Digital rights list for device groups

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10218817-B2
Application number	US-201615139302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

In one example, a device directory server may maintain a digital rights management list for a user device belonging to a device group associated with a user. The device directory server may maintain a primary digital rights management list associating a user device with a primary online account for a user having a content license for a digital content item. The device director server may receive a status update indicating the user device is still in use by the user if sent by the user device. The device directory server may determine whether a status update has been received from the user device. The device directory server may deactivate the user device on the primary digital rights management list when no status update has been received within a pruning period for the user device to be associated with the primary online account.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device directory server, comprising:
a memory configured to maintain a primary digital rights management list associating a user device with a primary online account for a user having a content license for a digital content item;
a communication interface configured to receive a status update, wherein the status update indicates the user device is still in use by the user when sent by the user device; and
a processing core having at least one processor configured to determine whether the status update has been received from the user device and to deactivate the user device on the primary digital rights management list when no status update has been received within a pruning period, wherein the pruning period describes a device-specific length of time for the user device to be associated with the primary online account.

2. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to remove the user device from the primary digital rights management list upon deactivating.

3. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is further configured to renew a content license for the user device for a licensing period for a data content item upon receiving the status update.

4. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cycle through a content list describing a digital content set for the user device upon receiving the status update to renew each content license for each digital content item on the content list.

5. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reset the pruning period upon receiving the status update.

6. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive the status update upon identification of an update trigger describing an event causing transmission of the status update by the user device.

7. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the update trigger is at least one of a status period expiration, a user access of a content client application of the user device, and a client access of a content item by the content client application.

8. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the memory is further configured to associate the user device with a secondary online account for a second user.

9. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reset a pruning period for the user device upon receiving the status update via a secondary online account for a second user associated with the user device.

10. The device directory server of claim 1 , wherein the pruning period is longer than the licensing period.

11. A computing device, having a memory to store a series of instructions that are executed by at least one processor to implement a content client application, the computing device configured to:
associate the computing device with a primary online account for a user of an online service;
receive a content license for a digital content item from a licensing service via the online service;
register the content license for the digital content item on the computing device with a digital rights management list associating the computing device with a primary online account at the online service; and
send a status update indicating the computing device is still in use by the user to the online service to reset a pruning period to prevent a deactivation of the computing device on the digital rights management list, wherein the pruning period describes a device specific length of time for the user device to be associated with the primary online account.

12. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
download the digital content item from a digital content store to the user device.

13. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
transfer the digital content item to the user device from a data storage device.

14. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
update a content list describing digital content items on the user device via the status update.

15. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
reset a status period describing a wait time between status updates upon sending the status update.

16. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
initiate transmission of a status update upon identification of an update trigger describing an event causing transmission of the status update.

17. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
identify at least one of a status period expiration, a user access of a content client application of the user device, and a client access of a content item by the content client application as an update trigger.

18. The computing device of claim 11 , further configured to:
connect with the online service via at least one of the primary online account and a secondary online account for a second user associated with the computing device to send the status update.

19. A machine-implemented method, comprising:
maintaining a primary digital rights management list associating a user device with a primary online account for a user having a content license for a digital content item;
determining whether a status update indicating the user device is still in use by the user has been received from the user device;
renewing the content license for a digital content item on the user device for a licensing period for the digital content item upon receiving the status update; and
deactivating the user device on the primary digital rights management list for the primary online account when no status update has been received within a pruning period, wherein the pruning period describes a device-specific length of time for the user device to be associated with the primary online account.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
cycling through a content list describing a digital content set for the user device upon receiving the status update to renew each content license for each digital content item on the content list.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Kimmell Chris
• Fang Tianyu
• Patel Nisarg
• Wampler Derrick
• Lavering Kenneth F
• Mccoll James
• Jenson Devin

Classifications

• G06F2221/2137

  Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data · CPC title

• H04L63/101

  Access control lists [ACL] · CPC title

• H04L2463/103

  applying security measure for protecting copyright · CPC title

• G06F2221/0706

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L67/42 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic