System and method for controlling access to downloadable resources

• US 7,191,216 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Heiska, Jukka, Nedzelskaia, Natalia, Eerola, Seven, Jokinen, Jyri, Mattila, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/970,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20030065777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709223-225, 709/249, 709/246, 370/230, 370/235, 707/10, 707/101, 707/110, 705/54, 713/165
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A system and method for controlling access to downloadable resources on a network. Content download requests are received from a network service, where the content download request includes access information. An access ticket is created based on the access information, which includes various ticket fields to store access parameters parsed from the access information. The access ticket associated with a transaction request is retrieved using a ticket identifier accompanying the transaction request. A download of desired content is authorized based on the access parameters of the retrieved access ticket. When authorized, the content is delivered to a user terminal identified by the access ticket.

Claims

1. A method for controlling download access of content from a download server to a mobile user terminal via a network, the network including at least a network service, the download server, and the mobile user terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a download request from the network service, the download request including access information;

creating a content rights file based on the access information;

storing the content rights file;

delivering to the network service an address of the content rights file for use by the mobile terminal;

receiving a transaction request from the mobile user terminal;

determining if the transaction request includes the content rights file address;

if the transaction request includes the content rights file address;

retrieving the content rights file using the content rights file address;

authorizing a download transaction associated with a transaction identifier based on the content rights file; and

downloading, from the download server to the mobile user terminal, the targeted content identified in the transaction request; and

if the transaction request does not include the content rights file address and includes the transaction identifier;

determining if the transaction is valid based on the transaction identifier;

authorizing the download transaction if the transaction is valid; and

downloading, from the download server to the mobile user terminal, the targeted content identified in the transaction request.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein:

creating the content rights file comprises creating the content rights file at the download server;

storing the content rights file comprises storing the content rights file in storage in the download server; and

retrieving the content rights file comprises retrieving the content rights file from the storage in the download server.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the access parameters comprise user-specific and access-specific parameters.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the access-specific parameters include content access rights identifying an access life cycle.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein the access life cycle transcends user session boundaries.

6. The method as in claim 3, wherein the user-specific parameters include an identification of one or more users authorized to receive the content.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising receiving a confirmation message from the user terminal if the user terminal successfully receives the downloaded content.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in access rights resulting from downloading the content.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in the access rights comprises decrementing a permitted download count.

10. The method as in claim 8, wherein modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in the access rights comprises adjusting an access parameter identifying when content may be downloaded.

11. The method as in claim 8, wherein modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in the access rights comprises modifying at least one of a user identifier and an equipment identifier to modify potential recipients of the content that may be downloaded.

12. The method as in claim 1, further comprising delivering an address of the content rights file to the network service upon creation of the content rights file.

13. The method as in claim 1, further comprising calling a charging element to create a charging record upon delivery of the content to the user terminal.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein authorizing the content download comprises authorizing the content download to one or more user terminals.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading the content comprises delivering the content via an XML document.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising fetching the content from a content storage facility upon authorizing the content download.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the downloaded content to set configuration parameters of the user terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein executing the downloaded content to set the configuration parameters comprises setting the configuration parameters to enable the user terminal to access new or upgraded network services.

19. A download server for controlling access to downloadable content to a mobile terminal via a network, comprising:

a service handler configured to receive a content download request including access information from a network service, the service handler configured to create and store a content rights file based on the access information and deliver to the network service an address of the content rights file for use by a mobile terminal; and

a transaction handler configured to receive a transaction request from the mobile terminal, determine if the transaction request includes the content rights file address, the transaction handler configured to, if the transaction request includes the content rights file address, retrieve the content rights file using the content rights file address, authorize a download transaction associated with a transaction identifier based on the content rights file, and download targeted content identified in the transaction request to the mobile terminal, the transaction handler further configured to, if the transaction request does not include the content rights file address but includes the transaction identifier, determine if the transaction is valid based on the transaction identifier, authorize the download transaction if the transaction is valid and download targeted content identified in the transaction request to the mobile terminal.

20. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the transaction handler is further configured to fetch the targeted content identified in the transaction request from a content storage facility.

21. The download server as in claim 19, further comprising a charging handler to call a charging facility to create a charging record upon delivery of the targeted content to the mobile terminal.

22. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the transaction handler is configured to update the content rights file after the transaction is complete.

23. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the content rights file identifies a number of times in which the download transactions have been authorized.

24. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the content rights file identifies at what times the download transactions have been authorized.

25. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the content rights file comprises an end-user identification to identify the end-users to which the targeted content associated with the download transaction has been authorized.

26. The download server as in claim 25, wherein the end-user identification comprises a user name.

27. The download server as in claim 25, wherein the end-user identification comprises a user terminal identifier.

28. The download server as in claim 27, wherein the user terminal identifier is a Mobile Station ISDN/PSTN Number (MSISDN).

29. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the download server provides the transaction identifier to the terminal via a cookie.

30. The download server as in claim 19, wherein the download server provides the transaction identifier to the terminal via URL encoding.

31. A transaction hander coupled to a mobile terminal via a network, the transaction handler configured to receive a transaction request from the mobile terminal, determine if the transaction request includes a content rights file address, the transaction handler configured to, if the transaction request includes the content rights file address, retrieve a content access file using the content rights file address, authorize a download transaction associated with a transaction identifier based on the content rights file, and download targeted content identified in the transaction request to the mobile terminal, the transaction handler further configured to, if the transaction request does not include the content rights file address but includes the transaction identifier, determine if the transaction is valid based on the transaction identifier, authorize the download transaction if the transaction is valid and download targeted content identified in the transaction request to the mobile terminal.

32. The transaction handler as in claim 31, wherein the transaction handler is further configured to fetch the targeted content identified in the transaction request from a content storage facility.

33. The transaction handler as in claim 31, wherein the transaction handler is configured to update the content rights file after the transaction is complete.

34. The transaction handler as in claim 31, wherein the transaction handler further comprises a charging handler to call a charging facility to create a charging record upon delivery of the targeted content to the mobile terminal.

35. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for controlling access to downloadable content available via a network service, the computer-executable instructions performing a method, comprising:

receiving a download request from the network service, the download request including access information;

creating a content rights file based on the access information;

storing the content rights file;

delivering to the network service an address of the content rights file for use by the mobile terminal;

receiving a transaction request from the mobile user terminal;

determining if the transaction request includes the content rights file address;

if the transaction request includes the content rights file address;

retrieving the content rights file using the content rights file address;

authorizing a download transaction associated with a transaction identifier based on the content access file; and

downloading, from the download server to the mobile user terminal, the targeted content identified in the transaction request; and

if the transaction request does not include the content rights file address and includes the transaction identifier;

determining if the transaction is valid based on the transaction identifier;

authorizing the download transaction if the transaction is valid; and

downloading, from the download server to the mobile user terminal, the targeted content identified in the transaction request.

36. The computer readable medium as in claim 35, wherein:

creating the content rights file comprises creating the content rights file at the download server;

storing the content rights file comprises storing the content rights file in storage in the download server; and

retrieving the content rights file comprises retrieving the content rights file from the storage in the download server.

37. The computer readable medium as in claim 35, wherein the access information comprises user-specific and access-specific parameters.

38. The computer readable medium as in claim 37, wherein the access-specific parameters include content access rights identifying an access life cycle.

39. The computer readable medium as in claim 38, wherein the access life cycle transcends user session boundaries.

40. The computer readable medium as in claim 37, wherein the user-specific parameters include an identification, by name, of one or more users authorized to receive the content.

41. The computer readable medium as in claim 35, further comprising receiving a confirmation message from the user terminal if the user terminal successfully receives the downloaded content.

42. The computer readable medium as in claim 35, further comprising modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in access rights resulting from downloading the content.

43. The computer readable medium as in claim 42, wherein modifying the content rights file to reflect changes in the access rights comprises decrementing a permitted download count.

44. The computer readable medium as in claim 35, further comprising calling a charging element to create a charging record upon delivery of the content to the user terminal.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 35, further comprising fetching the content from a content storage facility upon authorizing the content download.