Flexible video-on-demand viewing period

• US 9,774,926 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CSC Holdings LLC (Altice USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Greenfield, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengesha, Mulugeta
• Application Number:
  US14/795,308
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 725 9, 725 14, 725 86- 87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

A flexible video-on-demand viewing period is varied depending on whether the customer has completed viewing the entire program, allowing the viewing period to be extended if the customer has not completed viewing the entire program. The approach better assures the customer that they will have the opportunity to complete viewing the entire program, compared to a fixed rental period, while assuring program copyright owners that the utility of the rental is limited, fundamentally as intended, preserving the future value of the asset. The approach also enables viewers to retain bookmarks as needed for content that is not naturally tied to a rental period, such as subscription video-on-demand, without unnecessarily enlarging their list of active rentals.

Claims

1. A method for providing a video access period, the method comprising:

providing, by a server of a subscription service, a video to a customer of the subscription service via an electronic device, wherein the video is available for playback as long as a subscription account associated with the customer of the subscription service is active;

setting, by the server of the subscription service, a bookmark at a point in the video that allows the playback of the video from the point in the video,

removing, by the server of the subscription service, access to the video upon expiration of a maximum rental period measured from a time the video was provided to the customer of the subscription service; and

discarding, by the server of the subscription service, the bookmark set at the point in the video upon expiration of the maximum rental period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the playback of the video;

setting a post-completion maximum viewing period when the monitoring indicates viewing of the video has been completed; and

wherein the removing further comprises removing access to the video upon expiration of an earlier of the post-completion maximum viewing period or the maximum rental period.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

preserving the bookmark associated with the video until the expiration of the earlier of the post-completion maximum viewing period or the maximum rental period.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the post-completion maximum viewing period is a time period after the playback of the video has been completed and before access to the video has been removed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the removing the access to the video further comprises:

removing the access to the video when the video is no longer associated with the subscription account.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the video comprises a subscription on-demand video.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the playback of the video;

wherein the setting of the bookmark further comprises setting the bookmark during the monitoring at the point where the playback ended; and

restarting the monitoring of the video from the point set by the bookmark.

8. A server of a subscription service for providing a video access period, the server of the subscription service comprising:

a memory within the server of the subscription service; and

a processor within the server of the subscription service, coupled to the memory, configured to;

provide a video to a customer of the subscription service via an electronic device, wherein the video is available for playback as long as a subscription account associated with the customer of the subscription service is active;

set a bookmark at a point in the video that allows the playback of the video from the point in the video;

remove access to the video upon expiration of a maximum rental period measured from a time the video was provided to the customer of the subscription service; and

discard the bookmark set at the point in the video upon expiration of the maximum rental period.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

monitor the playback of the video;

set a post-completion maximum viewing period when the monitoring indicates viewing of the video has been completed; and

remove access to the video upon expiration of an earlier of the post-completion maximum viewing period or the maximum rental period.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

preserve the bookmark associated with the video until the expiration of the earlier of the post-completion maximum viewing period or the maximum rental period.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the post-completion maximum viewing period is a time period after the playback of the video has been completed and before access to the video has been removed.

12. The server of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

remove access to the video when the video is no longer associated with the subscription account.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the video comprises a subscription on-demand video.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

monitor the playback of the video;

set the bookmark during the monitoring at the point where the playback ended; and

restart the monitoring of the video from the point set by the bookmark.

15. A method for managing customer access to a video, the method comprising:

providing, by a server of a subscription service, the video to a customer of the subscription service via an electronic device, wherein the video is available to the customer of the subscription service for a period constrained by viewing activity of the customer of the subscription service;

playing back the video;

setting a bookmark at a point in the video that allows subsequent playback of the video from the point set by the bookmark;

removing access to the video upon expiration of a maximum rental period measured from a time the video was provided to the customer of the subscription service; and

discarding the bookmark set at the point in the video upon expiration of the maximum rental, period.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

monitoring the playback of the video; and

removing access to the video upon expiration of an earlier of the monitoring indicating the customer of the subscription service completed the playback of the video or the maximum rental period.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the electronic device comprises a digital video recorder, and

wherein the providing comprises providing the video using subscription video-on-demand.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining the customer of the subscription service completed the playback of the video;

setting a post-completion maximum viewing period when the customer of the subscription service completed the playback of the video; and

wherein removing access to the video further comprises removing access to the video upon expiration of an earlier of the post-completion maximum viewing period or the maximum rental period.