;
determining that a portion of the first media content item is a portion of the second media content item;
in response to determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the second media content item, storing the portion of the first media content item;
determining that the portion of the first media content item is a portion of a third media content item that will be received at the user device at an upcoming time;
detecting an interruption while receiving the third media content item at the device that causes the portion of the third media content item not to be received;
in response to detecting the interruption that causes the portion of the third media content item not to be received, retrieving from storage the portion of first media content item; and
causing to be displayed the portion of the first media content item at the time when the portion of the third media content item is to be displayed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein storing the portion of the first media content item occurs prior to playback of the portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item at an upcoming time comprises detecting a unique identifier of the portion of the first media content item in the portion of the third media content item.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
in response to determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the second media content item, storing the portion of the first media content item and a unique identifier corresponding to the portion of the first media content item; and
updating a field corresponding to the unique identifier in a storage-tracking data structure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item that will be received at the user device at the upcoming time comprises detecting a unique identifier corresponding to the portion of the first media content item in the third media content item.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item that will be received at the user device at the upcoming time comprises:
receiving a first schedule comprising respective time periods for each of a first plurality of portions of the first media content item;
identifying the time period of the respective time periods for each of the first plurality of portion of the first media content item corresponding to the portion of the first media content item;
receiving a second schedule comprising respective time periods for each of a second plurality of portions of the third media content item; and
determining the time period corresponding to the portion of the first media content item is in the second plurality of portions of the third media content item.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein storing the portion of the first media content item comprises storing, in local storage, a copy of the portion of the first media content item and a corresponding unique identifier.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim of claim 7, further comprising:
in response to storing the copy of the portion of the first media content item and the corresponding unique identifier, updating a field in a storage-tracking data structure corresponding to the corresponding unique identifier.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
determining whether the portion of the first media content item is stored based on the field corresponding to the corresponding to the unique identifier in the storage-tracking data structure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein determining the portion of the first media content item is stored comprises determining whether the corresponding unique identifier corresponds to a copy of the portion of the first media content item stored in the local storage.

### Claim 11

A system comprising:
a memory storing instructions; and
control circuitry communicably coupled to the memory and the communication port and configured to execute the instructions to:
receive, at a user device, a first media content item;
receive, at the user device, a second media content item;
determine that a portion of the first media content item is a portion of the second media content item;
in response to determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the second media content item, store the portion of the first media content item;
determine that the portion of the first media content item is a portion of a third media content item that will be received at the user device at an upcoming time;
detect an interruption while receiving the third media content item at the device that causes the portion of the third media content item not to be received;
in response to detecting the interruption that causes the portion of the third media content item not to be received, retrieve from storage the portion of first media content item; and
cause to be displayed the portion of the first media content item at the time when the portion of the third media content item is to be displayed.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to store the portion of the first media content item occurs prior to playback of the portion.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry determines that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item at an upcoming time by detecting a unique identifier of the portion of the first media content item in the portion of the third media content item.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
in response to determining that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the second media content item, store the portion of the first media content item and a unique identifier corresponding to the portion of the first media content item; and
update a field corresponding to the unique identifier in a storage-tracking data structure.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item that will be received at the user device at the upcoming time by detecting a unique identifier corresponding to the portion of the first media content item in the third media content item.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to determine that the portion of the first media content item is the portion of the third media content item that will be received at the user device at the upcoming time is further configured to:]
receive a first schedule comprising respective time periods for each of a first plurality of portions of the first media content item;
identify the time period of the respective time periods for each of the first plurality of portion of the first media content item corresponding to the portion of the first media content item;
receive a second schedule comprising respective time periods for each of a second plurality of portions of the third media content item; and
determine the time period corresponding to the portion of the first media content item is in the second plurality of portions of the third media content item.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to store the portion of the first media content item is further configured to store, in local storage, a copy of the portion of the first media content item and a corresponding unique identifier.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim of claim 17, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
in response to storing the copy of the portion of the first media content item and the corresponding unique identifier, update a field in a storage-tracking data structure corresponding to the corresponding unique identifier.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
determine whether the portion of the first media content item is stored based on the field corresponding to the corresponding to the unique identifier in the storage-tracking data structure.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the control circuitry configured to determine the portion of the first media content item is stored is further configured to determine whether the corresponding unique identifier corresponds to a copy of the portion of the first media content item stored in the local storage.