Digital delivery system and user interface for enabling the digital delivery of media content

• US 9,075,998 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fox Entertainment Group, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Fox Entertainment Group, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Spooner, Elaine M., Koscheka, John D., Bessolo, Michael Scott, Simpson, Mark L., Yuan, Jean L., Bettes, Christopher M., McCarthy, Greg, Kundula, Srinivas, Russell, J. Craig D., Mantena, Venkata Nagaraju
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehedi, Morshed
• Application Number:
  US14/047,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20140041057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable storage medium provide multi-platform accessibility of media content in a global computer network. Media content is selected in a client computer. Based on a format of the content, a media content player is loaded. If the content is not digital rights managements (DRM) protected, it is loaded and played in the player. If the content is DRM protected, a license to play the content is requested via an API and obtained via a server process. A web server computer creates/updates an authorized client user by communicating with a DRM server. The web server then creates a session with the DRM server and enables authorization to play by communicating with the DRM server that transmits the license to the client computer. Based on the license, the client loads and plays the content in the player.

Claims

1. A system for providing multi-platform accessibility of media content in a global computer network comprising:

(a) a client computer device configured to;

(i) select the media content to play;

based on a format of media content, loading, a media content player;

(b) the media content player configured to;

(i) receive the media content from various servers that have cached the media content in a content delivery network;

(ii) if the media content does not comprise digital rights managements (DRM) protected content, load and play, via a web server computer, the media content player; and

(iii) if the media content comprises DRM protected content;

(A) request, via application programming interface (API) calls to a server process, a license to play the media content;

(B) receive, from the server process, the license to play the media content, wherein the server process is configured to obtained the license by;

(1) a web server computer creating/updating an authorized client user by communicating with a DRM server;

(2) the web server computer creating a session between the web server computer and the DRM server;

(3) the web server computer enabling authorization to play the media content by communicating with the DRM server;

(4) the DRM server transmitting the license to the client computer; and

(C) based on the license, load and play, the media content.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising storing the license received from the server process at the client computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

if a client connection is beyond a connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client computer, from the server process, via streaming across the client connection; and

if the client connection is lower than the connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client, from the server process, via progressive download.

4. A computer implemented method for providing multi-platform accessibility of media content in a global computer network comprising:

(a) selecting, in a client computer, the media content to play;

(b) based on a format of media content, loading, in the client computer, a media content player;

(c) receiving the media content from various servers that have cached the media content in a content delivery network;

(d) if the media content does not comprise digital rights managements (DRM) protected content, loading and playing, via a web server computer, the media content in the media content player; and

(e) if the media content comprises DRM protected content;

(i) requesting, via application programming interface (API) calls to a server process, a license to play the media content;

(ii) receiving, from the server process, the license to play the media content, wherein the server process is configured to obtained the license by;

(1) a web server computer creating/updating an authorized client user by communicating with a DRM server;

(2) the web server computer creating a session between the web server computer and the DRM server;

(3) the web server computer enabling authorization to play the media content by communicating with the DRM server;

(4) the DRM server transmitting the license to the client computer; and

(iii) based on the license, loading and playing, in the media content player, the media content.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the license received from the server process at the client computer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

if a client connection is beyond a connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client computer, from the server process, via streaming across the client connection; and

if the client connection is lower than the connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client, from the server process, via progressive download.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a client computer causes the client computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein creating a special purpose data structure causing the client computer to operate as a specially programmed computer, executing a method of providing multi-platform accessibility of media content in a global computer network comprising:

(a) selecting, in the client computer, the media content to play;

(b) based on a format of media content, loading, in the client computer, a media content player;

(c) receiving, in the client computer, the media content from various servers that have cached the media content in a content delivery network;

(d) if the media content does not comprise digital rights managements (DRM) protected content, loading and playing, in the client computer, via a web server computer, the media content in the media content player; and

(e) if the media content comprises DRM protected content;

(i) requesting, via application programming interface (API) calls to a server process, a license to play the media content;

(ii) receiving, in the client computer from the server process, the license to play the media content, wherein the server process is configured to obtained the license by;

(1) a web server computer creating/updating an authorized client user by communicating with a DRM server;

(2) the web server computer creating a session between the web server computer and the DRM server;

(3) the web server computer enabling authorization to play the media content by communicating with the DRM server;

(4) the DRM server transmitting the license to the client computer; and

(iii) based on the license, loading and playing, in the media content player, the media content.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising storing, in the client computer, the license received from the server process at the client computer.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein:

if a client connection is beyond a connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client computer, from the server process, via streaming across the client connection; and

if the client connection is lower than the connection speed threshold, receiving the media content at the client, from the server process, via progressive download.