Transmission of business rules to portable devices

• US 7,711,837 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bentsen, Brett A., Padmanabhan, Udiyan I., Naftolin, Jordan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yohannes; Tesfay
• Application Number:
  US11/301,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/220, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system that facilitates implementation of business rules for multimedia content on a portable device comprises a receiver component that receives a request for support of extensions to a protocol that enable transfer of customized business rules associated with multimedia content from a host device to a portable device, the portable device is a closed system. A servicing component provides the requested support to an entity that initiated the request.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates implementation of business rules for multimedia content on a portable device comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement the system, including;

a receiver component that receives a request for support of extensions to a protocol that enable transfer of customized business rules associated with multimedia content from a host device to the portable device, the portable device is a closed system, wherein the business rules specify at least one of an allowable usage count for the multimedia content at the portable device or a window of time during which the multimedia content is locally accessible at the portable device;

a servicing component that provides the requested support to an entity that initiated the request;

a querying component that queries the portable device to determine whether the portable device supports the protocol extensions that enable the business rules to be transmitted to the portable device and enforced by the portable device; and

a transmitting component that transmits the multimedia content to the portable device via the protocol and transmits the business rules to the portable device via the protocol extensions if it is determined that the protocol device supports the protocol extensions,

wherein the host device, if it is determined that the protocol device does not support the protocol extensions;

retrieves support of the protocol extensions; and

provides the support of the protocol extensions, the multimedia content, and the business rules to the portable device.

2. The system of claim 1, the multimedia content is one of audio content, video content, or audio/video content.

3. The system of claim 1, the protocol is the Media Transfer Protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, the extensions support transmittal of at least one of a terminal expression attribute indicating a condition for deleting the multimedia content at the portable device and one or more enforcement attributes from the host device to the portable device, the one or more enforcement attributes including at least a “

set once”

attribute that prevents values sent to the portable device relating to the multimedia content from being set more than once.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a synchronization component that synchronizes the host device with the portable device.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an enforcement component that prohibits communication of the multimedia content from the host device to the portable device when the querying component determines that the protocol extensions are not supported.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an implementation component that enforces the business rules with respect to the multimedia content at the portable device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notification component that provides a user with a notification based at least in part upon the business rules.

9. The system of claim 8, the notification component informs the user that an additional license is required to enable execution of the multimedia content.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a download component that automatically downloads the extensions and associates the protocol extensions with the portable device.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an updating component that automatically provides the portable device with updates to the protocol extensions.

12. The system of claim 1, the portable device is one of a dedicated media player, a personal digital assistant, or a mobile telephone, and the host device is one of a personal computer, a laptop computer, or a personal digital assistant.

13. A method for enabling communication of customized business rules to a portable device together with multimedia content comprising:

employing a processor executing computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

receiving a request for support for extensions to a protocol that enable transmission of the customized business rules to the portable device, the portable device is a closed system, the customized business rules defining at least one restriction on usage of the multimedia content at the portable device, the restriction including at least one of an allowable usage count for the multimedia content at the portable device or a window of time during which the multimedia content is locally accessible at the portable device;

providing the support for the extensions to at least one of a host associated with the mobile device or the mobile device;

querying the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device supports the extensions that enable the business rules to be transmitted to the portable device and enforced by the mobile device;

transmitting the multimedia content to the portable device via the protocol if it is determined that the portable device supports the protocol extensions;

transmitting the business rules to the portable device if it is determined that the portable device supports the protocol extensions; and

if it is determined that the protocol device does not support the protocol extensions;

retrieving support of the protocol extensions; and

providing support of the protocol extensions, the multimedia content, and the business rules to the portable device.

14. The methodology method of claim 13, the protocol extensions are extensions to the Media Transfer Protocol.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

synchronizing the portable device to the host device;

determining whether the portable device supports the extensions; and

generating the request when it is determined that the portable device does not support the extensions.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a notification to a user of the mobile device based at least in part upon content of the customized business rule.

17. A computer-readable storage medium bearing computer executable instructions implemented on a computer, the computer executable instructions for performing acts comprising:

synchronizing a host device with a portable device, the portable device is a closed system;

determining whether protocol extensions that enable transfer of business rules defining restrictions on local usage of multimedia content are supportable by the portable device and enforced by the portable device;

downloading support for the protocol extensions to the portable device when it is determined that the extensions are supportable, the support including at least support for a “

set once”

attribute that prevents values relating to the multimedia content sent to the portable device from being set more than once;

communicating multimedia content from the host device to the portable device by way of the protocol and communicating a customized business rule associated with the multimedia content by way of the protocol extensions upon the host device synchronizing with the portable device, the customized business rule including at least a definition of a play period during which the multimedia content is playable at the portable device, wherein the multimedia content and business rules are communicated only if it is determined that the portable device supports the protocol extensions; and

if it is determined that the protocol device does not support the protocol extensions, at the host device;

requesting support of the protocol extensions from a server that maintains support for the protocol extensions;

receiving support of the protocol extensions from the server; and

communicating support of the protocol extensions, the multimedia content, and the business rules to the portable device.