Personal Video Recording With Pools And Groups

Abstract

Automated personal video recording, including selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, in which the selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders include at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space. The method also includes borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space, and recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower's free space by the deficit amount. The borrower can be an individual user or a group comprised of more than one user.

1 . A method for automated personal video recording, the method comprising:
 selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, wherein the selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;   borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and   recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower's free space by the deficit amount.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the selected lender is a pool. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the borrower is a user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising creating a pool, including assigning storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein assigning storage space to the pool comprises allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  wherein assigning storage space to the pool comprises assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising authorizing lending from a pool. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein authorizing lending from a pool further comprises creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising authorizing lending to a group. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein authorizing lending further comprises creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising creating a group, including creating a group profile and assigning group storage space to the group. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein assigning group storage space to the group comprises allocating users' storage space to the group. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein assigning group storage space to the group comprises assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group. 
     
     
         16 . A system for automated personal video recording, the system comprising:
 means for selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, wherein the means for selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;   means for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and   means for recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower's free space by the deficit amount.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the selected lender is a pool. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the borrower is a user. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for creating a pool, including means for assigning storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein means for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means for allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  wherein means for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means for assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for authorizing lending from a pool. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22  wherein means for authorizing lending from a pool further comprises means for creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25  further comprising means for authorizing lending to a group. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26  wherein means for authorizing lending further comprises means for creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising means for creating a group, including means for creating a group profile and means for assigning group storage space to the group. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein means for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means for allocating users' storage space to the group. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28  wherein means for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means for assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group. 
     
     
         31 . A computer program product for automated personal video recording, the computer program product comprising:
 a recording medium;   means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a lender from among one or more lenders, wherein the means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting is carried out in dependence upon a deficit amount, the lenders comprise at least one user having free storage space and at least one pool having free storage space;   means, recorded on the recording medium, for borrowing, in dependence upon the deficit amount, from the selected lender for a borrower, at least one loan amount of storage space, the borrower having allocated storage space on the PVR optionally including free space; and   means, recorded on the recording medium, for recording a show for the borrower, the show having a storage space requirement exceeding the borrower's free space by the deficit amount.   
     
     
         32 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein the selected lender is a pool. 
     
     
         33 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein the borrower is a user. 
     
     
         34 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a pool, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         35 . The computer program product of  claim 34  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for allocating storage space from at least one user to the pool, the user being a user having free space. 
     
     
         36 . The computer program product of  claim 34  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning storage space to the pool comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning a pooled allocation amount of storage space directly from unallocated storage space to the pool. 
     
     
         37 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending from a pool. 
     
     
         38 . The computer program product of  claim 37  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending from a pool further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a lending authorization record identifying a pool as a lender. 
     
     
         39 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         40 . The computer program product of  claim 31  wherein the lenders comprise only users and the borrower is a group. 
     
     
         41 . The computer program product of  claim 40  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending to a group. 
     
     
         42 . The computer program product of  claim 41  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for authorizing lending further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a lending authorization record identifying a group as a borrower. 
     
     
         43 . The computer program product of  claim 31  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a group, including means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a group profile and means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group. 
     
     
         44 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for allocating users' storage space to the group. 
     
     
         45 . The computer program product of  claim 43  wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space to the group comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for assigning group storage space from unallocated storage space to the group.