Method and system for entitling a user device to receive content from data from an external source

• US 8,886,674 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chaudhry, Kapil, Schlacht, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khong, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/031,119
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 707/785
• US Class Current: 707/785
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• 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 21/4627 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612

Abstract

An entitlement system and method of operating the same includes a file share storage and a file publisher that receives schedule data and generates a formatted file in a first format from the schedule data. The file publisher stores the formatted files in the file share storage. The entitlement system also includes an entitlement cache and a file processor communicating the formatted files from the file share storage to the entitlement cache. An authorization server receives an access request from a user device and accesses the formatted file. The authorization server compares a first content identifier from the formatted file to an authorized rights list for the user device and authorizes the user device to access the content in response to comparing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving schedule data at a service provider;

generating a formatted file corresponding to a content from the schedule data at the service provider in a first format, said formatted file having a first content identifier and a network identifier;

storing the formatted file in file share storage of the service provider;

communicating the formatted file from the file share storage to an entitlement cache of the service provider;

requesting access, by a user device, to the content from the service provider;

accessing the formatted file at the entitlement cache from an authorization server of the service provider;

at the authorization server, comparing the first content identifier and network identifier from the formatted file to an authorized rights list for the user device in response to requesting access; and

authorizing the user device to access the content in response to comparing.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a formatted file in a first format comprises generating the formatted file in an XML format.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving schedule data comprises receiving schedule data from a first module and a second module using a file publisher.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving schedule data comprises receiving schedule data from at least a listing service and a content ingestion system.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving schedule comprises receiving content data from at least a guide service and a content ingestion system.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving schedule data comprises receiving schedule data from a file generated at a content ingestion system.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising restarting a server, after restarting the server generating a schedule data file containing active data.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein requesting access to the content comprises requesting access to the content using a request that includes a channel station identifier.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising pooling a plurality of formatted files to form pooled files and wherein communicating the formatted file comprises communicating pooled files to the entitlement cache.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein accessing the formatted file comprises identifying the formatted file based on the first content identifier.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein accessing the formatted file comprises identifying the formatted file based on a channel identifier.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein accessing the formatted file comprises identifying the formatted file based on the network identifier.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein accessing the formatted file comprises identifying the formatted file based on an external data provider identifier.

14. An entitlement system of a service provider comprising:

a file share storage;

a file publisher receiving schedule data and generating a formatted file corresponding to a content from the schedule data in a first format, said file publisher storing the formatted file having a content identifier and a network identifier in the file share storage;

an entitlement cache;

a file processor communicating the formatted file from the file share storage to the entitlement cache;

an authorization server receiving an access request from a user device and accessing the formatted file; and

said authorization server comparing the content identifier and network identifier from the formatted file to an authorized rights list for the user device and authorizing the user device to access the content in response to comparing.

15. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the formatted file comprises an XML formatted file.

16. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the file publisher receives schedule data from a first module and a second module.

17. An entitlement system as recited in claim 16 wherein the first module comprises a listing service and the second module comprises a content ingestion system.

18. An entitlement system as recited in claim 16 wherein the first module comprises a guide service and a second module comprises a content ingestion system.

19. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the file publisher receives schedule data from a file generated at a content ingestion system.

20. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the file publisher receives schedule data from a file generated at a content ingestion system after restarting the server.

21. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the formatted file comprises a channel station identifier.

22. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the file processor pools a plurality of formatted files before communicating the plurality of formatted files to the entitlement cache.

23. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the formatted file comprises a channel identifier.

24. An entitlement system as recited in claim 14 wherein the formatted file comprises an external data provider identifier.