Handling User-Specific Information for Content During Content-Altering Operations

• US 20120246197A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Alexander, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,582,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

A content player receives user-specific information from different users and associates the information with content. Subsequently, the player receives a request to perform a content-altering operation. In response, the player performs the operation such that the information for the requesting user is affected, but not the information for other users. The information may include a placeholder, an indication as to whether the content and/or the entire content has been accessed, a protection status indicating whether or not the content can be deleted, and so on. The information may be added to and/or configured to accompany and/or otherwise be associated with the content. The player may identify the user so that different information for different users can be associated with the content for the respective user, such as by prompting the user to select an identifier from a list or perform a “log in.”

Claims

1. A method for handling user-specific information for content during content-altering operations, the method comprising:

associating, utilizing at least one processing unit, user-specific information received from a plurality of different users with at least one instance of content stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium;

receiving, utilizing the at least one processing unit, at least one request to perform at least one operation on the at least one instance of content from a user of the plurality of different users wherein performance of the at least one operation will alter the at least one instance of content; and

performing, utilizing the at least one processing unit, the at least one operation such that performance of the at least one operation affects the user-specific information for the user without affecting the user-specific information for other users of the plurality of different users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific information received from the plurality of different users comprises at least one of:

a last-watched placeholder for at least one of the plurality of different users,

a content instance protected status for the at least one of the plurality of different users, or

a content instance access completion status for the at least one of the plurality of different users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to delete the at least one instance of content and said operation of performing, utilizing the at least one processing unit, the at least one operation further comprises deleting the user-specific information for the user without deleting the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user is not able to access the at least one instance of content subsequent to deletion of the user-specific information for the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to change a protection status of the at least one instance of content and said operation of performing, utilizing the at least one processing unit, the at least one operation further comprises changing a protection status associated with the user for the at least one instance of content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to copy the at least one instance of content to at least one additional non-transitory storage medium and said operation of performing, utilizing the at least one processing unit, the at least one operation further comprises copying the user-specific information for the user to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium without copying the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one operation further comprises deleting the user-specific information for the user from the at least one non-transitory storage medium without deleting the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user is prevented from accessing the at least one instance of content stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium after deletion of the user-specific information for the user from the at least one non-transitory storage medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user is able to access the at least one instance of content stored in the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium after the user-specific information for the user of the plurality of different users is copied to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation of associating, utilizing at least one processing unit, user-specific information received from a plurality of different users with at least one instance of content stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium further comprises:

prompting each of the plurality of different users to select an identifier from a list of identifiers when the user-specific information is received;

associating the user-specific information for each respective user of the plurality of different users with the identifier selected by that user in response to the respective prompt.

11. A system for handling user-specific information for content during content-altering operations, comprising:

at least one non-transitory storage medium that stores at least one instance of content;

at least one communication component that receives user-specific information from a plurality of different users to associate; and

at least one processing unit that associates the user-specific information with the at least one instance of content;

wherein the at least one processing unit receives at least one request to perform at least one operation on the at least one instance of content, performance of which will alter the at least one instance of content, from a user of the plurality of different users via the at least one communication component and performs the at least one operation such that the user-specific information for the user is affected without affecting the user-specific information for other users of the plurality of different users.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing unit prompts each of the plurality of different users to select an identifier from a list of identifiers when the user-specific information is received via the at least one communication component and associates the user-specific information for each respective user of the plurality of different users with the identifier selected by that user in response to the respective prompt.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to copy the at least one instance of content to at least one additional non-transitory storage medium and the at least one processing unit copies the user-specific information for the user to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium without copying the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processing unit deletes the user-specific information for the user from the at least one non-transitory storage medium without deleting the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processing unit prevents the user from accessing the at least one instance of content stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium after the at least one processing unit deletes the user-specific information for the user from the at least one non-transitory storage medium.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the user is able to access the at least one instance of content stored in the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium after the user-specific information for the user of the plurality of different users is copied to the at least one additional non-transitory storage medium.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to change a protection status of the at least one instance of content and the at least one processing unit changes a protection status associated with the user for the at least one instance of content.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one request to perform the at least one operation further comprises a request to delete the at least one instance of content and the at least one processing unit deletes the user-specific information for the user without deleting the user-specific information for the other users of the plurality of different users.

19. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processing unit does not allow the user to access the at least one instance of content once the at least one processing unit deleted the user-specific information for the user.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a first set of instructions, stored in at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by at least one processing unit to associate user-specific information received from a plurality of different users with at least one instance of content stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium; and

a second set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to receive at least one request to perform at least one operation on the at least one instance of content from a user of the plurality of different users wherein performance of the at least one operation will alter the at least one instance of content; and

a third set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory machine readable medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to perform the at least one operation such that performance of the at least one operation affects the user-specific information for the user without affecting the user-specific information for other users of the plurality of different users.