Methods and apparatus to distribute media delivery to mobile devices

• US 9,602,512 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haeuser, Tony, McCarthy, Mary, Pettit, Scott, Lee, Chris, Noll, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): SOMERS, MARC S
• Application Number:
  US11/382,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,970 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/610, 707/640
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 : for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 : using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 : using security domains

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to distribute media content are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a request for media content from a mobile device, determining an identity of at least one of the mobile device or a consumer using the mobile device, comparing the identity to subscription records associated with the distribution of media content to a geographically fixed consumer location; and based on the comparison, determining if the mobile device is authorized to receive the media content.

Claims

1. A method to distribute media comprising:

storing a first record associating a telephone number of a cellular communication device with a wired network termination unit;

transmitting media to the cellular communication device via a cellular communication path, the media transmitted in an encrypted format;

receiving a request for authorization to present the transmitted media from the cellular communication device via the cellular communication path; and

in response to the request for authorization;

determining the telephone number of the cellular communication device originating the request;

identifying a billing record associated with the wired network termination unit by comparing, using the first record, the telephone number to a plurality of billing records associated with respective ones of a plurality of wired network termination units, wherein the particular piece of media does not include the billing records, and the wired network termination unit is to communicatively couple a customer device to a service provider'"'"'s telecommunication system via a wired communication path;

determining that the identified billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the particular piece of media via the wired communication path; and

in response to determining that the identified billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the particular piece of media via the wired communication path, establishing a license authorizing the cellular communication device to decrypt and present the media.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further including:

receiving a request for a list of available media; and

in response to the request for the list of available media, transmitting the list of available media to the cellular communication device.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, further including encrypting the particular piece of media prior to transmitting the media to the cellular communication device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the establishing of the license for the particular piece of media occurs prior to transmitting the media to the cellular communication device.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the particular piece of media has a different format when transmitted to the wired network termination unit than when transmitted to the cellular communication device.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further including transmitting a notification to the cellular communication device if the cellular communication device is not authorized to receive the particular piece of media.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the particular piece of media is Internet protocol television media.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the wired network termination unit is at least one of a cable modem, a satellite receiver, an optical network terminal unit, or a digital subscriber line modem.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cellular communication device is at least one of a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a portable device or a handheld device.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cellular communication device is transported from a first location to a second location by a consumer.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the establishing of the license for the particular piece of media occurs after transmitting the media to the cellular communication device.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a media interface to transmit media to a wired network termination unit via a wired communication path of a service provider'"'"'s network, and to transmit the media to a cellular communication device via a cellular communication path, the media transmitted in an encrypted format;

a client interface to receive a request from the cellular communication device for authorization to present the transmitted media, the request received via the cellular communication path;

a billing record database to store a first record associating a telephone number of the cellular communication device with the wired network termination unit; and

a billing interface to, in response to the request for authorization;

query the billing record database based on the telephone number of the cellular communication device to identify, using the first record, a billing record associated with the wired network termination unit;

determine that the billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the media via the wired communication path; and

in response to determining that the billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the media via the wired communication path, authorize the cellular communication device to decrypt and present the transmitted media, wherein at least one of the client interface, the media interface or the billing interface is implemented using hardware, and wherein the media does not include the billing record.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the media interface includes a video on demand server.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, further including a media storage to store the media.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the media interface is to receive the media from at least one of a media creator or a media distributor.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, further including a cellular telecommunication system to transmit the media to the cellular communication device.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the media is Internet protocol television media.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the wired network termination unit is at least one of a cable modem, a satellite receiver, an optical network terminal unit, or a digital subscriber line modem.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the client interface includes at least one of a terminal server, or a client gateway.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the billing interface includes at least one of an application server, an operational support system/business support system gateway, a domain controller, a subscriber and system store, an operational support system/business support system, or a simple network management protocol monitor.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the media interface includes at least one of a live acquisition server or a video on demand importer.

22. A tangible computer readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

transmit media to the cellular communication device via a cellular communication path, the media transmitted in an encrypted format;

receive a request for authorization to present the transmitted media from the cellular communication device via the cellular communication path, the cellular communication device not communicatively coupled to a wired network termination unit, the wired network termination unit to communicatively couple a customer device to a service provider'"'"'s telecommunication system via a wired communication path; and

in response to the request for authorization;

determine a telephone number of the cellular communication device originating the request;

identify the wired network termination unit by comparing, using a first record associating the telephone number of the cellular communication device with the wired network termination unit, the telephone number to a plurality of billing records associated with respective ones of a plurality of wired network termination units, wherein the media does not include the billing records;

make a determination of that an identified billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the media via the wired communication path; and

in response to determining that the identified billing record authorizes the wired network termination unit to receive the media via the wired communication path, establish a license authorizing the cellular communication device to decrypt and present the media.