Patent Application
20100121731
The present invention relates to a digital media system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rules creation and management process that enables consumers to access, view and/or purchase a variety of digital media.
The landscape for companies delivering digital content has changed significantly in recent years. Competition has stiffened as new entrants in the market strive to take advantage of vast advances in technology, a reduction in backend processing costs, and the rise in consumer demand for digital products and services. Content owners, producers, and distributors (referred to here forth as media providers) want to ensure that content is securely protected, the rights access to content is easily managed, and ultimately that customers have a simple, yet gratifying experience when purchasing and consuming content.
As digital media grows in popularity and the available types of digital content expands, rights information associated with this content also increases. Rights information may be linked with certain customer and/or product attributes. This information has the potential to grow exponentially as the number of attributes (customer and product) and business models increase, the need for tools that help media providers to manage such data in an automated fashion also escalates.
Further, as the amount of valuable content made available digitally increases, the desire to protect it also grows. To ensure the integrity of their content, media providers have traditionally relied on limited content protection technologies that are typically either device/technology driven or those that focus only on securing a specific part of the content ordering process. However, such technology has not proven to be robust enough to meet the varied needs of today's media providers.
It is nonetheless important to note that technological advances have made it possible for media providers to offer content licenses under a variety of contexts and terms. However, they have come short of being able to adequately meet the growing consumer demand for tools that are designed to help them to better control their media consumption experience irrespective of content type, time, location and device. Presently, a solution that appropriately responds to consumer requests in such a manner, while simultaneously providing the support media providers require to attain their business objectives, does not exist.
The present invention provides a solution to the drawbacks associated with the prior art and serves as an end-to end Entitlement Engine that can be described as a system that processes all the rules surrounding content a consumer may have a right or claim to and the interfaces required for accessing this logic. The Entitlement Engine responds to consumer requests with either authorization or alternatives to the desired content. It offers consumers the flexibility to access, download, purchase and share a variety of different types of content over a diverse set of devices. Further, it supports the exchange of any type of digital content such as audio, video or games over devices including PCs, TVs and game consoles (among a number of consumer electronics).
The present invention provides an automated method for managing, filtering and routing complex rules tailored to securely control the access and rights to specified content. It ensures the integrity of digital media throughout the content ordering process by facilitating a consumer's ability to initiate the order of a digital product or service based on their status (subscriber entitlements), initiating the requirements for viewing and/or purchasing a digital offer or package (offer entitlement), using license parameters associated with a specific piece of content (license entitlement) validating the rules for a transaction (transaction entitlement), posting the transaction policies on purchased services or products (service entitlement) and providing parental-type controls that may be based on a consumer's primary or secondary account status (access entitlements).
In one embodiment of the invention, a Web interface for creating, manipulating and managing entitlement rules is provided in addition to four components. The first component, External Interfaces and Request Handler, consists of a set of inbound interfaces that accept entitlement requests. Another component is the Rule Engine which contains the logic necessary for entitlement decisions and is responsible for the processing of all entitlement requests. Additionally, the State Change and Exception Logger is charged with logging application events from the Entitlement Engine. The fourth component is the External Data Source Interface, it provides the Entitlement Engine with interfaces required to appropriately request data from external systems such as a media provider's EIS systems.
The present invention enables media providers to maintain a consumer-orientated approach while protecting content and efficiently managing rights data. Using a configurable rule-based engine and EIS drivers and adapters, it furnishes media providers with the mechanisms required to distribute varied offerings tailored to suit consumer demand. The invention gives media providers the flexibility to manage a variety of business models, content types and rights data while securing each step of the content ordering process. It enables media providers to manage the creation and processing of entitlement rules in an efficient and secure,manner.
To this end the present invention provides for a system for processing rules regarding customer access rights to digital content. The system includes a first interface for communicating with a customer portal and an entitlement engine for receiving content requests from the customer portal. The entitlement engine is configured to interface with a plurality of modules in order to obtain rules regarding customer access rights to the content requested by the customer portal. The entitlement engine allows end-user digital content providers to track secure and manage entitlements for the digital content.
The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with features, objects, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed descriptions when read with the accompanying drawings:
The following terms are provided to establish an understanding of the invention:
The present invention interacts with a number of external applications including those that issue requests to access content, licenses and bandwidth.
As shown in
The components of Entitlement Engine 10 are depicted in
The Entitlement Engine 10 preferably includes, but is not limited to, four components, each playing its own role in executing a consumer's entitlement rights. The External Interfaces and Request Handler 100 serves as the inbound interface, the Rule Engine 104, acts as the heart of the invention and consists of 2 sub-components, Controller 105 which is responsible for the engine's workflow and the Validator 106 which is tasked with validating entitlement rules. Additionally, State, Change and Exception Logger 108 records all inbound and outbound requests, and finally the External Data Source Interface 102 handles communications with EIS Systems 12.
External Interface and Request Handler 100 is a set of inbound interfaces that accept entitlement requests. This component supports all protocols related to integrations with other computer applications and parses the entitlement request thereby extracting incoming data parameters. Further, it appropriately marshals and un-marshals each request and response using the internal common request object that is employed throughout the Entitlement Engine 10. Since Entitlement Engine 10 uses this common data format, it can be configured to listen to and accept requests using any technology protocol.
The second component is Rule Engine 104. This component is responsible for the processing of all entitlement requests. It contains the logic necessary for entitlement decisions as well as the logic that dictates the steps required to gather data for an entitlement decision. Rule Engine 104 encapsulates two logical subcomponents: Controller 105 and Validator 106. At the core of each subcomponent is an internal Rule Engine 104 that provides centralized storage and management of critical business logic.
Controller 105 subcomponent uses information on the current state of a request and any available contextual data to determine which step to take next in the workflow.
As illustrated in
In order to make an entitlement decision, Validator 106 subcomponent tests the validity of the request's parameters including any data that was collected in previous steps 200-210. Validator's 106 Rule Engine changes the state of the request based on the results of the validation. If the state of the request is ERROR state 210 or COMPLETED state 208, control is returned to the request handler that initially called the CLE; otherwise, control is passed back to Controller 105 for further workflow processing.
An example of a rule where the state of the request is checked is one that fetches data pertinent to making an entitlement decision. If the request is in the INIT state 202, the request type may be “hasServiceEntitlement,” this workflow rule would dictate that the engine first make a request to the consumer profile database to obtain the consumer's entitlement data. Controller 105 would then decide on what other EIS Systems 12 it needed to connect to in order to gather all the data necessary to make the entitlement decision. Controller 105 would finish its execution of this step in the workflow and pass control to Validator 106.
At this time, Controller 105 would be stateless and requests would transition sequentially from an INIT state 202 to a PROCESSED state 208. It is contemplated that such workflow sessions could be modified to support the option of continuation.
Validator 106 may modify or even create data that is returned to the caller. For example, consumer data retrieved by Controller 105 may be examined for rules that determine whether or not the consumer is entitled to view'a video at high resolution. If the consumer's data points did not fall within the proper thresholds (as dictated by the rules) the Rule Engine would modify the response so that it contains the URL for a low-resolution version of the requested video. In such a case Entitlement Engine 10 would not provide a simple “yes” or “no” answer; instead, it would add value by providing an alternative response to the consumer's request.
Another component of Entitlement Engine 10 is the State Change and Exception Logger 108. This component is responsible for logging application events (asynchronously) from Entitlement Engine 10. State Change and Exception Logger 108 can be configured to accept certain messages or to simply ignore them. If it receives a message, the message is stored in a database. It can also be configured to send messages for any type of event including but not limited to: 1) incoming requests and responses; 2) requests and responses to EIS systems; 3) requested state changes; 4) rule engine firings; and 5) application exceptions.
Finally, External Data Source Interface 102 provides the Entitlement Engine 10 with the interfaces required to appropriately request data from the media provider's EIS Systems 12. The component handles any necessary session pooling to data sources and maintains the physical connections. It is the only component that adjusts with changes to EIS-specific protocols, their data models and/or integration with additional EIS data stores. Information acquired from EIS Systems 12 are un-marshaled into objects and returned to Rule Engine 104.
Using the components set forth and described above, the present invention aggregates data from a diverse set of applications. It processes entitlement requests based on this data and transfers relevant information back to the requesting application. It securely responds to requests from external applications using flexible adapters and EIS drivers. Further, it is capable of initiating requests for information, e.g. to maintain up-to-date information on entitlement privileges.
In one embodiment, the present invention interoperates with multiple systems, an example situation is one wherein the consumer's DSTB 26 checks with Entitlement Engine 10 to ensure that the consumer is authorized to access content he/she requested. Entitlement Engine 10 requests a license key from License Server/DRM 24. License Server/DRM 24 takes on the task of requesting additional information about the customer's license rights and generates a license key. The present invention take a consumer's session id and entitlement request and cross-checks this information with entitlements, available offers and licenses in addition to authenticating the consumer's attributes with available EIS Systems 12. It then responds to the consumer's request with an authorization, alternative or decline to each request.
In a first step 300, a customer portal 28 requests content. Next, at an access authorization step 302 the system queries user and account verification information. If access is not authorized, the Customer Portal is informed of the denial at step 304. Alternatively, if access is authorized, then at step 306, Customer Portal 28 is allowed to view a menu of entitlements, at step 306.
Next, at step 308, the customer selects the desired content, a subscriber token is sent and a license key is requested from License Server 24 at step 310. At step 312, Entitlement Engine 10, determines whether or not the consumer is entitled to view the requested digital content. If so then at step 314, the requested content is delivered. If not, then at step 316 alternative content is explored. If alternative content is desirable/available, then at step 318 it is delivered to Customer Portal 28. Otherwise, a message indicating that the content is unavailable is delivered at step 320.
It is noted that dotted line 322, indicates an alternative scenario whereby Entitlement Engine 10 generates the license or otherwise bypasses License Server 24. Furthermore, it is noted that in one embodiment of the present invention, menu of entitlements from step 306 may not be required for operation of this process.
The present invention uses a combination of data access and rule engines to ensure that digital content is appropriately presented to the right consumer for purchase; it confirms the purchase of the content and securely protects it from the time of its request to the fulfillment stage. In one embodiment of the present invention,
At a first step 400, the consumer logs onto a portal where he/she may access digital media. Next, at step 402, the consumer's ID and password are validated. At step 404, the Customer Information database or the service provider's billing system 14 is queried to evaluate the customer's entitlements.
Next, at step 406, a menu of the individual entitlements is displayed to the consumer. At step 408, the consumer selects the desired content by clicking onto a URL in the portal menu. At step 410, the Content Delivery system directs the request to the appropriate Content Store. Next, at step 412, using the URL and source IP, the Content Store enables the consumer to download the content, which is downloaded by the consumer at step 414.
Although it is noted that the above-described processes are presented in a particular order, this is in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any similar group of steps performed in alternate sequences is also within the contemplation of the present invention.
Thus, in one embodiment of the invention consumers are armed with the tools necessary for accessing personalized content and associated entitlement information. For example, it enables consumers to predefine content and schedule it for future consumption. The invention not only tailors authorizations to the type of device, content and/or customer account being utilized, but it is also capable of intelligently suggesting alternate content offerings to a consumer if his/her account is denied access to a particular service or product. Alternate suggestions may be based on product attributes, consumer preferences or other types of configurable information.
In one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
It is prudent to note that the present invention is capable of supporting all types of digital content including video, games and digital advertisements on multiple types of devices including PCs, TVs and game consoles. As such, it is designed to support the creation, management and processing of any type of entitlement rule. Typically, an entitlement rule may determine whether or not a customer is eligible to consume a digital file.
In one embodiment of the invention, six types or instances of entitlement rules may be created. These rules may or may not share a common set of rules. Also, each instance of entitlement can be managed and administered individually or collectively. Subscriber Entitlement is one such entitlement rule; it is concerned with rules that determine a consumer's eligibility and the right to access based on a subscriber's status at the start of the ordering process. On the other hand, License Entitlement rules are used to determine license parameters that are associated with a specific piece of content. Also, an entitlement rule that may be may be invoked frequently is an Offer Entitlement as it deals with business rules associated with the perquisites necessary to view and/or purchase a specific service or product offer, e.g. a sports package specifically tailored to subscribers in a particular geographic location. Transaction Entitlement is another example of an entitlement rule; it may be used to determine whether or not a particular account is capable of making a transaction and/or a purchase. When the request is made for delivery, the Entitlement Engine 10 triggers the logic that fulfills the funding obligation of the consumer. Additionally, Service Entitlement is a rule type that is concerned with accessing content or licenses on previously purchased services and products. This instance of entitlement decides on one's right to ultimately play and consume content. Finally, Access Entitlement may be used by end-users for setting parental-type controls based on the consumer's primary or secondary account status.
To process the rule, information about the consumer (subscriber), the file that was requested (URL) and the type of license that was requested (one-time) is used by the invention. Entitlement Engine 10 responds to content requests with a (Return Value) and assesses the state of the request (Status) in order to determine whether or not the customer should be given access to the desired content. If the status is granted, the terms under which access was granted is provided; otherwise, the reason why access was denied is explained:
Security is an integral part of the present invention. The invention is designed in such a way that an end-user's capabilities and performable actions are based on his/her permissions. Thus access to information is based on the identity of the requester and content. Additionally, data associated with entitlement requests is encrypted while being transferred to and from other applications.
Therefore, in view of the forgoing structure and processes, it is understood that that the present invention is responsible for 3 key tasks: enabling entitlement rules creation, processing entitlement requests and furnishing the interfaces for communicating with multiple sources of information in a secure manner. It is a configurable tool that automates the rules management process on behalf of those distributing digital content. The invention's core responsibility is to gather a collection of attributes from a variety of data stores and execute them via defined rule-sets. It provides flexibility in the ways in which rules for content offerings are structured and makes it possible for media providers to easily integrate their applications with external applications while maintaining data integrity. The invention uses its access control, filtering, and intelligent routing capabilities to offer fine-grained content availability based on caller context such as account status, transaction history, content meta-data, and other external business conditions.
Furthermore, the present invention facilitates the creation and management of business rules that determine if a consumer or his/her device has a right to claim the requested offer, digital media, or play capabilities. It provides the mechanisms necessary for end consumers to view entitlement rights as well as access, order and consume content on their own terms. The invention provides increased variety to consumers as it facilitates flexibility in content type, price plan and accessing device. Additionally, it enables them to receive content based on their preferences as well as receive alternate offerings that may be based on criteria deemed valuable to them.
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes or equivalents may be devised by those skilled in the art. It is therefore, to be understood that this application is intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/172,426 filed on Jun. 30, 2005, which in turn is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/359,770, filed on Dec. 30, 2004, and also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/667,789, filed on Apr. 2, 2005, the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11172426 | Jun 2005 | US |
| Child | 12534984 | US | |
| Parent | 10359770 | Feb 2003 | US |
| Child | 11172426 | US |
