Distributing digital-works and usage-rights to user-devices

• US 9,858,397 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synergy Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Synergy Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Wieder, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): PEARSON, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US14/805,066
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1014 to tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1015 to users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/901 Digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/902 Licensing digital content

Abstract

Method for automatically distributing, as needed, a user'"'"'s digital-works and usage-rights to one or more user-devices. A definition of the usage-rights for a digital-work may be stored at one or more locations on a network. A version of said digital-work suitable for a user-device may be provided by one or more locations on said network. When a user who is authorized to utilize said digital-work is active at a user-device, a version of said digital-work and authorization to utilize is automatically transferred when needed to a user-device. The digital-work and authorization may be automatically transferred as needed to any user-device where an authorized user is active. The usage-rights may only be valid for one or more specific users. The usage authorization at each user-device may be less than defined in the full usage-rights maintained on the network. Authorization to utilize said digital-work at a user-device may be extended from time to time by exchanging user-device status across the network. Digital-works are automatically provided as needed to any user-device that an authorized user is using.

Claims

1. Apparatus for distributing a digital-work, comprising:

digital memory(s) that store a definition of usage-rights for said digital-work;

wherein said definition of usage-rights authorizes said digital-work for use by an authorized user, at a plurality of different user-devices;

wherein said usage-rights for said digital-work are usable with a plurality of experience-providers;

electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) that determine when said user who is authorized to utilize said usage-rights is present at one of said user-devices; and

electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) that send onto a network to said one of said user-devices, a format of said digital-work that is compatible with said user-device for use by said authorized user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights authorizes a plurality of different formats of said digital-work.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights is accessed by a plurality of different experience-providers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights is authorized for use with a plurality of different experience-providers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights is authorized for use with all experience-providers.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said usage-rights are used by said plurality of experience-providers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of experience-providers access said usage-rights across a network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights for the digital-work is stored at one or more locations on the network;

and wherein said definition of usage-rights is accessed, across the network, by a plurality of different experience-providers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when said user switches to another experience-provider of said plurality of experience-providers, said usage-rights are also used with said another experience-provider of said plurality of experience-providers.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said usage-rights are defined by a standard for usage-rights that is used by said plurality of experience-providers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said usage-rights are issued by a composition-provider and stored in a usage-rights repository;

and wherein the usage-rights in said usage-rights repository are used by said plurality of experience-providers.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights includes a right to use formats that already exist, and future formats of said digital-work that did not exist or were not available, when said usage-rights were originally obtained for said user.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s) that send an authorization for said user to utilize said format of the digital-work at said user-device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization sent to the user-device, expires after a time period that is less than said definition of usage-rights.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization sent to the user-device, expires after an amount of usage, that is less than said definition of usage-rights.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization sent to the user-device, authorizes a number of presentations or playbacks, that is less than said definition of usage-rights.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization sent to the user-device expires, unless said authorization sent to the user-device is renewed from time to time.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization sent to the user-device, expires after a time period, unless appropriate feedback on the usage of the digital-work has been received back from the user-device.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a duration and/or amount of usage of an authorization sent to the user-device, is less than said usage-rights;

and wherein the duration and/or amount of usage, authorized by said authorization, is based upon an indicator of trust worthiness of said user.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 based on a history and/or context of said user, said format and an authorization are sent to the user-device before being needed or requested by said user.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said user is able to use the digital-work and an authorization that was previously received at the user-device, during times when a network connection is not available to the user-device.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an actual identity of said user remains unknown to experience-providers, digital-work providers and usage-rights repositories.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a version indicator and/or characteristics of the user-device, are sent across the network to one of said experience-providers, automatically without needing user action or initiation;

and wherein said format of the digital-work and an authorization, that is most appropriate for the user-device, is sent across the network to the user-device.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a most appropriate format for a second user-device, that is different from a format selected for a first user-device, is sent with a second authorization onto a network to said second user-device.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization is used to enable said format of the digital-work at said user-device.

26. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization is sent to the user-device by a first experience-provider of said plurality of experience-providers, and said authorization is utilized at the user-device with a second experience-provider.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein after said user is determined to be present at the user-device:

determine automatically without needing user initiation or action, that a digital-work for which said user has usage-rights, is not configured for use by said user at the user-device; and

send an appropriate format and/or an authorization, to the user-device before being needed by said user at the user-device.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein after said user is determined to be present at the user-device:

determine that a digital-work, for which said user has usage-rights, is expected to be used by said user at the user-device at a future time;

determine if an appropriate format and an authorization is already available, for use by said user at the user-device; and

if said appropriate format and authorization is not already available at the user-device, automatically without needing user action or initiation, send an appropriate format and/or an appropriate authorization to the user-device before being needed by said user at the user-device.

29. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage rights authorizes a plurality of digital-works for use by an authorized user at a plurality of different user-devices.

30. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage rights is based on a subscription account associated with said user.

31. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said digital-work is stored separately from said definition of usage-rights.

32. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage rights authorizes a plurality of digital-works for use by an authorized user at a plurality of different user-devices;

and wherein said definition of usage rights is based on a subscription account associated with said user.

33. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage rights authorizes a plurality of digital-works for use by an authorized user at a plurality of different user-devices;

wherein said digital-work is stored separately from said definition of usage-rights; and

wherein said definition of usage rights is based on a subscription account associated with said user.

34. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said definition of usage-rights is used to allow said digital-work to be used with a plurality of different experience-providers.

35. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work is available for use by said user at said user-device with software applications of a plurality of different experience-providers.

36. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, said format of said digital-work that was sent to said user-device is used by a software application of a first of said experience-providers;

wherein the same said format of said digital-work that was sent to said-user-device is also used at said user-device by a software application of a second of said experience-providers.

37. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said digital-work is stored separately from said definition of usage-rights;

and wherein said definition of usage rights is based on a subscription account associated with said user, wherein said format of said digital-work that was sent to said user-device is used by a software application of a first of said experience-providers;

wherein the same said format of said digital-work that was sent to said-user-device is also used at said user-device by a software application of a second of said experience-providers.

38. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work that was sent to said user-device, is available for use by said user during times when a network connection is not available to said user-device.

39. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an authorization is sent to said user-device and used by a software application of a first experience-provider of said plurality of experience-providers;

wherein said authorization is also used at said user-device by a software application of a second experience-provider.

40. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said authorized user is verified at said user-device, before said digital-work is transferred over said network to said user-device.

41. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein after said user is determined to be present at said user-device:

determine automatically without needing user initiation or action, that a digital-work for which said user has usage-rights, is not available for use by said user at said user-device; and

send an appropriate format to said user-device before being needed by said user at said user-device.

42. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work is sent to and is available for use by said user with said plurality of experience-providers at a first user-device;

wherein the same format is sent to and available for use by said user with said plurality of experience-providers at a second user-device.

43. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work is sent to and is available for use by said user with software applications of said plurality of experience-providers at a first user-device;

wherein the same format is sent to and available for use by said user with software applications of said plurality of experience-providers at a second user-device.

44. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work is sent to and is available for use by said user at a first user-device;

wherein a different format is sent to and is available for use by said user at a second user-device.

45. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said format of said digital-work is sent to and is available for use by said user at a first user-device with software applications of a plurality of different experience-providers;

wherein a different format is sent to and is usable by said user at a second user-device with software applications of a plurality of different experience-providers.

46. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a most appropriate format for a second user-device, that is different from a format selected for a first user-device, is sent onto a network to said second user-device.

47. An apparatus-implemented method for distributing a digital-work, comprising:

storing, in digital memory(s), a definition of usage-rights for said digital-work;

wherein said definition of usage-rights authorizes said digital-work for use by an authorized user, at a plurality of different user-devices;

wherein said usage-rights for said digital-work are usable with a plurality of experience-providers;

determining, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), that said user who is authorized to utilize said usage-rights is present at one of said user-devices; and

sending, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), onto a network to said one of said user-devices, a format of said digital-work that is compatible with said user-device for use by said authorized user.

48. One or more computer-readable memories or storage media, not including carrier-waves, having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processing devices, implement a method of distributing a digital-work, the method comprising:

storing, in digital memory(s), a definition of usage-rights for said digital-work;

wherein said definition of usage-rights authorizes said digital-work for use by an authorized user, at a plurality of different user-devices;

wherein said usage-rights for said digital-work are usable with a plurality of experience-providers;

determining, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), that said user who is authorized to utilize said usage-rights is present at one of said user-devices; and

sending, by electronic-circuitry and/or processor(s), onto a network to said one of said user-devices, a format of said digital-work that is compatible with said user-device for use by said authorized user.