Content routing with rights management

• US 9,400,875 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Barraclough, Keith, Irvine, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US11/835,061
• Time in Patent Office: 3,276 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 726/4, 705/51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

The transfer of protected content from a content source to a remote packet-based device is effected. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a network-based server implements a routing application at a user'"'"'s content or content source to respond to content requests from remote packet-based devices to facilitate the transfer of protected content. The content is transferred in accordance with applicable rights associated with the content. In some instances, the content is transferred in a protected format; in other instances, the content is transferred in a re-protected format; and in other instances, the content is not transferred as requested, where rights associated with the content prohibit or otherwise restrict the transfer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

receive requests for protected content access at a remote packet-based terminal,

associate each request with a content source of a registered user,

determine to authenticate each request as a function of authentication data and the association,

determine to control a content router at each associated content source, for selectively configuring content as a function of a protection characteristic of the content,

wherein selectively configuring the content includes removing protection from the content and re-protecting the content with a new protection type that both facilitates access to the re-protected content at the remote packet-based terminal and mitigates other access to the re-protected content, and

determine to control the delivery of requested content by sending the selectively configured content to the remote packet-based terminal for each authenticated request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to associate each request with the registered user'"'"'s packet-based content storage arrangement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to

associate each request with the registered user'"'"'s content source that includes a network-based cache hosted on behalf of the registered user, and

determine to control the network-based cache for sending the content to a remote packet based terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to facilitate access to content routed to the remote packet-based terminal by controlling the transfer of protection data to the remote packet-based terminal, the protection data including information that can be used by the remote packet-based terminal to make the content accessible.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein selectively configuring the content includes removing protection from the content.

6. A method comprising:

determining to facilitate access to at least one interface configured to allow access to at least one service, the at least one service configured to perform at least the following;

receiving, via a network, requests for protected content access at a remote packet-based terminal;

associating each request with a registered user'"'"'s content source; and

determining to authenticate each request as a function of authentication data and the association,

wherein for each authenticated request, the requested content is selectively configured as a function of a protection characteristic of the content and the selectively configured content is transferred, via the network, from the registered user'"'"'s content source to the remote packet-based terminal, and

wherein the selectively configured content includes removing protection from the content and re-protecting the content with a new protection type that both facilitates access to the re-protected content at the remote packet-based terminal and mitigates other access to the re-protected content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transfer of the selectively configured content includes controlling the transfer of protected content, further including controlling the transfer of protection data to the remote packet-based terminal, the protection data including information that can be used by the remote packet-based terminal to make the requested content accessible.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein selectively configuring the requested content as a function of a protection characteristic of the content includes at least one of

processing the requested content according to a preconfigured protected format,

processing the requested content according to an unprotected format, or

removing protection from requested content and re-protecting the content with another protection type.

9. A server, comprising:

at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the server to perform at least the following;

determine to receive, via a network, requests for protected content access at a remote packet-based terminal,

associate each request with a content source of a registered user,

determine to authenticate each request as a function of authentication data and the association,

determine to control the delivery of requested content to the remote packet-based terminal for each authenticated request via the network;

determine to control a content router at each associated content source, for selectively configuring content as a function of a protection characteristic of the content,

wherein selectively configuring the content includes removing protection from the content and re-protecting the content with a new protection type that both facilitates access to the re-protected content at the remote packet-based terminal and mitigates other access to the re-protected content, and

determine to send the selectively configured content to the remote packet-based terminal to which routing of the content is requested.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein the server is further caused to associate each request with the registered user'"'"'s packet-based content storage arrangement.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the server is further caused to

associate each request with the registered user'"'"'s content source that includes a network-based cache hosted on behalf of the registered user, and

determine to control the network-based cache for sending the content to a remote packet based terminal.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the server is further caused to facilitate access to content routed to the remote packet-based terminal by controlling the transfer of protection data to the remote packet-based terminal, the protection data including information that can be used by the remote packet-based terminal to make the content accessible.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein selectively configuring the content includes removing protection from the content.