Program Service Based on Individual Identification

• US 20140033277A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Xiao, Hong, Huang, Jian, Ortiz, Guillermo
• Granted Patent: US 9,202,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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]

Abstract

Method, device, and storage medium for providing a program service based on identifying a user at a user level versus at an account level or a device level. The user is identified based on an identifier associated with a mobile device. The program service allows the user to store program session information according to various user settings including location, time of day, user device used during previous session, type of program, and service provider that provides access to the program service. The program service allows the user to share program session information with other users or prevent other users from accessing the program session information. The program service provides digital rights management at the user level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network device, log-in information to access a program service, wherein the log-in information includes a user identifier that uniquely identifies a user of a mobile device;

authorizing, by the network device, access to the program service at a user level based on the user identifier;

providing, by the network device, access to programs based on the authorizing;

receiving, by the network device, a selection of a program; and

providing, by the network device, the selected program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identifier includes a telephone number of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving program session information pertaining to a program;

determining whether the program session information is private;

requesting an authorization code in response to determining that the program session information is private; and

verifying whether the authorization code is valid.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing program session information based on a user setting, wherein the user setting indicates to store program session information based on at least one of a user location, a user device with which the user previously had a program session pertaining to a program, a type of program, or information indicating a service provider that the user uses to access the program service; and

providing a user interface that allows the user to select program session information based on the user setting.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing digital rights management verification at the user level based on the user identifier.

6. A method comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device, another user device;

establishing, by the mobile device, a connection with the other user device; and

transmitting, by the mobile device, log-in information to access a program service, wherein the log-in information includes a user identifier that uniquely identifies a user of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user identifier includes a telephone number of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a program on the other user device; and

storing, by the mobile device, program session information pertaining to the program.

9. A program system comprising:

a network device comprising;

a first communication interface;

a first memory that stores first instructions; and

a first processor to execute the first instructions to;

receive, via the first communication interface, log-in information to access a program service, wherein the log-in information includes a user identifier that uniquely identifies a user of a mobile device; and

authorize access to the program service at a user level based on the user identifier.

10. The program system of claim 9, wherein the first processor to execute the first instructions to:

perform digital rights management at the user level based on the user identifier.

11. The program system of claim 9, further comprising:

another network device comprising;

a second communication interface;

a second memory that stores second instructions; and

a second processor to execute the second instructions to;

receive, via the second communication interface, a request to access programs; and

transmit, via the second communication interface, user interfaces that provide information pertaining to programs available in the program service.

12. The program system of claim 9,

13. The program system of claim 10, wherein the first processor to execute the first instructions to:

store program session information pertaining to program sessions based on one or more user criteria, wherein the one or more user criteria include a user location, a user device with which the user previously had a program session pertaining to a program, a type of program, or information indicating a service provider that the user uses to access the program service; and

provide a user interface to access the program session information based on the one or more user criteria.

14. The program system of claim 9, wherein the first processor to execute the first instructions to:

collect program session information pertaining to program sessions of users based on the one or more user criteria.

15. The program system of claim 9, wherein the first processor to execute the first instructions to:

receive, via the first communication interface, a request to obtain program session information pertaining to another user;

receive, via the first communication interface, authorization information;

determine whether the authorization information allows the user to obtain the program session information pertaining to the user other; and

transmit, via the first communication interface, the program session information to the user in response to a determination that the authorization information is valid.

16. The program system of claim 9, wherein the user identifier includes an identifier of the mobile device.

17. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by a computational device, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:

receive log-in information to access a program service, wherein the log-in information includes a user identifier that uniquely identifies a user of a mobile device;

authorize access to the program service at a user level based on the user identifier;

provide access to programs based on the authorizing;

receive a selection of a program; and

provide the selected program.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions to:

retrieve program session information pertaining to a program;

determine whether the program session information is private;

request an authorization code in response to determining that the program session information is private; and

verify whether the authorization code is valid.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions to:

store program session information based on a user setting, wherein the user setting indicates to store program session information based on at least one of a user location, a user device with which the user previously had a program session pertaining to a program, a type of program, or information indicating a service provider that the user uses to access the program service; and

provide a user interface that allows the user to select program session information based on the user setting.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions to:

perform digital rights management verification at the user level based on the user identifier.