# US 2017/0286643 A1 · Systems and Methods for Enabling Playback of Digital Content Using Electronic Tickets and Ticket Tokens Representing Grant of Access Rights > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0286643 A1 - Document ID: US20170286643A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/484,534 - Filed: 2017-04-11 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-01-06 - Assignees: Sonic IP, Inc. - Applicants: Sonic IP, Inc. - Inventors: Ben Ziskind; David Smith; Ramon Davila - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170286643A1 ## CPC - 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]} - H04N 21/2387: Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Systems and methods for accessing digital content using electronic tickets and ticket tokens in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a user device includes a processor, a network interface, and memory configured to store an electronic ticket, and a ticket token, and the processor is configured by an application to send a request for digital content, receive a ticket token from a merchant server, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server and associated with an electronic ticket that enables playback of the requested digital content, send the ticket token to a DRM server, receive an electronic ticket that enables playback of requested digital content, request the digital content associated with the electronic ticket, and play back the requested digital content using the electronic ticket. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A user device, comprising: a processor; a network interface; and memory configured to store: an electronic ticket, and a ticket token; wherein the processor is configured by an application to: send a request for digital content; receive a ticket token from a merchant server, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server and associated with an electronic ticket that enables playback of the requested digital content; send the ticket token to a DRM server; receive an electronic ticket that enables playback of requested digital content; request the digital content associated with the electronic ticket; and play back the requested digital content using the electronic ticket. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the electronic ticket includes a torn status. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the electronic ticket is an XML file. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the electronic ticket identifies the purchased digital content. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The user device of claim 4, wherein the electronic ticket includes a characteristic of the purchased content selected from the group consisting of: information identifying the content that was purchased, a license indicating how the content can be played back, a purchase price, a merchant transaction identifier, the identification of a customer who purchased the ticket, and the identification of a customer owning the ticket. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the electronic ticket is associated with cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content to which the electronic ticket refers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the ticket token references the electronic ticket, a customer, and the requested digital content. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive access information for the digital content. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The user device of claim 8, wherein the access information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: a top level index of the digital content, an identifier for the digital content, and cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The user device of claim 1, wherein the electronic ticket is embedded in the header of a multimedia file. ### Claim 11 A method for enabling playback of digital content on a user device using an electronic ticket and a ticket token, the method comprising: sending a request for digital content from a user device to a merchant server; receiving a ticket token from the merchant server using the user device, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server and associated with an electronic ticket that enables playback of the requested digital content; sending the ticket token to a DRM server using the user device; receiving the electronic ticket from the DRM server using the user device; downloading the digital content associated with the electronic ticket from a content server using the user device; and playing back the requested digital content. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic ticket includes a torn status. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic ticket is an XML file. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic ticket identifies the purchased digital content. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the electronic ticket includes a characteristic of the purchased content selected from the group consisting of: information identifying the content that was purchased, a license indicating how the content can be played back, a purchase price, a merchant transaction identifier, the identification of a customer who purchased the ticket, and the identification of a customer owning the ticket ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic ticket is associated with cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content to which the electronic ticket refers. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the ticket token references the electronic ticket, a customer, and the requested digital content. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving access information for the digital content. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the access information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: a top level index of the digital content, an identifier for the digital content, and cryptographic data that can be used to access the content. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic ticket is embedded in the header of a multimedia file.