Systems and Method of Controlling Access to Media Content

• US 20090125971A1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pratt, James, Sullivan, Marc A., Belz, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/153
• 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 21/41265 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method of controlling access to media content are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a viewing request at a set-top box device at a user premises. The method also includes retrieving a permission policy stored at the set-top box device and identifying a wireless device associated with the permission policy. Further, the method includes fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a first relative proximity to the set-top box device, and not fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a second relative proximity to the set-top box device.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to media content, the method comprising:

receiving a viewing request at a set-top box device at a user premises;

retrieving a permission policy stored at the set-top box device;

identifying a wireless device associated with the permission policy;

fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a first relative proximity to the set-top box device; and

not fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is present at the user premises and is within a second relative proximity to the set-top box device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set-top box device determines whether the wireless device is within the first relative proximity, the second relative proximity, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is within the first proximity when the wireless device is within a line of sight of the set-top box device and wherein the wireless device is within the second proximity when the wireless device is not within a line of sight of the set-top box device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is within the first proximity when the wireless device is contacting the set-top box device and wherein the wireless device is within the second proximity when the wireless device is not contacting the set-top box device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising not fulfilling the viewing request when the wireless device is not present at the user premises.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising fulfilling the viewing request when the viewing request does not exceed a base permission level of the permission policy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing request includes a power-on request, a request to remove the set-top box device from a standby state, a request to access a particular channel or a particular plurality of channels, a channel change request, a request to view a portion of an electronic programming guide, or any combination thereof.

8. A set-top box device, comprising:

a first interface adapted to receive a viewing request;

a second interface adapted to receive a signal from a wireless device at a premises associated with the set-top box device; and

processing logic and memory accessible to the processing logic, wherein the memory includes instructions executable by the processing logic to;

retrieve a permission policy stored at the set-top box device;

identify the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is associated with the permission policy;

determine a relative proximity of the wireless device to the set-top box device based at least partially on the signal;

fulfill the viewing request when the relative proximity is within a first relative proximity required by the permission policy; and

not fulfill the viewing request when the relative proximity is not within the first relative proximity required by the permission policy.

9. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the second interface is adapted to send an initial signal to the wireless device in response to the viewing request, and wherein the signal received from the wireless device is a response to the initial signal.

10. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the second interface is adapted to receive a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, a wireless local area network (WLAN) signal, a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, or a combination thereof, from the wireless device.

11. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the relative proximity required by the permission policy is a wireless local area network range measured from the set-top box device, a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) range measured from the set-top box device, a Bluetooth range measured from the set-top box device, a picocell range measured from the set-top box device, a contact area associated with the set-top box device, or a combination thereof.

12. The set-top box device of claim 11, wherein the wireless device is within the contact area when the wireless device is within a class 3 Bluetooth range measured from the set-top box device.

13. The set-top box device of claim 8, further comprising an expansion card slot adapted to receive an expansion card that includes the memory.

14. The set-top box device of claim 8, wherein the first interface is adapted to receive a request to change at least one setting associated with the permission policy and wherein the memory includes instructions executable by the processing logic to change the at least one setting when the wireless device is within a contact area associated with the set-top box device and to not change the at least one setting when the wireless device is not within the contact area.

15. A wireless device, comprising:

an interface adapted to send a signal to a set-top box device at a user premises, wherein the signal is usable by the set-top box device to determine a relative proximity of the wireless device to the set-top box device;

wherein the set-top box device is adapted to fulfill a viewing request when the relative proximity is within a first relative proximity required by a permission policy and to not fulfill the viewing request when the relative proximity is not within the first relative proximity required by the permission policy.

16. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the signal includes a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal, a wireless local area network (WLAN) signal, a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal, a cellular signal, a Bluetooth signal, a wireless access protocol (WAP) signal, or a combination thereof.

17. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the wireless device includes a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a digital music player, a security token device, a personal data assistant, a smart phone, a mobile computing device, or any combination thereof.

18. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the wireless device is adapted to send the signal after a content control function is activated at the wireless device.

19. The wireless device of claim 15, wherein the interface is adapted to receive a polling signal from the set-top box device, wherein the signal sent by the wireless device is a response to the polling signal.

20. A computer-readable medium including processor-readable instructions that are executable by a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a viewing request at a set-top box device at a user premises;

retrieving a permission policy stored at the set-top box device, wherein a plurality of wireless devices are associated with the permission policy;

detecting a first wireless device associated with the permission policy and a second wireless device associated with the permission policy at the user premises;

initially fulfilling or denying the viewing request based on a first permission set associated with the first wireless device; and

when the viewing request is initially denied, ultimately fulfilling or denying the viewing request based on a second permission set associated with the second wireless device.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the viewing request is initially denied when the first wireless device is not within a first relative proximity to the set-top box device required by the first permission set and wherein the viewing request is ultimately fulfilled when the second wireless device is within a second relative proximity to the set-top box device required by the second permission set.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the viewing request is ultimately fulfilled after determining that the permission policy indicates that the second wireless device is to override the first wireless device.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the second wireless device is designated as a primary wireless device by the permission policy.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are different types of wireless devices.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first wireless device and the second wireless device are associated with different users of the set-top box device.