Redirection of streaming content

• US 20060080453A1
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thukral, Vivek
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/1739 the upstream communication being transmitted via a separate link, e.g. telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

Redirection of streaming content is described. In an implementation, a method includes receiving a request at a client from another client, wherein the request is to redirect on-demand content being streamed from a head end to the other client and includes a bookmark that specifies a point in time during an output of the on-demand content by the second client. A communication is formed for being communicated to the head end to cause redirection of the streaming of the on-demand content to the client corresponding to the point in time specified by the bookmark.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a temporary license in response to a request to redirect streaming of content from a first client to a second client, wherein;

the content is streamed from a head end; and

the temporary license specifies a conditional access right to a portion of the content; and

during the streaming of the content to the second client, supplying a regular license for the second client that specifies a conditional access right to an additional portion of the content that is not specified in the temporary license.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the content is on-demand content.

3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of:

video-on demand (VOD) content;

pay-per-view (PPV) content; and

network digital video recorder (DVR) content.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the providing and the supplying are performed at a head end.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the conditional access right included in the regular license is based at least in part on a regular license to the content for the first client.

6. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising communicating the request from the second client to the head end.

7. A method as described in claim 6, wherein the communicating is performed in response to another request received at the second client from the first client.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising communicating the request from the second client to the head end, wherein:

the communicating is performed in response to another request received at the second client from the first client; and

the other request is communicated directly between the first and second clients.

9. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising communicating the request from the second client to the head end, wherein:

the communicating is performed in response to another request received at the second client from the first client; and

the other request is communicated between the first and second clients by utilizing the head end.

10. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request at a client from another client, wherein the request;

is to redirect on-demand content being streamed from a head end to the other client; and

includes a bookmark that specifies a point-in-time during an output of the on-demand content by the other client; and

forming a communication for being communicated to the head end to cause redirection of the streaming of the on-demand content to the client corresponding to the point-in-time specified by the bookmark.

12. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a temporary license in response to a communication that specifies a conditional access right to a portion of the on-demand content; and

during the streaming of the on-demand content, receiving a regular license that specifies a conditional access right to an additional portion of the on-demand content that is not specified in the temporary license.

13. A method as described in claim 12, wherein the conditional access right included in the regular license is based at least in part on a regular license to the on-demand content for the other client.

14. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method of claim 11.

15. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to:

upon receipt of a first request communicated from another computer to redirect content streamed to the other computer, form a second request for communication to a head end to cause redirection of the streaming content; and

receive the streaming content redirected from the head end in response to the second request.

16. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the content is on-demand content.

17. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the second request includes a bookmark specifying a particular point in an output of the streaming content.

18. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the streaming content is received from the head end according to a temporary license supplied in response to the second request.

19. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further direct the computer to:

receive a temporary license from the head end, which is supplied in response to the second request, for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end during the receipt of the streaming content.

20. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further direct the computer to:

receive a temporary license from the head end, which is supplied in response to the second request, for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end during the receipt of the streaming content that includes a conditional access right based at least in part on a regular license to the content for the other client.

21. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further direct the computer to:

receive a temporary license from the head end, which is supplied in response to the second request, for receipt of the streaming content from the head end, wherein the temporary license provides access to a portion of the content; and

receive a regular license from the head end during the receipt of the streaming content that provides access to an additional portion of the content that is not specified by the temporary license.

22. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions further direct the computer to:

receive a temporary license from the head end, which is supplied in response to the second request, for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end during the receipt of the streaming content that includes a conditional access right that is not included in the temporary license.

23. A head end comprising:

a processor;

a transmitter that is;

communicatively coupled to the processor; and

configured to stream content over a network; and

memory that is communicatively coupled to the processor and is configured to maintain;

the content; and

one or more modules that are executable on the processor to;

provide a temporary license in response to a request to redirect content streamed to a first client over the network such that the content is streamed to a second client over the network; and

during the streaming of the content to the second client, supply a regular license for the second client such that the second client has at least one additional conditional access right that is not specified in the temporary license.

24. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein:

the temporary license specifies a conditional access right to a portion of the content; and

the regular license specifies a conditional access right to an additional portion of the content that is not specified in the temporary license.

25. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein the at least one additional conditional access right is based at least in part on a regular license to the content for the first client.

26. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of:

video-on demand (VOD) content;

pay-per-view (PPV) content; and

network digital video recorder (DVR) content.

27. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein the content is on-demand content.

28. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein the request is communicated from the second client.

29. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein the request is communicated from the second client in response to another request received at the second client from the first client.

30. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein:

the request is communicated from the second client in response to another request received at the second client from the first client; and

the other request is communicated directly between the first and second clients.

31. A head end as described in claim 23, wherein:

the request is communicated from the second client in response to another request received at the second client from the first client; and

the other request is communicated between the first and second clients by utilizing the head end.

32. A system comprising:

a head end having one or more modules that are executable thereon to stream content over a network;

a first client having one or more modules that are executable thereon to;

receive the streamed content from over the network; and

form a first request that specifies redirection of the streamed content, wherein the request includes a bookmark specifying a particular point in the streamed content for output; and

a second client having one or more modules that are executable thereon to;

form a second request in response to the first request, wherein the second request is for communication over the network to the head end and includes the bookmark; and

receive the streamed content from over the network in response to the second request for output at the particular point in the streamed content as specified by the bookmark.

33. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules are executable on the first client to communicate the first request to the head end such that the head end then communicates the first request to the second client.

34. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules are executable on the first client to communicate the first request to the second client without utilizing the head end.

35. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the streaming content is received from the head end at the second client according to a temporary license supplied in response to the second request.

36. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules of the second client are further executable to:

receive a temporary license from the head end that is supplied in response to the second request for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end during receipt of the streaming content.

37. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules of the second client are further executable to:

receive a temporary license from the head end that is supplied in response to the second request for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end that includes a conditional access right based at least in part on a regular license to the streaming content for the first client.

38. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules of the second client are further executable to:

receive a temporary license from the head end that is supplied in response to the second request for receipt of the streaming content from the head end, wherein the temporary license provides access to a portion of the streaming content; and

receive a regular license from the head end that provides access to an additional portion of the streaming content that is not specified by the temporary license.

39. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the one or more modules of the second client are further executable to:

receive a temporary license from the head end, which is supplied in repsonse to the second request, for receipt of the streaming content from the head end; and

receive a regular license from the head end that includes a conditional access right that is not included in the temporary license.

40. A system as described in claim 32, wherein the streaming content is on-demand content.