System and methodology for automated provisioning of new user accounts

• US 7,433,710 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Syniverse ICX LLC
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bodnar, Eric, Swinton, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Huy Q
• Application Number:
  US09/839,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.2, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/410, 455/411, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/514
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00161 Viewing or previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

System and methodology are described that allow a new user of a user-operated device (e.g., wireless digital camera, cellular phone, video camera, audio device, or the like) to immediately begin using the features and services of the device without having to first activate a new user account. Thus in the instance where the user-operated device is a newly-acquired wireless digital camera, for example, the user can immediately begin taking and uploading his or her pictures to a photo Web site prior to having to open a user account, or having to perform other cumbersome activation steps. In such a wireless digital camera embodiment, the photo Web site and vendors of either cellular-enabled digital cameras or camera-enabled cellular phones provide user Web accounts based upon the unique ID or phone number belonging to one of these two devices. The user need only bother to “open” his or her account, that is, establish a user name and password, at some subsequent point in time that is convenient for the user (e.g., when the user is first visiting the photo Web site, using a browser, to view the digital photographs he or she previously uploaded). This approach allows users to use his or her newly-acquired device (e.g., immediately take pictures and upload them to an account at a photo Web site) right “out-of-the-box,” all without having to first register or setup a new user account.

Claims

1. A system facilitating uploading of digital images from a digital camera, the system comprising:

a Web site for hosting said digital images captured by the digital camera;

a transport mechanism for uploading the digital images from the digital camera to a user account at the Web site, said user account being pre-provisioned for the digital camera;

a module for automatically associating the digital images uploaded to the Web site with the pre-provisioned user account and thereafter providing on-line access to the digital images, without requiring a user to manually set up the user account;

a provisioning information module that generates a unique device ID that is used by an accounting management module for associating the digital images with a particular cellular phone device used by the digital camera to upload digital images; and

a buffered image storage module to temporarily store the digital images during uploading prior to determining the pre-provisioned user account associated with the unique device ID, and prior to associating the digital images with a particular cellular phone device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said digital camera employs a cellular phone for wirelessly uploading the digital images.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said digital camera and said cellular phone are selectively coupled to one another.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a unique device ID associated with the digital camera is used for associating the digital images.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said Web site receives digital images as they are uploaded.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said Web site continues to store digital images that are uploaded for some period of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said Web site provides on-line access to the digital images.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said digital camera includes connectivity to a cellular phone, for uploading digital images.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said digital camera includes wireless communication capability.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said transport mechanism comprises a wireless communication network.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database at the Web site for maintaining the uploaded digital images along with an associated unique device ID for the images.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a module allowing a user to specify a user name and password for the user account that has been pre-provisioned.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein online access to the digital images is predicated upon user input of a valid user name and password.

14. An apparatus for automating activation of a user account associated with a user-operated device, comprising:

a Web site to host user data transferred by the user-operated device;

a transport mechanism to enable uploading of the user data from the user-operated device to a user account at the Web site, the user account being pre-provisioned for the user-operated device;

a module for automatically associating the user data uploaded to the Web site with the pre-provisioned user account based on a unique device ID of the transport mechanism, and thereafter providing on-line access to the user data, such that the user need not manually establish the user account at the Web site;

an identification module to determine if the data transferred by the user-operated device is from a valid type of user-operated device; and

a buffer to temporarily store the user data prior to determining the user account associated with the unique device ID.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the user-operated device is selected from among the following:

a digital camera, a cellular telephone, a cellular telephone periodically coupled to a digital camera, and a cellular telephone including a digital camera.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transport mechanism has a unique device ID that is used for associating the user-operated device with the user account that has been pre-provisioned for the user data.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a provisioning information module to generate a unique device ID that is used by an accounting management module for associating the user-operated device with the user account.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a database at the Web site for maintaining the uploaded user data along with an associated unique device ID for the images.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a security module to allow a user to specify a user name and password for the user account that has been pro-provisioned.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

the media gateway to query the peripheral device for the unique device ID in response to receiving the data.

21. A system to enable automatic provisioning of a new user account comprising:

a receiving logic to receive data from a peripheral device, coupled to a digital camera, having a unique device ID, the data destined for storage on a repository on the system;

an account management module to automatically establish a user account, including creating a user identifier (ID) based, at least in part, on said unique device ID assigned to the peripheral device;

a media gateway to associate the data with said user ID, wherein the media gateway includes a buffer to temporarily store the data prior to establishing the user account associated with the unique device ID;

such that an account is automatically created for the owner of the peripheral device, without requiring the user to first set up a user account, or any additional information to be stored on the peripheral device; and

a module allowing a user to specify a user name and password for the user account that has been automatically established, wherein online access to the data is predicated upon user input of the user specified user name and password.

22. A method facilitating uploading of user data from a user-operated device, the method comprising:

receiving a transfer request from a cellular phone having a unique device ID, to transfer data to a Web site from the user-operated device;

temporarily saving the user data in a buffered storage module until the user data is determined to be associated with a particular user account;

determining if there is a user account associated with the unique device ID, and if so, associating the user data with the user account;

if there is no user account associated with the unique device ID, establishing a user account automatically at the particular Web site, including creating a user identifier (ID) based, at least in part, on said unique device; and

upon a first user request for data from the website, receiving the entry of a user defined login and password for providing access to data on the Website, and associating the user defined login and password with the user account.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user-operated device is selected from among the following:

a digital camera, a cellular telephone, a cellular telephone periodically coupled to a digital camera, and a cellular telephone including a digital camera.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein establishing the user account occurs upon receiving a first transfer request from the user-operated device.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein establishing the user account occurs prior to first operation of the user-operated device.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said user account is established using a provisioning procedure to associate the user account with a unique device ID assigned to at least one of the user-operated device or the cellular phone.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether at least one of the user-operated device or the cellular phone is an authorized device prior to storing the images on the Web site.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein said content temporarily saved in the buffered image storage module is transferred to an image storage-by-account module in an image repository after the content is determined to be associated with a particular user account.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

having a user account ticket, generated, at least in part, from the unique device ID, the user account ticket used for initially establishing the user account.