US6016507A — Method and apparatus for deleting a portion of a …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 100 words

An audio-video broadcast apparatus, comprising: non-volatile data storage that stores a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; and an audio-video server coupled to said non-volatile data storage, said audio-video server including: means for broadcasting contents of said file; and means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile storage prior to said audio-video server broadcasting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 100 words

An audio-video broadcast apparatus, comprising: non-volatile data storage that stores a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; and an audio-video server coupled to said non-volatile data storage, said audio-video server including: means for broadcasting contents of said file; and means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile storage prior to said audio-video server broadcasting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 19 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-volatile data storage comprises one or more data storage disks.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 74 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said file includes a plurality of data blocks that are all concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; and said means for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete a portion of said file from said non-volatile data storage comprises means for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete one or more of said plurality of data blocks.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 15 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 1, said file containing both audio and video data.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 28 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-volatile data storage is a primary data store and said audio-video broadcast apparatus further comprises a secondary data store.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 24 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 1, said audio-video server further comprising means for encoding contents of said file prior to broadcasting said contents.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 59 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 6, wherein: said means for broadcasting contents of said file comprises means for transmitting said contents of said file via an antenna; said file is stored within said non-volatile storage in digital format; and said means for encoding comprising means for converting said contents of said file from digital format to analog format.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 57 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 6, wherein: said means for broadcasting contents of said file comprises means for transmitting said contents of said file via a communications network; and said means for encoding comprises means for encoding said contents of said file in accordance with a network protocol utilized to communicate data via said communications network.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 94 words

A data presentation system, comprising: non-volatile data storage that stores a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to presentation of contents of said file; a presentation device; means for causing said presentation device to present contents of said file; and means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete a portion of said file that has been presented from said non-volatile storage prior to said presentation device presenting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 94 words

A data presentation system, comprising: non-volatile data storage that stores a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to presentation of contents of said file; a presentation device; means for causing said presentation device to present contents of said file; and means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete a portion of said file that has been presented from said non-volatile storage prior to said presentation device presenting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 16 words

The data presentation apparatus of claim 9, said data presentation apparatus comprising a personal computer system.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 19 words

The data presentation apparatus of claim 9, wherein said non-volatile data storage comprises one or more data storage disks.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 71 words

The data presentation system of claim 9, wherein: said file includes a plurality of data blocks that are all concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; and said means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete a portion of said file from said non-volatile storage comprises means for causing said non-volatile storage to delete one or more of said plurality of data blocks.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 15 words

The data presentation system of claim 9, said file containing both audio and video data.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 15 words

The data presentation apparatus of claim 9, said presentation device comprising an audio presentation device.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 16 words

The data presentation device of claim 9, said data presentation device comprising a video presentation device.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 45 words

The data presentation device of claim 9, wherein said file is a first file, said data presentation device further comprising a communications adapter, connectable to a communications link, for receiving a second file containing at least one of audio and video from said communications link.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 62 words

The data presentation device of claim 16, said second file being received during presentation of said contents of said first file, wherein said data presentation device stores at least some contents of said second file in one or more locations within said non-volatile storage that stored said portion of said first file prior to deletion of said portion of said first file.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 101 words

A program product for use with an audio-video broadcast apparatus having non-volatile data storage that contains a file including at least one of audio data and video data, said computer program product comprising: an audio-video server program for broadcasting contents of a file that are all concurrently stored within the non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast, and for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile data storage prior to said audio-video server broadcasting all of said contents of said file; and a signal-bearing medium bearing said audio-video server program.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 101 words

A program product for use with an audio-video broadcast apparatus having non-volatile data storage that contains a file including at least one of audio data and video data, said computer program product comprising: an audio-video server program for broadcasting contents of a file that are all concurrently stored within the non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast, and for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile data storage prior to said audio-video server broadcasting all of said contents of said file; and a signal-bearing medium bearing said audio-video server program.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 24 words

The program product of claim 18, said audio-video server program further comprising means for encoding contents of said file prior to broadcasting said contents.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 50 words

The program product of claim 19, wherein: said audio-video server program broadcasts contents of said file via an antenna; said file is stored within said non-volatile storage in digital format; and said means for encoding comprising means for converting said contents of said file from digital format to analog format.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 48 words

The program product of claim 19, wherein: said audio-video server broadcasts said contents of said file via a communications network; and said means for encoding comprises means for encoding said contents of said file in accordance with a network protocol utilized to communicate data via said communications network.

Claim 25

Independent Claim 90 words

A method of managing the storage of a file in a broadcast environment, said method comprising: within non-volatile data storage, storing a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; broadcasting contents of said file via a communications link; and deleting a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcasting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 26

Independent Claim 90 words

A method of managing the storage of a file in a broadcast environment, said method comprising: within non-volatile data storage, storing a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcast of contents of said file; broadcasting contents of said file via a communications link; and deleting a portion of said file that has been broadcast from said non-volatile data storage prior to broadcasting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 27

Independent Claim 85 words

A method of managing the storage of a file in a presentation environment, said method comprising: within non-volatile data storage, storing a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to presentation of contents of said file; presenting contents of said file; and deleting a portion of said file that has been presented from said non-volatile storage prior to presenting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 28

Independent Claim 85 words

A method of managing the storage of a file in a presentation environment, said method comprising: within non-volatile data storage, storing a file that contains at least one of audio data and video data, wherein all of said file is concurrently stored within said non-volatile data storage prior to presentation of contents of said file; presenting contents of said file; and deleting a portion of said file that has been presented from said non-volatile storage prior to presenting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 99 words

The audio-video broadcast apparatus of claim 3, wherein: said file includes one or more inodes and each data block within said file is logically associated with a respective one of said one or more inodes; and said means for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete one or more of said plurality of data blocks further comprises means for causing said non-volatile data storage to deleting an inode from said file in said non-volatile data storage after all data blocks associated with said inode have been deleted and prior to broadcast of all of said contents of said file.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 98 words

The data presentation system of claim 12, wherein: said file includes one or more inodes and each data block within said file is logically associated with a respective one of said one or more inodes; and said means for causing said non-volatile data storage to delete one or more of said plurality of data blocks further comprises means for causing said non-volatile data storage to deleting an inode from said file in said non-volatile data storage after all data blocks associated with said inode have been deleted and prior to presentation all of said contents of said file.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 76 words

The program product of claim 18, wherein: said file includes a plurality of data blocks that are each logically associated with a respective one of one or more inodes within said file; and said audio-video server program includes instructions that cause an inode to be deleted from said file in said non-volatile data storage after all data blocks associated with said inode have been deleted and prior to broadcasting all of said contents of said file.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 69 words

The method of claim 23, wherein: said file includes a plurality of data blocks that are each logically associated with a respective one of one or more inodes within said file; and said method further comprises deleting an inode from said file in said non-volatile data storage after all data blocks associated with said inode have been deleted and prior to presenting all of said contents of said file.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2003-01-17	2003-07-19	2004-01-18	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2007-01-17	2007-07-19	2008-01-18	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2011-01-17	2011-07-19	2012-01-18	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method and apparatus for deleting a portion of a video or audio file from data storage prior to completion of broadcast or presentation

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