US 9,319,405 B2Granted

System and methods for assignation and use of media content subscription service privileges

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsDavid C. Russell, Barry W. Johnson, Kristen R. O. Riemenschneider

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

This invention describes a system and methods for media content subscription service distribution; typical services include cable television, premium content channels, pay-per-view, XM radio, and online mp3 services. Subscribers use portable electronic devices to store digital certificates certifying the subscriber's privileges and an assigned public key. The devices can communicate with specially enabled televisions, radios, computers, or other media presentation apparatuses. These, in turn, can communicate with central databases owned by the provider, for verification purposes. Methods of the invention describe media content subscription service privilege issuing and use. The invention additionally describes methods for protecting media content transmitted to users with a variety of encryption schemes. The invention also comprises methods for subscribed users to bestow a subset of their privileges to a number of secondary users, with appropriate permission from the media content subscription service provider.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

authenticating, at a first personal identification device, a biometric input of a first user based on a biometric template of the first user stored at the first personal identification device;
sending a subscription privilege associated with the first user from the first personal identification device of the first user to a media device when the biometric input is authentic such that the media device performs at least one of (1) ceasing to inhibit media output from a media provider based on the subscription privilege associated with the first user or (2) decrypting encrypted media output from the media provider based on the subscription privilege associated with the first user, the media being associated with a premium content channel of the media provider, the subscription privilege associated with the first user being associated with the premium content channel of the media provider, the subscription privilege associated with the first user being configured to permit full access to the media from the media provider associated with the subscription privilege associated with the first user;
producing, at the first personal identification device, a subscription privilege associated with a second user different from the first user, the subscription privilege associated with the second user being configured to permit limited access to the media from the media provider associated with the subscription privilege associated with the first user;
and
sending from the first personal identification device to a second personal identification device the subscription privilege associated with the first user and the subscription privilege associated with the second user, the second personal identification device being associated with the second user.

2 more elements

A method, comprising:

outputting, at a media device, media associated with a first media channel of a media provider;
inhibiting, at the media device, output of media associated with a second media channel of the media provider different from the first media channel, at least a portion of the media associated with the second media channel received at the media device concurrently with receipt at the media device of at least a portion of the media associated with the first media channel;
receiving, at the media device, from a first personal identification device a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege excluding biometric data of the first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege being configured to permit media output associated with the second media channel;
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel after the receiving the biometric ally-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user;
receiving, at the media device, from a second personal identification device the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a second user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user excludes biometric data of the second user, the second personal identification device being associated with the second user;
verifying, at the media device, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user;
and
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel based on the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user is verified and when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user is verified.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a processing system comprising at least one hardware processor, coupled to a memory, the memory containing executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, perform operations comprising:
authenticating, at a first personal identification device, a biometric input of a first user based on a biometric template of the first user stored at the first personal identification device;
sending a subscription privilege associated with the first user from the first personal identification device of the first user to a media device when the biometric input is authentic such that the media device performs at least one of (1) ceasing to inhibit media output from a media provider based on the subscription privilege associated with the first user or (2) decrypting encrypted media output from the media provider based on the subscription privilege associated with the first user, the media being associated with a premium content channel of the media provider, the subscription privilege associated with the first user being associated with the premium content channel of the media provider, the subscription privilege associated with the first user being configured to permit full access to the media from the media provider associated with the subscription privilege associated with the first user;
producing, at the first personal identification device, a subscription privilege associated with a second user different from the first user, the subscription privilege associated with the second user being configured to permit limited access to the media from the media provider associated with the subscription privilege associated with the first user;
and
sending from the first personal identification device to a second personal identification device the subscription privilege associated with the first user and the subscription privilege associated with the second user, the second personal identification device being associated with the second user.

3 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system having at least one hardware processor, perform operations comprising:

outputting, at a media device, media associated with a first media channel of a media provider;
inhibiting, at the media device, output of media associated with a second media channel of the media provider different from the first media channel, at least a portion of the media associated with the second media channel received at the media device concurrently with receipt at the media device of at least a portion of the media associated with the first media channel;
receiving, at the media device, from a first personal identification device a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege excluding biometric data of the first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege being configured to permit media output associated with the second media channel;
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel after the receiving the biometric ally-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user;
receiving, at the media device, from a second personal identification device the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a second user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user excludes biometric data of the second user, the second personal identification device being associated with the second user;
verifying, at the media device, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and the biometric ally-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user;
and
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel based on the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user is verified and when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user is verified.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a processing system comprising at least one hardware processor, coupled to a memory, the memory containing executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, perform operations comprising:
outputting, at a media device, media associated with a first media channel of a media provider;
inhibiting, at the media device, output of media associated with a second media channel of the media provider different from the first media channel, at least a portion of the media associated with the second media channel received at the media device concurrently with receipt at the media device of at least a portion of the media associated with the first media channel;
receiving, at the media device, from a first personal identification device a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege excluding biometric data of the first user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege being configured to permit media output associated with the second media channel;
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel after the receiving the biometric ally-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user;
receiving, at the media device, from a second personal identification device the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and a biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with a second user, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user excludes biometric data of the second user, the second personal identification device being associated with the second user;
verifying, at the media device, the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user and the biometric ally-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user;
and
outputting, at the media device, media associated with the second media channel based on the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the first user is verified and when the biometrically-authenticated subscription privilege associated with the second user is verified.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/305,904Filed 16 Jun 2014 · continuation
Priority: 30 May 2003
Published: US 2014/0298371 A12 Oct 2014
Granted: 19 Apr 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

H04L 63/0861
For authentication of entities: using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan
G06F 16/51
Of still image data: indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
G06F 18/22
Analysing: matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
G06F 21/31
Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals: user authentication

Family

Application60/474,750Us provisional application · filed 30 May 2003
Application10/858,336Parent of this continuation · filed 1 Jun 2004
Application12/861,121Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Aug 2010
US 7,783,892 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 24 Aug 2010
Application13/693,607Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Dec 2012
US 8,327,152 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Dec 2012
US 2014/0298371 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Oct 2014
US 8,788,813 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2005/0160042 A1Published application
US 2010/0318803 A1Published application
US 2013/0111575 A1Published application
US 9,319,405 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.