Take it with you premium video content

• US 9,883,224 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Donnellan, Kevin, Robinson, Quentin N., Lin, Te-Sheng, Zhang, Muxiang, Choi, Young Rak, Akiwumi-Assani, Samuel Olushermimo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Jean D
• Application Number:
  US14/101,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 21/4182 for identification purposes, e.g. storing user identification data, preferences, personal settings or data restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code in combination with an additional device, e.g. dongle or smart card G06F21/123
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• 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

Abstract

To allow a user to temporarily move access to premium content to another location, e.g. outside the vicinity of the home, while adequately protecting the rights of a broadcast content provider, the various examples implement a transfer of an object for an identified right of content usage between premium content reproduction devices and a mobile device. The mobile device enables such transfer to support viewing of the premium content by a user outside of the user'"'"'s home.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a communication interface system, including at least one wireless communication transceiver and a near field communication (NFC) transceiver;

at least one user interface element configured to receive user input and to provide output to a user of the mobile device; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface system and the at least one user interface element, configured to implement functions, including functions to;

establish, via the NFC transceiver, communication with a first premium content reproduction device, wherein the first premium content reproduction device comprises a set top box;

send, via the NFC transceiver, a request related to an object for an identified right of content usage stored by the first premium content reproduction device, to the first premium content reproduction device, the request including an identifier of the mobile device for authentication;

receive, via the at least one wireless communication transceiver, a message from a rights issuer (RI) of the object for the identified right of content usage as directed by the first premium content reproduction device based on successful authentication of the mobile device, wherein the message includes a copy of the object for the identified right of content usage;

establish communication with a second premium content reproduction device;

cache location data associated with the mobile device;

obtain an identifier of the second premium content reproduction device and authenticate the second premium content reproduction device based on the obtained identifier;

transfer, based on a successful authentication of the second premium content reproduction device, the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage to the second premium content reproduction device; and

establish, using the location data, a geo-fenced area relative to the second premium content reproduction device, wherein upon exiting of the geo-fenced area by the mobile device causes the RI to instruct the second premium content reproduction device to delete the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the function to establish communication with the first premium content reproduction device further comprises a function to:

establish mutual authentication, via NFC, between the mobile device and the first premium content reproduction device prior to sending the request.

3. The mobile device of claim 1,

wherein the function to establish communication with the second premium content reproduction device further comprises functions to:

establish the communication via near field communication (NFC); and

establish mutual authentication, via NFC, between the mobile device and the second premium content reproduction device.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a secure element implemented in a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) or subscriber identity module (SIM) of the mobile device, wherein the implemented functions further include functions to:

receive the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage; and

store the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage in the secure element.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising content reproduction circuitry, wherein the implemented functions further include functions to:

receive, based on another object for another identified right of content usage stored in the first premium content reproduction device, premium content from a content provider; and

enable operation of the content reproduction circuitry to reproduce the received premium content, in accordance with the other identified right of usage using the other object for the other identified right of content usage.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the other object for the other identified right of content usage has a time-limited validity and the content reproduction circuitry is configured to not process further received premium content when the validity expires.

7. A premium content reproduction device, comprising:

a set top box, including;

a communication interface system including a wireless communication transceiver and a near field communication (NFC) transceiver;

a storage device configured to store an object for an identified right of content usage;

content reproduction circuitry configured to process received content for reproduction via an output device in accordance with the identified right of content usage; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface system and the content reproduction circuitry, configured to implement functions, including functions to;

establish, via the NFC transceiver, an NFC communication with a mobile device;

receive, via the NFC transceiver and from the mobile device, a request including an identifier of the mobile device via the established NFC communication, wherein the request is associated with the object for the identified right of content usage;

send, via the wireless communication transceiver and upon successful authentication of the mobile device based on the identifier, a first message to a rights issuer (RI) of the object for the identified right of content usage, directing the RI to deliver a copy of the object for the identified right of content usage to the mobile device, the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage having a limited period of validity based on a geo-fenced area to be established by the mobile device;

delete, from the storage device, the object for the identified right of content usage in response to receiving, by the premium content reproduction device, a second message from the RI indicating delivery of the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage to the mobile device;

track an expiration of the limited period of validity based on the geo-fenced area; and

prompt the RI to deliver a new copy of the object for the identified right of content usage when a restoration of the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage in the premium content reproduction device has not occurred by the expiration of the limited period of validity.

8. The premium content reproduction device of claim 7, wherein:

the object for the identified right of content usage is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) Rights Object (RO), and

delivery of the copy of the DRM RO complies with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Digital Rights Management (DRM) specification, and wherein the processor further implements functions to;

establish communication, by the premium content reproduction device, with the RI, wherein the RI is a DRM RI of the DRM RO;

send, by the premium content reproduction device and via the established communication with the DRM RI, the first message to the DRM RI directing the DRM RI to deliver the copy of the DRM RO to the mobile device;

enable the DRM RI to establish communication with the mobile device and deliver the copy of the DRM RO to the mobile device;

receive the second message from the DRM RI and via the established communication with the premium content reproduction device, informing the premium content reproduction device that the mobile device has received the copy of the DRM RO and requesting the premium content reproduction device to delete the DRM RO from the storage device; and

delete, by the premium content reproduction device, the DRM RO from the storage device.

9. The premium content reproduction device of claim 7, wherein the storage device comprises a cableCARD, wherein the object for the identified right of content usage comprises a subscription file stored in the cableCARD and in response to the second message from the RI indicating the delivery of the copy of the subscription file to the mobile device, and wherein the processor further implements functions to:

disable, by the premium content reproduction device, the subscription file stored in the cableCARD;

establish communication, by the premium content reproduction device, with a provider of the premium content; and

send a third message, by the premium content reproduction device and via the established communication with the provider of the premium content, informing the provider of the premium content that the subscription file was disabled the cableCARD in the premium content reproduction device.

10. The premium content reproduction device of claim 7, wherein the storage device comprises a first secure element, wherein:

the first secure element stores the object for the identified right of content usage as encrypted information; and

the delivery of the copy of the encrypted information includes functions implemented by the processor to;

delete, by the premium content reproduction device, the encrypted information from the first secure element.

11. The premium content reproduction device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to implement further functions, including functions to:

receive, from the mobile device, the object for the identified right of content usage that previously resided in a second premium content reproduction device; and

process further received content for reproduction via the content reproduction circuitry, in accordance with the identified right of usage using the received object for the identified right of content.

12. The premium content reproduction device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to implement further functions, including functions to:

restore the object for the identified right of content usage previously deleted by the premium content reproduction device upon receiving the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage from the mobile device.

13. A premium content reproduction device, comprising:

a set top box, including;

a communication interface system including a wireless communication transceiver and a near field communication (NFC) transceiver;

content reproduction circuitry configured to process received content for reproduction via an output device in accordance with an identified right of content usage; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface system and the content reproduction circuitry, configured to implement functions, including functions to;

establish, via the NFC transceiver, an NFC communication with a mobile device;

provide, responsive to a query received from the mobile device via the NFC transceiver, an identifier of the premium content reproduction device via the established NFC communication to the mobile device for authentication;

receive, via the wireless communication transceiver and from a rights issuer (RI) of an object for the identified right of content usage as directed by the mobile device, a message including a copy of the object for the identified right of content usage that is transferred by the mobile device from another premium content reproduction device, wherein the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage is one of a copy of a Digital Rights Management (DRM) Rights Object (RO), encrypted information to be stored in a first secure element of the premium content reproduction device, or a subscription file to be stored in a cableCARD of the premium content reproduction device;

process further received content for reproduction via the content reproduction circuitry, in accordance with the identified right of usage using the received copy of the object for the identified right of content usage;

receive, upon the mobile device exiting a geo-fenced area relative to the premium content reproduction device, a notification;

from the RI, when the copy of the identified right of content usage is the copy of the DRM RO, to delete the copy of the DRM RO,

from a provider of the premium content, when the copy of the identified right of content usage is the subscription file, to disable the subscription file, and

from the mobile device, when the copy of the identified right of content usage is encrypted information, to delete the encrypted information.

14. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein:

the function to receive the copy of the DRM RO further comprises functions to;

establish communication with the DRM RI and receive, via the established communication with the DRM RI, the copy of the DRM RO from the DRM RI, wherein the DRM RI sends the copy of the DRM RO in response to a request from the mobile device.

15. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein the function to receive the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage further comprises functions to:

establish communication, by the premium content reproduction device, with a network device of the provider of the premium content;

send a message, by the premium content reproduction device and via the established communication with the network device of the provider of the premium content, requesting the provider of the premium content to enable the subscription file in the premium content reproduction device; and

enable the subscription file in the premium content reproduction device.

16. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein:

the function to receive the encrypted information further comprises functions to;

send an instruction to the mobile device to delete the encrypted information from a second secure element in the mobile device.

17. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein the copy of the object for the identified right of content usage has a time-limited validity based on the geo-fenced area and the content reproduction circuitry fails to process further received content when the validity expires.

18. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to implement further functions, including functions to delete, from the first secure element, the encrypted information.

19. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to implement further functions, including functions to:

disable the subscription file stored in the cableCARD based on the notification.

20. The premium content reproduction device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to implement further functions, including functions to delete, from the premium content reproduction device, the copy of the DRM RO based on the notification.