Electronic media distribution system

• US 9,491,215 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Musicqubed Innovations LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Manning, Damian Franken, Lowy, Jon Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Cervetti, David Garcia
• Application Number:
  US14/700,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20150237093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/28, 726/3, 726/23, 726/10, 380/278, 380/282
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1085 Content sharing, e.g. peer-to-peer [P2P]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for sharing electronic content. A sending user can specify one or more criteria that a recipient memory device must have to store the content. The sending user can also specify a digital rights management control that can be associated with the content. The content can be transferred to the recipient if the recipient memory device has the specified properties. Software at the recipient can ensure that the content is handled in accordance with the digital rights management controls specified by the sender.

Claims

1. A method, comprising a receiving device:

sending, to an intermediate server device, a request to deliver content identified by a notification received from the intermediate server device;

sending, to the intermediate server device, one or more messages that are indicative of installed software of the recipient device that the recipient device uses to protect the content; and

receiving the content, from the intermediate server device, if the one or more messages are indicative of software trusted to enforce a content policy associated with the content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the recipient device:

receiving, from the intermediate server device, software to be installed on the recipient device if the one or more messages are not indicative of software trusted to enforce the content policy;

installing the received software on the recipient device; and

executing instructions of the received software that cause a code to be sent to the intermediate server device that is unknown to the recipient device and that is indicative of whether the received software was correctly installed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the recipient device receiving the content from the intermediate server device if the code is indicative of the received software being correctly installed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the recipient device requesting the intermediate server device to redistribute the content to other recipient devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the recipient device sending a usage message to the intermediate server device in response to rendering of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the recipient device limiting rendering of the content to a number of renderings specified by the content policy for the content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the recipient device storing the content to a memory device of the recipient device as specified by the content policy for the content.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions stored therein, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure a recipient device to:

send, to an intermediate server device, a request to deliver content identified by a notification received from the intermediate server device;

send, to the intermediate server device, one or more messages that are indicative of installed software of the recipient device that the recipient device uses to protect the content; and

receive the content, from the intermediate server device, if the one or more messages are indicative of software trusted to enforce a content policy associated with the content.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to:

install software received from the intermediate server device if the one or more messages are not indicative of software trusted to enforce the content policy; and

execute instructions of the received software that cause a code to be sent to the intermediate server device that is unknown to the recipient device and that is indicative of whether the received software was correctly installed.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to receive the content from the intermediate server device if the code is indicative of the received software being correctly installed.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to request the intermediate server device to redistribute the content to other recipient devices.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to send a usage message to the intermediate server device in response to rendering of the content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to limit rendering of the content to a number of renderings specified by the content policy for the content.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of instructions, in response to being executed, configure the recipient device to store the content to a memory device specified by the content policy for the content.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor configured to;

send, to an intermediate server device, a request to deliver content identified by a notification received from the intermediate server device;

send, to the intermediate server device, one or more messages that are indicative of installed software of the recipient device that the recipient device uses to protect the content; and

receive the content, from the intermediate server device, and store the received content in the storage device if the one or more messages are indicative of software trusted to enforce a content policy associated with the content.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

install software received from the intermediate server device if the one or more messages are not indicative of software trusted to enforce the content policy; and

execute instructions of the received software that cause a code to be sent to the intermediate server device that is unknown to the recipient device and that is indicative of whether the received software was correctly installed.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the content from the intermediate server device if the code is indicative of the received software being correctly installed.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to request the intermediate server device to redistribute the content to other recipient devices.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to send a usage message to the intermediate server device in response to rendering of the content.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to limit rendering of the content to a number of renderings specified by the content policy for the content.