Content roaming system and method

• US 8,875,170 B1
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isaac Daniel Inventorship Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Isaac S. Daniel
• Inventors: Daniel, Isaac S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWLIN, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US13/401,757
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/59, 725 25- 31, 725/62, 725/74, 725 78- 82, 725/85
• US Class Current: 725/25
• 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 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A system for streaming media content to a remote media streaming device, wherein the system is operative to handle remote requests for the media content, and broker the authorization and broadcasting rights between a primary content provider and a secondary content provider, wherein the secondary content provider holds the rights to broadcast the requested content to the remote media streaming device.

Claims

1. A system for content roaming comprising:

a. a primary content provider module associated with a domestic location;

b. a content place-shifting module configured to connect to a local display device and that is operative to receive content from the primary content provider module, and transmit the content via a wide area network to a remote viewing module, wherein the remote viewing module is located at a foreign location and comprises a conditional access or digital rights management client; and

c. a content access management module, which is operative to;

i. communicate with the primary content provider module, the content place-shifting module, the remote viewing module, and a secondary content provider module that is associated with the foreign location;

ii. receive requests for transmission of the content from the primary content provider module or the secondary content provider module to the content place-shifting module or the remote viewing module, wherein the requests originate from the remote viewing module or the content place-shifting module;

iii. broker the payment of a fee between the primary content provider module or the remote viewing module, and the secondary content provider module when the primary content provider module does not have the right to transmit the content to the remote viewing module; and

iv. authorize transmission of the content to the remote viewing module if authorization is obtained from the primary content provider module or the secondary content provider module, wherein if the content is a censored version, authorize transmission of the censored version of the content to the remote viewing module if the foreign location requires censorship.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the domestic location comprises a domestic location associated with a user and the foreign location comprises the user'"'"'s foreign location.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intermediary content decoding module that interconnects the content place-shifting module and the primary content provider module.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the intermediary content decoding module is configured to receive encoded content from the content provider module, decode the encoded content, and transmit the decoded content to the content place-shifting module for further transmission to the remote viewing module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access management module comprises a conditional access or digital rights management system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote viewing module comprises a mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary content provider module comprises a foreign or third party content provider, wherein the foreign or third party content provider comprises a cable television content provider, a satellite television provider, a video on demand provider, a content distributor, a content distribution network, a content producer, a content studio, a content rental provider, or a streaming content provider.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the content place-shifting module is configured to pass the content through to the local display device.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the intermediary content decoding module comprises a television set top box.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access management module is operative to communicate with the primary content provider module, the content place-shifting module, the remote viewing module, and the secondary content provider module via a internet-based communications network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary content provider module is operative to transmit content to the remote viewing module via an internet-based communications network, and wherein the secondary content provider module is operative to authorize transmission of the content from the content place-shifting module to the remote viewing module via an internet-based communications network.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access management module is operative to receive digital rights management or conditional access rights information from the primary content provider module or the secondary content provider module, wherein the digital rights management or conditional access rights information comprises which distributors have distributed the content.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the content access management module is operative to provide the content place-shifting module or the remote viewing module with a digital rights or conditional access rights key, wherein the key is used by the digital rights or conditional access client to authorize the playback of the content.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote viewing module comprises an identification dongle that is configured to connect to a remote viewing device.

15. A system comprising:

a. a primary content provider associated with a domestic location;

b. a secondary content provider associated with a foreign location;

c. a content place-shifting device configured to connect to a local display device and receive content from the primary content provider;

d. a remote viewing device located at a foreign location and configured to remotely connect to the content place-shifting device; and

e. a content access management module connected to the primary content provider, the secondary content provider, the content place-shifting device, and the remote viewing device, wherein the content access management module is operative to;

i. receive a request for transmission of content from the remote viewing device located at the foreign location, wherein the content is to be transmitted via the content place-shifting device;

ii. check whether the remote viewing device is authorized to receive the content from the primary content provider via the content place-shifting device;

iii. request authorization from the secondary content provider if the primary content provider is not authorized to transmit the content to the remote viewing device via the content place-shifting device; and

iv. authorize transmission of the content from the content place-shifting device to the remote viewing device via a wide area network if the transmission has been authorized by the primary content provider or the secondary content provider, wherein if the content is a censored version, authorize transmission of the censored version of the content to the remote viewing device if the foreign location requires censorship.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the domestic location comprises a domestic location associated with a user and the foreign location comprises the user'"'"'s foreign location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote viewing device comprises an identification dongle configured to connect to a display device located at the foreign location.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the content access management module is operative to check whether a set of digital or conditional access rights associated with the content or the remote viewing device are satisfied prior to authorizing transmission of the content to the remote viewing device.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising an intermediary content decoding device that interconnects the content place-shifting device and the primary content provider.

20. A system comprising:

a. at least one primary content provider associated with a domestic location;

b. at least one content place-shifting device configured to connect to a local display device and the-at least one primary content provider, and is further configured to receive content from the at least one primary content provider and pass the content through to the local display device;

c. at least one remote content viewing device located at a foreign location and configured to remotely connect to the at least one content place-shifting device via an internet-based communications network, wherein the at least one remote content viewing device comprises a digital or conditional access rights management client, and is operative to request content from the at least one content place-shifting device, or at least one digital rights and conditional access rights management server;

wherein

d. the at least one digital rights and conditional access rights management server is connected to the at least one primary content provider, at least one content place-shifting device, at least one remote content viewing device, and at least one secondary content provider, wherein the at least one digital rights and conditional access rights management server is operative to;

i. receive requests for content from the at least one remote content viewing device, wherein the content is originating from the at least one primary content provider;

ii. check whether the at least one remote content viewing device is authorized to receive the content from the at least one primary content provider via the at least one content place-shifting device, wherein checking whether the at least one remote content viewing device is authorized to receive content from the at least one primary content provider comprises checking whether a set of digital rights or conditional access rights associated with the content or the at least one remote content viewing device are satisfied;

iii. authorize the at least one primary content provider to transmit the content to the at least one remote content viewing device via the at least content place-shifting device if the digital rights or conditional access rights associated with the content or the at least one remote content viewing device are satisfied;

iv. request authorization from the at least one secondary content provider if the digital rights or conditional access rights associated with the content or the at least one remote content viewing device are not satisfied;

v. authorize transmission of the content from the at least one primary content provider to the at least one remote content viewing device via the at least one content place-shifting device or from the at least one secondary content provider to the at least one remote content viewing device if the at least one secondary content provider grants authorization to transmit the content, wherein if the content is a censored version, authorize transmission of the censored version of the content to the remote viewing device if the foreign location requires censorship; and

vi. broker a fee payment between the primary content provider or the at least one remote content viewing device, and the at least one secondary content provider if the at least one secondary content provider requires a fee in exchange for granting authorization to transmit the content from the at least one primary content provider via the at least one content place-shifting device to the at least one remote content viewing device.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising an intermediary content decoding device that interconnects the content place-shifting device and the primary content provider module.

22. A method comprising:

a. using at least one processor to perform any or all of the following;

i. using at least one remote viewing module located at a foreign location to request content from a content access management module or a content place-shifting module located with a domestic location, wherein the content place-shifting module is configured to connect to a local display device and pass the content through to the local display device;

ii. checking whether the content place-shifting module is authorized to transmit the content to the remote viewing module, wherein if the content is a censored version, checking whether the censored version of the content must be provided in the foreign location;

iii. requesting authorization from a third party content provider associated with the foreign location if the content place-shifting module is not authorized to transmit the content;

iv. brokering a fee between a primary content provider and the third party content provider if the third party content provider authorizes the content transmission; and

v. authorizing transmission of the content to the remote viewing module via a wide area network if the content place-shifting module is authorized to transmit the content.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein checking whether the content place-shifting module is authorized to transmit the content to the remote viewing module comprises checking which distributors have distributed the content.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein checking whether the content place-shifting module is authorized to transmit the content to the remote viewing module comprises checking whether the digital rights or conditional access rights conditions associated with the content are satisfied.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein authorizing transmission of the content to the remote viewing module if the content place-shifting module is authorized to transmit the content comprises providing the content place-shifting module or the remote viewing device with digital rights or conditional access rights key, wherein the key is needed to play or place shift the content.