Methods, systems, and devices for securing content

• US 8,590,053 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Whitfield, Lloyd T. Jr., Zimler, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US13/530,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8045 using predictive coding

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices secure content in memory. The content includes a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory. Prior to expiration of the lock the content cannot be read from memory. However, a preview option allows at least a portion of the content to be accessed. The preview option provides a preview of the content. At expiration, the content is readable.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

downloading content to a device;

storing the content in memory of the device, the content having a lock that prohibits accessing the content from the memory until expiration of the lock;

receiving a selection of a preview option prior to the expiration of the lock; and

generating a preview of the content in response to the selection, the preview reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock,

wherein the expiration of the lock occurs at a date and time to permit the accessing of the content from the memory.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein downloading the content comprises prepositioning the content to the device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving the content.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising scheduling a prompt to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising processing a payment to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing a clock to the date and time of the expiration.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising reading the content from the memory.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

downloading content;

locking the content with a lock that prohibits accessing the content until expiration of the lock;

receiving a selection of a preview option prior to the expiration of the lock;

generating a preview of the content in response to the selection, the preview reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock; and

expiring the lock at a date and time to permit accessing the content.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise prepositioning the content.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the content.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise scheduling a prompt to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise processing a payment to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise comparing a clock to the date and time of expiration.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise reading the content from the memory.

15. A memory on which is encoded processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

downloading content to a device;

locking the content with a lock that prohibits accessing the content from memory of the device until expiration of the lock;

receiving a selection of a preview option prior to the expiration of the lock;

generating a preview of the content in response to the selection, the preview reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock; and

expiring the lock at a date and time to permit accessing the content.

16. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise prepositioning the content to the device.

17. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

18. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise scheduling a prompt to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

19. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise processing a payment to preview the content prior to the expiration of the lock.

20. The memory of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise comparing a clock to the date and time of the expiration.