Methods, systems, and devices for securing content

• US 10,306,317 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Whitfield, Lloyd T., Zimler, Randy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Sher A
• Application Number:
  US15/631,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20170289627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8045 using predictive coding

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices secure content in memory. The content includes a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory. Prior to expiration of the lock the content cannot be read from the memory. However, a preview option allows at least a portion of the content to be accessed. The preview option provides a preview of the content. At expiration, the content is readable.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a server, a selection sent from a device, the selection requesting a preview of a content;

determining, by the server, that the content is restricted from an access by a lock until an expiration of the lock at a date and time;

accessing, by the server, the content prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time to generate the preview; and

streaming, by the server, the preview to the device prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a payment associated with the preview of the content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a prompt associated with the preview.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a prompt associated with the preview.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a prompt, prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time, for the preview of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising scheduling a prompt associated with the preview.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising releasing the content for the access at the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

8. A system, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device, the memory device storing code, the code when executed causing the hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a selection associated with a device, the selection requesting a preview of a content;

determining the content is restricted from an access by a lock until an expiration of the lock at a date and time;

accessing the content prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time to generate the preview; and

streaming the preview to the device prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise processing a payment associated with the preview of the content.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise generating a prompt associated with the preview.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a prompt associated with the preview.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise generating a prompt, prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time, for the preview of the content.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise scheduling a prompt associated with the preview.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise releasing the content for the access at the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise releasing the content from the memory device at the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise identifying a credit card number associated with the preview of the content.

17. A memory device storing instructions which when executed cause a hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a selection associated with a device, the selection requesting a preview of a content;

determining the content is restricted from an access by a lock until an expiration of the lock at a date and time;

accessing the content prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time to generate the preview; and

streaming the preview to the device prior to the expiration of the lock at the date and time.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise processing a payment associated with the preview of the content.

19. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise generating a prompt associated with the preview.

20. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a prompt associated with the preview.