Method and system of using idle receiving unit resources for receiving content and communicating the content to other receiving units in the network
AssigneeThe DIRECTV Group, Inc.
InventorsSean S. Lee, Scott D. Casavant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for providing content includes a network having a plurality of receiving units. The system further includes a first receiving unit of the plurality of receiving units that forms a recording request, when the first receiving unit includes unavailable resources and communicates the recording request through the network. A second receiving unit receives the request and stores content in a second memory corresponding to the request and communicates the content to the first receiving unit.
Claims16
A system comprising:
- a network having a plurality of receiving units;
- a first receiving unit of the plurality of receiving units, said first receiving unit forming a recording request, when the first receiving unit includes unavailable resources, communicating the recording request through the network;
- a second receiving unit having a first available resource;
- and
- a third receiving unit having a second available resource different than the first available resource, said first available resource in combination with the second available resource storing the content in a storage device.
A method of controlling a system that includes a network having a plurality of receiving units comprising:
- forming a recording request at a first receiving unit of the plurality of receiving units;
- when the first receiving unit includes unavailable resources, communicating the recording request for the first receiving unit through the network;
- receiving the recording request at a second receiving unit of the plurality of receiving units having a first available resource;
- receiving the recording request at a third receiving unit of the plurality of receiving units having a second available resource different than the first available resource;
- and
- storing the content in a storage device associated with the third receiving unit using the first available resource in combination with the second available resource.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.