Patent ID: 8225368
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying content items in a system including at least one storage device with a storage for storing content items broadcasted through a broadcast system which identifies each broadcast content item by a corresponding broadcast Content Reference Identifier (CRID); the method including: identifying each content item in the storage of the storage device by a corresponding local Content Reference Identifier (CRID); storing in the storage a CRID list that includes a selection of local CRIDs and broadcast CRIDs, an associated validity interval for each of said local and broadcast CRIDs having a starting date and an ending date, each of said local and broadcast CRIDs identifying a respective content item that remains unchanged during said associated validity interval; receiving a new broadcast CRID; determining an initial validity interval for the new broadcast CRID, the initial validity interval having a starting date and an ending date, during said initial validity interval the content item associated with said new broadcast CRID remains unchanged; determining whether said new broadcast CRID is identical to a GRID stored in the CRID list; determining whether or not the initial validity interval of said new broadcast CRID overlaps with the associated validity interval stored in the CRID list for the GRID identical to the new broadcast GRID; and adding the new broadcast GRID to the GRID list only if no overlap is determined, and if an overlap is determined, not adding the new broadcast CRID to the GRID list and updating the associated validity interval of the identical CRID stored in the GRID list to having, as the starting date of the updated associated validity interval, an earliest date of the starting dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast GRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored CRID, and as the ending date, a latest date of the ending dates of the initial validity interval of the new broadcast GRID and the stored associated validity interval of the identical stored GRID.