Offline content distribution networks

• US 10,367,882 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PCCW Vuclip (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PCCW Vuclip (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
• Inventors: Jakatdar, Nickhil, Prakash, Arun, Reza, Areef, Shen, Bo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/668,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20170331885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 709219, 709202, 709223, 709224, 709226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• 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: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for the secure distribution of media content to devices having minimal or no Internet connectivity. Computing devices referred to herein as “local servers” are strategically deployed at various locations, such as stores and other public locations. Packages of media contents are stored on the local servers, and may be updated using various online and/or offline data transfer techniques. Portable devices may directly connect to the local servers via various types of proximity-based connections, such as by wireless local area networks, by wired connections over Universal Serial Bus cables, or by sharing of removable media such as Secure Digital cards. The local servers may copy their media contents to authorized devices when such connections are established. The contents on a device may be automatically be updated the next time the device connects to one of the local servers, so as to include newly selected and/or available content.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of:

receiving a collection of media content at a first mobile device, the collection including a plurality of videos;

executing a local content server at the first mobile device, the first mobile device configured to accept local connections from other mobile devices, the first mobile device storing the collection of media content;

establishing a local connection between the first mobile device and a given mobile device;

receiving, at the first mobile device, data from a content access client application on the given mobile device;

based on the data from the content access client application, the first mobile device recognizing the given mobile device as being provisioned for access to content from the collection;

responsive to the local content server recognizing that the given mobile device has been provisioned for access to content from the collection, the first mobile device transmitting one or more media content items from the collection of media content to the given mobile device over the local connection, the one or more media content items including at least one video.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the collection changes over time to include new media content items, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause performance of, when the given mobile device connects subsequent times to the first mobile device, the first mobile device transferring the new media content items to the given mobile device.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of, when the given mobile device connects to the first mobile device:

the first mobile device sending a request to a rights management server for rights information for the given mobile device to access the one or more media content items;

the first mobile device receiving the rights information;

the first mobile device sending the rights information to the given mobile device, the given mobile device configured to utilize the rights information to access the one or more media content items that it receives from the first mobile device.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

the first mobile device sending the request to the rights management server via a first SMS message;

the first mobile device receiving the rights information via a second SMS message.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

the first mobile device at least partially provisioning the given mobile device for access to the collection by performing one or more of;

sending a content access client application to the given mobile device for installation at the given mobile device, collecting account information from the given mobile device, or sending a master key to the given mobile device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of determining that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection by one or more of:

receiving a message from the given mobile device that is addressed to a specific address at the local content server;

receiving communication that is recognized to have been sent by the content access client application executing on the given mobile device;

receiving, from the given mobile device, valid credentials from the first mobile device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of detecting that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection based at least in part on a subscription associated with the given mobile device.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

receiving, at the local content server, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

sending metadata describing the collection from the first mobile device to the given mobile device;

subsequent to sending the metadata, receiving, at the first mobile device, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

executing a wireless access point at the first mobile device, the wireless access point hosting a network having a specific identifier, the local connections made via the wireless access point;

configuring the given mobile device during a provisioning process to automatically connect to wireless access points that host networks having the specific identifier, and to automatically communicate with local content servers on the networks having the specific identifier.

11. A system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to;

receive a collection of media content, the collection including a plurality of videos;

store the collection of media content

execute a local content server;

accept local connections from other mobile devices;

establish a local connection between the first mobile device and a given mobile device;

receive data from a content access client application on the given mobile device;

based on the data from the content access client application, recognize the given mobile device as being provisioned for access to content from the collection;

responsive to the local content server recognizing that the given mobile device has been provisioned for access to content from the collection, transmit one or more media content items from the collection of media content to the given mobile device over the local connection, the one or more media content items including at least one video.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the collection changes over time to include new media content items, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to, when the given mobile device connects subsequent times to the first mobile device, transfer the new media content items to the given mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to, when the given mobile device connects to the first mobile device:

send a request to a rights management server for rights information for the given mobile device to access the one or more media content items;

receive the rights information;

send the rights information to the given mobile device, the given mobile device configured to utilize the rights information to access the one or more media content items that it receives from the first mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to:

send the request to the rights management server via a first SMS message;

receive the rights information via a second SMS message.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to at least partially provision the given mobile device for access to the collection by performing one or more of:

sending a content access client application to the given mobile device for installation at the given mobile device, collecting account information from the given mobile device, or sending a master key to the given mobile device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to determine that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection by one or more of:

receiving a message from the given mobile device that is addressed to a specific address at the local content server;

receiving communication that is recognized to have been sent by the content access client application executing on the given mobile device;

receiving, from the given mobile device, valid credentials from the first mobile device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to detect that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection based at least in part on a subscription associated with the given mobile device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive, at the local content server, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to send metadata describing the collection from the first mobile device to the given mobile device, and subsequent to sending the metadata, receive, at the first mobile device, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to:

execute a wireless access point at the first mobile device, the wireless access point hosting a network having a specific identifier, the local connections made via the wireless access point;

wherein the given mobile device is configured during a provisioning process to automatically connect to wireless access points that host networks having the specific identifier, and to automatically communicate with local content servers on the networks having the specific identifier.