Coordinating license activation of licensable audio video (AV) device components between contract manufacturer and brand manufacturer

• US 8,401,935 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shintani, Peter, Douillet, Ludovic Etienne, Sadja, Aran London
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US13/073,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20120123916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 705/30, 705/34, 348/180, 348/143, 725/25, 725/30
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• 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 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 : Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/642 : Multi-standard receivers

Abstract

A contract manufacturer (CM) makes a consumer electronics (CE) device under the auspices of a brand name manufacturer (BNM) associated with the CE device, paying royalties immediately on licensable components in the CE device that are activated for sale and not paying royalties on licensable components in the CE device that are deactivated for sale. Should a purchaser subsequently activate an originally deactivated licensable component, the CM receives this information and pays royalties accordingly on the now-activated licensable component.

Claims

1. Method for coordinating license activation for a licensable audio video (AV) device component between a contract manufacturer (CM) of the AV device, and a brand name manufacturer (BNM) under whose brand the CM makes the CE device, comprising:

causing the CM making a brand name CE device with licensable components, some of which are activated and at least a first licensable component being deactivated at time of sale of the CE device, to, on behalf of the BNM, pay royalties only for licensable components which are activated for initial sale, licenses not being paid for licensable components which are disabled or deactivated for sale including the first licensable component;

receiving an activation message from a purchaser of the CE device to activate a first licensable component therein; and

responsive to the activation message, the CM, on behalf of the BNM, generating accounting data related a royalty associated with the first licensable component in fulfillment of a license agreement appertaining to the first licensable component.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the activation message at the CM from the BNM.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the activation message at the CM from the CE device.

4. Contract manufacturer (CM) server including a processor accessing instructions on a computer readable storage medium to:

generate license data for an activated licensable component of a CE device made by the CM under a brand name manufacturer (BNM);

not generating license data for a first licensable component of the CE device that is not activated in the CE device prior to sale of the CE device;

receive an activation message from a purchaser of the CE device to activate a first licensable component therein; and

responsive to the activation message, generate accounting data related to a royalty associated with the first licensable component in fulfillment of a license agreement appertaining to the first licensable component.

5. The CM server of claim 4, wherein the processor receives the activation message at the CM from a server associated with the BNM.

6. The CM server of claim 4, wherein the processor receives the activation message from the CE device.

7. A server associated with a contract manufacturer (CM) making a consumer electronics (CE) device under the auspices of a brand name manufacturer (BNM) associated with the CE device, comprising:

processor accessing logic on

a computer readable storage medium to cause the processor to;

record that royalties are due immediately on licensable components in the CE device that are activated for sale and not record that royalties are due on at least a first licensable components in the CE device that is deactivated for sale;

responsive to a purchaser of the CE device, subsequently activating the first licensable component, record that a royalty is due accordingly for the first licensable component.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor receives an activation message at the CM from a server associated with the BNM, the activation message indicating that the purchaser has activated or desired to activate the first licensable component.

9. The server of claim 7, wherein the processor receives an activation message from the CE device, the activation message indicating that the purchaser has activated or desired to activate the first licensable component.