Method and apparatus for biometric identification of a user in a broadcast communication receiver

1. A method comprising:

acquiring first biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a first set of biometric information acquired for authorization of a user to be granted access via a first communication receiver, where the first set of biometric information corresponds to a physical characteristic of a user in association with the access by the user via the first communication receiver;

storing data associated with account information by a service provider system that authorizes the user to receive content from the service provider system, where the data is associated with the first biometric information;

acquiring second biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a second set of biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted access via a second communication receiver, where the second set of biometric information corresponds to the physical characteristic of the user in association with access of the second communication receiver by the user;

based on analyzing biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted the access via the first communication receiver;

comparing the second biometric information to the first biometric information;

determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information based on the comparing; and

consequent to the determining, authorizing content transmission to the second communication receiver based on the data associated with the account information stored by the service provider system,

where at least some of the content from the service provider system is transmitted to the second communication receiver consequent to the authorizing.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , where the second biometric information and the first biometric information are not identical and the determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information is based on the comparison of the second biometric information to the first biometric information satisfying a similarity threshold.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

consequent to the determining, granting a specified level of access to the second communication receiver, where the granting the specified level of access comprises the authorizing the content transmission.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , where the specified level of access granted to the second communication receiver is lower than a higher level of access granted to the user via the first communication receiver such that the specified level of access prohibits access to one or more of functions, services, and/or information that is accessible with the higher level of access.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , where the physical characteristic comprises one or more of a fingerprint of the user, an iris of the user, a retina of the user, a facial feature of the user, a bodily substance of the user, and/or a voice of the user.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , where the at least some of the content transmitted to the second communication receiver corresponds to at least one of a program, a channel, and/or product information to the user based upon the data, wherein the data includes information pertaining to one or more selections corresponding to the at least one of the program, the channel, and/or the product information via the first communication receiver.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , where one or both of the first communication receiver and the second communication receiver comprises one or more of a mobile communication device, a satellite television communication receiver, a satellite radio communication receiver, a cable television communication receiver, and/or a terrestrial television communication receiver.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processing devices and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

acquiring first biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a first set of biometric information acquired for authorization of a user to be granted access via a first communication receiver, where the first set of biometric information corresponds to a physical characteristic of the user in association with the access by the user via the first communication receiver;

storing data associated with account information by a service provider system that authorizes the user to receive content from the service provider system, where the data is associated with the first biometric information;

acquiring second biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a second set of biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted access via a second communication receiver, where the second set of biometric information corresponds to the physical characteristic of the user in association with access of the second communication receiver by the user;

based on analyzing biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted the access via the first communication receiver;

comparing the second biometric information to the first biometric information;

determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information based on the comparing; and

consequent to the determining, authorizing content transmission to the second communication receiver based on the data associated with the account information stored by the service provider system,

where at least some of the content from the service provider system is transmitted to the second communication receiver consequent to the authorizing.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , where the second biometric information and the first biometric information are not identical and the determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information is based on the comparison of the second biometric information to the first biometric information satisfying a similarity threshold.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 , the operations further comprising:

consequent to the determining, granting a specified level of access to the second communication receiver, where the granting the specified level of access comprises the authorizing the content transmission.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , where the specified level of access granted to the second communication receiver is lower than a higher level of access granted to the user via the first communication receiver such that the specified level of access prohibits access to one or more of functions, services, and/or information that is accessible with the higher level of access.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 , where the physical characteristic comprises one or more of a fingerprint of the user, an iris of the user, a retina of the user, a facial feature of the user, a bodily substance of the user, and/or a voice of the user.

13. The system as recited in claim 8 , where the at least some of the content transmitted to the second communication receiver corresponds to at least one of a program, a channel, and/or product information to the user based upon the data, wherein the data includes information pertaining to one or more selections corresponding to the at least one of the program, the channel, and/or the product information via the first communication receiver.

14. The system as recited in claim 8 , where one or both of the first communication receiver and the second communication receiver comprises one or more of a mobile communication device, a satellite television communication receiver, a satellite radio communication receiver, a cable television communication receiver, and/or a terrestrial television communication receiver.

15. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable media having machine-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

acquiring first biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a first set of biometric information acquired for authorization of a user to be granted access via a first communication receiver, where the first set of biometric information corresponds to a physical characteristic of a user in association with the access by the user via the first communication receiver;

storing data associated with account information by a service provider system that authorizes the user to receive content from the service provider system, where the data is associated with the first biometric information;

acquiring second biometric information that is generated based on analyzing a second set of biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted access via a second communication receiver, where the second set of biometric information corresponds to the physical characteristic of the user in association with access of the second communication receiver by the user;

based on analyzing biometric information acquired for authorization of the user to be granted the access via the first communication receiver

comparing the second biometric information to the first biometric information;

determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information based on the comparing; and

consequent to the determining, authorizing content transmission to the second communication receiver based on the data associated with the account information stored by the service provider system,

where at least some of the content from the service provider system is transmitted to the second communication receiver consequent to the authorizing.

16. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the second biometric information and the first biometric information are not identical and the determining that the second biometric information matches the first biometric information is based on the comparison of the second biometric information to the first biometric information satisfying a similarity threshold.

17. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable media as recited in claim 15 , the one ore more processing devices further to perform:

consequent to the determining, granting a specified level of access to the second communication receiver, where the granting the specified level of access comprises the authorizing the content transmission.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable media as recited in claim 17 , where the specified level of access granted to the second communication receiver is lower than a higher level of access granted to the user via the first communication receiver such that the specified level of access prohibits access to one or more of functions, services, and/or information that is accessible with the higher level of access.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the physical characteristic comprises one or more of a fingerprint of the user, an iris of the user, a retina of the user, a facial feature of the user, a bodily substance of the user, and/or a voice of the user.

20. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable media as recited in claim 15 , where the at least some of the content transmitted to the second communication receiver corresponds to at least one of a program, a channel, and/or product information to the user based upon the data, wherein the data includes information pertaining to one or more selections corresponding to the at least one of the program, the channel, and/or the product information via the first communication receiver.