Systems, methods, and computer products for periodic-fee limited access to videos

1. A method for providing video, the method comprising:

receiving a request to download the video to a communications device of a user at a subscriber location;

determining, by a television gateway, whether a download is permitted based on a periodic fee arrangement for providing the video to the communications device;

determining whether to add a pointer to the video in a folder of the user, the folder of the user stored in the television gateway without storing the video in the communications device at the subscriber location, the folder comprising a paid-for number of slots in advance for which pointers to videos can be added to fill the paid-for number of slots that are available in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the folder stored in the television gateway comprises the pointers to the videos that the user has paid for the right to stream to the communications device according to the paid-for number of slots;

adding the pointer to the video in the folder stored in the television gateway to fill one of the paid-for number of slots when the paid-for number of slots are not filled;

wherein the paid-for number of slots and the pointers to the videos in the folder have a one-to-one relationship in that one pointer to one video in the folder is removed to add a next pointer to a next video in the folder from queued videos in a user queue;

wherein according to the paid-for number of slots in the periodic fee arrangement, the pointers in the folder stored in the television gateway provide streaming access to the videos stored in a content server;

wherein the user queue comprises the queued videos that the user desires to watch but cannot watch until the next video from the queued videos is added to fill one of the paid-for number of slots that becomes open in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue cannot be viewed by the user;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue are not the paid-for number of slots; and

providing the video to the communications device in response to a determination that the download is permitted.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the download of the video is permitted upon a determination that a fee has been paid and that a prior number of video downloads is not in excess of a predetermined number.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the download of the video is permitted upon a determination that a fee has been paid, and that a prior number of video downloads is not in excess of a predetermined number during a predetermined time period.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accessing the folder to determine a location of the video to retrieve in order to provide the video to the communications device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the folder includes the pointer to the video in a database.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the video to the communications device comprises streaming the video to the communications device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the video to the communications device comprises trickle charging the video to a device coupled to the communications device.

8. An apparatus of a television gateway for providing video, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

memory comprising computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to download the video to a communications device of a user at a subscriber location;

determining, by the processor, whether a download is permitted based on a periodic fee arrangement for providing the video to the communications device; determining whether to add a pointer to the video in a folder of the user, the folder of the user stored in the television gateway without storing the video in the communications device at the subscriber location, the folder comprising a paid-for number of slots in advance for which pointers to videos can be added to fill the paid-for number of slots that are available in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the folder stored in the television gateway comprises the pointers to the videos that the user has paid for the right to stream to the communications device according to the paid-for number of slots;

adding the pointer to the video in the folder stored in the television gateway to fill one of the paid-for number of slots when the paid-for number of slots are not filled;

wherein the paid-for number of slots and the pointers to the videos in the folder have a one-to-one relationship in that one pointer to one video in the folder is removed to add a next pointer to a next video in the folder from queued videos in a user queue;

wherein according to the paid-for number of slots in the periodic fee arrangement, the pointers in the folder stored in the television gateway provide streaming access to the videos stored in a content server;

wherein the user queue comprises the queued videos that the user desires to watch but cannot watch until the next video from the queued videos is added to fill one of the paid-for number of slots that becomes open in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue cannot be viewed by the user;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue are not the paid-for number of slots; and

providing the video to the communications device in response to a determination that the download is permitted.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the download of the video is permitted upon a determination that a fee has been paid and that a prior number of video downloads is not in excess of a predetermined number.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the download of the video is permitted upon a determination that a fee has been paid, and that a prior number of video downloads is not in excess of a predetermined number during a predetermined time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the folder is accessed to determine a location of the video to retrieve in order to provide the video to the communications device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the folder includes the pointer to the video in a database.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein providing the video to the communications device comprises streaming the video to the communications device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein providing the video to the communications device comprises trickle charging the video to a device coupled to the communications device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for providing video services, the computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to download the video to a communications device of a user at a subscriber location;

determining, by a television gateway, whether a download is permitted based on a periodic fee arrangement for providing the video to the communications device;

determining whether to add a pointer to the video in a folder of the user, the folder of the user stored in the television gateway without storing the video in the communications device at the subscriber location, the folder comprising a paid-for number of slots in advance for which pointers to videos can be added to fill the paid-for number of slots that are available in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the folder stored in the television gateway comprises the pointers to the videos that the user has paid for the right to stream to the communications device according to the paid-for number of slots;

adding the pointer to the video in the folder stored in the television gateway to fill one of the paid-for number of slots when the paid-for number of slots are not filled;

wherein the paid-for number of slots and the pointers to the videos in the folder have a one-to-one relationship in that one pointer to one video in the folder is removed to add a next pointer to a next video in the folder from queued videos in a user queue;

wherein according to the paid-for number of slots in the periodic fee arrangement, the pointers in the folder stored in the television gateway provide streaming access to the videos stored in a content server;

wherein the user queue comprises the queued videos that the user desires to watch but cannot watch until the next video from the queued videos is added to fill one of the paid-for number of slots that becomes open in the folder stored in the television gateway;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue cannot be viewed by the user;

wherein the queued videos in the user queue are not the paid-for number of slots; and

providing the video to the communications device in response to a determination that the download is permitted.