SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ASSIGNATION AND USE OF MEDIA CONTENT SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE PRIVILEGES

摘要

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.

主权项

1. 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.