Digital audio-video content mobile library
Methods for managing digital content include authenticating a user account identifier from a client device over a computer network, registering a telephone number for at least one wireless mobile device in a registry identified with the user account based on the authenticating, as a pre-authorized identifier for accessing digital content licensed for use with the client device. The methods include maintaining a library of digital content identified with the user account for access by the at least one wireless mobile device, and initiating streaming of the digital video content to the at least one wireless mobile device without requiring user authentication from the at least one wireless mobile device, based on the registering of the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier. An apparatus for performing the method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions for performing steps of the method as summarized above.
1. A method, comprising:
authenticating, by a computer server, a user account identifier for a user account received from a client device over a computer network;
registering, by the computer server, a telephone number for at least one wireless mobile device in a registry identified with the user account based on the authenticating, wherein the telephone number is a pre-authorized identifier for accessing digital content by the at least one wireless mobile device;
initiating, by the computer server, at least one of streaming or a digital download of at least one file of digital content to the at least one wireless mobile device identified solely by the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier over the computer network without obtaining authentication information from the at least one wireless mobile device;
receiving an indication of viewing progress of the at least one file of the digital content from the at least one wireless mobile device; and
enabling, by the computer server, play of the at least one file of the digital content to resume at another device authenticated for the user account based on the indication of viewing progress of the at least one file of the digital content from the at least one wireless mobile device.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising tracking viewing progress of the digital content on the at least one wireless mobile device.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a library of digital content identified with the user account including content available for streaming over the computer network and synchronizing a copy of the digital content library maintained on the client device with the library of digital content.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising authenticating the user account identifier at least in part by communicating with a digital content manager application installed on the client device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reserving the digital content manager application and the digital content library for use with the user account identifier only, in response to authenticating the user account identifier via the digital content manager application.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising enforcing a viewing period for a title of the digital content based on first play of the title on any one of devices authenticated for the user account, wherein play of the title is not enabled on any one of the devices authenticated for the user account after expiration of the viewing period.
7. The method claim 6 , further comprising synchronizing data defining the viewing period between different ones of the devices authenticated for the user account.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting an SMS message addressed to the telephone number, in response to registering the telephone number.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising including a link for downloading a viewing application for the at least one mobile device in the SMS message.
10. The method of claim 3 , further comprising scanning a file system in a computer-readable storage resource identified as owned by the user to identify prospective library content for including in the library of digital video content.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising streaming the digital video content to the at least one wireless mobile device via the computer network without requiring user authentication from the at least one wireless mobile device, based on the registering of the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier.
12. An apparatus comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions that when executed by the at least processor cause the apparatus to perform:
authenticating a user account identifier for a user account received from a client device over a computer network;
registering a telephone number for at least one wireless mobile device in a registry identified with the user account based on the authenticating, wherein the telephone number is a pre-authorized identifier for accessing digital content by the at least one wireless mobile device;
initiating at least one of streaming or a digital download of at least one file of digital content to the at least one wireless mobile device identified solely by the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier over the computer network without obtaining authentication information from the at least one wireless mobile device;
receiving an indication of viewing progress of the at least one file of the digital content from the at least one wireless mobile device; and
enabling play of the at least one file of the digital content to resume at another device authenticated for the user account based on the indication of viewing progress of the at least one file of the digital content from the at least one wireless mobile device.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for tracking viewing progress of the digital content on the at least one wireless mobile device.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for maintaining a library of digital content identified with the user account including content available for streaming over the computer network and for synchronizing a copy of the digital content library maintained on the client device with the library of digital content.
15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for authenticating the user account identifier at least in part by communicating with a digital content manager application installed on the client device.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for reserving the digital content manager application and the digital content library for use with the user account identifier only, in response to authenticating the user account identifier via the digital content manager application.
17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for enforcing a viewing period for a title of the digital content based on first play of the title on any one of devices authenticated for the user account, wherein play of the title is not enabled on any one of the devices authenticated for the user account after expiration of the viewing period.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for synchronizing data defining the viewing period between different ones of the devices authenticated for the user account.
19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for transmitting an SMS message addressed to the telephone number, in response to registering the telephone number.
20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for including a link for downloading a viewing application for the at least one mobile device in the SMS message.
21. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for scanning a file system in a computer-readable storage resource identified as owned by the user to identify prospective library content for including in the library of digital video content.
22. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory holds further instructions for streaming the digital video content to the at least one wireless mobile device via the computer network without requiring user authentication from the at least one wireless mobile device, based on the registering of the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier.