Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Referring to
A user 130 upon wishing to select a channel for viewing on the television 110 selects the channel they wish to view by using the handheld controller 121 to enter the channel number into the digital set-top box 120. This information is transferred from the digital set-top box 120 to the television 110 by means of the communications port, which can for example be via wired connection, infrared link or wireless link. The television 110 upon receipt of the channel information provides this to the microprocessor 112, which notes that the channel selected is rated as “R” and has been defined as restricted access in the configuration settings of the television, which are stored within the microprocessor 112. The television 110 now transmits a request message using its wireless transceiver 113 for authorization to access the content.
In this exemplary embodiment the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 is within immediate range of the television 110 and receives via its wireless transceiver 104 the request message. Alternatively the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 may not be within immediate range but be physically with an individual having permission rights of the location wherein the television 110 and digital set-top box 120 are located. This request message is fed to the microcomputer 103, which triggers a message to be displayed on the display 101 of the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100. This message states, for example, “Request to Access Adult Sex Channel—Select 1 to Authorize, Select 9 to Block”. Upon the user of the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 entering either ‘1’ or “9” to the keyboard 102 of the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 then a message is transmitted from the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 to the television 110. The microprocessor 112 of the television 110 then decoding the message and either authorizing or blocking the content. It would also be evident that the user 130 of the Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100 could communicate with the location to clarify who is requesting the access prior to providing his response.
Many alternative embodiments of the invention are possible, including but not limited to those outlined below. Also, applications and devices described are optionally any electronic device, application and that the communications protocols are optionally any adopted standard or alternatively a proprietary communication protocol. For example, the user 130 may be a manager of a business team, and the request message relates to another user seeking to access a remote computer via the Internet and perform FTP operations. Optionally, the request may be associated with a point of sale terminal poling a cellular telephone identified with a financial instrument, such as a credit card, when the value of the transaction exceeds a predetermined limit, thereby allowing for example a parent to authorize transactions for a teenager having the financial instrument to perform regular activities such as purchasing meals, etc but allowing the predetermined limit to be exceed by prior agreement, wherein the parent is expecting the request, or in an emergency.
Accordingly; embodiments of the invention allow for increased rights management to a variety of events including but not limited to the audio-visual information that forms the basis of discussions below. Such increased rights management including but not limited to:
Converged Authentification wherein an electronic device, such as the television 110, polls a predetermined external device, including but not limited to a wireless device such as Bluetooth™ cellular telephone 100, to establish the rights for displaying or accessing audio-visual content. Such content authentification may for example be established as automatic, such as if the wireless device is polled directly from the electronic device, based upon user entered information, or the users agreement to transfer from their wireless device the authorization codes for a particular service. As such additional embodiments are optionally foreseen including removing storage of authorization codes from the multi-media devices thereby providing not only increased policing of the content but also security, and an ability to bill the individual providing the authorization codes irrespective of their household location and current location. Hence, for example, a user can authorize the “NBA League Pass” they pay for and normally view at home when at a friend's house by providing the codes to their friend's set-top box which deletes them after a predetermined period.
Embodiments of the invention exist not only for the visual content delivery as generally described but to any audio-visual system including but not limited to cellular telephones, personal computers, gaming consoles, entertainment consoles, PDAs, radios. Examples include, but are not limited to, a parent restricting the use of a telephone by their children, a sibling may restrict access to their gaming console by other siblings, restricting access to a radio station considered inappropriate by the parents etc.
Approaches outlined herein are optionally extended to a variety of other systems. Such examples including, but not being limited to, restricting the operation of a motor vehicle such that it's maximum speed is restricted when operated by say the 18 year old daughter of the family and unrestricted when permitted by the parent(s), or the motor vehicle will not start unless authorized by the parent(s). Embodiments in other fields can also be envisaged such as authorizing a charge to a financial instrument through the actions of another person prior to the transaction being completed. Hence, a manager can give access to a credit card to an employee and restrict it to say $500 purchases or specific retailers but can authorize other purchases.
Converged Device Content wherein the user not only authorizes a content to be provided but also controls the device to which that content is provided. Exemplary examples could include the content is only provided to the television which is in direct communication with the external electronic device providing authorization such that only a single television within the household displays that content, and that content optionally moves to another television as the user moves say from kitchen to lounge, or from lounge to bedroom. Optionally, the content is authorized to port from the television where the user is currently watching it to their portable telephone as they leave the house to go to work, visit a friend, or sit in the garden etc.
In other embodiments a Service Provider is the provider of either the authorization and authentification codes based upon the provision of user communications from their polled portable device. As such a user establishes authorization codes for accessing specific content; such codes are optionally secret to the user such as being generated by a secure encryption algorithm in response to a biometric authentification of the user, such that only messaging from their polled portable device triggers the use of them and their release. As such increased security is optionally supported as passwords for accessing sensitive material, such as adult or business materials etc, need not be memorized and hence easily guessed or seen by others.
Tagging Content and Content Organization. In other embodiments, the content stored within an electronic device, such as a PVR, rewritable CD or DVD, hard disk etc is optionally tagged such that it is only accessible at any later point in time with the provision of the correct authorization code(s). Optionally, the information is organized based upon such tagging and hence only content information at the appropriate authorization level is displayed on a media player or alternatively content associated with the authorization device. As such a personal computer would not list or display specific files or directories, such as containing perhaps adult video content downloaded by the parents, to the parent's children when they access the computer. Such tagged content organization enhancing security as the content is hidden irrespective of the user account currently in use, thereby eliminating problems from forgetting to log out. Equally, a service provider displays only “PG” movies or only the titles of “PG” movies on a “Pay-per-View” screen if the authorization were only at that level. It would be evident that many other embodiments are possible to ease content management and content policing.
Embodiment of the invention allow for an authenticator to make requests to the user, exemplary examples including but not limited to:
The authenticator requests from the user to provide authorization, optionally via messaging, provision of additional passwords, stored passwords, stored keys and other approaches well known to those for managing granting access to information. In such embodiments the separation of the user and their entry device for authorization from the device requesting authorization to display content allows increased freedom as now the user does not need to be logged into the actual device or system requesting authorization. For example in one embodiment a user has securely stored authorization codes to eBay, an online auction service provider, with Verizon, their prime telecom content provider, then if they receive a “Buy Now” email on their cellphone and wish to purchase the item they do not need to have the authorization codes present, they merely need to send authorization to Verizon to use their eBay authorization codes.
Additionally, the request for user authorization is typically one that would be handled during the normal activities of a user, so the user upon receiving a request may be busy, and thereby provides a “Notify Me Later” reply such that the request is repeated at a predetermined period of time later. This allows the user to contact, for example, their household to find out who is requesting a particular service. Such delays optionally allowing a user to perform other types of research prior to authorizing a transaction. Alternatively, the user receives the message, stores it for subsequent retrieval, performs what ever actions are required to determine the validity of the request or their response, retrieves the message and enters the necessary response. Such approaches allowing the user to receive a voice request, make a telephone call, and reply to the request upon a cellular telephone.
Embodiments of the invention relate to registration of users and include but are not limited; controlling who within a household, business, family etc can register to receive specific services or content, optionally controlling what may be undertaken with a specific electronic device by each individual, such as for example enforcing a punishment to one sibling of a no “MSN Messaging”, web browsing, email etc but allowing another sibling to continue such activities without requiring the parent be present to police the activities. Alternative embodiments could for example be temporal control, so establishing watershed times for providing access to different content such as violent films, adult themed TV series etc or re-directing content from one device to another, such as “no emails from work to be redirected to cellphone after 6 pm.”
Other embodiments include auto-registration functions such that user entry is not required, but the event is logged, such as the babysitter always accesses adult TV or browses pornography. Such auto-registration are optionally always allow, always block, and other variants evident to those skilled in the art.
Referring to
As such at step 201 a billable event is triggered, for example accessing “Playboy TV” by a group of friends during an evening. Execution of step 201 causing in step 202 an authorization request to be broadcast, for example using a Bluetooth™ transceiver such that any Bluetooth™ enabled device within range, typically 10 meters, receives the request. Having issued the request the process moves to a loop comprising a wait step 203 and received reply determination in step 204 such that the process holds until at least one response is received. Upon determining that replies have been received the process moves forward to step 205 wherein a determination of how billing is to be undertaken. For example, split charge equally to all respondents, bill respondents according to the total duration their Bluetooth™ enabled device is within communication range of the Bluetooth™ transceiver. Having made the determination the process moves to step 206 and bills in accordance with the determination made previously in step 205.
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For example, in the above household scenario, a priority list is created and the wireless converged authentication device with the highest priority is selected for determining billing information. Optionally within a corporate environment the rules optionally involve more complex division of costs between departments based on the wireless converged authentication devices present or based on those that respond.
Referring to
If, however, the home owner is not present the process moves forward to step 606 and contacts a third party, e.g. the father, in accordance with the rules. This contact being for example by triggering an electronic message from FOX Television to a predetermined cellular device of the third party. At step 607 the process awaits a reply from the third party, and upon receipt moves forward to step 608. If the response is positive then the process moves forward to step 609 and the billable event is enabled. If, however, the response is not positive then the process moves forward to step 610 and the billable event is not enabled.
Alternatively, the process was triggered by a 14 year old requesting an “18” rated film through pay-per-view. If the parents are not present, such that the rule applied in step 605 triggers the process to move forward to step 606 and contact a third party the film title and details, the wireless converged authentication device associated with the 14 year old replying in step 604 and the cost are conveyed to a parent via a cellular telephone link and the parent is provided the opportunity to allow or disallow the request.
Referring to
For example, the rule may have been set by a host for this discontent display device to invoice themselves when their guests use the device. A guest with his or her own converged authentication device thereby validates the requested event causing it to be displayed but the host is invoiced. Alternatively, the host is prompted before being invoiced. Optionally, the identity of the validating guest is stored or provided to the host. Of course, any number of configurations and options are supported and are preferably user configurable.
Referring to
Accordingly to the flow shown in
Alternatively, the least permissions are established from the rules by providing an intersection of permissions. This is useful when safety or content blocking is desired. If within a group of users, one user is present with wireless converged authentication device that indicates they are a child, then no adult content is displayed by the content display device. Alternatively, if someone without permission is present, then certain functions may be prevented or content disabled. Of course, more complex rules are supported such that permissions are only grouped in certain cases with certain restrictions. Optionally, the conditions and restrictions are stored within the wireless converged authentication devices and communicated during registration. For example, a father may allow their child to watch “18” movies if they are present within a group but not if they are absent from the group.
Though the above examples use a wireless converged authentication device for communication with a local content display device, the invention is applicable to other services and also to wireless converged authentication devices that communicate through networks such as computer networks, cellular communication networks, etc.
Numerous other embodiments may be envisaged without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60842956 | Sep 2006 | US |