Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090006624 | Entertainment Access Service - This document describes tools capable of managing digital content based on a user's identity. By so doing, the tools free people from the limitations of their storage media and devices. If a user's CD breaks or hard drive fails, the tools permit a user to continuing accessing his content. If a user wants to use a new device or even many new devices, even if those devices play content with a different format than a user's existing devices, the tools may permit him to play his content on those new devices. If a user wants to share content with a friend, the tools may permit it even if the user does not have the content on hand. | 01-01-2009 |
20090007279 | Rights enforcement of unencrypted content - In accordance with one or more aspects of the rights enforcement of unencrypted content, a nameplate associated with unencrypted content is generated. The nameplate includes an identifier of the unencrypted content and an identifier of an authorized user of the unencrypted content. The nameplate is sent to a device of the authorized user for rights enforcement of the unencrypted content on the device. In accordance with one or more other aspects of the rights enforcement of unencrypted content, a nameplate for unencrypted content to be played back on a device is obtained. The nameplate includes an identifier of the unencrypted content and an identifier of an authorized user of the unencrypted content. The device presents, during playback of the unencrypted content on the device, the identifier of the authorized user of the unencrypted content. | 01-01-2009 |
20090182662 | Federated Entertainment Access Service - This document describes tools capable of managing digital content from multiple content providers based on a user's identity. By so doing, the tools may free people from the limitations of their storage media and devices. The tools may perform these and other actions through an indirect relationship with users, such as when third-party content providers use the tools but provide their own direct interface with users. | 07-16-2009 |
20090327450 | USER STATUS REPORTS PROVIDED BY AN ENTERTAINMENT ACCESS SYSTEM - An entertainment access system is provided that enables a user to request and receive status reports that present current information concerning a wide variety of items pertaining to the user's devices, entertainment content and usage rights in a standard, predictable and consistent manner that enhances rather than hinders the user experience. In some illustrative examples, the user can request the status report from one of his devices that is registered with the entertainment access system. The entertainment access system responds by collecting and formatting the status information so that is can be conveniently displayed or otherwise rendered on the registered device. For instance, if the request is received from a cell phone device, which generally has a relatively small screen, the information may be presented in a relatively abbreviated format. On the other hand, if the request is received from the user's personal computer, the information may be presented by the entertainment access system to the personal computer in a more detailed or entirely different format than when the information is to be presented to a cell phone device. | 12-31-2009 |
20090328123 | CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR DEVICES OPERATING WITH AN ENTERTAINMENT ACCESS SYSTEM - In order to ensure that an entertainment access system is enabled to unify and simplify a user's enjoyment of content by managing the user's devices, entertainment content and usage rights, it is important to ensure the user devices, and the services they offer, function in accordance with well-established specifications and standards. Importantly, these specifications need to be the same from one device manufacturer to another. This is needed to ensure that the entertainment access system will be able to provide a consistent, reliable and predictable user experience to its users. In some illustrative examples, a certification program is implemented for user devices that receive and render the entertainment content received from the entertainment access system. The certification program establishes specifications to which the devices are to conform regardless of their manufacturer. The program also establishes a testing protocol to determine if the devices are manufactured in accordance with the specifications. The testing protocol is implemented on devices manufactured by the various manufacturers of the devices. Finally, a certificate is issued to those device manufacturers whose devices are demonstrated to be able to successfully complete the testing protocol. The certificate may also authorize the manufacturers to use a certificate mark on their products' packaging, literature and promotional information. | 12-31-2009 |
20140052818 | USER STATUS REPORTS PROVIDED BY AN ENTERTAINMENT ACCESS SYSTEM - An entertainment access system is provided that enables a user to request and receive status reports that present current information concerning a wide variety of items pertaining to the user's devices, entertainment content and usage rights in a standard, predictable and consistent manner that enhances rather than hinders the user experience. In some illustrative examples, the user can request the status report from one of his devices that is registered with the entertainment access system. The entertainment access system responds by collecting and formatting the status information so that is can be conveniently displayed or otherwise rendered on the registered device. For instance, if the request is received from a cell phone device, which generally has a relatively small screen, the information may be presented in a relatively abbreviated format. On the other hand, if the request is received from the user's personal computer, the information may be presented by the entertainment access system to the personal computer in a more detailed or entirely different format than when the information is to be presented to a cell phone device. | 02-20-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090089401 | SERVER-CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION OF MEDIA CONTENT - Described is a technology in which media content is sent to clients in partial pieces, so that a server may control how clients view (and/or hear) the media content. A client requests partial content, and the server allows or disallows the request based upon one or more various conditions, as evaluated against a playlist provided (e.g., by a playlist provider) for that client. For example, the playlist may specify that the client cannot skip content, whereby the server disallows a request for a piece of content that skips over other content. Session related data may be kept to track the content sent to the client. Media content may be sent based on a dynamic condition, and/or the playlist may be dynamically adapted. A piece of media content may comprise an advertisement, which may be custom-selected for that client, such as based upon user profile data and/or client location information. | 04-02-2009 |
20090319681 | Dynamic Throttling Based on Network Conditions - The dynamic management of download rates when downloading digital resources to clients. A server concurrently maintains download sessions with any number of clients, each download session for downloading a corresponding digital resource to a corresponding client. The download rates for the various download sessions are adjusted as download sessions are completed, and as new download sessions are added. As new download sessions are initiated, a minimum and target download rate may be calculated. The target download rate is the rate at which the server will attempt to download the requested digital resource to the client, and will depend on the total available bandwidth for use to download the digital resources. | 12-24-2009 |
20100011119 | AUTOMATIC BIT RATE DETECTION AND THROTTLING - A computer system receives a request from a client computer system for data that is to be presented to a user, accesses a portion of the requested data and determines the encoded bit rate from the accessed portion of requested data. Based on the encoded bit rate for the requested data, the computer system determines an initial amount of data that is to be transferred to the client computer system to enable prompt access to that portion of data and determines the transfer rate for transferring the remaining data to the client computer system. The transfer rate for the remaining data is lower than the transfer rate for the initial amount. The computer system transfers the initial amount of data to the client computer system and transfers the remainder of the requested data to the client computer system at the determined lower transfer rate, subsequent to transferring the initial amount. | 01-14-2010 |
20100235528 | DELIVERING CACHEABLE STREAMING MEDIA PRESENTATIONS - A smooth streaming system provides a stateless protocol between a client and server in which the server embeds incremental control information in media fragments. The server provides uniform media fragment responses to media fragment requests that are cacheable by existing Internet cache infrastructure. The smooth streaming system receives media data in fragments from one or more encoders, creates an index of each fragment, and stores the fragments. The server provides fragments to clients that contain metadata information describing the encodings available on the server and the encoding of the fragment. The server may also provide information within each fragment that allows the client to determine whether the client is requesting data too fast or too slow, so that the client can adapt its request rate to a cadence in tune with the rate at which the server is receiving encoder data. | 09-16-2010 |