SYSTEM FOR GROUP ACCESS TO SHARED MEDIA, RESOURCES, AND SERVICES

• US 20110055935A1
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: BENNETT, JAMES D., KARAOGUZ, JEYHAN
• Application Number:
  US12/549,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

A system and method for establishing a group of wireless devices for sharing software and hardware resources as well as media stored thereupon associates each group member device of the group of wireless devices, communicates with at least some of the group member devices of the group of wireless devices to identify shared media and upon receiving a request transmitted by a group member device of the group of wireless devices, supports access to shared media. The shared media may be stored on a different group member device, upon a managing portal device, or a media server. Upon a successful validation, the group member device that made the request is notified to facilitate the access to the shared media. The notification includes access information.

Claims

1. A group management system associated with a telephone network infrastructure, the group management system supporting at least one user and a plurality of communication devices, at least one of the plurality of communication devices comprising telephone circuitry, the telephone network infrastructure comprising a data network, each of the plurality of communication devices having at least one resource, the group management system comprising:

at least one host computer coupled to the data network;

portal software that is executed by the at least one host computer;

the at least one host computer attempts to identify a group of related communication devices from the plurality of communication devices based on information related to the at least one user;

the portal software, via the data network, assists in identifying the group of communication devices to the at least one user;

the at least one host computer responds to a first instruction and a second instruction received via the data network from the at least one user, the first instruction relating to sharing at least one of a media, service or resource with one of the group of communication devices;

the at least one host computer, in response to the second instruction, adds another of the plurality of communication devices to the group of communication devices; and

the at least one host computer responds to the first instruction by enabling the sharing of the media, service or resource via the data network.

2. The group management system of claim 1, wherein the host computer is further operable to receive and to deliver the media content to another of the plurality of communication devices.

3. The group management system of claim 1, wherein the host computer is further operable to:

download shared media on a first communication channel from another of the plurality of communication devices, or a media source; and

transmit the shared media on a second communication channel to respond to the first instruction.

4. The group management system of claim 1, wherein the host computer is further operable to:

receive a resource request in the first instruction for one group member device to share wireless transceiver circuitry with a second group member device; and

transmit one of a message or signal to allow the wireless transceiver circuitry to be shared.

5. A group manager portal for managing a group of wireless devices, the group manager portal comprising:

a communications interface operable to communicate with each of the group of wireless devices via at least one of a wired and a wireless network;

memory that includes a portal operations program; and

processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and the memory, wherein the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface and memory, is operable to;

associate each group member device of the group of wireless devices to establish group membership for the group of wireless devices; and

communicate with at least some of the group member devices of the group of wireless devices to support at least one of service sharing, resource sharing and media sharing wherein media sharing comprises at least one of sharing stored media and sharing streaming media.

6. The group manager portal of claim 5 wherein,

upon receiving a request transmitted by a first group member device of the group of wireless devices to access media stored on another group member device, the group manager portal is operable to:

validate the request to access media; and

upon a successful validation, notify at least the first group member device making the request to facilitate the access.

7. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry in combination with the communications interface, further operable to:

define digital rights management requirements that allow access to shared media by the group member devices of the group of wireless devices; and

facilitate access to the shared media by the group of wireless devices to enact the digital rights management requirements.

8. The group manager portal of claim 5, wherein:

the group manager portal communicates with at least some of the group member devices of the group of wireless devices to support media sharing to identify shared media stored thereupon;

the processing circuitry of the group manager portal is further operable to maintain a content list of shared media content stored in each group member device of the group of wireless devices; and

the processing circuitry of the group manager portal is further operable to transmit the content list to at least one group member device.

9. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to:

receive a content request message originated by a first group member device for shared media;

authorize the first group member device to access to the shared media; and

transmit access information to at least one of the first and second group member devices to enable the first group member device to access shared media.

10. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to:

receive a content request message originated by a first group member device for shared media stored on another group member device; and

transmit either access information or the shared media to the first group member device.

11. The group manager portal of claim 10, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to retrieve the shared media from one of a media source or a second group member device to transmit the shared media to the first group member device.

12. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry further operable to store access permissions for each group member device, wherein the stored access permissions are different for at least two of the group member devices.

13. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry further operable to store access permissions in the memory for sub-groups of group member devices, wherein the stored access permissions are different for the group member devices of different sub-groups.

14. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry further operable to:

monitor a number of times shared media or service is accessed by one or more group member devices; and

deny access after the shared media or service has been accessed a specified number of times the one or more group member devices.

15. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry further operable to maintain at least one billing record for particular shared media transfers and access to particular services.

16. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry further operable to:

maintain at least one billing record that is associated with a cell phone account for at least one shared media transfer or access to a service; and

wherein a cell phone associated with the cell phone account is a primary group member device that has account access rights to modify data and control parameters associated with the group of wireless devices.

17. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to:

buffer shared media that is received from the media source; and

transmit the buffered shared media to the group member device.

18. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to:

determine a required format or protocol for the shared media for the group member device based upon device capabilities of the group member device;

format the shared media to correspond with the required format or protocol; and

transmit the shared media in the required format or protocol to the group member device.

19. The group manager portal of claim 5, the processing circuitry, in combination with the communications interface, is further operable to:

transmit access information including an encryption key to the group member device;

or

at least partially decrypt the shared media content prior to allowing access to the shared media content by the group member device.

20. A method for creating and managing group access to services, resources and shared media, comprising:

associating a plurality of group member devices to a group;

receiving an access request for sharing at least one of the services, resources, and media including stored and streaming media for at least one the plurality of group member devices; and

responding to the access request by transmitting at least one of an approval indication, access information or a signal that corresponds with the requested access.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving an access request for a first group member device to share transceiver circuitry with a second device and validating the access request.

22. The method of claim shared media 20, further comprising:

storing access permissions for sharing media or services for at least one the plurality of group member devices;

identifying shared media stored upon the group member devices; and

receiving and forwarding the shared media to one of the plurality of group member devices.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a content request message from a first group member device for the shared media that is to be delivered to a second group member device;

determining that the second group member device is authorized to receive the shared media; and

authorizing the first group member device to deliver the shared media to the second group member device.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a content request message originated by a first group member device for shared media previously delivered to a second group member device; and

authorizing the first group member device to access the shared media that was previously delivered to the second group member device.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving a content request message originated by a first group member device for shared media previously delivered to a second group member device;

uploading the shared media from the second group member device; and

delivering the shared media to the first group member device.

26. A method for operation of a group member device operable to access shared media based on a group association that includes a plurality of group member devices, comprising:

receiving a first access request message from another group member device;

transmitting a second access request message to a group manager portal;

communicating with the group manager portal and determining to support the requested access by the other group member device; and

transmitting one of shared media or access information to support the requested access.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a request from the group manager portal to upload shared media content to the group manager portal for delivery to the other group member device.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving the shared media on a first communication channel from one of the group manager portal or a media source; and

transmitting the shared media to the other group member device on a second communication channel.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting the shared media to the other group member device based an authorization received from the group manager portal, wherein the group member device previously received and stored the shared media.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising at least one of:

receiving access information from the group manager portal and forwarding the access information to the other group member device; and

decrypting at least a portion of shared media prior to transmitting the shared media to the other group member device.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a content list from the group manager portal that identifies content stored on each of the plurality of group member devices;

transmitting a content request message to the group manager portal to request shared media identified on the content list; and

downloading the requested shared media from one of the group manager portal or a group member device.