COORDINATED VIEWING EXPERIENCE AMONG REMOTELY LOCATED USERS

• US 20110150214A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gleim, William L., Peterka, Petr
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A method of viewing a content item is provided. The method includes receiving an encrypted content item and a network address of a key management system from a primary client device over a communications network. A session key is obtained over the communications network and the primary client device is notified that the session key has been obtained. An encrypted version of a content key is received over the communication network to decrypt the content item and content rights that determine access to the content item. The content rights restrict the content item from being rendered unless it is rendered in coordination with the rendering of the content item by the primary client device. The encrypted version of a content key is decrypted with the session key. The content item is rendered in accordance with the content rights by decrypting the content item with the content key.

Claims

1. A method of viewing a content item, comprising:

receiving an encrypted content item and a network address of a key management system from a primary client device over a communications network;

obtaining over the communications network a session key;

notifying the primary client device that the session key has been obtained;

receiving over the communications network an encrypted version of a content key used to decrypt the content item and content rights that determine access to the content item, wherein the content rights restrict the content item from being rendered unless it is rendered in coordination with rendering of the content item by the primary client device;

decrypting the encrypted version of a content key with the session key; and

rendering the content item in accordance with the content rights by decrypting the content item with the content key.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving and rendering on a secondary client device a message from the primary client device to be communicated to a user of the secondary device while rendering the content item on the secondary client device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the secondary client device is a mobile phone and the message is an SMS, IM or other text-based message received over the communications network.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the message is overlayed on the content item as it is being rendered on a display of the secondary client device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an invisible text-based message from the primary client device to coordinate the rendering of the content item on the primary and secondary client devices.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein receipt of the invisible text-based message indicates that the primary client device has begun rendering the content item.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the content rights restrict the content item from being decrypted until after it is begun being rendered by the primary client device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving over the communications network a solicitation to share a content viewing experience to view the content item with a social networking contact associated with the primary client device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the content rights restrict the content item from being decrypted more than a prescribed number of times.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the content rights restrict the content item from being decrypted after a prescribed amount of time elapses from when the primary client device begins rendering the content item.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the prescribed amount of time is based at least in part on a duration of the content item.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the session key, the encrypted version of the content key and the content rights are received from the key management system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the session key is received from the key management system and the encrypted version of the content key and the content rights are received from the primary client device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the primary client device is a first mobile communication device and the encrypted content item is received by a second mobile communication device.

15. A method of sharing a content item with a secondary client device, comprising:

sending an encrypted content item and a network address of a key management system from a primary client device to a secondary client device over a communications network;

receiving notification from the secondary client device that a session key has been obtained from a key management system; and

causing an encrypted version of the content key used to decrypt the content item and content rights that determine access to the content item to be sent to the secondary client device over the communications network, wherein the session key is configured to decrypt the encrypted copy of the content key and the content rights restrict the content item from being rendered unless it is rendered in coordination with rendering of the content item by the primary client device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein causing the encrypted version of the content key and the content rights to be sent to the secondary client device includes requesting the key management system to send the secondary client device the encrypted version of the content key and the content rights.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein causing an encrypted version of the content key and the content rights to be sent to the secondary client device includes sending the encrypted version of the content key and the content rights to the secondary client device over the communications network.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising sending over the communications network a solicitation to share a content viewing experience to view the content item with a social networking contact associated with the secondary client device.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising rendering the content item and, in response thereto, sending, without user intervention, a first message to the secondary client device over the communications network indicating that a rule specified by the content rights have been satisfied so that the content item can be rendered by the secondary client device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first message is an invisible SMS message.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising sending a second message to the secondary client device over the communications network that is to be rendered by the secondary client device to thereby present a text message to a user associated with the secondary client device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the text message is arranged so that it is rendered on a display of the secondary client device while the content item is being rendered.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the content rights only allow the content item to be rendered by the secondary client device while it is being rendered by the primary client device.

24. A network-enabled client device, comprising:

one or more processors for executing machine-executable instructions; and

one or more machine-readable storage media for storing the machine-executable instructions, the instructions when executed by the one more processors implementing,

a) a content sharing component for (i) causing an encrypted content item and associated content rights to be communicated over a communications network to other network-enabled client devices so that it can be rendered by the other network-enabled client devices in accordance with the content rights and (ii) causing a decryption key to be provided to the other network-enabled client device that receive the content item, wherein the content rights restrict the content item from being decrypted by the other network-enabled client devices unless it is rendered in coordination with rendering of the content item by the network-enabled client device that causes the content item to be communicated;

b) a text message component arranged for sending and receiving text-based messages;

c) a user interface arranged to support user interactivity and for presenting the content item to a user; and

d) processing logic for causing the text message component to send a text-based message to one of the other network-enabled client devices that has received the content item indicating that one or more rules specified by the content rights have been satisfied so that the content item can be decrypted by the one other network-enabled client device, the rule requiring that the content item is being or has been presented at least in part by the user interface.

25. The network-enabled client device of claim 24 wherein the content sharing component is arranged to cause the decryption key to be provided to the other network-enabled device in accordance with a Kerberos protocol.

26. The network-enabled client device of claim 24 wherein the content sharing component is arranged to cause the decryption key to be provided to the other network-enabled device in accordance with an Internet Protocol Rights Management (IPRM) system.