DISABLING ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20110088100A1
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Skiff LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Skiff LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: RUTMAN, Serge
• Application Number:
  US12/578,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088100A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• 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 for and method of management of electronic content access are disclosed. The system and method provide for managing electronic content access including detecting, at an electronic paper display device, an event requiring electronic content access management. According to some embodiments, access may be disabled to one or more portions of electronic content for a user of the electronic paper display device based at least in part on the detection of an event requiring electronic content access management. In one or more embodiments, a notification may be sent to a user of an electronic paper display device based at least in part on the detection of an event requiring electronic content access management.

Claims

1. A hardware implemented method for managing electronic content access, the method comprising:

detecting, at an electronic paper display device, an event requiring electronic content access management; and

disabling access to one or more portions of electronic content for a user of the electronic paper display device based at least in part on the event.

2. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a termination of a subscription to electronic content.

3. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an unauthorized access attempt.

4. The hardware implemented method of claim 3, wherein the unauthorized access attempt comprises at least one of:

an attempt by an unsubscribed user to access content requiring a subscription, an attempt to bypass an encryption mechanism, an attempt to bypass a password mechanism, an attempt to use the subscription of a different user, installation of unauthorized software, use of unauthorized software, and an attempt to bypass an authentication mechanism.

5. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises exceeding a specified usage threshold.

6. The hardware implemented method of claim 5, wherein the specified usage threshold comprises at least one of:

a specified amount of data, a specified bandwidth, a specified connection time, and a specified usage time.

7. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a usage pattern indicating impermissible use.

8. The hardware implemented method of claim 7, wherein the usage pattern indicates at least one of:

non-human reading, a web crawler, an automatic content indexer, and a bot.

9. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a electronic content usage violation.

10. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises stopping access to one or more content feeds.

11. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises preventing network access.

12. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises disabling functionality of the content reader device.

13. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises disabling a power supply of the content reader device.

14. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises disabling a decryption mechanism.

15. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, wherein disabling access comprises stopping access, for a group subscription, to one or more portions of electronic content requiring a subscription.

16. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification to the user prior to disabling access to one or more portions of electronic content.

17. The hardware implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user with a payment method, via the content reader device, to restore access to one or more portions of electronic content.

18. A system for managing electronic content access comprising:

one or more processors communicatively coupled to a network, wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

receive a signal, at an electronic paper display device, indicating violation of an electronic paper display device usage agreement; and

disable access to one or more portions of electronic content for a user of the electronic paper display device based at least in part on the event.

19. An electronic paper display device comprising:

a persistent display for displaying electronic content;

a communications module for receiving electronic content; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the display and the communications module, wherein the processor is configured to;

detect an event comprising a violation of an electronic paper display device usage rule; and

provide a notification to a user of the electronic paper display device based at least in part on the detection of the event.

20. The electronic paper display device of claim 19 wherein the processor is further configured to:

disable one or more portions of electronic paper display device functionality based at least in part on detection of the event.