Method and apparatus for controlling access restrictions for media playback

• US 20050038996A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Meyerson, Randy
• Granted Patent: US 8,181,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for controlling access restrictions for media resource playback may include defining a user-specific content control profile authorizing one or more classes of content to be delivered to a client device, generating a media resource request identifying a first media resource associated with a first class of content and one or more attributes of the content control profile, determining whether the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device based at least in part upon the one or more attributes of the content control profile, and delivering the first media resource to the client device if the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a user-specific content control profile authorizing one or more classes of content to be delivered to a client device;

generating a media resource request identifying a first media resource associated with a first class of content, and one or more attributes of the content control profile;

determining whether the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device, based at least in part upon the one or more attributes of the content control profile; and

delivering the first media resource to the client device if the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific content control profile is defined via a remote user account.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing a local representation of the content control profile on the client device, wherein the a local representation includes the at least the one or more attributes of the content control profile.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the local representation is stored on the client device in the form of one or more HTTP cookies.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the user account is accessed via a first remote server and the first media resource is received from a second remote server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering the first media resource to the client device comprises streaming the first media resource to the client device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content qualifications are selected from a plurality of qualification options including a first option to authorize all of a given content type to be accessed by the client device, a second option to authorize some of the given content type to be accessed by the client device, and a third option to authorize none of the given content type to be accessed by the client device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more classes of content comprise sexually explicit content, objectionable language, and violence.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

determining, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes, whether the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device; and

delivering the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

delivering a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, a host identifier indicating a host of the requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

determining, whether the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes; and

facilitating delivery of the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

facilitating access to a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the client device is entitled to access the media resource based at least in part upon the host identifier; and

facilitating delivery of the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the client device is entitled to access the requested media resource and the requested media resource is authorized for delivery to the client device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein facilitating delivery of the requested media resource comprises:

generating an obfuscated token including at least a subset of the one or more content control attributes; and

providing the token to the host of the requested media resource to facilitate authentication of the user by the host of the requested media resource.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the content qualifications are selected from a plurality of qualification options including a first option to authorize all of a given content type to be accessed by the client device, a second option to authorize some of the given content type to be accessed by the client device, and a third option to authorize none of the given content type to be accessed by the client device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more classes of content comprise sexually explicit content, objectionable language, and violence.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein facilitating delivery of the requested media resource comprises:

determining a network address for the host of the requested media resource based upon the media resource host identifier;

generating an authentication token based upon one or more of the content control profile attributes; and

redirecting the network request of the client device to the host of the requested media resource based upon the determined network address, wherein the redirected network request includes the authentication token.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

authorization logic operative to determine, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes, whether the requested media resource belongs a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device; and

delivery logic operative to deliver the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delivery logic is further operative to deliver a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, a host identifier indicating a host of the requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

authorization logic to determine, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes, whether the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device; and

delivery logic to facilitate delivery of the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the delivery logic is further operative to facilitate access to a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

logic operative to determine a network address for the host of the requested media resource based upon the media resource host identifier, to generate an authentication token based upon one or more of the content control profile attributes, and to redirect the network request of the client device to the host of the requested media resource based upon the determined network address, wherein the redirected network request includes the authentication token.

27. A recordable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed, implement a method comprising:

receiving a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

determining, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes, whether the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device; and

delivering the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

28. The recordable medium of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises:

delivering a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

29. The recordable medium of claim 27, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

30. A recordable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed, implement a method comprising:

receiving a network request from a client device, the request identifying a requested media resource, a host identifier indicating a host of the requested media resource, and one or more content control attributes of a user-stipulated content control profile identifying one or more classes of media that the user has authorized for delivery to the client device;

determining, based at least in part upon the one or more content control attributes, whether the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized by the user for delivery to the client device; and

facilitating delivery of the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the requested media resource belongs to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

31. The recordable medium of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises:

facilitating access to a secondary media resource if it is determined that the requested media resource does not belong to a class of media that has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

32. The recordable medium of claim 30, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the client device is entitled to access the media resource based at least in part upon the host identifier; and

facilitating delivery of the requested media resource to the client device if it is determined that the client device is entitled to access the media resource and the requested media resource is authorized for delivery to the client device.

33. The recordable medium of claim 32, wherein facilitating delivery of the requested media resource comprises:

generating an obfuscated token including at least a subset of the one or more content control attributes; and

providing the token to the host of the requested media resource to facilitate authentication of the user by the host of the requested media resource.

34. The recordable medium of claim 30, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.

35. The recordable medium of claim 34, wherein the content qualifications are selected from a plurality of qualification options including a first option to authorize all of a given content type to be accessed by the client device, a second option to authorize some of the given content type to be accessed by the client device, and a third option to authorize none of the given content type to be accessed by the client device.

36. The recordable medium of claim 35, wherein the one or more classes of content comprise sexually explicit content, objectionable language, and violence.

37. The recordable medium of claim 30, wherein facilitating delivery of the requested media resource comprises:

determining a network address for the host of the requested media resource based upon the media resource host identifier;

generating an authentication token based upon one or more of the content control profile attributes; and

redirecting the network request of the client device to the host of the requested media resource based upon the determined network address, wherein the redirected network request includes the authentication token.

38. A method comprising:

defining a user-specific content control profile authorizing one or more classes of content to be delivered to a client device;

generating a media resource request identifying a first media resource associated with a first class of content, and one or more attributes of the content control profile; and

receiving the first media resource if it is determined based at least in part upon the one or more attributes of the content control profile that the first class of content has been authorized for delivery to the client device.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

storing a local representation of the content control profile on the client device, wherein the a local representation includes the at least the one or more attributes of the content control profile.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the content control profile comprises one or more user-stipulated content qualifications used to authorize one or more classes of content that may be requested by the client device.