OVER-THE-AIR DELIVERY OF METERING CERTIFICATES AND DATA

• US 20110173321A1
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Billings, Jonathan, Strom, Clifford P., Plette, Scott, McKelvey, Alex, Lau, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3678 e-cash details, e.g. blinded, divisible or detecting double spending
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/901 Digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/902 Licensing digital content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/903 Adding plural layer of rights or limitations by other than the original producer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/904 Usage protection of distributed files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/905 Hardware usage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/906 Requiring a supplemental attachment or input, e.g. Dongle, to open
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/907 Specific computer id, e.g. serial number, configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/908 Software or content usage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/909 Usage charge determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/91 including third party for collecting or distributing payment, e.g. Clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/911 Copy protection or prevention
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/912 having origin or program id

Abstract

Metering is enabled through an arrangement in which a metering certificate is communicated to a mobile device using an over-the-air protocol. A metering trigger provides the metering certificate that includes a location to which metering data is posted by the mobile device and a public key of a public-private key pair, or alternatively provides a link to such metering certificate. A metering helper passes the metering certificate to a DRM system on the mobile device which collects metering data associated with the metering ID and uses the public key to encrypt the metering data into a metering challenge. The metering helper posts the metering challenge to the location. The metering service extracts the metering data from the metering challenge using a private key and generates a metering response that is received by the metering helper which prompts the DRM system to reset at least a portion of a data store in which the metering data is stored.

Claims

1. A method for providing metering data from a client to a metering service server using an over-the-air protocol, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a networking interface, a metering trigger from the metering service;

invoking a metering helper that runs on the client responsively to the metering trigger, wherein the metering helper obtains a metering certificate provided by the metering service that is used to collect the metering data; and

sending a metering challenge containing the metering data to a location identified in the metering certificate.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the networking interface is selected from one of browser, WAP push handler, or direct push handler.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the metering trigger includes the metering certificate embodied therein.

4. The method of claim 1 including the further step of requesting the metering certificate by following a URL embedded in the metering trigger.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the client is operated on an electronic device selected from one of portable media player, personal digital assistant, pocket PC, music player, mobile phone, smart phone, or handheld game device.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the metering data is recorded and stored by a DRM system on the client.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the DRM system uses a metering ID in the metering certificate to collect metering data that is associated with the metering ID.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the collection and sending of metering data is iterated for each of a plurality of metering IDs so as to report metering data to a plurality of metering services in a batch-type process.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the DRM system generates one or more additional metering challenges in the event that a single metering challenge is unable to contain all accumulated metering data in a metering data store.

10. A mobile device configured to provide metering data to a metering service server using an over-the-air protocol, the mobile device comprising:

a media player configured to play media content;

a networking interface configured to receive media content from a media content provider using an over-the-air communication protocol;

a digital rights management (DRM) system configured to enable playback of media content by the media player according to a license associated with the media content; and

a metering helper application configured to act as a proxy between the networking interface and the digital rights management (DRM) system.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the networking interface is selected from a group comprising a browser, a WAP/HTTP handler or a Direct Push handler.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the license imposes media content usage rules, rights, or restrictions upon the usage of the media content.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising a metering data store storing a metering identifier identifying the media content provider, a public key and a metering URL to which metering data is to be reported.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the metering helper application is configured to report metering data for one or more metering identifiers (IDs) in response to a trigger.

15. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the DRM system generates a metering challenge containing metering data associated with a particular metering ID and the metering helper application collects and reports the metering challenge to a metering service associated with the metering ID.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the media helper application is configured to report challenges to a plurality of metering services.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein collection and reporting of a plurality of challenges is performed iteratively for each of a plurality of metering IDs, whereby metering reporting to a plurality of metering services is performed in a batch-type arrangement.