System and method for providing broadcast programming, a virtual VCR, and a video scrapbook to programming subscribers

A method for providing broadcast programming to subscriber locations, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving from at least one video source external to an intermediate video supplier broadcast programming comprising a plurality of video programs each scheduled to be broadcast starting at a specified time until completed;
• buffering, in a video buffer located at the intermediate video supplier, the received broadcast programming as it is received by the intermediate video supplier and as it is broadcast to subscribers whether or not the intermediate video supplier received a request from any subscriber to so buffer the broadcast programming;
• retaining the stored video programs in the video buffer after the broadcast of the video programs has been completed;
• receiving a subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier via at least one data link from a subscriber location having subscriber location equipment which includes a local video display and a local control unit;
• processing the received subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier which further includes a video server, the video server retrieving from the video
• buffer, according to the received subscriber request, a portion of broadcast programming previously buffered therein other than a portion of programming currently being broadcast, whether or not the video program in the requested portion of previously buffered broadcast programming has yet been broadcast to completion;
• accessing a copyright owner database configured to store copyright information for copyright owners who have granted permission to use content stored in at least one of the video server and the video buffer such that verification of copyright owner approval may be performed prior to execution of a function command initiated by the subscriber;
• transmitting from the video server to the local control unit the previously buffered broadcast programming for display on the local video display and
• wherein the video server, the video buffer and the local control unit are configured to process a restart subscriber request so as to facilitate viewing a currently viewed program from the be beginning when a subscriber first views the currently viewed broadcast program on a local video display at a point in time when the currently viewed program was already in progress and the restart subscriber request may be initiated by a subscriber with a single action.

A system for providing broadcast programming to subscriber locations, the system comprising:

• an intermediate video supplier which comprises:
• a video buffer and a video server that (a) receives from at least one video source external to the intermediate video supplier broadcast programming comprising a plurality of video programs each scheduled to be broadcast starting at a specified time until completed, (b) buffers the received broadcast programming in the video buffer as it is received from the at least one video source, and as it is broadcast to subscribers, whether or not the intermediate video supplier received a request from any subscriber to so buffer the broadcast programming, (c) retains the video programs in the video buffer after the broadcast of the video programs has been completed, and (d) processes received subscriber requests and retrieves, according to the received subscriber requests, either of currently broadcast programming or broadcast programming previously buffered in the video buffer by the video server,
• a services database configured to store service data corresponding to a list of services available to the subscriber location, the service data being processed and stored in the services database by the video server,
• a programming database configured to store programming data corresponding to a program schedule, the programming data processed and stored in the programming database by the video server,
• a subscriber database configured to store subscriber order and billing data corresponding to each subscriber request, the order and billing data processed and stored in the subscriber database by the video server,
• a copyright owner database configured to store copyright information for copyright owners who have granted permission to use content stored in at least one of the video server and the video buffer such that verification of copyright owner approval may be provided prior to execution of a subscriber request initiated by a subscriber,
• wherein the video server is configured to retrieve each of the stored service data from the services database and the programming data from the programming database, respectively, and exchanges the service data and programming data with the local control unit for determining a subscriber's selected services and selected programs, respectively;
• subscriber location equipment, at the subscriber location, which includes a local control unit that transmits the subscriber requests to the video server via at least one data link and receives, from the video server, either of the currently broadcast programming or the previously buffered broadcast programming for display on a local video display via the at least one data link;
• wherein the local control unit is configured to issue a subscriber request to the video server to instruct the video server to retrieve programming previously buffered in the video buffer that corresponds to a portion of broadcast programming other than the portion of programming being currently broadcast, whether or not the video program in the requested portion of broadcast programming has yet been broadcast to completion, and to transfer the retrieved buffered programming to the local control unit for viewing on the local video display;
• and
• wherein the video server, the video buffer and the local control unit are configured to process a restart subscriber request so as to facilitate viewing a currently viewed program from the beginning when a subscriber first views the currently viewed broadcast program on a local video display at a point in time when the currently viewed program was already in progress and the restart subscriber request may be initiated by a subscriber with a single action.

A system for providing broadcast programming to subscriber locations, the system comprising:

• an intermediate video supplier which includes a video buffer and a video server that (a) receives from at least one video source external to the intermediate video supplier broadcast programming comprising a plurality of video programs each scheduled to be broadcast starting at a specified time until completed, (b) buffers the received broadcast programming in the video buffer as it is received from the at least one video source, and as it is broadcast to subscribers, whether or not the intermediate video supplier received a request from any subscriber to so buffer the broadcast programming, (c) retains the video programs in the video buffer after the broadcast of the video programs has been completed, and (d) processes received subscriber requests and retrieves, according to the received subscriber requests, either of currently broadcast programming or broadcast programming previously buffered in the video buffer by the video server, and a video scrapbook database configured to store data corresponding to subscriber selected previously broadcast programming for each subscriber, the selected previously broadcast programming data processed and stored by the video server when a video scrapbook request is received from the local control unit, wherein the selected previously broadcast programming data is selected from the group consisting of a selected previously broadcast program segment and an index identifying a program segment stored in the video buffer,
• the subscriber locations having subscriber location equipment which includes a local control unit that transmits the subscriber requests to the video server via at least one data link and receives, from the video server, either of the currently broadcast programming or the previously buffered broadcast programming for display on a local video display via the at least one data link;
• wherein the local control unit is configured to issue a subscriber request to the video server to instruct the video server to retrieve programming previously buffered in the video buffer that corresponds to a portion of broadcast programming other than the portion of programming being currently broadcast, whether or not the video program in the requested portion of broadcast programming has yet been broadcast to completion, and to transfer the retrieved buffered programming to the local control unit for viewing on the local video display;
• and
• wherein the video server, the video buffer and the local control unit are configured to process a restart subscriber request so as to facilitate viewing a currently viewed program from the beginning when a subscriber first views the currently viewed broadcast program on a local video display at a point in time when the currently viewed program was already in progress and the restart subscriber request may be initiated by a subscriber with a single action.

A method for providing broadcast programming to subscriber locations, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving from at least one video source external to an intermediate video supplier broadcast programming comprising a plurality of video programs each scheduled to be broadcast starting at a specified time until completed;
• buffering, in a video buffer located at the intermediate video supplier, the received broadcast programming as it is received by the intermediate video supplier and as it is broadcast to subscribers whether or not the intermediate video supplier received a request from any subscriber to so buffer the broadcast programming;
• retaining the stored video programs in the video buffer after the broadcast of the video programs has been completed;
• receiving a subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier via at least one data link from a subscriber location having subscriber location equipment which includes a local video display and a local control unit;
• processing the received subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier which further includes a video server, the video server retrieving from the video
• buffer, according to the received subscriber request, a portion of broadcast programming previously buffered therein other than a portion of programming currently being broadcast, whether or not the video program in the requested portion of previously buffered broadcast programming has yet been broadcast to completion;
• accessing a copyright owner database configured to store copyright information for copyright owners who have granted permission to use content stored in at least one of the video server and the video buffer such that verification of copyright owner approval may be performed prior to execution of a function command initiated by the subscriber, wherein the copyright information is encoded in the content stored in at least one of the video server and the video buffer;
• transmitting from the video server to the local control unit the previously buffered broadcast programming for display on the local video display and
• wherein the video server, the video buffer and the local control unit are configured to process a restart subscriber request so as to facilitate viewing a currently viewed program from the be beginning when a subscriber first views the currently viewed broadcast program on a local video display at a point in time when the currently viewed program was already in progress and the restart subscriber request may be initiated by a subscriber with a single action.

A method for providing broadcast programming to subscriber locations, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving from at least one video source external to an intermediate video supplier broadcast programming comprising a plurality of video programs each scheduled to be broadcast starting at a specified time until completed;
• buffering, in a video buffer located at the intermediate video supplier, the received broadcast programming as it is received by the intermediate video supplier and as it is broadcast to subscribers whether or not the intermediate video supplier received a request from any subscriber to so buffer the broadcast programming;
• retaining the stored video programs in the video buffer after the broadcast of the video programs has been completed;
• receiving a subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier via at least one data link from a subscriber location having subscriber location equipment which includes a local video display and a local control unit;
• processing the received subscriber request at the intermediate video supplier which further includes a video server, the video server retrieving from the video
• buffer, according to the received subscriber request, a portion of broadcast programming previously buffered therein other than a portion of programming currently being broadcast, whether or not the video program in the requested portion of previously buffered broadcast programming has yet been broadcast to completion;
• storing data corresponding to subscriber selected previously broadcast programming for a subscriber within a video scrapbook database at the intermediate video supplier, the selected previously broadcast programming data being processed and stored by the video server when a video scrapbook request is received from the local control unit, wherein the selected previously broadcast programming data is selected from a selected previously broadcast program segment and an index identifying a program segment stored in the video buffer;
• transmitting from the video server to the local control unit the previously buffered broadcast programming for display on the local video display, and
• wherein the video server, the video buffer and the local control unit are configured to process a restart subscriber request so as to facilitate viewing a currently viewed program from the be beginning when a subscriber first views the currently viewed broadcast program on a local video display at a point in time when the currently viewed program was already in progress and the restart subscriber request may be initiated by a subscriber with a single action.