Leveraging a unification of content hosting and social networking

• US 10,248,767 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: James, Gavin, Lewis, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Henderson, Esther B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahmud, Golam
• Application Number:
  US15/331,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 709204
• 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 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Content hosting architectures and/or social networking architectures can be improved by, e.g., unifying the two architectures to some extent. Services or features from both can be leveraged to provide an ecosystem that can be superior or preferred by users or consumers. For example, premium content that typically must be purchased via a transaction with the content hosting service can be accessed by certain users that have not purchased the premium content provided those users have a social relationship with one that has purchased the premium content, which can be determined based on data managed by the social networking service.

Claims

1. A method for accessing content, the method comprising:

determining, using a hardware processor, that media content in a content request received from a first user account associated with a first user is designated as premium media content in which access privileges are needed to access the media content and that the first user account is not associated with the access privileges;

determining, using the hardware processor, that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and a plurality of additional user accounts associated with other users;

in response to determining that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and the plurality of additional user accounts associated with the other users, determining, using the hardware processor, whether a second user account associated with a second user from the plurality of additional user accounts has the access privileges needed to access the premium media content; and

causing, using the hardware processor, the premium media content to be presented on a device associated with the first user account associated with the first user in response to the second user account associated with the second user extending the access privileges to the first user account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising inhibiting a denial of the request to access the premium media content from occurring in response to determining that the first user account is restricted from accessing the media content based on the access privileges associated with the first user account and authorizing the request from the first device with the access privileges needed to access the premium media content based on the relationship.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the device associated with the first user account, a request to access media content from a content provider, wherein an authorization of the request is performed in response to a count of a number of authorizations being less than or equal to a defined maximum threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is authorized with a restriction that a portion of the premium content is not accessible in response to the count being greater than the defined maximum threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is authorized in response to receiving a selection of the first user account indicated by input received from a second device associated with the second user account.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is authorized in response to a timer associated with a redemption period being unexpired.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing watch history data representing a history of premium media content for which the second user account has the access privileges to be presented on the device associated with the first user account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an incentive associated with the premium media content to a second device associated with the second user account in response to a payment transaction associated with the premium media content received from the device associated with the first user account.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a token into uniform resource locator data representing a link to the premium media content, wherein the token includes identification data that identifies the second user account.

10. A system for accessing content, the system comprising:

a hardware processor that is configured to;

determine that media content in a content request received from a first user account associated with a first user is designated as premium media content in which access privileges are needed to access the media content and that the first user account is not associated with the access privileges;

determine that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and a plurality of additional user accounts associated with other users;

in response to determining that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and the plurality of additional user accounts associated with the other users, determine whether a second user account associated with a second user from the plurality of additional user accounts has the access privileges needed to access the premium media content; and

cause the premium media content to be presented on a device associated with the first user account associated with the first user in response to the second user account associated with the second user extending the access privileges to the first user account.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

inhibit a denial of the request to access the premium media content from occurring in response to determining that the first user account is restricted from accessing the media content based on the access privileges associated with the first user account and authorizing the request from the first device with the access privileges needed to access the premium media content based on the relationship.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to receive, from the device associated with the first user account, a request to access media content from a content provider, wherein an authorization of the request is performed in response to a count of a number of authorizations being less than or equal to a defined maximum threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the request is authorized with a restriction that a portion of the premium content is not accessible in response to the count being greater than the defined maximum threshold.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the request is authorized in response to receiving a selection of the first user account indicated by input received from a second device associated with the second user account.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the request is authorized in response to a timer associated with a redemption period being unexpired.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to cause watch history data representing a history of premium media content for which the second user account has the access privileges to be presented on the device associated with the first user account.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to provide an incentive associated with the premium media content to a second device associated with the second user account in response to a payment transaction associated with the premium media content received from the device associated with the first user account.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to insert a token into uniform resource locator data representing a link to the premium media content, wherein the token includes identification data that identifies the second user account.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor, cause the process to perform a method for access content, the method comprising:

determining that media content in a content request received from a first user account associated with a first user is designated as premium media content in which access privileges are needed to access the media content and that the first user account is not associated with the access privileges;

determining that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and a plurality of additional user accounts associated with other users;

in response to determining that a relationship exists between the first user account associated with the first user and the plurality of additional user accounts associated with the other users, determining whether a second user account associated with a second user from the plurality of additional user accounts has the access privileges needed to access the premium media content; and

causing the premium media content to be presented on a device associated with the first user account associated with the first user in response to the second user account associated with the second user extending the access privileges to the first user account.