System of delivering content on-line

• US 6,910,064 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2000
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba America Information Systems Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba America Information Systems Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Swonk, Glenn, Astarabadi, Shaun, McCloskey, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US09/666,235
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/229, 709/209, 709/223, 715/513, 382/100
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method of providing digitized media content from a remote server through a data network is disclosed. A local content server at the premises of the subscriber hosts an agent process and includes a memory for storing the digitized content. The digitized content may be streamed on demand to client devices through the agent process for a subscription period. However, the subscriber is prevented from otherwise accessing the digitized content from the local server. Also, the digitized content delivered from the remote server to the local server is combined with encoded data identifying the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of providing media content to a subscriber utilizing a client computer, the method comprising:

receiving a request, at a local server, from the subscriber utilizing the client computer, for retrieval of media content;

transmitting the request for the media content to a remote server, the request including encoded data identifying the subscriber; and

receiving a digitized content file from the remote server at the local server, the digitized content file including a combination of the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber that was transmitted with the request for the media content.

2. The method of claim 1, further including an agent process on the local server transmitting the digitized content file to the subscriber at the user computing device, the digitized content file including the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1, further including storing the digitized content file on a dedicated partition of a disk drive of the client computer, the digitized content file including the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber, the dedicated partition of the disk drive being inaccessible by the subscriber utilizing the client computer.

4. The method of claim 3, further including removing the digitized content file from the dedicated partition of the disk drive once a subscription period has expired.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes a name of the subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes an account number of the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content is in a video format and the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes a watermark that is inserted into video frames of the media content.

8. A machine-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions, such that when said instructions are executed, said instructions cause a local server to:

receive a request from a subscriber utilizing a client computer, at the local server, for retrieval of media content;

transmit the request for the media content to a remote server, the request including encoded data identifying the subscriber; and

receive a digitized content file from the remote server at the local server, the digitized content file including a combination of the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber that was transmitted with the request for the media content.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, including instructions, which when executed, cause the local server to transmit the digitized content file to the subscriber at the client computer, the digitized content file including the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, including instructions, which when executed, cause the local server to store the digitized content file on a dedicated partition of a disk drive of the client computer, the digitized content file including the media content requested by the subscriber and the encoded data identifying the subscriber and the dedicated partition of the disk drive being inaccessible by the subscriber utilizing the client computer.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 10, including instructions, which when executed, cause the local server to remove the digitized content file from the dedication partition of the disk drive once a subscription period has expired.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes a name of the subscriber.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes an account number of the subscriber.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the media content is in a video format and the encoded data identifying the subscriber includes a watermark that is inserted into video frames of the media content.

15. A method of providing media content to a subscriber utilizing a client computer, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the subscriber, at a remote server, for retrieval of the media content, wherein the request includes data identifying the subscriber;

retrieving the media content, the media content being in a compressed format;

decompressing the media content to create a decompressed media content file; and

inserting a watermark into the decompressed media content file, the watermark including the data identifying the subscriber, to create a combined media content file including the watermark and the decompressed media file.

16. The method of claim 15, further including compressing the combined media content file and transmitting the compressed combined media content file to a local server and then to the client computer.