SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING RIGHTS TO BROADBAND CONTENT

• US 20120041829A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rothschild, Keith Alan, Bagley, Julius Bert, Raza, Muhammad Asif
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing rights to broadband content are provided. A request for broadband content may be received by a server. The received request may include a client identifier associated with a customer device from which the request is received and a content identifier associated with the requested broadband content. Based at least in part upon the client identifier, a billing account associated with the customer device may be identified, and one or more users associated with the billing account may be identified. A set of access rights for the one or more users may be determined and, based upon an analysis of the set of access rights, a determination may be made as to whether access to the broadband content is authorized.

Claims

1. A method for managing rights to broadband content, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server comprising one or more computers, a request for broadband content, the request comprising a client identifier associated with a customer device from which the request is received and a content identifier associated with the requested broadband content;

identifying, by the server based upon the client identifier, a billing account associated with the customer device;

identifying, by the server, a plurality of users associated with the billing account;

determining, by the server, a set of access rights comprising respective rights for each of the plurality of users based at least in part upon collecting access rights information from one or more external rights locker devices associated with one or more content providers; and

determining, by the server based upon an analysis of the set of access rights, whether access to the broadband content is authorized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received request further comprises an identifier of a desired permission level for accessing the broadband content, and

wherein determining whether access to the broadband content is authorized comprises determining whether the set of access rights permits access of the broadband content at the desired permission level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a set of access rights comprises:

identifying, by the server for each of the plurality of users, one or more respective rights locker accounts; and

determining, by the server for each of the plurality of users, access rights associated with each of the identified one or more respective rights locker accounts.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining access rights associated with each of the identified rights locker accounts comprises:

communicating, by the server via a network to a respective rights locker device included in the one or more external rights locker devices and associated with each of the identified one or more rights locker accounts, at least one request for access rights information associated with the plurality of users;

receiving, by the server in response to the at least one request, the access rights information; and

determining the access rights based upon an analysis of the received access rights information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether access to the broadband content is authorized comprises determining that each of the plurality of users is authorized to access the broadband content, and further comprising:

directing, by the server, that the customer device be permitted access to the broadband content.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether access to the broadband content is authorized comprises determining that at least one of the plurality of users is not authorized to access the broadband content, and further comprising:

directing, by the server, the communication of a request to the customer device for user authentication information;

receiving, by the server in response to the request for user authentication information, the user authentication information; and

determining, by the server based at least in part on an analysis of the user authentication information, whether the customer device is permitted to access the broadband content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether access to the broadband content is authorized comprises determining that access to the broadband content is not authorized, and further comprising:

directing, by the server, the communication of an offer to the customer device for purchasing access to the broadband content.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the server from the customer device, an acceptance of the offer; and

facilitating, by the server, a purchase of additional rights to the broadband content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for broadband content comprises receiving a request from one of (i) a set-top box, (ii) a mobile device, (iii) a Web-enabled device, or (iv) a streaming video client.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether access to the broadband content is authorized further comprises determining whether access to the broadband content is permitted for the customer device.

11. A system for managing rights to broadband content, the system comprising:

at least one communications interface configured to receive, from a customer device, a request for broadband content, the request comprising a client identifier associated with the customer device and a content identifier associated with the requested broadband content; and

at least one processor configured to (i) identify, based upon the client identifier, a billing account associated with the customer device, (ii) identify a plurality of users associated with the billing account, (iii) determine a set of access rights comprising respective rights for each of the plurality of users based at least in part upon collecting access rights information from one or more external rights locker devices associated with one or more content providers, and (iv) determine, based upon an analysis of the set of access rights, whether access to the broadband content is authorized.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the received request further comprises an identifier of a desired permission level for accessing the broadband content, and

the at least one processor is configured to determine whether access to the broadband content is authorized by determining whether the set of access rights permits access of the broadband content at the desired permission level.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the set of access rights by:

identifying, for each of the plurality of users, one or more respective rights locker accounts; and

determining, for each of the plurality of users, access rights associated with each of the identified one or more respective rights locker accounts.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine access rights associated with each of the identified rights locker accounts by:

directing the at least one communications interface to communicate, via a network, to a respective rights locker device included in the one or more external rights locker devices and associated with each of the identified one or more rights locker accounts, at least one request for access rights information associated with the plurality of users;

receiving, via the at least one communications interface in response to the at least one request, the access rights information; and

determining the access rights based upon an analysis of the received access rights information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that each of the plurality of users is authorized to access the broadband content, and

the at least one processor is further configured to direct that the customer device be permitted access to the broadband content.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that at least one of the plurality of users is not authorized to access the broadband content, and

the at least one processor is further configured to (i) direct the at least one communications interface to communicated, to the customer device, a request for user authentication information, (ii) receive, via the at least one communications interface in response to the request for user authentication information, the user authentication information, and (iii) determine, based at least in part on an analysis of the user authentication information, whether the customer device is permitted to access the broadband content.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that access to the broadband content is not authorized, and

the at least one processor is further configured to direct the communication of an offer to the customer device for purchasing access to the broadband content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to (i) receive, from the customer device via the at least one communications interface, an acceptance of the offer, and (ii) facilitate a purchase of additional rights to the broadband content.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the customer device comprises one of (i) a set-top box, (ii) a mobile device, (iii) a Web enabled device, or (iv) a streaming video client.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to (i) determine whether access to the broadband content is permitted for the customer device, and (ii) determine whether access to the broadband content is authorized based upon the determination of whether access is permitted for the customer device.