System and/or method for distributing media content

• US 8,943,610 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Sidi, Ariff
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US13/856,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20130219524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 726/30
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to distribution of media content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a database of user profile information associated with a user;

providing a plurality of protected segments from a media content to a device of the user;

classifying the user as one of a plurality of classes including a first class user and a second class user;

if the classifying classifies the user as the first class user, selectively providing access to the user to each one of the protected segments in response to the user accessing each associated one of a plurality of gating media segments preceding its associated one of the protected segments according to a timeline profile, wherein the selectively providing includes providing at least one gating media segment associated with the plurality of protected segments based, at least in part, on the user profile information; and

if the classifying classifies the user as the second class user, providing access to the user to each one of the protected segments without requiring the user accessing each associated one of the plurality of gating media segments preceding its associated one of the protected segments according to the timeline profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gating media segments comprise advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content comprises an encoded audio and/or video presentation.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

encrypting the plurality of protected segments according to associated encryption keys;

wherein the selectively providing the user access further comprises providing an encryption key associated with the protected segment to the user in response to accessing the associated gating media segment.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating the user profile information in response to purchasing behavior associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating the user profile information associated with the user in response to content selections made by the user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing metadata associated with the gating media segments to the device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing metadata associated with the protected segments to the device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the metadata associated with the protected segment comprises information associated with a location of the protected segments.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a computing platform, the computing platform being adapted to;

maintain a database of user profile information associated with a user;

provide a plurality of protected segments from a media content to a device of the user;

classify the user as one of a plurality of classes including a first class user and a second class user;

if classifying classifies the user as the first class user, selectively providing access to the user to each one of the protected segments in response to the user accessing each associated one of a plurality of gating media segments preceding its associated one of the protected segments according to a timeline profile, wherein the selectively providing includes providing at least one gating media segment associated with the plurality of protected segments based, at least in part, on the user profile information;

if classifying classifies the user as the second class user, providing access to the user to each one of the protected segments without requiring the user accessing each associated one of the plurality of gating media segments preceding its associated one of the protected segments according to the timeline profile.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of gating media segments comprise advertisement.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media content comprises an encoded audio and/or video presentation.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computing platform being adapted to:

encrypt the plurality of protected segments according to associated encryption keys;

wherein selectively providing the user access further comprises providing an encryption key associated with the protected segment to the user in response to accessing the associated gating media segment.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computing platform being adapted to:

update the user profile information in response to purchasing behavior associated with the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computing platform being adapted to:

update the user profile information associated with the user in response to content selections made by the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computing platform being adapted to:

provide metadata associated with the gating media segments to the device.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computing platform being adapted to:

provide metadata associated with the protected segments to the device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the metadata associated with the protected segment comprises information associated with a location of the protected segments.