OFFLINE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

• US 20170331885A1
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PCCW Vuclip (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Vuclip (Singapore) Pte. Ltd
• Inventors: Jakatdar, Nickhil, Prakash, Arun, Reza, Areef, Shen, Bo
• Granted Patent: US 10,367,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for the secure distribution of media content to devices having minimal or no Internet connectivity. Computing devices referred to herein as “local servers” are strategically deployed at various locations, such as stores and other public locations. Packages of media contents are stored on the local servers, and may be updated using various online and/or offline data transfer techniques. Portable devices may directly connect to the local servers via various types of proximity-based connections, such as by wireless local area networks, by wired connections over Universal Serial Bus cables, or by sharing of removable media such as Secure Digital cards. The local servers may copy their media contents to authorized devices when such connections are established. The contents on a device may be automatically be updated the next time the device connects to one of the local servers, so as to include newly selected and/or available content.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of:

executing a local content server at a first mobile device, the first mobile device configured to accept local connections from other mobile devices, the first mobile device storing a collection of media content;

when a given mobile device connects to the first mobile device, responsive to the local content server recognizing that the given mobile device has been provisioned for access to content from the collection, the first mobile device transmitting one or more media content items from the collection of media content to the given mobile device.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the collection changes over time to include new media content items, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause performance of, when the given mobile device connects subsequent times to the first media device, the first mobile device transferring the new media content items to the given media device.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of, when the given mobile device connects to the first mobile device:

the first mobile device sending a request to a rights management server for rights information for the given mobile device to access the one or more media content items;

the first mobile device receiving the rights information;

the first mobile device sending the rights information to the given mobile device.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

sending the request to the rights management server via a first SMS message;

receiving the rights information via a second SMS message.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

the first mobile device at least partially provisioning the given mobile device for access to the collection by performing one or more of;

sending a content access client application to the given mobile device for installation at the given mobile device, collecting account information from the given mobile device, or sending a master key to the given mobile device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of determining that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection by one or more of:

receiving a message from the given mobile device that is addressed to a specific address at the local content server;

receiving communication that is recognized to have been sent by a specific content access client application executing on the given mobile device;

receiving, from the given mobile device, valid credentials from the first mobile device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of detecting that given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection based at least in part on a subscription associated with the given mobile device.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

receiving, at the local content server, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

sending metadata describing the collection to the given mobile device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

executing a wireless access point at the first mobile device, the wireless access point hosting a network having a specific identifier, the local connections made via the wireless access point;

configuring the given mobile device during a provisioning process to automatically connect to wireless access points that host networks having the specific identifier, and to automatically communicate with local content servers on the networks having the specific identifier.

11. A system comprising:

a first mobile device configured to execute a local content server and to accept local connections from other mobile devices, the first mobile device storing a collection of media content;

wherein the first mobile device is further configured to, when a given mobile device connects to the first mobile device, responsive to the local content server recognizing that the given mobile device has been provisioned for access to content from the collection, transmit one or more media content items from the collection of media content to the given mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the collection changes over time to include new media content items, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to, when the given mobile device connects subsequent times to the first media device, transfer the new media content items to the given media device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to, when the given mobile device connects to the first mobile device:

send a request to a rights management server for rights information for the given mobile device to access the one or more media content items;

receive the rights information;

send the rights information to the given mobile device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to:

sending the request to the rights management server via a first SMS message;

receiving the rights information via a second SMS message.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to at least partially provision the given mobile device for access to the collection by performing one or more of:

sending a content access client application to the given mobile device for installation at the given mobile device, collecting account information from the given mobile device, or sending a master key to the given mobile device.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to determine that the given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection by one or more of:

receiving a message from the given mobile device that is addressed to a specific address at the local content server;

receiving communication that is recognized to have been sent by a specific content access client application executing on the given mobile device;

receiving, from the given mobile device, valid credentials from the first mobile device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to detect that given mobile device is provisioned for access to the collection based at least in part on a subscription associated with the given mobile device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to receive, at the local content server, a selection of the one or more media content items from the given mobile device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to send metadata describing the collection to the given mobile device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the first mobile device is further configured to:

execute a wireless access point at the first mobile device, the wireless access point hosting a network having a specific identifier, the local connections made via the wireless access point;

wherein the given mobile device is configured during a provisioning process to automatically connect to wireless access points that host networks having the specific identifier, and to automatically communicate with local content servers on the networks having the specific identifier.