Abstract:
A method and system for removal of partially recorded programs are disclosed. For example, the method presents a menu of options when interrupting a recording in progress, wherein one of the options is an option to delete a partial recording of a program. The method then receives a selection of the option to delete the partial recording of the program from a user, and immediately deletes the partial recording of the program.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to processing stored programs and, in particular, processing of digital video recording of programs, e.g., cable television programs. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    With the advent of digital video recorders (DVR) on set-top boxes, subscribers are able to watch television programs at times that are convenient to the subscriber. Specifically, set-top boxes with DVR capability are able to provide recording of programs so that the subscriber may view the stored programs at a later time. 
         [0003]    Current DVR set-top boxes allow a subscriber to select what television programs they would like to record. Typically, an interactive program guide is displayed to the subscriber. The interactive program guide typically is in a grid format with blocks of programming. To program recordings, the subscriber simply chooses the various blocks of programming in the interactive program guide that they wish to record. 
         [0004]    However, when a recording that is in process is interrupted, typically a partial recording of the program is left on the storage device of the DVR set-top box. Having the partial recording of the program left on the storage device of the DVR set-top box is undesirable because memory space on the storage device of the DVR set-top box is typically limited. Accumulating partially recorded programs may begin to waste the limited memory space of the DVR set-top box. Furthermore, accumulating partially recorded programs will unnecessarily add extra programs into the recorded programs list, thereby cluttering the user interface. 
         [0005]    Currently, if the subscriber&#39;s recording that is in process is interrupted, the subscriber must press a string of inputs to find and delete the partially recorded programs. The string of inputs may be numerous, complicated and inconvenient to the subscriber. Therefore, a need exists for an easier and more efficient method and system for removing partially recorded programs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The teaching of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary architectural overview of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a high level block diagram of an exemplary DVR set-top box; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for removing partially recorded programs; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary menu of options displayed to a user; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a high level block diagram of an exemplary general purpose computer suitable for use in performing the functions described herein. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary architectural overview of a network  100 . In an exemplary embodiment, network  100  includes a cable head end  102 , a network  104 , e.g., a cable network and an endpoint  108 . Cable head end  102  may provide various content such as, for example television programming, high speed internet access, digital music, high definition television programming, interactive programming guides and any combination thereof to be received by endpoint device  108 . In one embodiment, cable head end  102  provides various content to a subscriber or a user via the cable network  104 . Network  104  may be any type of network currently known in the art such as, for example a hybrid coaxial fiber (HFC) network for providing traditionally cable services or an Internet Protocol (IP) network. As such, the illustrative network as shown in  FIG. 1  should not be interpreted to limit the present invention. Namely, the content can be transmitted via a wireless network, e.g., satellite, over the air, and the like. 
         [0014]    Endpoint device  108  may comprise a digital video recording (DVR) set-top box that is in communication with a display  110 . Display  110  may be any type of device capable of displaying content such as, for example, a television, a display, a computer monitor and the like. Although only a single endpoint device  108  and a single cable head end  102  are illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the present invention is not so limited. Any number of endpoint devices and cable head ends can be deployed. Moreover, although only a single DVR set-top box  108  and display  110  are illustrated in  FIG. 1 , those skilled in the art will recognize the present invention may have any number of DVR set-top boxes  108  and displays  110 . 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a high level block diagram of an exemplary DVR set-top box  108 . DVR set-top box  108  may comprise, for example, a signal processing module  202 , a controller  204 , a storage medium  207 , output ports  208  and input ports  210 . Signal processing module  202  may comprise a plurality of components that are used to process incoming signals from the cable head end  102 . For example, signal processing block  202  may include a tuner, a demodulator, a demultiplexer, a decryptor, a decoder and the like. The operations of these components in a set-top box are well known. These components operate together to extract/decode a program signal that can be provided to a display for viewing by the subscriber. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, controller  204  may include a processor  206  for managing the incoming program signals, providing outputs to the display  110 , receiving inputs from the subscriber or user and storing content into storage medium or device  207 . Controller  204  may also include a memory  205  for storing software for executing one or more applications, such as presenting a menu of options to the subscriber that is described further below. 
         [0017]    DVR set-top box  108  may also include/utilize a storage medium or device  207  for storing programs recorded by the subscriber. Storage medium  207  may be an internal storage device such as, for example, an internal hard drive, a random access memory, and the like. Alternatively, storage medium  207  may be an external storage device such as, for example, an external hard drive, a secure digital memory card, a compact flash memory or any combination thereof. 
         [0018]    Outputs ports  208  may comprise any type of connections to carry programming signals to one or more displays  110 . For example, output ports  208  may comprise component video connections, digital video interface (DVI) connections, High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections, coaxial connections, firewire connections, IP network connections or any combination thereof. Input ports  210  may comprise any type of receivers or interfaces for receiving inputs from a subscriber using, for example, a remote control. For example, input ports  210  may comprise a RF receiver, an infrared receiver and the like. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method  300  for removing partially recorded programs. In one embodiment, method  300  may be implemented by the set-top box  108 . Method  300  begins at step  302  where a menu of options may be presented, wherein one of said options is an option to delete a partial recording of a program. 
         [0020]    For example, an exemplary menu of options  400  (broadly defined as a recording status menu) is depicted in  FIG. 4 . Menu of options  400  may be presented to the subscriber on display  110  using DVR set-top box  108  (e.g., as requested by the subscriber). Menu of options may include, as discussed in step  302  of  FIG. 3 , an option  402  to stop recording and to delete the partially recorded program. Menu of options  400  may also include other options such as, for example, option  404  to stop recording and to keep the partially recorded program, option  406  to continue recording and to switch to the alternate tuner, option  408  to continue recording and don&#39;t change the channel and option  410  to go back to the previous screen. 
         [0021]    The menu of options  400  of step  302  may arise when the user attempts to change channel selection or record another program, which could result in the interruption of the currently recording program. For example, a request to record a program may be received from the user. The request may be received by selecting a program block displayed to the user via an interactive program guide, as is well known in the art. The selection may be made by simply highlighting a program block of the interactive program guide and pressing a record button on a remote control. Subsequently, when the program begins, DVR set-top box  108  automatically begins recording the selected program whether the user is currently watching the selected program, watching another program or the DVR set-top box  108  is turned off. 
         [0022]    However, DVR set-top box  108  may receive a command to interrupt the recording of the selected program. For example, the command to interrupt the recording may be an input selected by the user to change the channel, to record a different program on a different channel or to simply stop recording. Once the command (e.g., via a single input received from the user) to interrupt the recording of the selected program is received by DVR set-top box  108 , DVR set-top box  108  may generate the menu of options  400  at step  302 . 
         [0023]    At step  304 , method  300  receives a selection (e.g., option  402 ) from the displayed menu for deleting the partial recording of a program. For example, the subscriber does not want to keep the partially recorded program in the DVR set-top box  108 . 
         [0024]    At step  306 , the selected partially recorded program is deleted. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, to delete the partially recorded program, the DVR set-top box  108  identifies a program identification (e.g., a program identification number or filename or database entry) that is associated with the partially recorded program. The program identification can be located in the storage medium  207  of DVR set-top box  108 . Finally, the partially recorded program associated with said program identification is removed from storage medium  207 . 
         [0025]    Notably, the above method describes a more efficient and simpler method to remove partially recorded programs from a DVR set-top box  108 . Currently, if a user wishes to remove a partially recorded program from a DVR set-top box  108 , the user must navigate through a series of menus to delete the partially recorded program. For example, it is often necessary to navigate through a series of menus before the partially recorded program is identified to the subscriber. Only then is the subscriber allowed to select the deletion option to delete the partially recorded program. 
         [0026]    In contrast, the embodiments of the present invention provide a method of deleting a partially recorded program via having to navigate only one menu, e.g., a recording status menu  400 . In other words, the deletion of the partially recorded program may be performed in response to a single input from a user after the menu of options of the recording status menu  400  is presented. For example, the recording status menu  400  can be displayed upon receiving a single request from the user remote device, e.g., depressing a single control button (e.g., a status button/channel select button) on the remote device. In turn, selecting option  402  of  FIG. 4  will cause the partially recorded program to be deleted immediately. 
         [0027]    Therefore, management of generally limited storage space on DVR set-top box  108  is much simpler. Users are able to more quickly and efficiently delete partially recorded programs. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates a high level block diagram of an exemplary general purpose computer suitable for use in performing the functions described herein. As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the general purpose computer  500  comprises a processor element  502  (e.g., a CPU), a memory  504 , e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), a program management module  505  for removing partially recorded programs, and various input/output devices  506  (e.g., storage devices, including but not limited to, a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a compact disk drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a display, a speech synthesizer, an output port, and a user input device (such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, and the like)). 
         [0029]    It should be noted that the present invention can be implemented in software and/or in a combination of software and hardware, e.g., using application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a general purpose computer or any other hardware equivalents. In one embodiment, the processes provided by the present program management module  505  can be loaded into memory  504  and executed by processor  502  to implement the functions as discussed above. As such, the processes provided by the program management module  505  for removing partially recorded programs (including associated data structures) of the present invention can be stored on a computer readable medium or carrier, e.g., RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive or diskette and the like. 
         [0030]    While the foregoing is directed to illustrative embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.