Set top box with digital rights management for multiple devices and methods for use therewith

• US 7,886,318 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Morega Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Poulidis, Philip, Wang, Feng Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen-Ba; Hoang-Vu A
• Application Number:
  US11/821,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/30, 725/31, 726/7, 726 18- 19, 380/231, 380/233, 380/234, 380/59, 713/165, 713/167, 705 50- 52, 709/223
• US Class Current: 725/25
• 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 21/2543 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 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

Media content is received for a plurality of devices based on a user selection. The media content includes digital rights for the plurality of devices. The media content is transferred to at least one of the plurality of devices in accordance with the digital rights.

Claims

1. A set-top box comprising:

a device interface for coupling to at least one external device;

a network interface for coupling to a cable network;

a television interface for coupling to a television;

a remote control interface for receiving user initiated signaling via a remote control device;

a processor, coupled to the television interface, the device interface, the remote control interface and the network interface that operates in accordance with a open cable application platform operating system layer that runs an application that includes the following steps;

receiving user selection of media content via the remote control interface;

receiving user selection of the at least one external device via the remote control interface, wherein the at least one external device is capable of storing and playing the media content independently from the set-top box;

sending a request for the media content via the network interface to the cable network for a plurality of selected devices including the set top box and the at least one external device, the request identifying the plurality of selected devices;

receiving the media content from the cable network via the network interface for playback via the television and the at least one external device, the media content including device specific digital rights for the set-top box and the at least one external device wherein the device specific digital rights allow playback by the plurality of selected devices and prohibit playback by other devices; and

transferring the media content to at least one external device via the device interface.

2. The set-top box of claim 1 wherein the at least one external device includes at least one of:

a desktop computer, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, a personal audio/video player, and a wireless telephone.

3. The set-top box of claim 1 wherein the device interface includes at least one of, a wireless local area network interface, a wireless personal area network interface, an Ethernet port, a parallel port, a serial port, a small computer systems interface port, a IEEE 1394 compliant interface, and a universal serial bus interface.

4. The set-top box of claim 1 wherein the media content is formatted in a first digital video format and the set-top box further includes:

a transcoding module, coupled to the device interface and the processor, that transcodes the media content into a second digital video format for use by the at least external device.

5. The set-top box of claim 4 wherein the transcoding module generates the second digital video format in accordance with the digital rights for the at least one external device.

6. The set-top box of claim 4 wherein the transcoding module includes an ad insertion module for inserting an ad in the second digital video format.

7. The set-top box of claim 1 application is further operable to:

generate a display on the television that prompts a user with a plurality of options to select the at least one external device; and

wherein receiving user selection of the at least one external device includes receiving a response from the user that selects the at least one external device in response to the prompts.

8. The set-top box of claim 7 wherein the plurality of options includes obtaining digital rights for the at least one external device at an increased fee.

9. The set-top box of claim 7 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for receiving the media content that is based on a total number of the at least one external device.

10. The set-top box of claim 7 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for receiving the media content that is based on the at least one external device.

11. The set-top box of claim 7 wherein the plurality of options lists particular devices, that correspond to a user retrieved from a file containing information regarding the particular devices, the particular devices including the at least one external device.

12. The set-top box of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory, coupled to the processor, that stores a file containing the user selection that includes information regarding the at least one external device.

13. The set-top box of claim 12 wherein the obtaining digital rights for the at least one external device is at an increased fee, and wherein the file is created based on the user selection and a pre-authorization from the user to create the file and to incur the increased fee.

14. A method for use in a set-top box that includes a remote control interface, an external device interface and a network interface, the method comprising:

receiving user selection of media content via the remote control interface;

receiving user selection of at least one external device via the remote control interface, wherein the at least one external device is capable of storing and playing the media content independently from the set-top box;

sending a request for the media content via the network interface to the cable network for a plurality of selected devices including the set top box and the at least one external device, the request identifying the plurality of selected devices;

receiving the media content via the network interface for the plurality of selected devices, the media content including digital rights for the plurality of selected devices; and

transferring the media content to at least one of the plurality of selected devices via the external device interface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of receiving the media content is implemented as an application running on an open cable application platform.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the user selection is retrieved from a file containing information regarding the plurality of devices selected.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein obtaining digital rights for at least one of the plurality of selected devices incurs an increased fee, and wherein the file is created based a pre-authorization from the user to create the file and to incur the increased fee.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of devices include at least two of:

a set-top box, a television, a desktop computer, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, a personal audio/video player, and a wireless telephone.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the media content is formatted in a first digital video format and the step of transferring the media content includes transcoding the media content into a second digital video format for use by the at least one of the plurality of selected devices.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the transcoding includes generating the second digital video format in accordance with the digital rights for the at least one of the plurality of selected devices.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the transcoding includes inserting an ad in the second digital video format.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the transcoding is performed in a network server.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the transcoding is performed automatically based on past behavior of a subscriber.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the transcoding is performed in response to a subscriber request for the media content.

25. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

prompting a user with a plurality of options to download media content for the plurality of selected devices; and

receiving a selection from the user that corresponds to at least one of the plurality of options.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the plurality of options includes obtaining digital rights for the at least one external device at an increased fee.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for downloading the media content that is based on a total number of the plurality of selected devices.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for downloading the media content that is based on the plurality of selected devices.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the plurality of options lists particular devices that correspond to a user retrieved from a file stored in a memory of the set-top box, the file containing information regarding the particular devices.

30. The method of claim 14 wherein the digital rights includes a corresponding plurality of device specific digital rights for each of the plurality of selected devices, each of the corresponding plurality of device specific digital rights allowing playback of the media content by one of the plurality of selected devices corresponding thereto and prohibiting playback of the media content by other devices.

31. A method for use with a plurality of devices each capable of independently storing and playing media content, the method comprising:

receiving user selection of media content via a first device of the plurality of devices;

receiving user selection of a second device of the plurality of devices, via the first device;

sending to a media content provider network via the first device, a request for the media content, the request identifying the plurality of selected devices;

receiving from the media content provider network, the media content in a first format at the first device, the media content including digital rights for the first device; and

receiving from the media content provider network, the media content in a second format at the second device, the media content including digital rights for the second device.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of:

transcoding the media content;

wherein receiving the media content at the first device includes receiving the media content after transcoding.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the transcoding includes inserting an ad.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the transcoding is performed in a network server.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the transcoding is performed automatically based on past behavior of a subscriber.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the transcoding is performed in response to a the request for the media content.

37. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of receiving the media content in the first format includes receiving the media content at a set-top box.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of receiving the user selection of the media content is implemented as an application running on an open cable application platform of the set-top box.

39. The method of claim 31 wherein the plurality of devices include at least two of:

a set-top box, a television, a desktop computer, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, a personal audio/video player, and a wireless telephone.

40. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

prompting a user with a plurality of options to download media content for the plurality of devices; and

receiving a selection from the user that corresponds to at least one of the plurality of options.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the plurality of options includes obtaining digital rights for at least one of the plurality of devices at an increased fee.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for receiving the media content that is based on a total number of the plurality of devices.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein the plurality of options includes a cost for receiving the media content that is based on the plurality of devices.

44. The method of claim 40 wherein the plurality of options lists particular devices that correspond to a user retrieved from a file containing information regarding the particular devices.

45. The method of claim 31 wherein the user selection is retrieved from a file stored in a memory of the first device containing information regarding the plurality of devices.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein obtaining digital rights for the second device incurs an increased fee, and wherein the file is created based on a pre-authorization from the user to create the file and to incur the increased fee.