Remote DVR manager
AssigneeTime Warner Cable Enterprises LLC
InventorsWilliam H. Berger, Todd P. Bowen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for programming a digital video recorder (DVR) over a scheduling network. Program schedule information is provided to a user of a DVR via the scheduling network. A program selection is received from the scheduling client associated with a subscriber via the scheduling network. State information indicative of a state of a program provisioning system is used to determine whether the program selection is deliverable to the DVR via the program provisioning system. If the program selection is deliverable to the DVR via the program provisioning system, then the program is scheduled for recording by the DVR. The subscriber is notified if the program selection is deliverable or undeliverable.
Claims34
A method for programming a digital video recorder (DVR) over a scheduling network comprising:
- sending, by a scheduling server, a program selection received from a scheduling client associated with a subscriber via the scheduling network to a state evaluator;
- accessing, at the time of the program selection by the state evaluator, a datastore comprising state information indicative of a state of a program source, a network path between the program source and a user's DVR, and the DVR of a program provisioning system, wherein the datastore is remote from the DVR;
- determining, at the time of the program selection by the state evaluator, from the state information indicative of the state of the program source, the network path between the program source and the user's DVR, and the DVR of the program provisioning system, whether the program selection is deliverable to the DVR via the program provisioning system, wherein the determination is made remotely from the DVR by the state evaluator;
- receiving, by the scheduling server, the determination made by the state evaluator;
- denying, by the scheduling server, the program selection upon the determination that recording of the program selection is precluded by the state information of the program provisioning system, and
- communicating, by the scheduling server, the program selection to the DVR upon the determination that the recording of the program selection is deliverable to the DVR by the state information of the program provisioning system.
A digital video recorder (DVR) remote scheduling system comprising:
- a scheduling network;
- a scheduling client, wherein the scheduling client is associated with a subscriber, wherein the scheduling client is configured to send a program selection to a scheduling server via the scheduling network;
- a program provisioning system comprising a program source, a network path between the program source and a user's DVR and the DVR;
- a datastore, wherein the datastore comprises state information indicative of a state of a program source, a network path between the program source and a user's DVR, and the DVR of the program provisioning system, and wherein the datastore is remote from the DVR;
- a state evaluator remote from the DVR and configured to perform operations comprising:
- receiving the state information indicative of the state of the program source, the network path between the program source and the user's DVR, and the DVR of the program provisioning system from the datastore at the time of the program selection;
- and
- determining, at the time of the program selection, from the state information indicative of the state of the program source, the network path between the program source and the user's DVR, and the DVR of the program provisioning system whether the program selection is deliverable to the DVR via the program provisioning system;
- and
- the scheduling server configured to perform operations comprising:
- receiving the determination from the state evaluator whether the program selection is deliverable to the DVR via the program provisioning system;
- and
- denying the program selection upon the determination that recording of the program selection is precluded by the state information of the program provisioning system, and
- communicating the program selection for recording to the DVR upon the determination that the program selection is deliverable to the DVR by the state information of the program provisioning system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.