APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING MEDIA SERVICES SUBJECT TO VIEWING RESTRICTIONS

• US 20140344950A1
• Filed: 07/08/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alman, Douglas, Wilson, Brian, Turner, Charles D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 21/42623 involving specific decryption arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content 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: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, determining that a communication device is outside of a restricted viewing area associated with media content and transmitting the media content for presentation at the communication device responsive to that determination. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the executable instructions facilitate performance of operations comprising;

accessing first information associated with a restricted viewing area for viewing first media content;

transmitting, to a communication network, second information describing whether the mobile communication device is outside the restricted viewing area;

receiving a locked version of the first media content from the communication network according to the mobile communication device being outside the restricted viewing area;

unlocking the locked version of the first media content to generate an unlocked version of the first media content; and

presenting the unlocked version of the first media content.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving alternative media content from the communication network according to the mobile communication device not being outside the restricted viewing area; and

presenting the alternative media content.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the first information is associated with a blackout notification for the first media content.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving third information associated with a location of the mobile communication device.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the mobile communication device is outside the restricted viewing area according to the third information.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein third information comprises an internet protocol address and wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the mobile communication device is outside the restricted viewing area according to the internet protocol address.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 4, wherein the third information comprises global positioning system information and wherein the operations further comprise determining whether the mobile communication device is outside the restricted viewing area according to the global positioning system information.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the locked version of the first media content is encrypted and wherein the unlocking of the locked version of the first media content further comprises decrypting of the locked version.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a subscription offer from the communication network for viewing the first media content according to the mobile communication device being outside the restricted viewing area.

10. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an acceptance of a subscription offer from the communication network; and

receiving the unlocked version of the first media content responsive to the transmitting of an acceptance of the subscription offer.

11. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise accessing third information from the communication network and wherein the unlocking of the locked version of the first media content is based on the third information.

12. A method, comprising:

transmitting to a media source, by a system comprising a processor, information describing whether the system is in a restricted viewing area associated with first media content;

receiving, by the system, a locked version of the first media content from the media source according the information indicating that the system is outside the restricted viewing area; and

presenting, by the system, an unlocked version of the locked version of the first media content.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, by the system, whether the system is inside the restricted viewing area or outside the restricted viewing area.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the information comprises global positioning system information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the locked version of the media content is encrypted.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accessing, by the system, third information associated with the locked version of the first media content; and

unlocking, by the system, the locked version of the first media content according to the third information to generate the unlocked version of the first media content.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the system, alternative media content from the media source according to the information indicating that the system is not outside the restricted viewing area; and

presenting, by the system, the alternative media content.

18. A machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting information describing whether a mobile communication device is in a restricted viewing area associated with first media content; and

receiving alternative media content from a media source responsive to the information indicating that the mobile communication device is inside the restricted viewing area.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a locked version of the first media content from the media source according to the mobile communication device not being inside the restricted viewing area; and

unlocking the locked version of the first media content to generate an unlocked version of the first media content.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the alternative media content and receiving second information associated with a location of the mobile communication device.