DVR Remote Control via Server-Mediated Permission Levels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital video recorder (DVR) systems lack efficient remote control capabilities, particularly in networks without personal video recorder (PVR) services, limiting users' ability to manage recorded content and schedule recordings accurately across multiple devices with varying permission levels.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for controlling digital video recorders (DVRs) over a network, involving the storage of user permission parameters, querying servers for program and DVR data, and displaying this information on separate devices to allow users to select functions for controlling the DVRs, enabling real-time management and scheduling of recordings with different permission levels for multiple users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote control capability is added to DVR systems, then user ability to manage recorded content and schedule recordings is improved, but system complexity increases due to network integration and permission management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that mediates between the remote client device and the DVR system. The server handles authentication, permission verification, and command routing, allowing remote control functionality to be added without directly complicating the DVR hardware architecture. This intermediary approach enables remote access while maintaining relative simplicity of the core DVR device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional modules: client device for user interface, server for processing and permission management, and DVR for core recording functions. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the integration of remote control capabilities by distributing complexity across multiple manageable components rather than concentrating it in a single device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If permission parameters are stored for multiple users with different permission levels, then permission-based control is improved, but information storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements permission-based control by changing the parameter of user authentication data to include hierarchical permission levels. Instead of treating all users equally, the system assigns different permission parameters (e.g., read-only, read-write, administrative) to different user accounts. This allows versatile access control while efficiently managing storage by using structured permission data rather than complex individual rules for each user.
3Productivity
If real-time access to DVR data is implemented over network, then user management capability is improved, but network bandwidth consumption and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential control commands and status information needed for remote management, rather than transmitting complete DVR data sets. The server retrieves specific program data and DVR status information on-demand and transmits only this extracted relevant information to the client device. This reduces network bandwidth consumption while maintaining real-time management capability for scheduling and monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A system stores a first permission parameter associated with a first user of a set of digital video recorders (DVRs) and at least a second permission parameter associated with a second user of the set. The second permission parameter defines a different level of permission for controlling the set than the first permission parameter. At least one server receives a first request to control the set from the first user and a second request to control the set from the second user. The set is controlled in accordance with: (i) the first request, based on the first permission parameter, and (ii) the second request, based on the second permission parameter. The controlling includes at least communicating with the set over a network. Techniques are also provided for directly obtaining information on a DVR in real time over a content network.