Over-the-air delivery of metering certificates and data

• US 9,009,077 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lau, Kevin, Plette, Scott, Strom, Clifford P., McKelvey, Alex, Billings, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US13/053,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 705/52
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3678 e-cash details, e.g. blinded, divisible or detecting double spending
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/901 Digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/902 Licensing digital content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/903 Adding plural layer of rights or limitations by other than the original producer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/904 Usage protection of distributed files
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/905 Hardware usage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/906 Requiring a supplemental attachment or input, e.g. Dongle, to open
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/907 Specific computer id, e.g. serial number, configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/908 Software or content usage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/909 Usage charge determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/91 including third party for collecting or distributing payment, e.g. Clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/911 Copy protection or prevention
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/912 having origin or program id

Abstract

Metering is enabled through an arrangement in which a metering certificate is communicated to a mobile device using an over-the-air protocol. A metering trigger provides the metering certificate that includes a location to which metering data is posted by the mobile device and a public key of a public-private key pair, or alternatively provides a link to such metering certificate. A metering helper passes the metering certificate to a DRM system on the mobile device which collects metering data associated with the metering ID and uses the public key to encrypt the metering data into a metering challenge. The metering helper posts the metering challenge to the location. The metering service extracts the metering data from the metering challenge using a private key and generates a metering response that is received by the metering helper which prompts the DRM system to reset at least a portion of a data store in which the metering data is stored.

Claims

1. A mobile device configured to provide metering data to a metering service server using an over-the-air protocol, the mobile device comprising:

a media player configured to play media content;

a networking interface configured to receive media content from a plurality of media content providers using an over-the-air communication protocol;

a digital rights management (DRM) system configured to enable playback of media content by the media player according to a license associated with the media content, wherein the DRM system generates a plurality of metering challenges, each metering challenge containing metering data associated with a metering ID, the metering ID associated with a particular media content provider, and wherein each metering challenge is encrypted using a public key; and

a metering helper application configured to act as a proxy between the networking interface and the digital rights management (DRM) system, wherein, in response to receiving an all metering data trigger that includes a metering certificate in which the metering helper application receives the plurality of encrypted metering challenges, the metering helper application collects and reports the received plurality of encrypted metering challenges to each metering service associated with one or more metering IDs stored at the mobile device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the networking interface is selected from a group comprising at least one of a browser, a WAP/HTTP handler, and a Direct Push handler.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the license imposes media content usage rules, rights, and restrictions upon the usage of the media content.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a metering data store storing a metering identifier identifying the media content provider, the public key and a metering URL to which metering data is to be reported.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, whereby metering reporting to a plurality of metering services is performed in a batch-type arrangement.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein, upon receiving the plurality of encrypted metering challenges, each metering service extracts the encrypted metering data contained therein.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the encrypted metering data is extracted using a private key paired to the public key.

8. A mobile device configured to provide metering data to a metering service server using an over-the-air protocol, the mobile device comprising:

a media player configured to play media content;

a networking interface configured to receive media content from a plurality of media content providers using an over-the-air communication protocol;

a digital rights management (DRM) system configured to enable playback of media content by the media player according to a license associated with the media content, wherein the DRM system generates a plurality of metering challenges, each metering challenge containing metering data associated with a metering ID, the metering ID associated with a particular media content provider, and wherein each metering challenge is encrypted using a public key; and

a metering helper application configured to act as a proxy between the networking interface and the digital rights management (DRM) system, wherein, in response to receiving an all metering data trigger that includes a metering certificate in which the metering helper application receives the plurality of encrypted metering challenges, the metering helper application collects and reports the received plurality of encrypted metering challenges to each metering service associated with one or more metering IDs stored at the mobile device, whereby metering reporting to a plurality of metering services is performed in a batch-type arrangement.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the networking interface is selected from a group comprising at least one of a browser, a WAP/HTTP handler, and a Direct Push handler.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the license imposes media content usage rules, rights, and restrictions upon the usage of the media content.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising a metering data store storing a metering identifier identifying the media content provider, the public key and a metering URL to which metering data is to be reported.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein, upon receiving the plurality of encrypted metering challenges, each metering service extracts the encrypted metering data contained therein.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the encrypted metering data is extracted using a private key paired to the public key.

14. A system configured to provide metering data to a metering service server using an over-the-air protocol, the system comprising:

a mobile device, comprising;

a media player configured to play media content;

a networking interface configured to receive media content from a plurality of media content providers using an over-the-air communication protocol;

a digital rights management (DRM) system configured to enable playback of media content by the media player according to a license associated with the media content, wherein the DRM system generates a plurality of metering challenges, each metering challenge containing metering data associated with a metering ID, the metering ID associated with a particular media content provider, and wherein each metering challenge is encrypted using a public key; and

a metering helper application configured to act as a proxy between the networking interface and the digital rights management (DRM) system, wherein, in response to receiving an all metering data trigger that includes a metering certificate in which the metering helper application receives the plurality of encrypted metering challenges, the metering helper application collects and reports the received plurality of encrypted metering challenges to each metering service associated with one or more metering IDs stored at the mobile device, whereby metering reporting to a plurality of metering services is performed in a batch-type arrangement;

one or more metering services each metering service configured to extract the encrypted metering data contained therein using a public key paired to the private key.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the networking interface is selected from a group comprising at least one of a browser, a WAP/HTTP handler, and a Direct Push handler.

16. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the license imposes media content usage rules, rights, and restrictions upon the usage of the media content.

17. The mobile device of claim 14, whereby metering reporting to a plurality of metering services is performed in a batch-type arrangement.