PROVIDING SUBSCRIBED MEDIA CONTENT TO PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYER DEVICES ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSCRIBERS

• US 20140317762A1
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Joshua D. Hug
• Original Assignee: Joshua D. Hug
• Inventors: HUG, Joshua D.
• Application Number:
  US14/325,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20140317762A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing media content offered by media content subscription service to portable media player devices associated with subscribers of the service are described herein. In various embodiments, particular fulfillment module, request module and media player are provided to fulfillment server(s) of the subscription service, request client devices, and portable media player devices, respectively.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for media content by a fulfillment server of a media content subscription service from a computing device in communication with a subscriber of the media content subscription service, the media content request comprising media content descriptive information describing the media content requested by the computing device for a portable media player device coupled with the computing device; and

with the fulfillment server, accessing a data store and identifying one or more files and the files'"'"' stored location or locations based at least in part on the media content descriptive information contained in the received request, and retrieving a copy or copies of the identified file or files;

associating the retrieved copy or copies of the one or more identified files with a digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use; and

feeding the retrieved copy or copies to the computing device to fulfill the request after the retrieved copy or copies have been associated with the digital rights management data or logic, or both.

7. A computer readable medium, comprising:

storage medium; and

a plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium, the programming instructions having been adapted to program an apparatus to enable the apparatus to perform the method as set forth in claim 1.

2. An apparatus comprising:

a data store having data that facilitate identification of files of media content and the files'"'"' stored locations, based at least in part on media content descriptive information, the media content being media content offered by a media content subscription service to the service'"'"'s subscribers, and copies of the files being used by the media content subscription service to fulfill subscriber media content requests for portable media player devices associated with the subscribers, after the copies have been associated with digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use; and

a fulfillment module coupled to the data store, and adapted to access the data store to determine one or more files and the files'"'"' stored location, based at least in part on media content descriptive information contained in a media content request received from a subscriber of the media content subscription service, the media content descriptive information of the media content request identifying one or more requested media content.

3. A method comprising:

transmitting a media content request by a client device, to a fulfillment server of a media content subscription service, the transmitting being performed on behalf of a subscriber of the media content subscription service, and the media content request including media content descriptive information describing a media content requested by the subscriber for a portable media player device associated with the subscriber;

receiving one or more copies of one or more files, or one or more identifiers of the one or more copies by the client device from the fulfillment server, the copy or copies having the requested media content and integral digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use, the fulfillment server determining the file or files as having the requested media content based at least in part on the media content descriptive information contained in the media content request.

8. A computer readable medium, comprising:

storage medium; and

a plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium, the programming instructions having been adapted to program an apparatus to enable the apparatus to perform the method as set forth in claim 3.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a media content request module adapted to be operated by the processor to transmit a media content request to a fulfillment server of a media content subscription service, the transmitting being performed on behalf of a subscriber of the media content subscription service, and the media content request including media content descriptive information describing a media content requested by the subscriber for a portable media player device associated with the subscriber;

the media content request module further adapted to be operated by the processor to receive one or more copies of one or more files, or one or more identifiers of the one or more copies from the fulfillment server, the copy or copies having the requested media content and integral digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use, the fulfillment server determining the file or files as having the requested media content based at least in part on the media content descriptive information contained in the media content request.

5. A method comprising:

transmitting a download request from a portable media player device to a fulfillment server of a media content subscription service, the download request requesting media content file or files staged for the portable media device in response to a media content request submitted on behalf of a subscriber of the media content subscription service, the portable media player device being associated with the subscriber of the service, the download request including one or more identifiers identifying at least one selected from the group consisting of the portable media player, a subscriber the portable media player is associated, and a requesting client device requesting the file he staged for the portable media player device, at least one of the files having media content and integral digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use; and

receiving one or more media content files from the fulfillment server.

6. A portable media player device comprising:

a processor; and

a media player adapted to be operated by the processor to transmit a download request to a fulfillment server of a media content subscription service, the download request requesting media content file or files staged for the portable media device in response to a media content request submitted on behalf of a subscriber of the media content subscription service, the portable media player device being associated with the subscriber, the download request including one or more identifiers identifying at least one selected from the group consisting of the portable media device, a subscriber associated with the portable media device, and a requesting client device requesting the file be staged for the portable media player device, at least one of the staged files having media content and integral digital rights management data or logic, or both, used by the media content subscription service to protect the media content from unauthorized use, and the media player being further adapted to receive the file or files from the fulfillment server.