System and method for delivering media content based on a subscription

• US 20070220555A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Original Assignee: PacketVideo Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Espelien, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and a method deliver media content based on a subscription of a first user to a media provider. The first user accesses and/or consumes the media content from the media provider based on the subscription with one or more terminals at one or more locations. The first user accesses a list of media content available for consumption from the media provider based on the subscription of the first user. The list of media content available is accessed by and displayed to the first user on an electronic program guide via one or more terminals at one or more locations. The first user accesses and consumes a multimedia file from the list of media content available based on the subscription of the first user via one or more terminals at one or more locations. The first user and/or a second user consumes and/or experiences the multimedia file via a terminal of the second user based on the subscription of the first user. The first user stores the list of media content available and/or the multimedia file in the storage device associated with the first user via one or more terminals at one or more locations.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting multimedia wherein a first user has a first subscription and a second user has a second subscription, the system comprising:

a first database connected to a first media provider wherein a first plurality of multimedia files is stored within the first database;

a first electronic program guide that lists at least one multimedia file of the first plurality of multimedia files wherein the first electronic program guide corresponds to the first subscription of the first user;

a second database connected to a second media provider wherein a second plurality of multimedia files is stored within the second database;

a first network connected to the first media provider and the second media provider;

a first terminal associated with the first media provider and connected to the first network wherein the first media provider identifies the first subscription of the first user to allow the first user to use the first terminal to access the first electronic program guide via the first network wherein the first terminal displays the first electronic program guide to the first user wherein the first user selects a first multimedia file of the first plurality of multimedia files from the first electronic program guide so that the first multimedia file is transmitted to the first terminal;

a second terminal associated with the second media provider and connected to the first network wherein the first media provider identifies the first subscription of the first user to allow the first user to use the second terminal to access the first electronic program guide wherein the second terminal displays the first electronic program guide to the first user wherein the first user selects a seconds multimedia file of the first plurality of multimedia files from the first electronic program guide so that the second multimedia file is transmitted to the second terminal; and

a storage device connected to the first network wherein the storage device is associated with the first user by the first subscription of the first user wherein the first multimedia file transmitted to the first terminal and the second multimedia file transmitted to the second terminal is stored in the storage device and accessed by the first user based on the first subscription of the first user.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second electronic program guide associated with the second plurality of multimedia files wherein the second user uses the first terminal to access the second electronic program guide via the first network based on the second subscription.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second network connected to the first terminal and the first media provider wherein the first terminal accesses the first database via the second network and the first media provider.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second database connected to a second media provider wherein a second plurality of media files is stored within the second database.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a graphic user interface wherein the graphic user interface displays the first electronic program guide and allows the first user to select one or more of the plurality of multimedia files available on the electronic programming guide so that one or more of the plurality of multimedia files are transmitted to the first user via the first network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second terminal is located remotely with respect to the first terminal.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first electronic program guide displays a time and a duration associated with each one of the plurality of multimedia files that are displayed.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first electronic program guide displays multimedia files that correspond to an interest of the user.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first user uses the second terminal to access the storage device via the first network based on the first subscription.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a third terminal connected to the first terminal wherein a third user accesses the first electronic program guide via the third terminal based on the first subscription of the first user.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

storing the multimedia file in a storage device connected to the network.

11. A method for transmitting multimedia to a first user having a first subscription and a second user having a second subscription, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a first media provider to a first network wherein the first media provider has a first database of multimedia files;

connecting a second media provider to a first network wherein the second media provider has a second database of multimedia files;

connecting a first terminal to the first network wherein the first terminal is associated with the first subscription;

connecting a second terminal to the first network wherein the second terminal is associated with the second subscription;

connecting a storage device to the first network;

providing the first user access to the first database from the first terminal via the first network based on the first subscription of the first user;

transmitting a first multimedia file from the first database to the first user at the first terminal based on the first subscription;

providing the first user access to the first database from the second terminal via the first network based on the first subscription of the first user;

transmitting a second multimedia file from the first database to the first user at the second terminal based on the first subscription; and

storing the second multimedia file in the storage device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing the first user access to an electronic program guide that lists the multimedia files and allows the first user to select the first multimedia file.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

displaying an electronic program guide that lists multimedia files that correspond to an interest of the first user.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

connecting a second network to the first terminal wherein the first database is accessible from the first media provider via the second communication network.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

storing the first multimedia file in the storage device wherein the first multimedia file is accessible by the first user at the second terminal based on the first subscription.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

accessing the second database from the first terminal via the first network based on the second subscription of the second user.

17. A method for transmitting multimedia to a user having a subscription, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting a first media provider to a network wherein the first media provider has a first database of multimedia files;

connecting a first terminal and a second terminal to the first network wherein the first terminal is associated with the first subscription and the second terminal is associated with the second subscription;

generating a request by the second terminal for a multimedia file content list to be transmitted from the first media provider wherein the request has information about the first subscription of the first user wherein the multimedia file content list is multimedia files accessible by the user under the subscription;

transmitting an electronic program guide to the first user at the second terminal via the network wherein the electronic program guide includes the multimedia file content list wherein the electronic program guide is based on the first subscription of the user; and

transmitting at least one of the multimedia files from the first database to the second terminal wherein the first media provider delivers the multimedia file via the network to the user for use on the second terminal wherein the multimedia file is selected by the user from the multimedia file content list.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

the electronic program guide displaying multimedia files that correspond to a preference of the user.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

displaying a graphic user interface that displays the electronic program guide and allows the user to select the multimedia file from the multimedia file content list.