Out-of-band tokens for rights access

• US 9,231,950 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blumenfeld, Steven M., Raduchel, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Harunur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zarrineh, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US14/075,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1458 by checking the subject access rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2121 Chip on media, e.g. a disk or tape with a chip embedded in its case
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0026 the key being stored as a barcode
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00275 the key being stored on a chip attached to the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00731 involving a digital rights management system for enforcing a usage restriction
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2537 Optical discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Access to content may be administered by storing content, the content comprising one or more selections, accessing a passive optical out-of-band token associated with the content, determining an access right for the content based on the passive optical out-of-band token, and enabling access to the content in accordance with the access right.

Claims

1. A method for enabling access to media content, the method comprising:

receiving, by a media content player, a request to access particular media content;

receiving, by the media content player, a visual representation of an out-of-band token that both specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content and resides in a different format than a medium used to store the particular media content, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token includes receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from an image detector, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from the image detector includes determining optical values at selected locations in the out-of-band token;

determining, by the media content player, media content access rights to the particular media content from the visual representation of the out-of-band token that specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content;

determining, by the media content player, whether the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted; and

in response to determining that the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted, enabling, by the media content player, access to the particular media content through the media player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band token is a passive out-of-band token that is not required to be electronically interrogated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-bank token is received from a content media provider as part of a promotional document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band token is printed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band token includes a hologram.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

detecting the out-of-band token is placed before an image detector,

wherein receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from an image detector is in response to detecting the out-of-band token is placed before the image detector.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected locations are randomly selected locations from within the out-of-band token.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected locations are identified by a master location in the out-of-band token.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling access to the particular media content includes specifying a number of times the media content may be accessed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band token resides on more than one surface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the out-of-band token with a host.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the determined media content access right to provide additional access to the particular media content upon registering the out-of-band token with the host.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by a media content player, a request to access particular media content, comprises:

receiving a request to access media content from a remote media content provider.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by a media content player, a request to access particular media content, comprises:

receiving a request to access media content stored on the media player.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation of the out-of-band token comprises an image of the out-of-band token.

16. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a media content player, a request to access particular media content;

receiving, by the media content player, a visual representation of an out-of-band token that both specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content and resides in a different format than a medium used to store the particular media content, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token includes receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from an image detector, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from the image detector includes determining optical values at selected locations in the out-of-band token;

determining, by the media content player, media content access rights to the particular media content from the visual representation of the out-of-band token that specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content;

determining, by the media content player, whether the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted; and

in response to determining that the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted, enabling, by the media content player, access to the particular media content through the media player.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the out-of-band token is a passive out-of-band token that is not required to be electronically interrogated.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a media content player, a request to access particular media content;

receiving, by the media content player, a visual representation of an out-of-band token that both specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content and resides in a different format than a medium used to store the particular media content, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token includes receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from an image detector, where receiving the visual representation of the out-of-band token from the image detector includes determining optical values at selected locations in the out-of-band token;

determining, by the media content player, media content access rights to the particular media content from the visual representation of the out-of-band token that specifies (i) the particular media content and (ii) media content access rights to the particular media content;

determining, by the media content player, whether the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted; and

in response to determining that the media content access rights to the particular media content determined from the visual representation of the out-of-band token specify that access to the particular media content is permitted, enabling, by the media content player, access to the particular media content through the media player.