Patent ID: 7519627
Filing Date: 2009-04-14
Classification: H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for automatically scheduling the deletion of a plurality of files on a digital playback system, wherein said plurality of files is assigned a plurality of deletion criteria, and a first file among the plurality of files is assigned a first deletion criterion among the plurality of deletion criteria, the method comprising: logging a plurality of users of the digital playback system; displaying a user interface configured to accept user input specifying information about the plurality of users; displaying a user interface configured to determine the first deletion criterion for retaining the first file; identifying the first file on the digital playback system to be accessed by the plurality of users; logging when at least one of the plurality of users has accessed the first file; scheduling deletion of the first file based on the first deletion criterion; identifying a subset of users among the plurality of users interested in viewing the first file based on the user input specifying information about the plurality of users; automatically associating the first file with the subset of users; and displaying a user interface configured to identify the subset of users interested in viewing a recorded program of the first file in response to an end of a playback of the first file, wherein the first deletion criterion is based on when the at least one of the plurality of users has completed accessing the first file, wherein a second file among the plurality of files is assigned a second deletion criterion different from the first deletion criterion, wherein said first deletion criterion is assigned to the first file by one of said plurality of users, wherein the first deletion criterion indicates that the first file is eligible for deletion when all of the plurality of users have accessed the first file, wherein the user specifying information comprises, for each of the plurality of users, a list of files among the plurality of files which each of the plurality of users are interested in viewing, and wherein the identifying of the subset of users is performed based on whether content of the files in said list of files is similar to content in said first file.