METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MULTI-USER, MULTI-DEVICE LOGIN AND CONTENT ACCESS CONTROL AND METERING AND BLOCKING

• US 20110185437A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhu, Yingnan, Gava, Fabio, Lovelace, Michael, Shelansky, Andrew, Zheng, Esther, Tran, Dang
• Granted Patent: US 10,027,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

A method and system for multi-user, multi-device content access metering and control is provided. In one embodiment, a system implements a method such that in response to user login requests, the system controls login access by providing multiple users login access to plural electronic devices capable of communicating via a communication system. Further, in response to user content access actions, the system controls access to content by selectively providing content to said one or more users via said one or more electronic devices based on content access policies.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to content using electronic devices, comprising:

in response to user login requests, controlling login access by providing multiple users login access to plural electronic devices capable of communicating via a communication system;

in response to user content access actions, controlling access to content by selectively providing content to said one or more users via said one or more electronic devices based on content access policies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content access policies comprise content access rules for controlling access to content by each user via an electronic device in the communication system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the content access policies comprises credit consumption rates for controlling amount access to content by each user via an electronic device in the communication system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content access policies comprises sharing schemes for configuring content access rules and credit consumption rates for multiple users based on concurrent shared access to content via one or more electronic devices in the communication system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the content access rules comprise one or more of:

rating rules based on user age, rating rules based on experts selections, rules based on family settings, and rules based on family interaction histories.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selectively providing content comprises metering content and blocking inappropriate content to multiple simultaneous users, based on a content sharing scheme.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

metering content comprises metering content for multiple simultaneous users via electronic devices based on said content sharing scheme.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

metering content further comprises maintaining usage accounts for the multiple users and automatically synchronizing the usage accounts across multiple electronic devices.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein:

blocking inappropriate content comprises blocking inappropriate content based on a totality of users accessing content and content sharing scheme for simultaneous use.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the communication system comprises a network; and

the method further comprising tracking presence of multiple users via the electronic devices across the network, and applying a configurable set of content sharing rules for metering and blocking content on a single electronic device based on a list of users utilizing that electronic device and usage history each user across all electronic devices in the network.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

metering usage between multiple users of varying ages.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing content access limits for a user and enforcing the limits across one or more electronic devices in the network.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

selectively metering content access for a user based on content sharing rules to provide incentives to the user for sharing access with another user.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

each electronic device allowing multiple users to be logged on or logged off the electronic device concurrently; and

sharing user profile and activity between the plural electronic devices.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling login access by accepting concurrent multiple user logins to each of the plural electronic devices;

maintaining user login status;

sharing user login status information among multiple electronic devices via the communication system; and

providing said user login status information to users of the multiple electronic devices.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

maintaining profile data for each user, the profile data including one or more of;

user identification information and personal preferences, shared profile information, private profile information; and

sharing information from user profile data of multiple users among multiple electronic devices via the communication system, wherein each of the multiple users is concurrently logged into one or more of the electronic devices in the communication system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing each logged in user of an electronic device information about the current state and location of other logged in users of electronic devices in the communication system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

at least one of the plural electronic devices comprises a communal electronic device configured for concurrent use by multiple users; and

at least one of the plural electronic devices comprises a personal electronic device configured for use by an individual user.

19. A system for providing access to electronic devices, comprising:

an access controller that in response to user content access actions, controls access to content by one or more users via one or more electronic devices capable of communicating via a communication system; and

the access controller selectively providing content to said one or more users via said one or more electronic devices based on a content sharing scheme.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the access controller includes a blocking module that selectively blocks inappropriate content to multiple simultaneous users, based on a content sharing scheme.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the access controller includes a metering module that meters content for multiple simultaneous users via electronic devices based on said content sharing scheme.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the metering module maintains usage accounts for the multiple users and automatically synchronizing the usage accounts across multiple electronic devices.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the blocking module blocks inappropriate content based on a totality of users accessing content and content sharing scheme for simultaneous use by concurrent users.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein:

the communication system comprises a network; and

the access controller tracks presence of multiple users via the electronic devices across the network, and applies a configurable set of content sharing rules for metering and blocking content on a single electronic device based on a list of users utilizing that electronic device and usage history for each user across all electronic devices in the network.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the metering module meters usage between multiple users of varying ages.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the access controller provides content access limits for a user and enforces the limits across one or more electronic devices in the network.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the access controller selectively meters content access for a user based on content sharing rules to provide incentives to the user for sharing access with another user.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein each electronic device allows multiple users to be logged on or logged off the electronic device concurrently, the access controller provides sharing user profile and activity between multiple electronic devices.

29. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith for execution on a computer, the computer readable program code configured to;

in response to user access actions, control access to content by one or more users via one or more electronic devices capable of communicating via a communication system; and

selectively providing content to said one or more users via said one or more electronic devices based on a content sharing scheme.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

selectively block inappropriate content to multiple simultaneous users, based on a content sharing scheme.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

meter content for multiple simultaneous users via electronic devices based on said content sharing scheme.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

maintain usage accounts for the multiple users and automatically synchronize the usage accounts across multiple electronic devices.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

block inappropriate content based on a totality of users accessing content and content sharing scheme for simultaneous use by concurrent users.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein:

the communication system comprises a network; and

the computer readable program code is configured to;

track presence of multiple users via the electronic devices across the network, and apply a configurable set of content sharing rules for metering and blocking content on a single electronic device based on a list of users utilizing that electronic device and usage history each user across all electronic devices in the network.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

meter usage between multiple users of varying ages.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

provide content access limits for a user and enforce the limits across one or more electronic devices in the network.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

selectively meter content access for a user based on content sharing rules to provide incentives to the user for sharing access with another user.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein:

each electronic device allows multiple users to be logged on or logged off the electronic device concurrently; and

the computer readable program code is configured to provide sharing user profile and activity between multiple electronic devices.

39. The computer program product of claim 38, wherein said content sharing comprises one or more of:

rating rules based on user age, rating rules based on experts selections, rules based on family settings, and rules based on family interaction histories.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein said rules based on family settings comprise one or more of:

blocking, credit allowance, and burn rates, multiple users weights/offsets, family geographic weights/offsets, family demographic weights/offsets, family social affiliation weights/offsets.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, wherein said rules based on family interaction histories comprise one or more of:

multi-device multi-user login history, users/family credits usage history, users/family show rating history and users/family device usage schedule history.