Patents by Inventor Michael L. Craner
Michael L. Craner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 12120395Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2021Date of Patent: October 15, 2024Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Jon P. Radloff, Robert A. Knee, Michael L Craner, Joshua Berry
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Patent number: 12101584Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2023Date of Patent: September 24, 2024Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11956514Abstract: Systems and methods for rewinding a video to a point before the video was first viewed. Video transmitted by a media source is cached by a remote server. Upon a trick-play request for the video, the server generates a rewind stream that includes the video that was transmitted by the media source before the user started to view the video. Upon receiving the rewind stream, the user's equipment may cache the rewind stream in a rewind buffer and rewind or play from the rewind buffer. The server may also generate and transmit a forward stream of the video that the media source has not yet transmitted. The user's equipment may cache the forward stream in a forward buffer. To perform trick-play operations with the video, the user's equipment may migrate the playback of the video to the rewind and forward buffers and rewind or fast-forward the video from the buffers.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2021Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20230379444Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2023Publication date: November 23, 2023Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11800181Abstract: On-demand systems and methods are provided to manage locally-stored on-demand content. A user's equipment controls the deletion of and/or access to on-demand content from a local storage device based on constraining criteria that may include rental conditions, dynamic factors, and keys.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2021Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11765329Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2022Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20230239445Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2022Publication date: July 27, 2023Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11558594Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2021Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20220030311Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Jon P. Radloff, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner, Joshua Berry
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Publication number: 20220014721Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2021Publication date: January 13, 2022Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20210368229Abstract: On-demand systems and methods are provided to manage locally-stored on-demand content. A user's equipment controls the deletion of and/or access to on-demand content from a local storage device based on constraining criteria that may include rental conditions, dynamic factors, and keys.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2021Publication date: November 25, 2021Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20210360331Abstract: Systems and methods for rewinding a video to a point before the video was first viewed. Video transmitted by a media source is cached by a remote server. Upon a trick-play request for the video, the server generates a rewind stream that includes the video that was transmitted by the media source before the user started to view the video. Upon receiving the rewind stream, the user's equipment may cache the rewind stream in a rewind buffer and rewind or play from the rewind buffer. The server may also generate and transmit a forward stream of the video that the media source has not yet transmitted. The user's equipment may cache the forward stream in a forward buffer. To perform trick-play operations with the video, the user's equipment may migrate the playback of the video to the rewind and forward buffers and rewind or fast-forward the video from the buffers.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2021Publication date: November 18, 2021Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11115707Abstract: On-demand systems and methods are provided to manage locally-stored on-demand content. A user's equipment controls the deletion of and/or access to on-demand content from a local storage device based on constraining criteria that may include rental conditions, dynamic factors, and keys.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2019Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: ROVI GUIDES, INC.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11115719Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2020Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: ROVl GUIDES, INC.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Jon P. Radloff, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner, Joshua Berry
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Patent number: 11109113Abstract: Systems and methods for rewinding a video to a point before the video was first viewed. Video transmitted by a media source is cached by a remote server. Upon a trick-play request for the video, the server generates a rewind stream that includes the video that was transmitted by the media source before the user started to view the video. Upon receiving the rewind stream, the user's equipment may cache the rewind stream in a rewind buffer and rewind or play from the rewind buffer. The server may also generate and transmit a forward stream of the video that the media source has not yet transmitted. The user's equipment may cache the forward stream in a forward buffer. To perform trick-play operations with the video, the user's equipment may migrate the playback of the video to the rewind and forward buffers and rewind or fast-forward the video from the buffers.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2018Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 11102464Abstract: Systems and methods for recording programs using a user's equipment and a network recording device are provided. An interactive television application may determine whether the user's equipment has sufficient resources (e.g., tuners or space) to record a program selected for recording. If the interactive television application determines that the user's equipment does not have sufficient resources, the interactive television application may select, automatically or in response to a user instruction, the program for recording with a network recording device. In some embodiments, the user may have to pay for the use of the network recording device, or may be required to purchase a given tier level of service. The interactive television application may play back programs from the network recording device as VOD offerings, or may direct the network recording device to transfer recorded programs to the user's equipment when it has sufficient resources.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2019Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventor: Michael L. Craner
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Publication number: 20200236321Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2020Publication date: July 23, 2020Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Jon P. Radloff, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner, Joshua Berry
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Patent number: 10587835Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2018Date of Patent: March 10, 2020Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Jon P. Radloff, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner, Joshua Berry
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Publication number: 20190356945Abstract: On-demand systems and methods are provided to manage locally-stored on-demand content. A user's equipment controls the deletion of and/or access to on-demand content from a local storage device based on constraining criteria that may include rental conditions, dynamic factors, and keys.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2019Publication date: November 21, 2019Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner
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Patent number: 10419810Abstract: On-demand systems and methods are provided to manage locally-stored on-demand content. A user's equipment controls the deletion of and/or access to on-demand content from a local storage device based on constraining criteria that may include rental conditions, dynamic factors, and keys.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2015Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Ellis, Robert A. Knee, Michael L. Craner