Systems and methods to regulate use of consumer devices and services

• US 20040003079A1
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Saxena, Samir Tiongson, Aiu, Marcus Tai-Tong
• Application Number:
  US10/177,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The described systems and arrangements regulate use of consumer devices and services. In one implementation, a control allowances data file is automatically downloaded from a networked server. The control allowances data file specifies one or more criteria against which use of a device or a service hosted by the device should be restricted with respect to a particular user. The criteria are periodically evaluated against device or service use to determine whether user access to a device and/or service hosted by an application executing on the device should be restricted based on at least a portion of the criteria.

Claims

1. A method to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the method comprising:

automatically downloading a control allowances data file from a networked server, the control allowances data file specifying criteria against which use of a device or a service hosted by the device should be restricted with respect to a particular user; and

periodically evaluating the criteria against device or service use to determine whether user access to a device and/or service hosted by an application executing on the device should be restricted based on at least a portion of the criteria.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the criteria is based on any combination of one or more of time, the particular user, a number of e-mails, a number of phone calls, cost, and a number of instant messaging sessions.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the criteria indicate that the device or application should be shut down or reduced in functionality responsive to meeting a particular criterion of the criteria.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the criteria is user, device, and/or service centric.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises restricting use of the device or service based on the criteria.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises restricting use of the device or service with respect to the particular user based on the criteria.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is a game machine, a set-top box, a personal computer, a cell phone, a handheld computing device, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, or a home appliance.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions executable by a processor to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the computer-program instructions comprising instructions to perform a method as recited in claim 1.

9. A computing device to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the computing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor, the computer-program instructions for performing a method as recited in claim 1.

10. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions executable by a processor to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the computer-program instructions comprising instructions for:

specifying criteria to regulate use of a device or a service hosted by an application executing at the device;

configuring the device to download the criteria from a network server responsive to predetermined actions; and

configuring the device to evaluate the criteria after successful download to regulate use of the device or the application.

11. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the criteria regulates access by one or more users to the device or application.

12. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the predetermined actions comprise boot-up operations performed by the device, user log on operations, instantiation of an application hosted by the device, or use of the application to log onto a particular service.

13. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the criteria are based on any combination of time, a user, a number of e-mails, a number of phone calls, a cost, and a number of service sessions.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the criteria restrict access to any one or more the Internet, an e-mail application, an instant messaging service, a digital broadcast service, or a telephone service.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer-program instructions further comprise instructions for configuring the device to evaluate default criteria after an unsuccessful attempt to download the criteria, the default criteria being evaluated to regulate use of the device or the service.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer-program instructions further comprise instructions for restricting use of the device or service based on the criteria or based on default criteria stored by the device to regulate use of the device or the service.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

determining that use of the device or service is to be restricted based on the criteria;

receiving an override indication; and

responsive to receiving the override indication, not restricting the device or service.

18. A method to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the method comprising performing multiple operations as recited by gerunds in the computer-readable medium of claim 10.

19. A computing device to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the computing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions as recited in claim 10, the computer-executable instruction being executable by the processor.

20. A computing device to provide control allowances for consumer technology, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions, the processor being configured to fetch and execute the computer executable instructions for;

requesting download of control allowances from a networked server;

responsive to receiving the control allowances, evaluating the control allowances to determine whether the device should restrict access to functionality hosted by the device; and

responsive to not receiving the control allowances from the networked server, evaluating a default set of control allowances to determine whether the device should restrict access to functionality hosted by the device.

21. A computing device as recited in claim 20, wherein the networked server is located in a home network, intranet, or on the Internet.

22. A computing device as recited in claim 20, wherein the computing device is a gaming device, a set-top box, a personal computer, a peripheral device, or a mobile device.

23. A computing device as recited in claim 20, wherein the control allowances are based on any combination of time, user, and service-based criteria.

24. A computing device as recited in claim 20, wherein the instructions for requesting download of the control allowances are performed responsive to a boot-up operation of the computing device, receiving an indication from the networked server of an update, or a user log-on event.

25. A computing device as recited in claim 20, wherein the functionality hosted by the device corresponds to shutting down the device or restricting use of an application executing on the computing device.

26. A computing device as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

determining that criteria specified by the control allowances will be met in a certain amount of time; and

presenting a notification message to a user of the computing device, the notification message indicating that access to the functionality will automatically be restricted in the certain amount of time.

27. A computing device to regulate use of consumer devices and services, the computing device comprising:

means for automatically downloading a control allowances data file from a networked server, the control allowances data file specifying criteria against which use of a device or a service hosted by the device should be restricted with respect to a particular user; and

means for periodically evaluating the criteria against device or service use to determine whether user access to a device and/or service hosted by an application executing on the device should be restricted based on at least a portion of the criteria.

28. A computing device as recited in claim 27, wherein the criteria is based on any combination of one or more of time, the particular user, a number of e-mails, a number of phone calls, cost, and a number of instant messaging sessions.

29. A computing device as recited in claim 27, wherein the computing device is a game machine, a set-top box, a personal computer, a cell phone, a handheld computing device, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, or a home appliance.

30. A computing device as recited in claim 27, further comprising means for restricting use of the device or service based on the criteria.

31. A data structure to regulate use of a device or service hosted by an application executing on the device, the data structure comprising:

a first data field indicating a user;

a second data field indicating a generic device or service;

a third data field corresponding to a specific instance of the generic device or service; and

a fourth data field indicating one or more scopes of allowance within which access to the a specific instance by the user is to be restricted.

32. A computer-readable medium comprising a data structure as recited in claim 31.