System for handling proprietary files

• US 20030096605A1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McNamara, Justin, Schlieben, Karl J., Lewis, John Ervin, Lai, Danh Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/299,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20030096605A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 : Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 : Connectivity information update

Abstract

A method and system for controlling the distribution of a proprietary object in telecommunications network includes detecting a proprietary object in the telecommunications network, storing the proprietary object in a data structure, associating a flag in the data structure with the proprietary object, and limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag. In various aspects of the invention, the proprietary object is a ring tone, a graphic file, or an audio file.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the distribution of a proprietary object in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

detecting a proprietary object in the telecommunications network;

storing the proprietary object in a data structure;

associating a flag in the data structure with the proprietary object; and

limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proprietary object is a ring tone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the proprietary object is a graphic file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the proprietary object is an audio file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a proprietary object further comprises:

ascertaining an origination address for the proprietary object; and

comparing the origination address to addresses of proprietary object providers stored in the data structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a proprietary object further comprises:

receiving a communication from a proprietary object provider that the object is proprietary.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the proprietary object further comprises:

reading information accompanying the proprietary object; and

determining that the proprietary object is proprietary based on the information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the proprietary object further comprises:

reading a portion of the content of the proprietary object; and

comparing the portion of the content of the proprietary objects with contents of proprietary objects stored in a data structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the proprietary object in the data structure further comprises:

storing information about the proprietary object in the data structure; and

storing information about a wireless device to which the proprietary object was downloaded in the data structure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the flag in the data structure with the proprietary object further comprises:

setting the flag to indicate that the proprietary object is proprietary.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag further comprises:

limiting access to a device to which the proprietary object was initially downloaded.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag further comprises:

blocking a function that allows the proprietary object to be copied.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag further comprises:

displaying a message about the proprietary object instead of providing access to the proprietary object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag further comprises:

displaying a read-only version of the proprietary object.

15. A method for restricting a subscriber'"'"'s access to a proprietary ring tone in a wireless network, the method comprising:

detecting a proprietary ring tone by ascertaining information about the proprietary ring tone;

storing the proprietary ring tone in a data structure;

storing ring tone information about the proprietary ring tone in the data structure;

storing device information about a device to which the proprietary ring tone was initially downloaded in the data structure;

associating a flag in the data structure with the proprietary ring tone;

setting the flag to indicate that the proprietary ring tone is proprietary; and

limiting access to the proprietary ring tone based on the associated flag.

16. A system for controlling the distribution of a proprietary object in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

a component for detecting a proprietary object in the telecommunications network;

a component for storing the proprietary object in a data structure;

a component for associating a flag in the data structure with the proprietary object; and

a component for limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for detecting the proprietary object is further operable to:

ascertain an origination address for the proprietary object; and

compare the origination address to addresses of proprietary object providers stored in the data structure.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for detecting the proprietary object is further operable to:

receive a communication from a proprietary object provider that the object is proprietary.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for detecting the proprietary object is further operable to:

read information accompanying the proprietary object; and

determine that the proprietary object is proprietary based on the information.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for detecting the proprietary object is further operable to:

read a portion of the content of the proprietary object; and

compare the portion of the content of the proprietary object with proprietary objects stored in the data structure.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for storing the proprietary object in the data structure is further operable to:

store information about the proprietary object in the data structure; and

store information about a wireless device to which the proprietary object was downloaded in the data structure.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for associating the flag in the data structure with the proprietary object is further operable to:

set the flag to indicate that the proprietary object is proprietary.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag is further operable to:

limit access to a device to which the proprietary object was initially downloaded.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag is further operable to:

block a function that allows the proprietary object to be copied.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag is further operable to:

display a message about the proprietary object instead of allowing access to the proprietary object.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the component for limiting access to the proprietary object based on the associated flag is further operable to:

display a read-only version of the proprietary object.

27. A system for restricting a subscriber'"'"'s access to a proprietary ring tone in a wireless network, the system comprising components for:

detecting a proprietary ring tone by ascertaining information about the proprietary ring tone;

storing the proprietary ring tone in a data structure;

storing information about the proprietary ring tone in the data structure;

storing information-about a device to which the proprietary ring tone was initially downloaded in the data structure;

associating a flag in the data structure with the proprietary ring tone;

setting the flag to indicate that the proprietary ring tone-is proprietary; and

limiting access to the proprietary ring tone based on the associated flag.