Dynamic configuration of a content publisher

• US 7,366,787 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Salas, Jonathan C., Radhakrishnan, Sanjeev, Lau, Edwin J., Navare, Prashant
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/286,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 725/23, 725/24, 709/201, 709/229, 709/225, 705/52, 705/59
• US Class Current: 709/229
• 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. 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 system comprising:

a content subscriber configured to request content;

a plurality of content publishers, wherein at least one content publisher of the plurality of content publishers comprises a component manager configured to obtain a role associated with the at least one content publisher and wherein the component manager is configured to download, install, and configure a feature on the at least one content publisher using role;

a content locator, in response to the request, configured to locate and activate the feature on the at least one content publisher to provide the requested content, wherein activating the feature on at least one content publisher comprises using a licensing manager to determine whether the content subscriber can access the feature; and

the license manager configured to control access of the content subscriber to the feature on the at least one content publisher.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the license manager is configured to generate at least one token based on a policy instance associated with the content subscriber and wherein a token monitor located on the at least one content publisher is configured to initiate access to the feature.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the policy instance is based on user licensing criteria.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the policy instance is based on licensing criteria associated with the feature.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the policy instance is based on a combination of user licensing criteria and licensing criteria associated with the feature.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content locator is configured to locate the at least one content publisher by matching an attribute of the at least one content publisher with an attribute of the requested content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the attribute of the at least one content publisher is matched to an attribute of a user.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a performance driver configured to change a configured parameter of the feature based on a performance level of the feature on the at least one content publisher.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a system database configured to store configuration parameters, wherein the configuration parameters are associated with the role and used to configure the feature.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system database is configured to store the policy instance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the system database is configured to store attributes associated with at least one selected from a group consisting of the content subscriber, the content locator, and the at least one content publisher.

12. A method for managing access of a content subscriber comprising:

receiving a request for content from the content subscriber;

determining, by a content locator, at least one content publishing resource required to provide the content;

directing said request to a content publisher having the at least one content published resource;

activating the at least one content publishing resource using at least one token provided by a license manager;

upon activation generating the content using the at least one content publishing resource and providing the content to the content subscriber,

wherein the content publisher comprises a component manager configured to obtain a role associated with the content publisher and wherein the component manager is configured to download, install, and configure the at least one content publishing resource on the content publisher using the role.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

creating at least one policy instance associated with the content subscriber;

generating at least one token by the license manager based on the at least one policy instance,

wherein the at least one token is used to activate the content publishing resource.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the policy instance is based on licensing criteria associated with the content publishing resource.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

updating the configuration of the content publishing resource using at least one configuration parameter, wherein the at least one configuration parameter is dynamically uploaded onto the content publisher on which the content publishing resource is executing.