| 摘要 |
A system and method are provided for enabling user lifecycle management for individual users of media and network services offered by a telecommunications, cable or media provider. The method comprises providing a first component to create and maintain individual users and associated profile information, and mapping subscriptions or entitlements to those users via interfacing to underlying information technology systems. The method also comprises components to associate network service information to these users, in order to enable authorized, personalized and seamless access to multiple network services across multiple devices. The method is also used to enable new, one-to-one relationships between telecommunications, cable, and media operators and the consumers of their services. |
| 主权项 |
1. A method of enabling network services to be provided to individuals, the method comprising:
providing an intermediary between at least one existing telecommunications network service and electronic devices configured to utilize the at least one existing telecommunications network service, the intermediary being a separate entity from the at least one existing telecommunications network service; interfacing the intermediary with at least one existing telecommunications entitlement or billing system to control access to network services for account holders for the at least one existing telecommunications network service, the at least one network service being associated with one or more pre-existing billing accounts for the account holders; creating at the intermediary, for account holders of the account subscriptions, groups of individual user identities permitted to utilize the corresponding network services under the same pre-existing billing account, wherein at least one account holder permits at least one additional user identity not being known as an account holder to the existing telecommunications entitlement or billing system, to utilize at least one network service associated with the corresponding pre-existing billing account; storing, at the intermediary, credentials for the at least one account holder known to the existing telecommunications network service, to enable the intermediary to access the network services for both the account holder and the at least one additional user entity permitted to utilize the corresponding network services, without affecting the pre-existing billing accounts; storing, at the intermediary, credentials for each of the at least one additional user identity, for authenticating the at least one additional user identity to access the corresponding network services associated with the account holder using the corresponding account holder credentials, without affecting the pre-existing billing accounts; mapping, at the intermediary, the network services associated with the pre-existing billing accounts for the account holders to the permissions granted to individual user identities associated with the account holders to enable the intermediary to control access to the network services by the user identities on behalf of the at least one existing telecommunications network service according to the permissions, without affecting the pre-existing billing accounts; receiving, at the intermediary, a request and credentials from one of the at least one additional user identity to access at least one network service using one of a plurality of electronic devices; authenticating the request, at the intermediary, using the credentials of the at least one additional user identity and by referencing the mapping; and using, by the intermediary, the credentials of the corresponding account holder to enable the at least one additional user identity to access the requested network service on the one device regardless of which of the plurality of devices provides the request and without the at least one additional user identity having to be the account holder. |
