Managed access to content and services

• US 9,450,934 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rothschild, Keith Alan, Shrum, Edgar V., Raza, Muhammad Asif Jr., Thomas, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Jason K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bucknor, Olanrewaju
• Application Number:
  US14/218,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relates to managed access to content and/or services in a network environment. In certain aspects, tokens or other artifacts can be utilized for authentication and authorization.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

authenticating a single-sign-on session;

issuing an authentication token, after authenticating the single-sign-on session at a service access management platform;

ascertaining, at the service access management platform, that the authentication token is valid;

issuing a service authorization token at the service access management platform in response to ascertaining that the authentication token is valid;

ascertaining, at a content management platform, that the service authorization token is valid;

supplying, by the content management platform, a content request for a media asset and a device verification request for a device to a device verification platform in response to ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid, wherein the device verification request is based at least in part on the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining, at the device verification platform, that the device is verified;

issuing a key at the device verification platform in response to ascertaining that the device is verified and to receiving the content request for the media asset, wherein the key comprises information suitable for processing content associated with the media asset;

issuing an access token at the content management platform in response to ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid, wherein the access token is associated with the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining, at a content access management platform, that the access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

issuing a network access token at the content access management platform in response to ascertaining that the access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining, at a content distribution platform, that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

communicating, by the content distribution platform, the media asset to the device in response to ascertaining that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset,

communicating, by the device verification platform, the key to the device; and

accessing the media asset based at least in part on the key.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising ascertaining, at a content entitlement platform, that a requestor associated with the authentication token is entitled to content comprising the media asset.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing a content entitlement token at the content entitlement platform in response to at least one of ascertaining that the authentication token is valid or ascertaining that requestor associated with the authentication token is entitled to the content comprising the media asset.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising ascertaining, at the content access management platform, that the content entitlement token is valid prior to the device verification platform issuing the key.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein ascertaining that the content entitlement token is valid comprises ascertaining that the device is authorized to consume the media asset.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying, by the content access management platform, the network access token to the content distribution platform prior to ascertaining that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the media asset based at least in part on the key comprises receiving at least a portion of the media asset and the key at a device verification client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining that the authentication token is valid comprises validating at least one of a logical address or a physical address associated with the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining that the authentication token is valid comprises validating a service associated with a subscriber account.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining that the authentication token is valid comprises validating at least one credential associated with a subscriber associated with the device.

11. A system, comprising:

at least one memory device comprising computer-executable instructions encoded thereon; and

at least one processor functionally coupled to the at least one memory and configured, by the computer-executable instructions to;

authenticate a single-sign-on session;

issue an authentication token, after authenticating the single-sign-on session;

ascertain that the authentication token is valid;

issue a service authorization token in response to ascertaining that the authentication token is valid;

ascertain that the service authorization token is valid;

supply a content request for a media asset and a device verification request for a device to a device verification platform in response to ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid, wherein the device verification request is based at least in part on the content request for the media asset;

ascertain that the device is verified;

issue a key in response to ascertaining that the device is verified and to receiving the content request for the media asset, wherein the key comprises information suitable for processing content associated with a media asset;

issue an access token in response to the service authorization token being valid, wherein the access token is associated with the content request for the media asset;

ascertain that the access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

issue a network access token in response to the access token being valid for the content request for the media asset;

ascertain that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

communicate the media asset to the device in response to the network access token being valid for the content request for the media asset, and

communicate, by the device verification platform, the key to the device; and

access the media asset based at least in part on the key.

12. The system of claim 11, the at least one processor is further configured to ascertain that a requestor associated with the authorization token is entitled to content comprising the media asset.

13. The system of claim 11, the at least one processor is further configured to issue a content entitlement token at the content entitlement platform in response to at least one of ascertaining that the authentication token is valid or ascertaining that requestor associated with the authentication token is entitled to the content comprising the media asset.

14. The system of claim 13, the at least one processor is further configured to ascertain that the content entitlement token is valid prior to issuing the key.

15. They system of claim 14, the at least one processor is further configured to supply the network access token to the content distribution platform prior to ascertaining that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to ascertain that the device is authorized to consume the media asset.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive at least a portion of the media asset and the key at a device verification client.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to validate at least one of a logical address or a physical address associated with the device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to validate a service associated with a subscriber account.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to validate at least one credential associated with a subscriber associated with the device.

21. At least one non-transitory storage medium having instructions for content delivery encoded thereon that, in response to execution, cause at least one computing platform having at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

authenticating a single-sign-on session;

issuing an authentication token, after authenticating the single-sign-on session, at the computing platform;

ascertaining that the authentication token is valid;

issuing a service authorization token in response to ascertaining that the authentication token is valid;

ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid;

supplying a content request for a media asset and a device verification request for a device to a device verification platform in response to ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid, wherein the device verification request is based at least in part on the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining that the device is verified;

issuing a key in response to ascertaining that the device is verified and to receiving the content request for the media asset, wherein the key comprises information suitable for processing content associated with a media asset;

issuing an access token in response to ascertaining that the service authorization token is valid, wherein the access token is associated with the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining that the access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

issuing a network access token in response to ascertaining that the access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

ascertaining that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset;

communicating, by the content distribution platform, the media asset to the device in response to ascertaining that the network access token is valid for the content request for the media asset; and

accessing the media asset based at least in part on the key.