System and Method for Securing Embedded Media

• US 20120324552A1
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, CBS Interactive Inc. (ViacomCBS Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CBS Interactive Inc. (ViacomCBS Incorporated)
• Inventors: Padala, Sailendra K., Wei, Emma, Araujo, Pedro Valentin
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• 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: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807

Abstract

Set forth herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for processing media requests in a secure way. A server configured to practice the method receives, from a media player client, a request for media content. The server requests a playback token from a playback service associated with the media content and generates a tag containing the playback token. Then the server transmits to the media player client a response to the request for media content based on the tag, wherein the media player client retrieves the media content by presenting the playback token to the playback service. The media player client can be an embedded media player or other player in a web browser. The server and the playback service can operate based on a common, pre-shared feed token. Other playback client and playback service embodiments exist.

Claims

1. A method of processing media requests, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server and from a media player client, a request for media content;

requesting a playback token from a playback service associated with the media content;

generating a tag containing the playback token; and

transmitting to the media player client a response to the request for media content based on the tag, wherein the media player client retrieves the media content by presenting the playback token to the playback service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server has a common pre-shared feed token, matching that of the playback service, upon which the playback token is based.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the playback token further comprises transmitting to the playback service at least one of a time limit, an IP address, a domain, a user identifier, and an encrypted media identifier associated with the media content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the playback token incorporates the at least one of the time limit, the IP address, the domain, the user identifier, and the encrypted media identifier associated with the media content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the media content is associated with a media consumption session comprising multiple discrete pieces of media content.

6. A media playback system comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing instructions for controlling the processor to perform steps comprising;

transmitting a request for a media playback token associated with media content from a server, wherein the server generates the media playback token in coordination with a playback service;

receiving the media playback token from the server;

requesting a media playlist from the playback service associated with the media playback token by presenting the media playback token to the playback service;

receiving the media playlist from the playback service; and

retrieving the media for playback based on the media playlist.

7. The media playback system of claim 6, wherein the server generates the media playback token based on a token store and the playback service.

8. The media playback system of claim 6, wherein the playback service acts as a gateway to a media content management system hosting the media.

9. The media playback system of claim 6, wherein the instructions comprise at least part of an embedded media player.

10. The media playback system of claim 9, wherein the embedded media player is embedded in a web browser.

11. The media playback system of claim 9, wherein the embedded media player retrieves the media for playback by presenting the media playback token and a media identifier and at least zero of an IP address, a domain, and a user identifier associated with the media content.

12. The media playback system of claim 6, wherein retrieving the media for playback further comprises:

receiving from the playback service the media playlist with stream addresses;

retrieving media content pieces at the stream addresses; and

playing the media content pieces.

13. The media playback system of claim 12, wherein the media content pieces are encrypted, and the playback service decrypts the media content pieces before the media player client retrieves the media content pieces.

14. The media playback system of claim 12, wherein each of the stream addresses is associated with a stream token based on the media playback token.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to authenticate a request for media content, the instructions comprising:

receiving, from a server, a request for a playback token, wherein the server generates the request in response to an initial user request from a user to the server for media playback;

generating the playback token for media content associated with the initial user request;

transmitting the playback token to the server in response to the request, which the server uses to respond to the initial user request;

receiving, from the user, a media playback request for the media content;

if the media playback request corresponds to the playback token, providing access to the media content to the user; and

if the media playback request does not correspond to the playback token, denying the user access to the media content.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein generating the playback token is based on a feed token associated with a token store and pre-shared with the server.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein providing access to the media content further comprises providing a media playlist having at least one media streaming address pointing to a content management system hosting the media content and a media streaming token authorizing the user to access the media content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the instructions further comprising:

restricting the media player client to play the media content according to a media identifier and the playback token and at least zero of a time limit, an IP address, a domain, and a user identifier associated with the media content.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the instructions further comprising:

establishing a session cookie on the media player client to authorize media playback of related media content for a limited time without authorizing each of the multiple discrete pieces of media content individually.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the playback service determines a location of the media player client and authorizes the media player client to play the media content based on the location.