Systems and methods to control access to multimedia content

• US 8,850,532 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Belz, Steven, Sullivan, Marc, Pratt, James
• Primary Examiner(s): VOSTAL, ONDREJ C
• Application Number:
  US12/262,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 726/5
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17 using an input/output type connection, e.g. channel, I/O port
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1013 to locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 : involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

Systems and methods to control access to multimedia are disclosed. A method includes receiving a request for multimedia content at a computing device, retrieving a destination address of a mobile communication device related to an authorized user of the computing device and determining whether the mobile communication device is located within a predetermined distance from the computing device. When the mobile communication device is located within the communicative distance from the computing device, the multimedia content is received at the computing device. When the mobile communication device is not located within the communicative distance from the computing device, an authorization-request message is transmitted via a network to the destination address of the mobile communication device, wherein the authorization-request message includes a request for authorization to receive the multimedia content at the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a set top box device, a first request to access multimedia content;

determining a communicative distance between the set top box device and a mobile communication device associated with a user;

performing a comparison of the communicative distance to a threshold distance to determine whether the mobile communication device is located within the threshold distance from the set top box device, wherein the threshold distance is defined by the user;

determining whether to automatically grant authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content based on the comparison, wherein authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is automatically granted in response to determining that the mobile communication device is located within the predetermined communicative threshold distance from the set top box device, and wherein authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted in response to determining that the mobile communication device is not located within the threshold distance from the set top box device; and

in response to determining that authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted based on the comparison and in response to determining that the first request to access the multimedia content is received during a particular time period, transmitting, from the set top box device, a second request to the mobile communication device via a network, wherein the second request is for authorization to access the multimedia content at the set top box device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content corresponds to a television channel, and wherein the first request is sent in response to accessing the television channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the first request to access the multimedia content is not received during the particular time period, denying authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content, wherein the particular time period is identified in a viewing profile that is related to a particular user of the set top box device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request is sent by a message that includes a first content rating of the multimedia content, wherein the first content rating is different than a second content rating that is identified in a viewing profile associated with a particular user, and wherein the particular user is authorized to access the multimedia content when the multimedia content has the second content rating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request is sent by a message that includes one of a start time of the multimedia content and a duration of the multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request is sent by a message that includes a subject matter description of the multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response from the mobile communication device in response to the second request, wherein the response indicates that authorization for the second request is denied; and

denying the authorization for the second request in response to receiving the response.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising granting authorization for the second request in response to receiving a response from the mobile communication device indicating that the authorization for the second request is granted.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising denying authorization for the first request based on a response to the second request received from the mobile communication device, wherein the first request includes a correct parental passcode.

10. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a set top box device, a first request to access multimedia content;

determining a communicative distance between a first mobile communication device of a plurality of mobile communication devices and the set top box device, wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices is associated with a user;

performing a comparison of the communicative distance to a threshold distance to determine whether the first mobile communication device is located within the threshold distance from the set top box device, wherein the threshold distance is defined by the user;

determining whether to automatically grant authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content based on the comparison, wherein authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is automatically granted in response to determining that the first mobile communication device is located within the threshold distance from the set top box device, and wherein authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted in response to determining that none of the plurality of mobile communication devices is located within the threshold distance from the set top box device; and

in response to determining that authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted based on the comparison and in response to determining that the first request to access the multimedia content is received during a particular time period, transmitting, from the set top box device, a second request to the first mobile communication device via a network, wherein the second request is for authorization to access the multimedia content at the set top box device.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the second request is sent by a message that includes authentication information associated with the user.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the authentication information includes personal identification information.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise granting authorization for the second request in response to determining that a response to the second request includes a grant of authorization to access the multimedia content, wherein the response is received, via the network, from the first mobile communication device.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that a first response is not received from the first mobile communication device after a threshold amount of time has elapsed after sending the second request, requesting authorization from the user by transmitting, via the network to a second mobile communication device of the plurality of mobile communication devices, a third request for authorization to access to the multimedia content at the set top box device.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise granting authorization for the third request in response to determining that a second response to the third request includes a grant of authorization to access the multimedia content, wherein the second response is received, via the network, from the second mobile communication device.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the set top box device includes the processor and a memory accessible to the processor.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at the set top box device, a correct parental passcode, wherein the correct parental passcode is included in the first request, and wherein authorization for the first request is not automatically granted based on the correct parental passcode; and

denying authorization for the first request in response to receiving a response from the first mobile communication device indicating that authorization for the second request is denied.

18. A set top box device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first request to access multimedia content;

determining a communicative distance between the set top box device and a mobile communication device associated with a user;

performing a comparison of the communicative distance to a threshold distance to determine whether the mobile communication device is located within the threshold distance, wherein the threshold distance is defined by the user;

determining whether to automatically grant authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content based on the comparison, wherein authorization for the first request is automatically granted in response to determining that the mobile communication device is located within the threshold distance from the set top box device, and wherein authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted in response to determining that the mobile communication device is not located within the threshold distance from the set top box device; and

in response to determining that authorization for the first request to access the multimedia content is not automatically granted based on the comparison and in response to determining that the first request to access the multimedia content is received during a particular time period, transmitting a second request to the mobile communication device via a network, wherein the second request is for authorization to access the multimedia content at the set top box device.

19. The set top box device of claim 18, wherein the mobile communication device includes one of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.

20. The set top box device of claim 18, wherein the second request is sent by a message that includes an identification of a particular channel that presents the multimedia content.

21. The set top box device of claim 20, wherein the first request to access the multimedia content includes security access information to enable the set top box device to access the multimedia content via the particular channel.

22. The set top box device of claim 21, wherein the security access information comprises a personal identification number.

23. The set top box device of claim 18, wherein a short-range, high-frequency, wireless communication is transmitted to the mobile communication device to determine the communicative distance.

24. The set top box device of claim 18, wherein a frequency-hopping-spread-spectrum radio signal is used to determine the communicative distance.