Managing licenses of media files on playback devices
First Claim
1. A media system for managing distribution of media files based on licenses associated with the media files, the media system comprising:
- a central licensing (CL) device configured for allowing distribution of the media files from a primary storage device to at least one playback device by using a licensing manager data structure that stores, for each media file, a maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and a number of playback devices on which the media file is currently stored, wherein;
each media file is associated with a plurality of different versions, wherein each version corresponds to a different maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored,each media file is embedded with a version identifier that maps the media file to the corresponding one of the plurality of versions stored in the licensing manager data structure to control access to the media file that is stored according to the maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and the number of playback devices on which the media file is stored.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments are described herein for managing licenses of media files on playback devices in a media system. In some embodiments, each media file is purchased based on a number of licenses, each license granting permission to store the media file on a single playback device. Each media file may have an associated number of one or more licenses that specifies the maximum number of playback devices on which the media file may be stored at the same time (concurrently). The media system may comprise a home central licensing (HCL) device, a primary storage device, and playback devices coupled via a network. The primary storage device may be used to initially store newly purchased media files. The HCL device may allow or prohibit distribution of the media files on the primary storage device to playback devices by using a license manager data structure storing licensing information for each media file.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A media system for managing distribution of media files based on licenses associated with the media files, the media system comprising:
a central licensing (CL) device configured for allowing distribution of the media files from a primary storage device to at least one playback device by using a licensing manager data structure that stores, for each media file, a maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and a number of playback devices on which the media file is currently stored, wherein; each media file is associated with a plurality of different versions, wherein each version corresponds to a different maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored, each media file is embedded with a version identifier that maps the media file to the corresponding one of the plurality of versions stored in the licensing manager data structure to control access to the media file that is stored according to the maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and the number of playback devices on which the media file is stored. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for managing, in a media system, distribution of media files based on licenses associated with the media files, the method comprising:
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allowing distribution of the media files from a primary storage device to at least one playback device by using a licensing manager data structure that stores, for each media file, a maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and a number of playback devices on which the media file is currently stored, wherein; each media file is associated with a plurality of different versions, wherein each version corresponds to a different maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored, each media file is embedded with a version identifier that maps the media file to the corresponding one of the plurality of versions stored in the licensing manager data structure to control access to the media file that is stored according to the maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and the number of playback devices on which the media file is stored. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon when executed by a processor manage, in a media system, distribution of media files based on licenses associated with the media files, the computer readable medium comprising sets of instructions for:
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allowing distribution of the media files from a primary storage device to at least one playback device by using a licensing manager data structure that stores, for each media file, a maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and a number of playback devices on which the media file is currently stored, wherein; each media file is associated with a plurality of different versions, wherein each version corresponds to a different maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored, each media file is embedded with a version identifier that maps the media file to the corresponding one of the plurality of versions stored in the licensing manager data structure to control access to the media file that is stored according to the maximum number of playback devices on which the media file is permitted to be stored and the number of playback devices on which the media file is stored. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification