Method and apparatus for accessing media
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method of controlling access to a media item over an electronic communications medium, comprising:
- providing, to an electronic device, access to a group of media items having a fixed group size N, where N is the number of media items in the group, a media item having an availability parameter, the availability parameter indicating a number of time periods M within which access to the media item is available, each media item in the group having a different availability parameter value; and
, for a transition to a new time period;
removing a first media item from the group of media items whose availability parameter indicates that the time within which access to the media item is available has expired for the new time period; and
adding a second media item to the group of media items, the availability parameter for the second media item being set such that the number of time periods M is equal to the fixed group size N, andwherein N and M are greater than 1.
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Abstract
A system controls access to a group of media items. A client device is operable by a user. A media server is coupled to at least one media data source, wherein the at least one media data source stores one or more media items for supply, by the media server, to the client device over a network. An authorization server is coupled to an authorization data source. The authorization data source stores data identifying a group of media items of fixed group size N that are accessible by the user, each media item in said group having a different associated availability parameter value indicating a number of time periods M within which access to the media item is available, wherein the authorization server is arranged to authorize the media server to supply a media item to the client device if said media item belongs to the group of media items.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method of controlling access to a media item over an electronic communications medium, comprising:
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providing, to an electronic device, access to a group of media items having a fixed group size N, where N is the number of media items in the group, a media item having an availability parameter, the availability parameter indicating a number of time periods M within which access to the media item is available, each media item in the group having a different availability parameter value; and
, for a transition to a new time period;removing a first media item from the group of media items whose availability parameter indicates that the time within which access to the media item is available has expired for the new time period; and adding a second media item to the group of media items, the availability parameter for the second media item being set such that the number of time periods M is equal to the fixed group size N, and wherein N and M are greater than 1. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of controlling access to media items, comprising:
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receiving a request from a user of a client device; and at a server device, granting access to a set of N media items, each media item being available for a number M of time periods, the values of M for the set of media items ranging from 1 to N, wherein, for each new time period, if the availability of a media item has expired, said media item is removed from the set of N media items and replaced by a new media item with a value of M equal to N, and wherein N and M are greater than 1. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. Apparatus for controlling access to a group of media items comprising:
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a control database comprising records identifying at least a group of media items of fixed group size N, where N is the number of media items in the group, the records storing an availability parameter for a media item, the availability parameter indicating a number of time periods M within which access to the media item is available, wherein each media item in the group has a different availability parameter value; and a media access component coupled to the control database, the media access component arranged to grant access to the group of media items to a client device and, for a transition to a new time period; remove a reference to a first media item from said records identifying the group of media items, the first media item being a media item whose availability parameter indicates that the time within which access to the media item is available has expired for the new time period; and add a reference to a second media item to said records identifying the group of media items, the availability parameter for the second media item being set such that the number of time periods M is equal to the fixed group size N, and wherein N and M are greater than 1. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification