Tracking details of activation of licensable component of consumer electronic device

• US 10,049,366 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2012
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shintani, Peter, Sadja, Aran London, Douillet, Ludovic Etienne
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie, Chinedu C
• Application Number:
  US13/654,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20130041829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 705 59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 : Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/642 : Multi-standard receivers

Abstract

Instead of buying blanket licenses for all licensable components of its CE devices, a manufacturer enables users to activate licensable components on a device basis and then obtains the necessary licenses individually. Seldom used activation modes and seldom activated licensable components can be pruned from future devices, while widely activated licensable components can be automatically enabled by purchasing a blanket license for those components. Characteristics of license requests and the people making them can be used to focus marketing.

Claims

1. Device comprising:

at least one computer readable storage medium that is not a transitory wave and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

control one or more licensable components, at least one of which requires a license code to enable, the license code not being available to the processor at a point of sale (POS) of the device;

transmit to a license entity a request for a license for a licensable component;

transmit, pursuant to the request, a model number of the device for license activation correlation purposes;

solicit input to the device, for the licensable component, whether it is desired to use the licensable component by presenting an inquiry to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels;

responsive to input indicating a command to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels, transmit to the license entity the request for a license for a licensable component, wherein the licensable component is a video decoder, and the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to;

responsive to input indicating a command to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels, transmit to the license entity the request for a license for a terrestrial broadcast electronic program guide (EPG).

2. Method comprising:

controlling one or more licensable components, at least one of which requires a license code to enable, the license code not being available to the processor at a point of sale (POS) of the device;

transmitting to a license entity a request for a license for a licensable component;

transmitting, pursuant to the request, a model number of the device for license activation correlation purposes;

sending, pursuant to the request, a geographic location of the device;

soliciting input to the device, for the licensable component, whether it is desired to use the licensable component by presenting an inquiry to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels;

responsive to input indicating a command to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels, transmitting to the license entity the request for a license for a licensable component, wherein the licensable component is a video decoder, and the method comprises;

responsive to input indicating a command to automatically scan a broadcast spectrum to detect channels, transmitting to the license entity the request for a license for a terrestrial broadcast electronic program guide (EPG).

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

sending, pursuant to the request, demographic information pertaining to a user of the device.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

soliciting user input, for the licensable component, whether the user desires to use the licensable component.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising:

presenting on a display an option to receive Internet video through a built-in Internet receiver or from an external Internet receiver;

responsive to input indicating selection of the built-in Internet receiver, transmitting to the license entity the request for a license for the built-in Internet receiver, and responsive to input indicating selection of the external Internet receiver, not transmitting to the license entity the request for a license for the built-in Internet receiver.