Enablement of premium content for internet video client

• US 8,607,263 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Xiong, True, McCoy, Charles David, Mehta, Viral, Pedlow, Leo, Sadja, Aran
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US12/844,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20110277006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 : by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A device is enabled to display Internet TV by accessing a management server and receiving back from the server a user token and a service list of predefined content servers. A user can select a content server on the service list which causes the device to upload its user token to the management server, which in turn sends back the network path to the content server along with a content server-user-unique service token (SUIT) that the device uses to access the content on the content server, in some embodiments on per-title PPV access, per-content category PPV access, or per-service PPV access.

Claims

1. Content server assembly comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one network interface communicating with the processor to establish communication between the processor and a wide area network;

at least one computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor and bearing logic causing the processor to;

provide a respective client-unique service user identification token (SUIT) to a management server for each of plural user accounts identified by the management server, the SUIT not being received from the management server prior to being provided to the management server for each of plural user accounts identified by the management server;

receive from a client device accessing the content server assembly over a network path obtained by the client device from the management server at least a request for a content list and the SUIT;

determine whether the SUIT is valid; and

at least in part responsive to a determination that the SUIT is valid and only if the SUIT is valid, providing a content list to the client device

wherein the content server assembly receives a request for a content list and information pertaining thereto and transmits the content list to the client device only if both the SUIT and a user token received from the client device are valid.

2. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the content server assembly comprises a content server and a proxy server communicating with the content server and interfacing the content server with the client device.

3. The content server assembly of claim 2, wherein an access type indicator in the proxy server indicates that the client device is authorized to access individual content asset titles.

4. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the user token is originated by a management server to indicate that the client device is properly enrolled with the management server.

5. The content server assembly of claim 4, wherein in response to the request for a content list and a determination that the user token indicates that the client device is properly enrolled, the content server assembly uses the SUIT to ascertain an account of the client device.

6. The content server assembly of claim 5, wherein token validity is executed by verifying that the token appears in a table of authorized tokens accessible to the content server assembly.

7. The content server assembly of claim 6, wherein the content server assembly receives a copy of the user token from the management server.

8. The content server assembly of claim 7, wherein the content server assembly transmits a user interface (UI) form to the client device usable for generating billing information to the account of the client device responsive to receiving a selection of content from the client device.

9. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the content list presents pay per view (PPV) entries, each entry representing an individual content asset title available for purchase by the client device.

10. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the SUIT originated at the content server assembly.

11. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the SUIT is generated at the content server assembly.

12. The content server assembly of claim 1, wherein the SUIT is unique to the content server assembly.

13. The content server assembly of claim 5, wherein the SUIT used to ascertain the account of the client device is unique to the content server assembly.