Geographic internet asset filtering for internet video client

• US 8,862,515 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Pedlow, Leo, Candelore, Brant
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie, Charles C
• Application Number:
  US12/782,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20110277005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51
• US Class Current: 705/51
• 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 with a secret unique ID and receiving back from the server, assuming the ID is approved, a user token and a service list of content servers with knowledge of the user token. A user can select a content server which causes the device to upload its user token and in response receive a content list from the content server, from which content can be selected for display. Neither list may be modified by the device and the device can access only content on a content list. The service list may be tailored for the geographic location of the device.

Claims

1. Consumer electronic (CE) device comprising:

housing;

display on the housing;

network interface;

processor in the housing controlling the display and communicating with the Internet through the network interface;

the processor executing logic including;

contacting a management server;

providing an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the management server, the IP address being associated with a geographic location associated with the CE device;

receiving from the management server a user token and at least one geographically-tailored service list, the service list containing only content server addresses that have been approved for access in the geographic region indicated by the IP address of the CE device, the server addresses being uniform resource locators (URLs);

presenting the service list on the display; and

responsive to a user selection of an entry on the service list, accessing a content server associated with the entry, wherein as part of the accessing of a content server the processor also provides the user token such that the CE device receives a content list of available content from the content server only responsive to the content server receiving the user token, checking the user token against a local database of active tokens, and responsive to the user token being in the database, the content server returns the content list to the CE device such that no further authentication is required between the CE device and content server beyond the provisioning of a valid user token by the CE device, and further wherein, responsive to a determination that the content server appears on the service list provided by the management server, the CE device trusts the content server without need for any further authentication on the part of the content server, wherein the logic controls the processor to permit the user no access to Internet sites other than to the management server and content servers on the service list.

2. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a television.

3. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a game player.

4. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a video disk player.

5. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a camera.

6. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a digital clock radio.

7. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a mobile telephone.

8. The CE device of claim 1, wherein the CE device is a personal digital assistant.

9. Management server comprising:

network interface;

processor communicating with the Internet through the network interface;

the processor executing logic including;

storing plural geographic-specific service lists, each service list containing a list of network addresses of content servers approved for access by CE devices in a respective geographic region, wherein a first address of a first content server for a first geographic location is on a first service list but not on a second service list and a second address of a second content server for a second geographic location is on the second service list but not the first service list;

obtaining a geographic indicator from a CE device contacting the management server;

correlating the indicator to a geographic region;

returning the first service list to the CE device responsive to a determination that the CE device is in a first geographic region and returning the second service list to the CE device responsive to a determination that the CE device is in a second geographic region;

providing to the content servers on the service lists a respective user token for each authorized user; and

returning to the CE device a user token associated therewith, wherein the CE device must present its user token to a content server and the content server must determine a match exists between the user token presented by the CE device and a token stored in a database associated with the content server prior to the content server providing content to the CE device.

10. The management server of claim 9, wherein the content servers are affiliated with business partners of an entity associated with the management server, the business partners providing geographic-filtered addresses to the management server for generation of the first and second service lists.

11. The management server of claim 9, wherein the geographic indicator is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the CE device.

12. The management server of claim 9, wherein the correlating is done by using a lookup of IP addresses and their corresponding locations.

13. Method comprising:

receiving, from a client audio-video presentation device to a management server, an identification indicating a geographic location of the device;

responsive to a determination that the device is in a first geographic location, returning, from the management server to the device, a first list of content servers at which the device may access content along with a user token required to be presented by the audio-video presentation device to a content server to access content therefrom; and

responsive to a determination that the device is in a second geographic location, returning, from the management server to the device, a second list of content servers at which the device may access content, wherein the device is not able to access Internet servers not on the lists other than the management server, the first list being different from the second list in at least one respect.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein no billing or accounting information is required of the device to access content on any of the content servers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the content servers are affiliated with business partners of an entity associated with the management server, the method comprising received from the business partners geographic-filtered addresses for generation of the first and second service lists.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifier is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein comprising correlating the identification to a geographic region by using a lookup of identifications and their corresponding locations.