SUBSCRIPTION MANAGEMENT IN A MEDIA SHARING SERVICE

• US 20070299681A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Plastina, Daniel, Jones, David, Haveson, Ryan Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Providing subscription management in local communication regions. Upon detecting a computing device of a user within a predefined proximity, a media server provides the user with access to a corresponding user profile maintained by a media service. The user profile includes subscription information defining access by the user to media content items available from the media service. The user creates or renews a subscription to the media service while connected to the media server, and subsequently receives media content items from the media service.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory area associated with a media service, said memory area for storing user profiles for a plurality of users and for storing media content items each having a digital rights management policy associated therewith, said user profiles including subscription information; and

a processor remote from the memory area, said processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

detecting a computing device within a predefined proximity, said computing device being associated with a particular user;

establishing a wireless connection to the detected computing device;

enabling the media service to authenticate the particular user based on the user profiles stored in the memory area;

providing, based on the authentication by the media service, access to the memory area for the particular user to update the subscription information stored in one of the user profiles associated with the particular user; and

providing, to a computer-readable medium associated with the computing device, one or more of the media content items stored in the memory area in accordance with the associated digital rights management policy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the particular user with access to a printer local to the computing device for printing at least one of the one or more of the media content items stored provided to the computer-readable medium.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for sharing the media content items stored in the memory area among the plurality of users.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for updating the subscription information stored in the user profiles.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profiles comprise a plurality of playlists.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for updating the plurality of playlists upon connection to the detected computing device.

7. In a system having a media service for providing media content items to users on a subscription basis, a method comprising:

detecting, by a media server, a portable computing device within a communication region local to the media server, said portable computing device being associated with a user, said media server being connected via a data communications network to the media service, said media service storing subscription information for the user;

establishing a connection to the portable computing device upon detection by the media server;

determining a payment status associated with the subscription information by communicating with the media service via the data communications network;

providing the determined payment status to the user;

receiving an indication of payment from the user for access to the media service responsive to the provided payment status;

updating the subscription information with the received indication of payment; and

providing one or more of the media content items to the portable computing device based on the updated subscription information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of payment comprises one or more of the following:

a credit card payment, a debit card payment, and an electronic funds transfer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the payment status indicates that a balance is due for continued access to the media service.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising enabling the media service to authenticate the user based on the subscription information.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the media server is remote from the media service.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the received indication of payment represents a renewal to a subscription to the media service associated with the user, and wherein determining the payment status comprises determining if the subscription is available for renewal based on the subscription information associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 7.

14. In a system having a media service for providing media content items to users, a method comprising:

detecting, by a media server, a portable computing device within a communication region local to the media server, said portable computing device being associated with a user, said media server being connected via a data communications network to the media service;

establishing a connection to the portable computing device upon detection by the media server;

offering, to the portable computing device via the established connection, access to one or more of the media content items available from the media service;

receiving an indication of payment from the user responsive to the offered access; and

providing one or more of the media content items to the portable computing device based on the received indication of payment.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving from the user a selection of the media content items available from the media service, and wherein providing the one or more of the media content items comprises providing the selected media content items to the portable computing device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the one or more of the media content items comprises streaming the media content items to the portable computing device or downloading the media content items to the portable computing device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the provided one or more media content items represent a playlist, and further comprising:

providing metadata to the portable computing device describing the playlist.

subsequently modifying the playlist; and

updating the provided metadata on the portable computing device to correspond to the modified playlist upon a subsequent connection to the portable computing device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing the connection to the portable computing device upon detection by the media server comprises establishing the connection to the portable computing device without input from the user.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the indication of payment from the user responsive to the offered access comprises receiving the indication of payment for a subscription to the media service.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 14.