System and method for managing access to digital content via digital rights policies

• US 20040010602A1
• Filed: 07/10/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patron, David, Nadarajah, Dinesh, Van Vleck, Paul F., Grannan, Michael F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A dynamic repository (either storing digital data content or pointers to stored digital data content) works in conjunction with a plurality of interfaces to manage digital content and digital rights policies associated with one or more users. Digital rights policies are unique to each user and such policies define access to digital content in the repository. The user'"'"'s digital rights policy indicates the level of access a user has to digital content in the repository (e.g., the policy could indicate that the user has authorized access to a particular file for a period of seven days). The interfaces linked with the content repository are used to access and manipulate the digital data content (based upon each user'"'"'s digital rights policy) and the digital rights policies stored in the content repository. The interfaces include: (a) one or more authentication interfaces for authenticating users, (b) one or more digital rights management (DRM) interfaces allowing users to add, delete, or edit the digital rights policies, (c) one or more data access interfaces allowing users to selectively access digital data content as defined by their individual digital rights policy, (d) one or more browsing interfaces allowing users to selectively browse said digital data content, or a (e) one or more content manipulation interfaces allowing said users to add, delete, or edit said digital data content.

Claims

1. A method for managing access to digital data content via digital rights policies, said method comprising the steps of:

a. authenticating a content provider;

b. receiving, from said content provider, at least one parameter unique to a consumer, a copy of digital data content requested by said consumer, and a digital rights policy associated with said digital data content defining said consumer'"'"'s access to said digital data content;

c. identifying a unique storage space associated with said consumer based upon said unique parameter;

d. transferring said received digital data content and digital rights policy to said unique storage space; and

e. providing said consumer with access to said transferred digital data content in said unique storage space, wherein said customer'"'"'s future access to said transferred digital data content is defined by said digital rights policy.

2. A method as per claim 1, wherein said step of providing access further comprises the steps of:

a. receiving an authentication request from said consumer;

b. authenticating said consumer; and

c. allowing for access or manipulation of content in said consumer'"'"'s unique storage space as defined by said consumer'"'"'s digital rights policy.

3. A method as per claim 1, wherein said parameter is an account number of a charge card associated with said consumer.

4. A method as per claim 1, wherein said digital data content is any of the following:

multimedia content, audio content, music, video content, or software content.

6. A method as per claim 1, wherein said step of providing access further comprises the steps of:

a. receiving an authentication request from said consumer;

b. authenticating said consumer; and

c. allowing said consumer to access or manipulate said requested digital data content based upon said location and said consumer'"'"'s digital rights policy.

5. A method for managing access to digital data content via digital rights policies, said method comprising the steps of:

a. authenticating a content provider;

b. receiving, from said content provider, at least one parameter unique to a consumer, a copy of a pointer to digital data content requested by said consumer, and a digital rights policy associated with said digital data content defining said consumer'"'"'s access to said digital data content;

c. identifying a unique storage space associated with said consumer based upon said unique parameter;

d. transferring said received pointer and digital rights policy to said unique storage space; and

e. providing said consumer with access to said requested digital data content based upon accessing a location defined by said transferred pointer in said unique storage space, wherein said customer'"'"'s future access to said digital data content is defined by said digital rights policy.

7. A method as per claim 5, wherein said parameter is an account number of a charge card associated with said consumer.

8. A method as per claim 5, wherein said pointer is an uniform resource locator (URL).

9. A method as per claim 5, wherein said digital data content is any of the following:

multimedia content, audio content, music, video content, or software content.

10. A system allowing users to access digital data content in an electronic trunk based upon digital rights policies, said system comprising:

a. a content repository storing either digital data content or pointers pointing to stored digital data content; and

b. interfaces operatively linked with said content repository, said interfaces accessing and manipulating said digital data content, said interfaces comprising at least;

i. an authentication interface authenticating users and identifying a digital rights policy associated each of said users;

ii. a digital rights management (DRM) interface allowing said users to add, delete, or edit said digital rights policies;

iii. a data access interface for selectively accessing said digital data content as defined by their individual digital rights policy; and

iv. a content manipulation interface allowing said users to add, delete, or edit said digital data content, said content manipulation performed on selectively accessible digital data content as defined by said user'"'"'s digital rights policy.

11. A system as per claim 10, said interfaces further comprising a browsing interface allowing said users to selectively browse said digital data content as defined by their individual digital rights policy.

12. A system as per claim 10, wherein said digital data content is any of the following:

multimedia content, audio content, music, video content, or software content.

13. A system as per claim 10, wherein said interfaces are implemented via the extensible markup language (XML) or simple object access protocol (SOAP) standard.

14. A system as per claim 10, wherein said pointers to stored data content are uniform resource locators (URLs).

15. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for managing varying levels of access for digital data content in an electronic trunk, said medium further comprising:

a. computer readable program code authenticating a content provider;

b. computer readable program code aiding in receiving, from said content provider, at least one parameter unique to a consumer, a copy of digital data content requested by said consumer, and a digital rights policy associated with said digital data content defining said consumer'"'"'s access to said digital data content;

c. computer readable program code identifying a unique storage space associated with said consumer based upon said unique parameter;

d. computer readable program code aiding in transferring said received digital data content and digital rights policy to said unique storage space; and

e. computer readable program providing said consumer with access to said transferred digital data content in said unique storage space, wherein said customer'"'"'s future access to said transferred digital data content is defined by said digital rights policy.

16. An article of manufacture as per claim 15, wherein said medium further comprises:

a. computer readable program aiding in receiving an authentication request from said consumer;

b. computer readable program code authenticating said consumer; and

c. computer readable program allowing for access or manipulation of content in said consumer'"'"'s unique storage space as defined by said consumer'"'"'s digital rights policy.