PROXIMITY BASED ENTITLEMENT SHARING

• US 20160261658A1
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: TAYLOR, CHRISTOPHER S., LEE, ANN, Mutalipassi, Anthony, Arana, Mark, Eatedali, Josiah, Drake, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,701,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for sharing protected media content are provided. Protected media content can be shared when at least a first and second user are proximately located. The first and second user can be bound or paired based on one or more identification indicia associated with first and second user devices utilized, owned, or operated by the first and second users, respectively. Upon pairing, media content from the first and second users'"'"' media content libraries can be shared. Additionally, proximate location can be leveraged to surface media content to other users, giving such other users the opportunity to discover new media content, and otherwise engage in transactions involving the new media content. Further still, the most popular media content associated with the second user or group of users proximate to the first user can be determined and used to prompt further interaction or display information regarding such popular media content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining whether a first user is proximate to a second user; and

allowing at least one of the first and second user to access one or more media contents from a media content library associated with the other of the first and second users.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising pairing the first user and the second user upon a determination that the first user and the second user are proximate to each other.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, presenting the one or more media contents to the at least one of the first and second user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising, upon a determination that the first and second users are no longer proximate to each other, at least one of stopping the presentation of the one or more media contents, continuing the presentation of the one or more media contents until a conclusion of the one or more media contents, and offering an alternative media content presentation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the alternative media content presentation comprises at least one of presenting an ad-supported version of the one or more media contents, presenting an option to obtain non-shared access to the one or more media contents, and related media content.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first user is proximate to the second user comprises determining the first and second users'"'"' respective location using at least one of location-based services and near field communication (NFC) services based upon a first device associated with the first user and a second device associated with the second user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the NFC services comprises a discovery protocol through which at least one of the first or second user devices broadcasts an identifier and at least one of the other of the first or second user devices scans for the identifier.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the allowance of the at least one of the first and second user to access the one or more media contents from the media content library associated with the other of the first and second users is temporary.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pairing of the first and second users occurs at one of a user account level, a media service application level, and a user device level.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pairing of the first and second users comprises a temporary grant or exchange of one or more entitlements associated with the one or more media contents.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the pairing of the first user and the second user comprises an information-exchangeless pairing at a user level.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a most popular media content associated with the second user or group of users proximate to the first user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the most popular media content comprises determining a number of times at least one of the one or more media contents has been consumed.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the most popular media content comprises determining a number of transactions involving at least one of the one or more media contents.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising aggregating at least one of media content consumption and media content transactions amongst a plurality of additional users proximate to at least one of the first user and the second user or group of users to determine a most popular media content within a defined region and a time period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the aggregating further comprises applying at least one contextual identifier to further characterize the one or more media contents in order to determine the most popular media content.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the accessing comprises presenting an option to engage in a transaction regarding the one or more media contents.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the accessing comprises presenting information associated with the one or more media contents.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first user and the second user or group of users have similar media contents in their respective media content libraries, wherein the accessing is contingent upon the first user and the second user or group of users having similar media contents.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising presenting at least one of information associated with the similar media contents and an option to engage in a transaction for the similar media contents, the similar media contents of the first user being absent from the media content library of the second user or group of users, and the similar media contents of the second user or group of users being absent from the media content library of the first user.

21. A system, comprising:

a first user device;

a second user device; and

a content provider, wherein the content provider provides to a second user identified via the second user device, access to one or more protected media contents from a first media content library associated with a first user identified via the first user device upon a determination that the first and second users are proximate to each other.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the content provider comprises a media server in which the one or more protected media contents are stored.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the content provider further comprises an entitlement database containing entitlement information associated with the one or more protected media contents, the entitlement information being shared with the second user to allow for the access to the one or more protected media contents, the sharing of the entitlement information occurring such that the entitlement information is kept hidden from the second user.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the access to the one or more protected media contents is temporary access dependent upon the first and second users remaining proximate to each other.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein upon a determination that the first and second users are no longer proximate to each other, the content provider at least one of stops presentation of the one or more protected media contents, continuing the presentation of the one or more protected media contents until a conclusion of the one or more media contents or until a predetermined time limit has been reached, and offering an alternative media content presentation.

26. A system, comprising:

a first user device;

a second user device;

a first content provider providing a first set of one or more protected media contents to a first user associated with the first user device;

a second content provider providing a second set of one or more protected media contents to a second user associated with the second user device; and

a server adapted to allow temporary access by the second user to the first set of the one or more protected media contents and allow temporary access by the first user to the second set of the one or more protected media contents upon a determination that the first and second user devices are proximate to each other.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein each of the first and second content providers further comprises an entitlement database containing entitlement information associated with the respective first and second sets of the one or more protected media contents.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the temporary access is achieved by sharing the entitlement information between the first and second content providers while keeping the entitlement information hidden from either of the first and second users.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein upon a determination that the first and second users are no longer proximate to each other, the temporary access ceases in accordance with one or more usage rule constraints.