IP Library Granted Patent US 12,353,521
Granted Patent B2
US 12,353,521 · App. 17/364,458 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Methods and systems for processing content rights

Inventor: Alfred J. Stappenbeck (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC
G06F21/105G06F21/10G06F21/602G06F21/6218
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,353,521
App. No.
17/364,458
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for processing content access rights and/or entitlement rights are disclosed. A method, in one aspect, provides for receiving a selection of a content option, requesting access information associated with the selected content option, receiving access information comprising location information relating to a compatible format, requesting access rights from a first service associated with the location information, wherein the first service requests an access decision relating to the selected content option from a second service based upon the access rights, and receiving the access rights.

Claims (41)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a license decision service from a license generation service of a plurality of license generation services, a request associated with content, wherein the license generation service sends the request to the license decision service based on a service identifier of the license decision service being associated with a format identifier associated with a requesting user device;

determining, based on a user right associated with the request, an access decision; and

sending the access decision to the license generation service, wherein, based on the access decision indicating that access has been granted, the license generation service is configured to generate a license for the requesting user device to access the content, and wherein the format identifier is indicative of the license being compatible with the requesting user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service identifier of the license decision service indicates a format of the content, and wherein the format identifier indicates the format of the content.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of license generation services are each associated with a particular content format of a plurality of content formats, and wherein the plurality of content formats are each associated with a particular service identifier of a plurality of service identifiers.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the service identifier of the license decision service is one of the plurality of service identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the access decision comprises:

accessing, based on the request, user rights data associated with the requesting user device; and

determining, based on one or more permissions indicated in the user rights data, that one or more requirements associated with the content are satisfied.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the access decision is to:

deny access to the content or grant access to the content.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the access decision comprises: determining, by the license decision service, based on the user right associated with the request, the access decision.

8. A system comprising:

at least one first computing device associated with a license decision service configured to:

receive, from at least one second computing device associated with a license generation service, of a plurality of license generation services, a request associated with content, wherein the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service sends the request to the at least one first computing device associated with the license decision service based on a service identifier of the license decision service being associated with a format identifier associated with a requesting user device;

determine, based on a user right associated with the request, an access decision; and

send the access decision to the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service, wherein the format identifier indicates compatibility between the license generation service and the requesting user device; and

the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service configured to:

send the request to the at least one first computing device associated with the license decision service; and

receive, from the at least one first computing device associated with the license decision service, the access decision.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the service identifier of the license decision service indicates a format of the content, and wherein the format identifier indicates the format of the content.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one first computing device associated with the license decision service is configured to receive the request associated with the content from the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of license generation services are each associated with a particular content format of a plurality of content formats, wherein the plurality of content formats are each associated with a particular service identifier of a plurality of service identifiers, and wherein the service identifier of the license decision service is one of the plurality of service identifiers.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one first computing device associated with the license decision service is configured to determine the access decision by:

accessing, based on the request, user rights data associated with the requesting user device; and

determining, based on one or more permissions indicated in the user rights data, that one or more requirements associated with the content are satisfied.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the access decision is to deny access to the content and wherein the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service is configured to send an indication to the requesting user device denying access to the content based on the access decision.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the access decision is to grant access to the content and wherein the at least one second computing device associated with the license generation service is configured to generate a license for the requesting user device to access the content based on the access decision.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, by a license decision service from a license generation service of a plurality of license generation services, a request associated with content, wherein the license generation service sends the request to the license decision service based on a service identifier of the license decision service being associated with a format identifier associated with a requesting user device;

determine, based on a user right associated with the request, an access decision; and

send the access decision to the license generation service, wherein, based on the access decision indicating that access has been granted, the license generation service is configured to generate a license for the requesting user device to access the content, and wherein the format identifier is indicative of the license being compatible with the requesting user device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the service identifier of the license decision service indicates a format of the content, and wherein the format identifier indicates the format of the content.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of license generation services are each associated with a particular content format of a plurality of content formats, and wherein the plurality of content formats are each associated with a particular service identifier of a plurality of service identifiers.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein the service identifier of the license decision service is one of the plurality of service identifiers.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine the access decision, further cause the one or more processors to:

access, based on the request, user rights data associated with the requesting user device; and

determine, based on one or more permissions indicated in the user rights data, that one or more requirements associated with the content are satisfied.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the access decision is to: deny access to the content or grant access to the content.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the wherein the processor-executable instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine the access decision, further cause the one or more processors to determine, via the license decision service, based on the user right associated with the request, the access decision.

Assignments (4)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: THEPLATFORM FOR MEDIA, LLC; THEPLATFORM, LLC
To: THEPLATFORM, LLC
Reel/Frame 059018/0303 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: STAPPENBECK, ALFRED J.
To: THEPLATFORM FOR MEDIA, INC.
Reel/Frame 059116/0012 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: THEPLATFORM, LLC; COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT, LLC
To: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT, LLC
Reel/Frame 059124/0370 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 15, 2022
From: THEPLATFORM FOR MEDIA, INC.
To: THEPLATFORM FOR MEDIA, LLC
Reel/Frame 059141/0964 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 16272886 · Feb 11, 2019
Continuation 14859939 · Sep 21, 2015
Continuation 13671139 · Nov 7, 2012
Related Publication 20220164415A1 · May 26, 2022
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