Dynamic content activation by locating, coordinating and presenting content publishing resources such that content publisher can create or change content

• US 6,983,479 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tarantella, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Sanjeev, Lau, Edwin J., Navare, Prashant, Salas, Jonathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/877,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/217, 709/219, 713/200, 705/52, 705/59, 725/23, 725/44
• US Class Current: 725/23
• 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 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• 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: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Content subscribers can dynamically activate content and content publishing resources that are distributed on a network by locating, coordinating and presenting content publishing resources such that content publisher can create or change content. A content request from the content subscriber can engage a content locator in determining an appropriate content publisher to activate the content. Once the appropriate content publisher is found, the content publisher activates the content by presenting appropriate content publishing resources. Optionally, two more content publishers cooperate together to activate the requested content. Licenses to the content and content publishing resources are monitored to ensure that content publishers are compensated. System components, such as content subscribers, content locators, content publishers, are auto-configured during initial registration and dynamically updated if configuration parameters change. Optionally, a performance driver changes various configuration parameters of system components to ensure a desired performance during content activation.

Claims

1. A distributed computing system, comprising:

a plurality of content subscribers coupled to a plurality of managed content locators and a plurality of managed content publishers on a network; and

a system to manage content subscribers'"'"' access to content publishing resources including

a content subscriber to request content;

a content locator including downloadable features and receiving configuration updates through a component manager with configuration information in a central configuration database and/or directory service that enables a content subscriber to access an appropriate content publisher, wherein the appropriate content publisher includes downloadable features, receives configuration updates through a component manager, with configuration information in a central configuration database and/or directory service, and dynamically activates the requested content by locating, coordinating and presenting one or more content publishing resources to activate said requested content such that the appropriate content publisher can create or change content; and

a license manager to control the content subscriber'"'"'s access to said content publishing resources.

2. The distributed computing system of claim 1, wherein the license manager generates

one or more tokens according to one or more allocated access sessions that are generated according to license policy criteria associated with the content subscriber;

and

a token monitor to initiate resource access according to the one or more tokens.

3. The distributed computing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more allocated access sessions are based on user licensing criteria.

4. The distributed computing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more allocated access sessions are based on application licensing criteria.

5. The distributed computing system of claim 2, wherein the one or more allocated access sessions are based on a combination of user licensing criteria and application licensing criteria.

6. The distributed computing system of claim 1, wherein the content locator locates the appropriate content publisher by matching an attribute of the appropriate content publisher with an attribute of the requested content.

7. The distributed computing system of claim 6, wherein the attribute of the appropriate content publisher is matched to an attribute of a user.

8. The distributed computing system of claim 6, wherein the attribute of the appropriate content publisher is matched to a selected performance level of the content publishing resources.

9. The distributed computing system of claim 1, wherein one or more components of the system are auto-configured.

10. The distributed computing system of claim 1, further comprising a performance driver that changes a configured parameter of the appropriate content publisher according to a performance level of the content publishing resources on the appropriate content publisher.

11. The distributed computing system of claim 1, wherein a system database or a directory service stores content subscriber attributes, content locator attributes, and content publisher attributes for use by component managers.

12. The distributed computing system of claim 1, wherein a system database or a directory service stores the one or more allocated access sessions.

13. A method for managing access to content on a network, comprising:

requesting a content file by a content subscriber, the content subscriber coupled to a plurality of managed content locators and a plurality of managed content publishers;

determining by a content locator, that enables a content subscriber to access an appropriate content publisher, where one or more content publishing resources that are required to activate the content file are located, the content locator including downloadable features and receiving configuration updates through a component manager with configuration information in a central configuration database and/or directory service;

directing a request for the content file to the appropriate content publisher having the required one or more content publishing resources, the appropriate content publisher including downloadable features and receiving configuration updates through a component manager with configuration information in a central configuration database and/or directory service; and

activating the content file by locating, coordinating, and presenting said required one or more content publishing resources such that the appropriate content publisher can create or change content.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

configuring a system component of the content management system according to one or more configuration parameters associated with the component; and

changing the configuration parameters by a performance driver to maintain a performance level of the system component.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

creating one or more access sessions based on one or more policy criteria associated with the content subscribers;

generating one or more tokens by a license manager according to the access sessions; and

allowing access to publishing resources when the generated token is present.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein creating one or more access sessions is based on application licensing criteria.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

configuring a system component of the content management system, wherein one or more configuration parameters associated with the component are dynamically uploaded onto the component.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

configuring a system component of the content management system, wherein one or more configuration parameters associated with the component are accessed by the component; and

downloading the accessed configuration parameters by the component.