Systems and methods for ensuring continued access to media of a playlist despite geographic content restrictions

• US 10,412,178 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Gorm Ward, Patel, Milan Indu, Schaeffer, Stephanie, Lefevre, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US15/198,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 709231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• 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 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for detecting information that indicates that a user will be traveling from a first geographic location to a second geographic location, and responsively accessing a playlist indicated by a profile of the user that indicates a plurality of streaming media that the user intends to consume. Control circuitry may then compare data corresponding to each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media to a database to determine whether each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media is accessible to the user at the second geographic location, and may determine that a subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location. In response to determining that the subset is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location, the control circuitry may download each media of the subset.

Claims

1. A method for automatically downloading a copy of streaming media of a playlist that is inaccessible at a geographic location to which a user intends to travel, the method comprising:

detecting information that indicates that a user will be traveling from a first geographic location to a second geographic location different from the first geographic location;

in response to the detecting, accessing a playlist indicated by a profile of the user that indicates a plurality of streaming media that the user intends to consume;

comparing data corresponding to each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media to entries of a database to determine whether each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media is accessible to the user at the second geographic location;

determining, based on the comparing, that a subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location; and

in response to determining that the subset is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location;

selecting, from a plurality of user equipment, user equipment that the user is likely to travel with to the second geographic location, based on device parameters of the user equipment; and

downloading, on the selected user equipment, each media of the subset before the user travels to the second geographic location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the information that indicates that the user will be traveling from the first geographic location to the second geographic location comprises:

receiving an electronic communication that is addressed to the user;

determining that content of the electronic communication references travel;

identifying, based on the profile, a home address of the user;

parsing the content of the electronic communication to identify an address other than the home address; and

in response to identifying the address other than the home address, determining the second geographic location to be the address other than the home address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of streaming media is associated with a streaming media provider, wherein the database indicates geographic content restrictions for the streaming media provider, and wherein determining that the subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location comprises identifying that media of the subset is indicated as restricted at the second geographic location in the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of streaming media is associated with a streaming media provider, wherein the database indicates content that is available at a given geographic location from the streaming media provider, and wherein determining that the subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location comprises identifying that media of the subset is not indicated as available at the second geographic location in the database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset, and wherein the method further comprises automatically selecting a portion of the subset for storing, on the selected user equipment, based on preferences indicated in the profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset, and wherein the method further comprises:

generating for display an alert to the user indicating that the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset;

receiving a selection from the user of a portion of the subset for storing; and

in response to receiving the selection, downloading the portion of the subset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, further in response to determining that the subset is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location:

identifying respective locations where a respective downloadable file corresponding to each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media is available for downloading; and

automatically downloading the respective downloadable files when the downloadable files are available without payment of money.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether a respective downloadable file requires purchase; and

in response to determining that the respective downloadable file requires purchase, prompting the user as to whether the user authorizes purchase of the respective downloadable file.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first geographic location is a current geographic location of the user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the device parameters comprise prior usage activity, and wherein selecting the user equipment that the user is likely to travel with further comprises:

determining that the user traveled with the user equipment on a previous trip based on the prior usage activity; and

in response to determining that the user traveled with the user equipment on the previous trip, selecting the user equipment.

9. A system for automatically downloading a copy of streaming media of a playlist that is inaccessible at a geographic location to which a user intends to travel, the system comprising:

storage circuitry;

communications circuitry; and

control circuitry configured to;

detect information that indicates that a user will be traveling from a first geographic location to a second geographic location different from the first geographic location;

in response to the detecting, access, using the communications circuitry, a playlist indicated by a profile of the user that indicates a plurality of streaming media that the user intends to consume;

compare data corresponding to each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media to entries of a database to determine whether each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media is accessible to the user at the second geographic location;

determine that a subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location; and

in response to determining that the subset is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location;

select, from a plurality of user equipment, user equipment that the user is likely to travel with to the second geographic location, based on device parameters of the user equipment; and

download to the storage circuitry on the selected user equipment, using the communications circuitry, each media of the subset before the user travels to the second geographic location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when determining the information that indicates that the user will be traveling from the first geographic location to the second geographic location, to:

receive an electronic communication that is addressed to the user;

determine that content of the electronic communication references travel;

identify, based on the profile, a home address of the user;

parse the content of the electronic communication to identify an address other than the home address; and

in response to identifying the address other than the home address, determine the second geographic location to be the address other than the home address.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of streaming media is associated with a streaming media provider, wherein the database indicates geographic content restrictions for the streaming media provider, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when determining that the subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location, to identify that media of the subset is indicated as restricted at the second geographic location in the database.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of streaming media is associated with a streaming media provider, wherein the database indicates content that is available at a given geographic location from the streaming media provider, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when determining that the subset of the plurality of media is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location, to identify that media of the subset is not indicated as available at the second geographic location in the database.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to automatically select a portion of the subset for storing, on the selected user equipment, based on preferences indicated in the profile.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

generate for display an alert to the user indicating that the selected user equipment has insufficient capacity to store each media of the subset;

receive a selection from the user of a portion of the subset for storing; and

in response to receiving the selection, download the portion of the subset.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, further in response to determining that the subset is not accessible to the user at the second geographic location, to:

identify respective locations where a respective downloadable file corresponding to each streaming media of the plurality of streaming media is available for downloading; and

automatically download the respective downloadable files when the downloadable files are available without payment of money.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether a respective downloadable file requires purchase; and

in response to determining that the respective downloadable file requires purchase, prompt the user as to whether the user authorizes purchase of the respective downloadable file.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the first geographic location is a current geographic location of the user.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein the device parameters comprise prior usage activity, and wherein the control circuitry selects the user equipment that the user is likely to travel with by:

determining that the user traveled with the user equipment on a previous trip based on the prior usage activity; and

in response to determining that the user traveled with the user equipment on the previous trip, selecting the user equipment.