Electronic media distribution system

• US 9,648,069 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• 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:
  US14/636,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 726 26, 726 27, 726 31
• 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 of a sender device, comprising the sender device:

specifying digital rights management controls to be enforced with respect to content to be transferred to a recipient device; and

sending the specified digital rights management controls and the content to an intermediate server device that is configured to enforce the specified digital rights management controls;

wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying via the digital rights management controls that the content be persistently stored to a memory device of the recipient device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying that the digital rights management controls limit redistribution of the content by the recipient device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying that the digital rights management controls permit redistribution of the content from the recipient device to other recipient devices for a fee.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying that the digital rights management controls collect a fee per rendering of the content by the recipient device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying that the digital rights management controls limit the recipient device to a specified number of renderings of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying via the digital rights management controls other recipients to whom the intermediate server device, at the direction of the recipient device, is permitted to redistribute the content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said specifying the digital rights management controls comprises specifying via the digital rights management controls other types of recipients to whom the intermediate server device, at the direction of the recipient device, is permitted to redistribute the content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the content on the sender device in response to sending the content to the intermediate server device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said disabling comprises encrypting the content on the sender device to prevent the sender device from further rendering the content.

10. 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 sender device to:

present a user interface via which digital rights management controls are specified to be enforced with respect to associated content;

send the specified digital rights management controls and the content to an intermediate server device that is configured to enforce the specified digital rights management controls; and

present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying via the digital rights management controls that the content be persistently stored to a memory device of the recipient device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying that the digital rights management controls limit redistribution of the content by a recipient device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying that the digital rights management controls permit redistribution of the content from a recipient device to other recipient devices for a fee.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying that the digital rights management controls collect a fee per rendering of the content by a recipient device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying that the digital rights management controls limit a recipient device to a specified number of renderings of the content.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying via the digital rights management controls other recipients to whom the intermediate server device, at the direction of a recipient device, is permitted to redistribute the content.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to present the user interface such that the user interface further permits specifying via the digital rights management controls other types of recipients to whom the intermediate server device, at the direction of a recipient device, is permitted to redistribute the content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of instructions further configure the sender device to disable the content on the sender device in response to sending the content to the intermediate server device.

18. A computing device, comprising:

a graphical user interface via which digital rights management controls are specified to be enforced with respect to associated content;

a processor configured to cause the digital rights controls specified via the graphical user interface and the content to be sent to an intermediate server device that is configured to enforce the specified digital rights management controls; and

a memory device that stores the content, wherein the processor is further configured to disable the content by overwriting the content stored in the memory device in response to sending the content to the intermediate server device.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to permit specifying the digital rights management controls such that the digital rights management controls limit redistribution of the content by a recipient device.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to permit specifying the digital rights management controls such that the digital rights management controls permit redistribution of the content from a recipient device to other recipient devices for a fee.

21. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to permit specifying the digital rights management controls such that the digital rights management controls collect a fee per rendering of the content by a recipient device.

22. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to permit specifying the digital rights management controls such that the digital rights management controls limit a recipient device to a specified number of renderings of the content.