Activating licensable component using aggregating device in home network

• US 9,691,071 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shintani, Peter, Douillet, Ludovic Etienne
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winter, John M
• Application Number:
  US13/034,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 : Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/642 : Multi-standard receivers

Abstract

An aggregation device in a home network accumulates information from audio video apparatuses in the network that the apparatuses require enablement of respective licensable components for which no license event has yet occurred. The aggregation device sends an indication of the license events to a server so that appropriate royalties may be paid post-sale of the various devices.

Claims

1. Aggregation device for a system comprising the aggregation device and at least one other audio video apparatus communicating with the aggregation device, the aggregation device comprising:

processor;

computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by the processor to configure the processor by executing the instructions to;

determine that at least one licensable component of the audio video apparatus requires activation by inference based on a format of data received from the audio video apparatus; and

responsive to the determination that the licensable component requires activation, communicate to a server using a network that a license event has occurred.

2. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor by accessing the instructions is configured to determine that at least one licensable component of the audio video apparatus requires activation at least in part by receiving from the audio video apparatus an identification of the licensable component.

3. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor of the device is configured by the instructions to receive information from the audio video apparatus indicating the audio video apparatus has already enabled the licensable component and based thereon, to inform the server of the license event.

4. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor of the device is configured by the instructions to receive information from the audio video apparatus indicating that the audio video apparatus requests activation of the licensable component and based thereon to inform the server of the license event.

5. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor of the device is configured by the instructions to inform the server of the license event immediately upon establishing a network connection with the network.

6. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor of the device is configured by the instructions to inform the server of the license event after a predetermined period of quiescent time.

8. The aggregation device of claim 1, wherein the processor of the aggregation device is configured by the instructions to communicate to the server using the network that the license event has occurred along with an identification of the audio video apparatus.

7. Aggregation device for a system comprising the aggregation device and at least one another audio video apparatus communicating with the aggregation device, the aggregation device comprising:

processor;

computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by the processor to configure the processor by executing the instructions to;

determine that at least one licensable component of the audio video apparatus requires activation; and

responsive to the determination that the licensable component requires activation, communicate to a server using a network that a license event has occurred, the license event including the audio video apparatus has already enabled the licensable component, wherein the processor of the aggregation device is configured by the instructions to communicate to the server using the network that the license event has occurred along with an identification of the aggregation device only.