TOKEN BASED DIGITAL CONTENT LICENSING METHOD

• US 20160012211A1
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altair Engineering Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Altair Engineering Incorporated
• Inventors: Scapa, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,633,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control are disclosed. Weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control may include enabling access to a first digital content object by a first user device associated with a first unique user identifier, receiving a request for access to a second digital content object, wherein the request indicates the first unique user identifier, identifying a weighted leveling licensing weight, and, on a condition that a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and a sum of an assigned unit count for the first digital content object and an assigned unit count for the second digital content object is within a cardinality of a plurality of available license units, enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device, at a server, a first request for access to a first digital content object, wherein the first request indicates a first unique user identifier associated with a plurality of available license units;

identifying a first assigned unit count for the first digital content object;

on a condition that the first assigned unit count is within a cardinality of the plurality of available license units, enabling access to the first digital content object by the first user device,

receiving, from the first user device, at the server, a second request for access to a second digital content object, wherein the second request indicates the first unique user identifier; and

performing weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control in response to receiving the second request, wherein weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control includes;

identifying a second assigned unit count for the second digital content object;

identifying a weighted leveling licensing weight;

on a condition that a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and a sum of the first assigned unit count and the second assigned unit count is within the cardinality of the plurality of available license units, enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device; and

on a condition that the product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the sum of the first assigned unit count and the second assigned unit count exceeds the cardinality of the plurality of available license units, preventing access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second digital content object is from a plurality of digital content objects, wherein each digital content object from the plurality of digital content objects is associated with a respective assigned unit count.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

associating the plurality of available license units with the first unique user identifier independently of the plurality of digital content objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes transmitting a signal to the first user device, the signal enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes transmitting a message to the first user device, the message indicating that access to the second digital content object is denied.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes enabling access such that access to the first digital content object by the first user device is enabled concurrently with access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a first request for access to a first content object, wherein the first request indicates a plurality of licensed units; and

performing weighted leveling license unit based content access control in response to receiving the first request, wherein weighted leveling license unit based content access control includes;

identifying a first assigned unit count for the first content object,

on a condition that a cardinality of a plurality of available licensed units from the plurality of licensed units is less than a cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, identifying one or more currently accessed content objects associated with a plurality of unavailable licensed units from the plurality of licensed units,

identifying a weighted leveling licensing weight,

determining whether to enable access to the first content object based on the weighted leveling licensing weight, the first assigned unit count, and a respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects,

in response to a determination to enable access to the first content object, enabling access to the first digital content object, and

in response to a determination to prevent access to the first content object, preventing access to the first digital content object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first digital content object is from a plurality of digital content objects, wherein each digital content object from the plurality of digital content objects is associated with a respective assigned unit count.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the first request includes receiving the first request from a first user device at a server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling access to the first digital content object includes transmitting a signal to the first user device, the signal enabling access to the first digital content object by the first user device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein preventing access to the first digital content object includes transmitting a message to the first user device, the message indicating that access to the first digital content object is denied.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether to enable access to the first content object includes:

on a condition that a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and a sum of the first assigned unit count and each respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects is within the cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, determining to enable access; and

on a condition that the product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the sum of the first assigned unit count and each respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects is exceeds the cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, determining to prevent access.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether to enable access to the first content object includes:

on a condition that a sum of a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the first assigned unit count and a respective product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and each respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects is within the cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, determining to enable access; and

on a condition that the sum of the product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the first assigned unit count and the respective product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and each respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects exceeds the cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, determining to prevent access.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the first request indicates a first unique user identifier associated with a digital content licensing group, wherein the digital content licensing group is associated with the plurality of licensed units.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second request for access to a second digital content object, wherein the second request indicates a second unique user identifier associated with the digital content licensing group;

performing weighted leveling license unit based content access control in response to receiving the second request, wherein weighted leveling license unit based content access control includes;

identifying a second assigned unit count for the second content object,

determining whether to enable access to the first content object based on the weighted leveling licensing weight, the first assigned unit count, the second assigned unit count, and the respective assigned unit count for each currently accessed content object from the one or more currently accessed content objects,

in response to a determination to enable access to the second content object, enabling access to the second digital content object, and

in response to a determination to prevent access to the second content object, preventing access to the second digital content object.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes enabling access such that access to the first digital content object by the first user device is enabled concurrently with access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first user device, at a server, a first request for access to a first digital content object, wherein the first request indicates a first unique user identifier associated with a plurality of available license units;

identifying a first assigned unit count for the first digital content object;

on a condition that the first assigned unit count is within a cardinality of the plurality of available license units, enabling access to the first digital content object by the first user device,

receiving, from the first user device, at the server, a second request for access to a second digital content object, wherein the second request indicates the first unique user identifier; and

performing weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control in response to receiving the second request, wherein weighted leveling license unit based digital content access control includes;

identifying a second assigned unit count for the second digital content object;

identifying a weighted leveling licensing weight;

on a condition that a sum of a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the first assigned unit count and a product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the second assigned unit count is within the cardinality of the plurality of available license units, determining to enable access; and

on a condition that the sum of the product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the first assigned unit count and the product of the weighted leveling licensing weight and the second assigned unit count exceeds the cardinality of the plurality of licensed units, determining to prevent access.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

associating the plurality of available license units with the first unique user identifier independently of the plurality of digital content objects.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes transmitting a signal to the first user device, the signal enabling access to the second digital content object by the first user device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein preventing access to the second digital content object by the first user device includes transmitting a message to the first user device, the message indicating that access to the second digital content object is denied.