FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules  2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

Auto Record IPTV content during power outage

APPLICANT:

Name Nationality Address
Alcatel Lucent France 3 avenue Octave Greard 75007 Paris

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein relate to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and  more particularly  to auto recording IPTV contents during power outage.

BACKGROUND
[002] The IPTV mechanism helps to deliver television services over internet. The television programs that are transported to the user end via the internet connectivity and may be viewed using user devices such as television  computers  and mobile phones and so on.
[003] Other than the TV program delivery  the IPTV further provides services such as live television  interactive services  video on demand and so on. Using the interactive services  the user may be able to search and select movies of his/her choice from an available list of movies. For example  the user may be provided with options to search for a movie using the movie name or may be able to search for movies in which a particular actor has acted and so on.
[004] Further  the video on demand service may provide options for the user to access videos and other multi media services that are further stored in the user system. Using this feature  the user may be able to store selected videos in the user device and access them when required.
[005] The IPTV users are also provided with options to record  watch and pause live TV programs. This feature helps users to watch program (s) that he/she could not watch at the time it went on air. A few existing IPTV service provider systems record all programs in a set time period (say 1 week). Further  the user may be able to access and watch the program of his/her choice from the server. The disadvantage of this mechanism is that the recording of programs is not user-centric. Recording and storing all programs in a particular time period may require use of large amounts of storage space  thereby requiring more system resources and hereby increasing the costs.
[006] A few other existing IPTV systems provide means to record TV programs at an Optical Network Terminal (ONT). Disadvantage of this system is that ONT terminal requires a power source such as battery to operate and the recording of programs is feasible only until the battery backup exists. Thus  if the power source runs out of capacity  the recording stops and the programs that the user intended to record and watch may not get recorded. Another disadvantage of this mechanism is that since home phone battery is used for powering up the ONT terminal  the amount of time the home phone service would be available is reducing considerably.

SUMMARY
[007] In view of the foregoing  an embodiment herein provides a method for recording IPTV contents during occurrence of a power outage condition. The method further comprises receiving an intimation signal from a residential gateway by a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM); checking if user of the residential gateway has subscribed to a program recording service during power outage by said DSLAM and recording at least one of a program being watched or a program being recorded in a memory module at the user end prior to said power outage  wherein said recording is performed by said DSLAM on the user being subscribed to said program recording service.
[008] Embodiments further disclose a system for recording IPTV contents during occurrence of a power outage condition. The system is provided with at least one means configured for receiving an intimation signal from a residential gateway by a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM); checking if user of the residential gateway has subscribed to a program recording service during power outage by said DSLAM and recording at least one of a program being watched or a program being recorded in a memory module at the user end prior to said power outage  wherein said recording is performed by said DSLAM on the user being subscribed to said program recording service.
[009] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings  in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a general block diagram of the Internet protocol television (IPTV) system  as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows various components of the network module  as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a block diagram that shows various components of the consumer set up  as disclosed in the embodiments herein;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a block diagram that shows various components of the residential gateway  as disclosed in the embodiments herein; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that shows various steps involved in the process of recording programs at the service provider end  as disclosed in the embodiments herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly  the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0017] The embodiments herein disclose a system and method for selectively recording IPTV programs by identifying a power outage condition at the user end. Referring now to the drawings  and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 5  where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures  there are shown embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a general block diagram of the Internet protocol television (IPTV) system  as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The system comprises a service provider server 101  a network module 102 and a User Equipment (UE) 103. The service provider server 101 provides services to the user that he/she has subscribed to  over the network. The service provider server 101 may be connected to content providers which may act as content resources for the service provider server 101. The service provider server 101 may be able to fetch contents from the content providers and distribute to the users. For example  the content provider may be a movie repository from which the service provider server 101 can fetch movies and deliver to the users.
[0019] The network module 102 receives data from the service provider server 101 and delivers to the users. The network module 102 identifies the user to whom the received channel data is to be delivered and routes the channel data to corresponding user. The network module 102 may also provide interfaces for the user’s to connect to the service provider line. Further  the data transfer between the user end and the service provider server may 101 be regulated by the network module 102.
[0020] In a preferred embodiment  the network module 102 provides means for recording IPTV contents during power outage. .A “program recording during power outage (program recording service)” option may be provided as an optional service for the user. The user can subscribe and configure settings corresponding to the program recording during power outage service with his/her user account in the service provider server 101. The network module 102 monitors and detects a power outage condition at the user end. If the user has subscribed for recording option  then the network module 102 identifies the program that the user had been watching at the time power went off and records that particular program. In a preferred embodiment  the user without watching lively may also be able to configure recording options to selected programs and with selected timing in a memory that may be associated with the set top box  provided the set top box is switched ON. In this scenario  if the user has subscribed for recording during power outage option  then the network module 102 identifies the program that the user had been recording in his own set top box at the time of power outage and records that particular program. Further  the recorded programs may be accessed by the user from the service provider server 101 and can be synchronized automatically.
[0021] Further  the UE 103 comprises modules/devices that are used for receiving  displaying and processing the data from and to the service provider server 101. The UE 103 may receive data transmitted from the network module 102 and deliver/display to the user. The UE 103 receives the data/signal transmitted from the network module 102. Further  the processed data is delivered to the user. The consumer set up may also comprise display device such as a television (TV) to display the received data such as TV programs to the user. The UE 103 may also provide means for the user to interact with the service provider server 101 to subscribe for and receive specific services such as on demand services. The UE 103 may provide user interface for the user to configure program recording during power outage option with his/her user account with service provider.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows various components of the network module  as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The network module 102 forms a part of the inter-network that is used to deliver contents from the service provider server 101 to the UE 103. The network module 102 further comprises a boarder service router (router) 201 and a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) 202. The boarder service router 201 may be used to route data communications between the service provider server 101 and a plurality of UEs 103 that are connected to the service provider server 101  to corresponding channel (s). Upon receiving the data from the service provider server 101  the router 201 identifies the channel to which the data is to be sent and routes the data to identified channel. In an embodiment  the channel may be a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) channel. The router 201 may maintain data in a suitable form such as a look up table (LUT)  to identify the destination UE 103. The LUT may comprise information on channels and corresponding IP values. The router 201 may fetch IP value of the destination channel from the received data and compare with data stored in the LUT to identify the channel to which the data is to be routed.
[0023] The DSLAM 202 fetches data from multiple DSL lines and multiplexes the data to form a single data signal. Further  the data is fed to a high speed digital communication channel so as to transmit to the destination. The DSLAM 202 may be a part of the telephone network through which the IPTV service is getting delivered to the users. The DSLAM 202 multiplexes voice and data communication signals aggregated from a plurality of DSL channels. The DSLAM 202 may be deployed at the user locations so as to increase coverage and to support data delivery even at remote locations. The data carried by the high speed communication signal is then delivered to the user equipment (UE) 103.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment  the DSLAM 202 possesses means configured for recording user specified programs upon detecting a power outage condition at the user end. Upon receiving an indication from the UE 103 regarding the power outage condition  the DSLAM 202 checks whether that particular user has subscribed for the program recording service or not. Further  the DSLAM 202 records the program upon identifying that the user has subscribed for the service. In various embodiments  the DSLAM 202 records the programs in a memory module associated with the DSLAM 202 or the network module 102. In another embodiment the memory module in which the recorded data is stored may be present in the service provider server 101.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram that shows various components of the user equipment  as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The user equipment (UE) 103 further comprises a residential gateway/modem 301  a set top box 302 and a display device 303. The residential gateway 301 is used to connect equipments/devices at the user location to the internet. The residential gateway 301 may possess functionalities of a modem  a firewall  a consumer grade router  a wireless access point and so on. The residential gateway receives data from the network module 102 and routes the received data to the set top box 302.
[0026] In a preferred embodiment  the residential gateway 301 may act as a smart residential gateway providing means for identifying a power outage condition at the user end. The Smart residential gateway 301 detects the AC power outage condition and sends an indication to the DSLAM 202. In an embodiment  the indication sent to the DSLAM 202 may be a dying gasp signal or any such suitable signal. Further  the DSLAM 202 may record corresponding program if the user has subscribed to the recording service.
[0027] The set top box 302 receives data/signals from the residential gateway 301. The set top box 302 comprises a tuner circuit using which the user can tune in to available channels which is then displayed in the display device 303. The set top box may receive inputs from the user via a suitable interface such as a remote control. The set top box 302 may also comprise modulator-demodulator modules that are used to process incoming and outgoing signals. Further  set top box 302 delivers data received from the residential gateway 301 to the display devices 303. The display device 303 may be a television  computer  mobile phone or any such device that is capable of receiving and displaying transmitted contents to the user.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a block diagram that shows various components of the residential gateway  as disclosed in the embodiments herein. The residential gateway 301 comprises an AC to DC convertor 401  a power sensing capacitor 402  an Integrated circuit chip (IC) 403 and a switch 404. The residential gateway 301 draws power from an external power supply which is AC mains. The AC supply is converted to DC supply using the AC-DC convertor 401 and is delivered to the IC 403.
[0029] When the user turn off the modem/residential gateway 301  the switch 404 changes to “open” state from “closed” state and the power supply to the IC 403 gets disconnected. At the same time  the power sensing capacitor 403 receives power. When an AC power outage condition occurs  the power supply to the capacitor 403 from the main power supply stops and the capacitor 403 provides a residual power to a module (intimation signal initiation module) that generates an intimation signal  preferably a dying gasp signal. The dying gasp signal is then sent to the DSLAM 202 which in turn checks and records the program if the user has configured the program recording service.
[0030] In various embodiments  the user may be able to turn off recording service temporarily or may be able to unsubscribe from the recording service. When the program recording service is temporarily turned off  the DSLAM 202 may not record any program even if the intimation signal i.e. the dying gasp signal is received from the residential gateway 301.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram that shows various steps involved in the process of recording programs at the service provider end  as disclosed in the embodiments herein. When the power supply to the power sensing capacitor 402 gets disconnected  the power sensing capacitor 402 provides residual signal to a module that generates an indication signal such as a dying gasp signal. The intimation signal is then sent to the DSLAM 202.
[0032] The DSLAM receives (501) the intimation signal. In an embodiment  the intimation signal indicates occurrence of a power outage condition at the user end. For example  consider that the intimation signal is a dying gasp signal. Once the dying gasp signal reaches the DSLAM 202  a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Trap "CPE Power down" is generated  that indicate the power outage condition at the user end. Upon receiving the intimation signal  the DSLAM 202 checks (502) if the user has subscribed to a program recording during power outage service or not. In an embodiment  when the user subscribe for the program recording service  corresponding settings gets configured with the user account in the service provider server 101. In an embodiment  the DSLAM 202 may identify whether the user has subscribed to the program recording service or not by checking configuration settings associated with the user account in the service provider server 101.
[0033] If the user has not subscribed for the program recording service  the DSLAM 202 takes (503) no action. If the user has subscribed to the program recording service  the DSLAM 202 retrieves (504) information of the program the user had been watching (program viewing information) prior to the occurrence of the time of power outage condition. In an embodiment  the DSLAM 202 may retrieve the program viewing information corresponding to the user from the service provider server 101.
[0034] Once the program viewing information is retrieved  the DSLAM 202 records (505) the program in a memory module. In an embodiment  the memory module in which the recorded data is saved may be associated with the service provider server 101. In another embodiment  the memory module in which the recorded data is saved may be associated with the DSLAM 202.
[0035] Further  once the power supply is reestablished  the data stored in the service provider server 101 may get synchronized with the UE 103. During the synchronization process  the data recorded and stored in the DSLAM 202 or the service provider server 101 may be transferred to the memory module present in the set top box 302 at the user end. In an embodiment  the synchronization may take place automatically when the power supply is reestablished. In another embodiment  the synchronization may be manually initiated by the user when the power supply is reestablished. For example  the user may login to his/her account in the service provider server 101 and may initiate the synchronization using a menu driven option.
[0036] In another embodiment  the user may be able to set program recording service in set-top box for selected programs and with selected timing with only keeping the set-top box ON and without watching the program in air. When the program recording option in UE set top box is set for certain programs  and during AC power outage the intimation signal is sent from Residential Gateway 301 to the DSLAM 202 which records those particular programs
[0037] In another embodiment  the DSLAM 202 may automatically stop recording of the program when the power supply is reestablished. When the power supply is reestablished  the DSL line between the residential gateway 301 and the DSLAM gets synchronized. During the synchronization  the "CPE power down" trap is cleared and the DSLAM 202 gets notified that power connection has been reestablished. Further  the DSLAM 202 stops recording of the program that started upon occurrence of the power outage condition at the user end. In another embodiment  the user may manually stop recording of the program using a suitable menu driven option.
[0038] The various actions in method 500 may be performed in the order presented  in a different order or simultaneously. Further  in some embodiments  some actions listed in FIG. 5 may be omitted.
[0039] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The network elements shown in Fig. 2 include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device  or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0040] The embodiment disclosed herein specifies a system for selectively recording IPTV programs. The mechanism allows detection of power outage condition at user end and recording of TV programs  providing a system thereof. Therefore  it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein  such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method  when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in a preferred embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g. Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language  or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of device which can be programmed including e.g. any kind of computer like a server or a personal computer  or the like  or any combination thereof  e.g. one processor and two FPGAs. The device may also include means which could be e.g. hardware means like e.g. an ASIC  or a combination of hardware and software means  e.g. an ASIC and an FPGA  or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. Thus  the means are at least one hardware means and/or at least one software means. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented in pure hardware or partly in hardware and partly in software. The device may also include only software means. Alternatively  the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices  e.g. using a plurality of CPUs.
[0041] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can  by applying current knowledge  readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept  and  therefore  such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore  while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments  those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims as described herein.

CLAIMS
We Claim :
1. A method for recording IPTV contents during occurrence of a power outage condition  said method further comprising:
receiving an intimation signal from a residential gateway by a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM);
checking if user of said residential gateway has subscribed to a program recording service during power outage by said DSLAM; and
recording at least one of a program being watched or a program being recorded in a memory module at the user end prior to said power outage  wherein said recording is performed by said DSLAM on the user being subscribed to said program recording service.
2. The method as in claim 1  wherein said intimation signal is sent during said occurrence of power outage condition automatically by said residential gateway.
3. The method as in claim 2  wherein said automatic sending of said intimation signal by said residential gateway further comprises:
sensing input power to said residential gateway using a power sensing capacitor by said residential gateway;
sensing a AC power cutoff at input of said residential gateway by said power sensing capacitor; and
generating said intimation signal using an intimation signal initiation module by said residential gateway.
4. The method as in claim 1  wherein said intimation signal is a dying gasp signal.
5. The method as in claim 1  wherein said recorded program is stored in a memory module associated with at least one of said DSLAM or a service provider server.
6. The method as in claim 1  wherein said method further comprises of synchronizing at least one of said recorded program with user equipment (UE) of said user  on AC power supply being reestablished.
7. The method as in claim 6  wherein said synchronization of the recorded program is initiated automatically on said AC power supply being reestablished.
8. The method as in claim 6  wherein said synchronization of the recorded program is initiated manually by said user upon said AC power supply being reestablished.
9. A system for recording IPTV contents during occurrence of a power outage condition  wherein said system is provided with at least one means configured for:
receiving an intimation signal from a residential gateway by a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM);
checking if user of said residential gateway has subscribed to a program recording service during power outage by said DSLAM; and
recording at least one of a program being watched or a program being recorded in a memory module at the user end prior to said power outage  wherein said recording is performed by said DSLAM on the user being subscribed to said program recording service.
10. The system as in claim 9  wherein said residential gateway is configured for sending said intimation signal is sent to said DSLAM automatically during said occurrence of power outage condition.
11. The method as in claim 10  wherein said automatic sending of said intimation signal by said residential gateway further comprises:
sensing input power to said residential gateway using a power sensing capacitor by said residential gateway;
sensing a AC power cutoff at input of said residential gateway by said power sensing capacitor; and
generating said intimation signal using an intimation signal initiation module by said residential gateway.
12. The system as in claim 9 is further configured for sending a dying gasp signal as said intimation signal.
13. The system as in claim 9 is further configured for storing said recorded program in a memory module associated with at least one of said DSLAM or a service provider server.
14. The system as in claim 9 is further configured for configuring at least one of said recorded program with a User Equipment (UE) of said user  on AC power supply being reestablished.
15. The system as in claim 14 is further configured for initiating said synchronization of the recorded program automatically on said AC power supply being reestablished.
16. The system as in claim 14 is further configured for initiating said synchronization of the recorded data based on manual input provided by said user on said AC power supply being reestablished.

Dated: 6th Sept  2012 Signature
Dr. Kalyan Chakravarthy
Patent Agent

ABSTRACT

The embodiments herein relate to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and  more particularly  to auto recording IPTV contents during power outage. A residential gateway detects power outage condition and sends a dying gasp signal to a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM). Upon receiving the dying gasp signal from that particular residential gateway  the DSLAM checks whether user of that particular gateway has subscribed for a “record during power outage” service or not. If the user has subscribed for the service  then the DSLAM detects the program being watched by the user during the power outage and records that particular program. The DSLAM may also record programs during AC power outage that are pre-configured by the user to record only at the set-top box even though the user is not watching the program in air.

FIG. 3