METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DISTRIBUTE MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20070260604A1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Lee, Chris, McCarthy, Mary, Haeuser, Tony, Noll, Roland, Pettit, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,602,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• 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 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 : for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 : using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 : using security domains

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to distribute media content are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a request for media content from a mobile device, determining an identity of at least one of the mobile device or a consumer using the mobile device, comparing the identity to subscription records associated with the distribution of media content to a geographically fixed consumer location; and based on the comparison, determining if the mobile device is authorized to receive the media content.

Claims

1. A method for distributing media content comprising:

receiving a request for media content from a mobile device;

determining an identity of at least one of the mobile device or a consumer using the mobile device;

comparing the identity to subscription records associated with the distribution of media content to a geographically fixed consumer location; and

based on the comparison, determining if the mobile device is authorized to receive the media content.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a list of available media content; and

in response to the request, transmitting a list of available media content to the mobile device.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining if the mobile device is associated with the geographically fixed consumer location.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the media content to the mobile device if the consumer using the mobile device is authorized to receive the media content at a second device at the geographically fixed consumer location.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising encrypting the media content prior to transmitting the media content to the mobile device.

6. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising establishing a license for the media content prior to transmitting the media content to the mobile device.

7. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the media content transmitted to the first device has a different format than the media content transmitted to the second device.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a notification to the mobile device if the mobile device is not authorized to receive the media content.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media content is internet protocol television (IPTV) media content.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile device is at least one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a portable media presentation device, a gaming device, a personal media player, a two-way pager, or a moving picture experts group (MPEG) layer three (MP3) player.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the identity comprising receiving identification information and comparing the received identification information with stored identification information.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the identification information comprises at least one of a username, a password, a serial number, or a network identifier.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile device is at least one of a portable device or a handheld device.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile device is transported from a first location to a second location by a consumer.

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24. An apparatus comprising:

a client interface to receive requests from a geographically fixed location and a mobile device;

a media content interface to transmit media content to the geographically fixed location and the mobile device; and

a billing interface to determine if at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device is associated with the geographically fixed location and to determine if the geographically fixed location is authorized to receive the media content.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, further comprising a stored media interface to retrieve stored media content and transmit the stored media content to the geographically fixed location and the mobile device.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein the stored media interface comprises a video on demand (VOD) server.

27. An apparatus as defined in claim 25, further comprising a media storage to store media content.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, further comprising a billing storage to store subscription information associated with the geographically fixed location.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the media content interface receives media content from at least one of a media content creator or a media content distributor.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, further comprising a wireless telecommunication system to transmit media content to the mobile device.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the geographically fixed location is a household or a business.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the media content is internet protocol television (IPTV) media content.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the mobile device is at least one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a portable media presentation device, a gaming device, a personal media player, a two-way pager, or a moving picture experts group (MPEG) layer three (MP3) player.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the client interface comprises at least one of a DServer, a terminal server, or a client gateway.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the billing interface comprises at least one of an application server, an OSS/BSS gateway, a domain controller, and a subscriber and system store, an operational support system/business support system (OSS/BSS), a simple network management protocol (SNMP) monitor, or a TV2 management system.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the media content interface comprises at least one of a live acquisition server or a video on demand (VOD) importer.

37. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

receive a request for media content from a mobile device;

determine an identity of at least one of the mobile device or a consumer using the mobile device;

compare the identity to subscription records associated with the distribution of media content to a geographically fixed consumer location; and

based on the comparison, determining if the mobile device is authorized to receive the media content.

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56. A mobile device comprising:

a housing;

a processor;

a user input device to receive user input;

an output device to present media content;

a transceiver to communicate with a telecommunications network; and

a memory storing identification information identifying at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device, the memory storing machine accessible instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to transmit the identification information to the telecommunications network that provides media content to request access to media content based on a subscription associated with a non-mobile device.

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