Providing a radio station at a user device using previously obtained DRM locked content

• US 8,825,552 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lemi Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Evans, Gregory M., Kandekar, Kunal, Issa, Alfredo C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US12/239,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/60 of audio data
• 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 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/10 Usage protection of distributed data files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing a radio station for playback at a user device using previously obtained Digital Rights Management (DRM) locked content for the radio station. In one embodiment, a radio station application and DRM locked content to be used by the radio station application are downloaded to a user device, which is preferably a mobile user device. The DRM locked content includes a number of DRM locked songs that may be used for the radio station. Thereafter, the radio station application obtains a playlist for the radio station, where the playlist for the radio station includes at least a subset of the DRM locked content provided to the user device for the radio station. Playback of the playlist for the radio station is then provided at the user device, and playback is reported to a remote service for royalty tracking.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user device, comprising:

downloading Digital Rights Management (DRM) locked content for a radio station, the DRM locked content comprising a plurality of DRM locked songs to be used only by a radio station plug-in to provide the radio station;

after downloading the DRM locked content for the radio station, obtaining a playlist for the radio station, the playlist for the radio station comprising a plurality of songs including at least a subset of the plurality of DRM locked songs;

providing playback of the playlist for the radio station such that content of the radio station is presented to a user of the user device; and

reporting playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking,

wherein at least one of the preceding actions is performed on at least one electronic hardware component.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein downloading the DRM locked content comprises downloading the DRM locked content prior to providing playback of the playlist for the radio station.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the playlist for the radio station comprises:

sending a request for the playlist for the radio station to a remote service; and

receiving the playlist for the radio station from the remote service in response to the request.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the playlist for the radio station is generated by the remote service according to one or more rules for the radio station and such that the playlist for the radio station comprises the plurality of songs including the at least a subset of the plurality of DRM locked songs.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the playlist for the radio station is further generated by the remote service such that the playlist for the radio station is customized for the user of the user device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the playlist for the radio station comprises generating the playlist for the radio station at the user device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein generating the playlist for the radio station at the user device comprises:

sending a request for a playlist strategy for the radio station to a remote service;

receiving the playlist strategy for the radio station from the remote service; and

generating the playlist for the radio station based on the playlist strategy for the radio station and such that the playlist for the radio station comprises the plurality of songs including the at least a subset of the plurality of DRM locked songs.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the playlist strategy for the radio station is generated by the remote service according to one or more rules for the radio station.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the playlist strategy for the radio station is further generated by the remote service such that the playlist strategy for the radio station is customized for the user of the user device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the playlist for the radio station is customized for the user of the user device such that the radio station is a customized radio station for the user of the user device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the playlist for the radio station is customized based on at least one of a group consisting of:

a location of the user of the user device, an activity being performed by the user of the user device, one or more user preferences of the user of the user device, information identifying songs available at the user device for the radio station including the plurality of DRM locked songs, a recently played profile of the user of the user device, and a profile identifying a purchase history of the user of the user device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of songs in the playlist for the radio station further comprises one or more songs owned by the user of the user device and stored by the user device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of songs in the playlist for the radio station further comprises one or more songs available to the user device from a Local Area Network (LAN) based server to which the user device is enabled to connect.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more songs available to the user device from the LAN based server are owned by the user of the user device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the DRM locked content further comprises a plurality of DRM locked audio advertisements, and the playlist for the radio station further comprises one or more of the plurality of DRM locked audio advertisements.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the playlist for the radio station further comprises supplemental content hosted by one or more remote sources.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the supplemental content comprises one or more supplemental songs.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more supplemental songs are not owned by the user of the user device and are not included in the DRM locked content downloaded to the user device.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the supplemental content comprises one or more audio advertisements.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein providing playback of the playlist for the radio station comprises obtaining the supplemental content from the one or more remote sources.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio station is a vendor based radio station of a vendor.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein downloading the DRM locked content comprises downloading the DRM locked content from a vendor service associated with the vendor via a Wide Area Network (WAN) connection.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the WAN connection is a wireless WAN connection.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein downloading the DRM locked content comprises downloading the DRM locked content from a vendor service associated with the vendor via an Internet connection.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein downloading the DRM locked content comprises downloading the DRM locked content from a vendor service associated with the vendor via a Local Area Network (LAN) connection.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the LAN connection is a wireless LAN connection.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the vendor service is hosted by a computing system located within a physical store of the vendor, and the LAN connection is a LAN connection to the computing system located within the physical store of the vendor.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein downloading the DRM locked content comprises downloading the DRM locked content from a vendor service associated with the vendor via a Personal Area Network (PAN) connection.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the vendor service is hosted by a computing system located within a physical store of the vendor, and the PAN connection is a PAN connection to the computing system located within the physical store of the vendor.

30. The method of claim 21 further comprising enabling the user of the user device to purchase at least one of the subset of the plurality of DRM locked songs in the playlist for the radio station from the vendor.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein the playlist for the radio station further comprises one or more audio advertisements of the vendor.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising enabling the user to purchase one or more products advertised by the one or more audio advertisements from the vendor.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein the user device is a mobile user device.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein reporting playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking comprises reporting playback of the plurality of the songs from the playback of the playlist for the radio station.

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising software for instructing a controller of a user device to:

obtain a playlist for a radio station comprising a plurality of songs including at least a subset of a plurality of Digital Rights Management (DRM) locked songs to be used only by a radio station plug-in to provide the radio station, the at least a subset of a plurality of Digital Rights Management (DRM) locked songs included in DRM locked content previously downloaded to the user device for the radio station;

provide playback of the playlist for the radio station such that content of the radio station is presented to a user of the user device; and

report playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking.

36. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 35 wherein the software further instructs the controller of the user device to report playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking wherein the playback of the plurality of songs is from the playback of the playlist for the radio station.

37. A user device, comprising:

at least one communication interface; and

a controller associated with the at least one communication interface and adapted to;

download Digital Rights Management (DRM) locked content for a radio station via the at least one communication interface, the DRM locked content comprising a plurality of DRM locked songs to be used only by a radio station plug-in to provide the radio station;

after downloading the DRM locked content for the radio station via the at least one communication interface, obtain a playlist for the radio station, the playlist for the radio station comprising a plurality of songs including at least a subset of the plurality of DRM locked songs;

provide playback of the playlist for the radio station such that content of the radio station is presented to a user of the user device; and

report playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking.

38. The user device of claim 37 wherein the controller is further adapted to report playback of the plurality of songs for royalty tracking wherein the playback of the plurality of songs is from the playback of the playlist for the radio station.