US 2,003,093,790 · Filed 2002-06-08

The Patent That Made Your DVR Smart Enough to Know What You Want to Watch

Imagine if your TV remote could read descriptions of every show airing and automatically record only the ones you'd actually like. This patent describes a system that uses metadata—basically digital tags and information—attached to TV programs so your recorder knows what to grab, when to grab it, and how to organize it for you.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers a system architecture where metadata about broadcast programming (like genre, air time, cast, plot summary) is created either centrally or locally, distributed to user devices, and then used to automatically identify, record, and organize video content. What's protected here is the method of tagging broadcast segments with descriptive information and using that information to drive selective recording and playback decisions at the consumer's location.

Why it matters

This patent captures the core idea behind modern DVRs, streaming recommendations, and intelligent recording systems. By separating the metadata (the descriptions and tags) from the content itself, it enabled devices to be smart about what they record without requiring the actual video data to be processed locally first. This architectural approach became foundational to how cable boxes, TiVo-style devices, and later streaming platforms learned to anticipate what viewers wanted.

Real-world use

Every time your cable box or streaming app shows you a list of upcoming shows sorted by genre or automatically records episodes matching your interests, you're using the logic this patent describes.

Original USPTO abstract

A system for utilizing metadata created either at a central location for shared use by connected users, or at each individual user's location, to enhance user's enjoyment of available broadcast programming content. A variety of mechanisms are employed for automatically and manually identifying and designating programming segments, associating descriptive metadata which the identified segments, distributing the metadata for use at client locations, and using the supplied metadata to selectively record and playback desired programming.

Patent details

Publication number: US 2,003,093,790
Filing date: 2002-06-08
Grant date: Application — not yet granted
Assignee: Logan James D. / Durgin Scott A. / Doe Brian D. / Colella Vincent E. / Hale Mcfarland / Mansfield Paul M. / Read Gregory J. / Santos Jeffrey M. / Palone Michael G. / Stephen Boone
Inventor(s): LOGAN JAMES D., DURGIN SCOTT A., DOE BRIAN D., COLELLA VINCENT E., HALE MCFARLAND, MANSFIELD PAUL M., READ GREGORY J., SANTOS JEFFREY M., PALONE MICHAEL G., BOONE STEPHEN
CPC class: G10H1/0033

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