Identity management for transactional content

• US 9,325,502 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Piepenbrink, David J., Chow, Lee M., Sofos, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEJIA, FELICIANO S
• Application Number:
  US12/618,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,356 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726/10, 726/11, 726/15, 713/153, 713/168, 713/182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A method and system for managing access to transactional multimedia content based on hardware identification codes can include determining whether a user is entitled to a first service level or to a second service level and directing requests for transactional multimedia content to an appropriate server. The user of a client device can be authenticated by a certificate sent by the client device and received by a service provider. The certificate includes an indication of a unique hardware identifier for the client device. Access to the transactional content may occur over a public Internet protocol network if the client device is not directly connected to the service provider'"'"'s private network and if the hardware identifier indicates the client device is authorized.

Claims

1. An apparatus for accessing content, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

establishing a first communications path to a client device via a public network;

establishing a second communications path to the client device via a private cellular network;

receiving a service certificate sent from the client device via the private cellular network;

determining a level of service available to the client device, the level of service based on the service certificate;

receiving a request for content sent from the client device, the request for the content specifying one of video on demand and live content;

selecting the first communications path via the public network in response to the request for the content specifying the video on demand;

selecting the second communications path via the private cellular network in response to the request for the content specifying the live content;

selecting a content server providing the live content in response to the second communications path via the private cellular network; and

selecting a different content server providing the video on demand in response to the first communications path identifying the public network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a server address that corresponds to the second communications path via the private cellular network in response to the request for the content specifying the live content.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the content.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a server address that corresponds to the first communications path via the public network in response to the request for the content specifying the video on demand.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise downloading the content to the client device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a hardware identification code associated with the client device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determine the service certificate identifies the client device as customer premises equipment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting an electronic storefront that corresponds to the second communications path via the private cellular network determined from the authentication database.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise selecting an electronic storefront that corresponds to the first communications path via the public network.

10. A method, comprising:

establishing, by a server, a first communications path to a client device via a public network;

establishing, by the server, a second communications path to the client device via a private cellular network;

receiving, by the server, a service certificate in a request for content sent from the client device;

sending, by the server, video on demand via the first communications path via the public network in response to a first level of service available to the client device, the first level of service based on the service certificate sent from the client device;

sending, by the server, live content via the second communications path via the private cellular network in response to a second level of service available to the client device, the second level of service based on the service certificate sent from the client device;

selecting a set of the live content available from a content server in response to the second communications path via the private cellular network; and

selecting a different set of video on demand available from a different content server in response to the first communications path via the public network.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving the content specified in the request for the content.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising downloading the content requested by the client device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving an electronic storefront that corresponds to the first communications path via the public network in response to the first level of service available to the client device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising retrieving an electronic storefront that corresponds to the second communications path via the private cellular network in response to the second level of service available to the client device.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the first communications path via the public network is unavailable to provide the first level of service.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the second level of service to the client device via the private cellular network in response to unavailability of the first communications path via the public network.