Abstract:
A system for implementing personal video recording, in which integrated drive electronics are incorporated in set-top box logic, instead of with a hard disk drive. This allows the set-top box logic to communicate directly to the hard disk, so that no intervening bus is necessary.

Description:
This non-provisional patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/369,346, filed Apr. 3, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention described herein relates to video recording. 
   2. Background Art 
   Set-top boxes are now commonly used to allow television viewers the opportunity to control both what they view and how they view it. Some set-top boxes now support video cassette recorder (VCR)-like functions. Such functions are sometimes known as personal video recording (PVR) features. These functions include the recording of video, the creation and saving of viewer preferences, and the manipulation of live television. The latter permits a user to pause, rewind, view an instant replay, and view a replay in slow motion, for example. 
   To implement PVR features, video streams are typically recorded on a video memory medium such as a hard disk drive for subsequent playback. This is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Hard disk  110  is used to record video information. Hard disk  110  includes integrated drive electronics (IDE)  120 . IDE  120  is a hardware interface used to connect a peripheral device (i.e., hard disk  110 ) to external logic. In the system of  FIG. 1 , hard disk  110  is connected, via IDE  120 , to set-top box logic  130 . Set-top box logic  130  decodes a cable signal and accepts other signals corresponding to user inputs. Set-top box logic can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits. Note that information passing between set-top box logic  130  and IDE  120  typically passes through a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus  140 . 
   This arrangement is both complex and inefficient. IDE  120  is collocated with hard disk  110 , remote from set-top box logic and communications between IDE  120  and set-top box logic  130  necessarily pass through PCI bus  140 . Hence there is a need for a system wherein set-top box logic and a hard disk can communicate using a minimum number of components, so as to simplify and improve the efficiency of set-top box operations. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In the invention described herein, integrated drive electronics are incorporated in the set-top box logic. This allows the set-top box logic to communicate directly to a hard disk, so that the intervening PCI bus becomes unnecessary. 
   The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the left-most digit(s) in the reference number. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing the interconnection between set-top box logic and a hard disk, wherein the hard disk includes integrated drive electronics. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the integration of integrated drive electronics in the set-top box logic, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates set-top box logic in greater detail, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   A preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described. While specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that this invention can also be employed in a variety of other devices and applications. 
   In the invention described herein, integrated drive electronics are incorporated in the set-top box logic. This allows the set-top box logic to communicate directly to a hard disk, so that the intervening PCI bus becomes unnecessary. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates the system of the invention generally. Hard disk  210  is shown in communication with set-top box logic  230 . As described above, set-top box logic decodes a cable signal and accepts other signals corresponding to user inputs. Set-top box logic can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits. Set-top box logic  230  includes IDE  220 . IDE  220  represents the interface to hard disk  210 . Because IDE  220  is incorporated in set-top box logic  230 , information passes directly between set-top box logic  230  and hard disk  210  need not pass through a PCI bus. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates set-top box logic  230  in greater detail. Set-top box logic  230 , as discussed above, includes IDE  220 . IDE  220  is in communication with hard disk drive  210 . IDE  220  receives control and configuration information from a central processing unit (CPU)  310 . In an embodiment of the invention, communications between CPU  310  and IDE  220  pass through a local bus  320 . IDE  220  is also connected to memory controller  350 . Memory controller  350  allows IDE  220  to communicate as necessary with external memory  340 . Set-top box logic  230  can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits. 
   As a result of this architecture, video streams can now be recorded to and played back from the hard disk drive directly. The PCI bus has been eliminated. Likewise, the IDE external to the set-top box logic has been eliminated, and is integrated into the set-top box logic itself. 
   Note that in general, IDE can be used for memory devices other than a hard disk, such as a tape drive or a CD ROM drive. In other embodiments of the invention, the set-top box may use a video memory medium other than a hard disk, provided that the video memory medium has sufficient speed and capacity. The invention described herein can be used in any context where IDE is necessary to allow set-top box logic to access a video memory medium. 
   While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.