Digital rights management progressive control and background processing

• US 10,460,082 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Inventors: Anantharaman, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Application Number:
  US15/090,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20170286642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 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 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering

Abstract

Digital rights management progressive control and background processing techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a digital rights management module is embedded as part of the content. In one example, the digital rights management module is configured to monitor user interaction with items of the content and user traits collected from this monitoring to progressively control access to other items of the digital content. In another example, the digital rights management module is configured for execution in the background of a computing device, e.g., without rendering of a user interface or accepting user inputs. This background processing is used to monitor interaction of the user with the computing device that is independent of the content. This includes other content, applications, interaction with service providers (e.g., websites such as a social network), wearable devices, the computing device itself, and so forth.

Claims

1. In a digital medium environment, a method implemented by a client computing device, the method comprising:

downloading, by the client computing device, content that includes a plurality of items and a digital rights management module embedded as part of the content;

monitoring, by the client computing device, user interaction with other content that is executable on the client computing device independent of the content, the monitoring performed via background processing of the digital rights management module such that the embedded digital rights management module is not directly accessible to a user of the client computing device;

forming, by the client computing device, a model, as a function of progressively learned traits observed during the interaction with the other content through use of the digital rights management module; and

progressively controlling access, by the client computing device, to individual ones of the plurality of items of the content through use of a digital rights management module embedded as part of the content, the controlling based on updates to the progressively learned traits of the model through continued said monitoring of the user interaction with the other content and whether the progressively learned traits meet specified traits of a behavior of a digital rights management policy enforced by the digital rights management module for the content.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring user interaction with another source that is a wearable device that is communicatively coupled to the client computing device.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the wearable device is configured to communicate biometric traits, motion traits, or geographical traits.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring user interaction with another source that is accessible via a network.

5. The method as described in claim 4, wherein the another source is a social network service.

6. The method as described in claim 5, further comprising parsing text obtained from the social network service through execution of the embedded digital rights management module and identifying at least one said progressively learned trait based on the parsing.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one said progressively learned trait describes hardware or software functionality of the computing device used to execute the other content.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising updating the model at subsequent points in time based on one or more progressively learned traits observed through subsequent said monitoring.

9. In a digital medium environment, a method implemented by a client computing device, the method comprising:

downloading, by the client computing device, content that includes a plurality of items and a digital rights management module embedded as part of the content;

monitoring, by the client computing device, user interaction with an application executed by the computing device through background execution of the embedded digital rights management module such that the embedded digital rights management module is not directly accessible to a user of the client computing device, the user interaction performed independent of the content and the execution of the application performed independent of the content;

forming, by the client computing device, a model from traits observed during the user interaction through use of the digital rights management module; and

controlling access to individual items of the plurality of item of the content, by the client computing device, through use of the digital rights management module, the controlling based on whether the traits of the model meet specified traits of a behavior of a digital rights management policy enforced by the digital rights management module for the content.

10. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the background execution is performed such that the embedded digital rights management module does not render a user interface for display by the client computing device.

11. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the direct accessibility includes use of a keyboard, touchscreen functionality, or cursor control device to provide inputs by the user.

12. The method as described in claim 9, further comprising detecting the interacting using a wearable device.

13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the wearable device is configured to communicate biometric traits, motion traits, or geographical traits.

14. The method as described in claim 9, further comprising detecting user interaction with at least one source that is accessible via a network and at least one of the progressively learned traits is based on the detecting.

15. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the at least said source is a social network service.

16. In a digital medium environment to control access to content, a system comprising:

a processing system; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the processing system, causes the processing system to perform operations comprising;

receiving content that includes a plurality of items and a digital rights management module embedded as part of the content;

monitoring user interaction with a service provider via a network through background processing of the digital rights management module such that the embedded digital rights management module is not directly accessible to a user;

forming a model as a function of progressively learned traits observed during the user interaction with the service provider through use of the digital rights management module; and

progressively controlling access to individual ones of the plurality of items of the content through use of the digital rights management module embedded as part of the content, the controlling based on updates to the progressively learned traits of the model through continued said monitoring of the user interaction with the service provider and whether the progressively learned traits meet specified traits of a behavior of a digital rights management policy enforced by the digital rights management module for the content.

17. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the service provider is a social network system.

18. The system as described in claim 16, wherein at least one source involved in the user interaction includes a wearable device that is configured to communicate biometric traits, motion traits, or geographical traits.

19. The system as described in claim 16, wherein at least source involved in the user interaction describes hardware or software functionality used to execute the content.

20. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the direct accessibility includes use of a keyboard, touchscreen functionality, or cursor control device to provide inputs by the user.