Method and system for user content view protection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12314348-B2
Application number	US-201414149617-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2014
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A user content protection system and method that may include a content-sharing application associated with a user device and/or an access monitor configured to monitor access limitations placed on content shared by the content sharing application. The content-sharing application may be configured to share content from the user device to one or more other user devices. The access monitor may provide conditional access to the content depending on whether or not certain access limitations have been exceeded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of protecting a server from traffic overload due to content-sharing of user-generated content comprising:
receiving user-generated content from a content-providing mobile user device executing a content-sharing application;
storing a resource containing the user-generated content on a memory component on the server, wherein the memory component is separate from the content-providing mobile user device;
receiving a plurality of requests to access the user-generated content stored on the server, wherein the plurality of requests originate from one or more content-consuming devices;
analyzing a traffic load to the server, wherein the traffic load includes the plurality of requests;
identifying geographical locations of the plurality of requests based on respective network addresses associated with the respective requests;
setting an access limit on the user-generated content based on the traffic load, available resources of the server, and user instructions received from the content-providing mobile user device, wherein:
the user instructions specify a numerical limit on a number of users allowed to access the user-generated content and a geographical limit on locations from which users are allowed to access the user-generated content,
the access limit is received from the content-providing mobile user device, and
the access limit is modifiable in response to the traffic load, the geographical location of at least one of the plurality of requests, a determination whether the geographical location of the at least one of the plurality of requests is outside the locations from which the users are allowed to access the user-generated content, and a determination to expand the geographical limit;

setting an access list of one or more users having permission to access the resource, wherein one or more users are removed from the access list if the resource has not been accessed within a predetermined time;
generating a shareable link including a uniform resource identifier (URI) identifying a location of the resource on the server containing the user-generated content on the memory component;
transmitting the shareable link from the server to the one or more content-consuming devices via a network;
monitoring the access limit on the user-generated content, wherein monitoring comprises:
receiving a request at a server from across the network from a content-consuming device to access the resource having the user-generated content via the shareable link, wherein the content-consuming device is separate from the content-providing mobile user device, and wherein the traffic load to the server includes the request, and
analyzing the request by a monitor executing on the server to determine if the request for access exceeds the access limit;

granting access to the content-consuming device for the user-generated content responsive to determining that the access limit is not exceeded;
denying access to the content-consuming device for the user-generated content responsive to determining that the access limit is exceeded;
receiving a message by the content-sharing application indicating that requests for access to the user-generated content have exceeded the access limit; and
in response to receiving the message by the content-sharing application:
sending a request to the content-providing mobile user device,
retrieving an updated access limit from the content-providing mobile user device, and
executing an operation of the application to modify the access limit to the user-generated content, based on the updated access limit, the available server resources, and the traffic load.

2. The content-sharing method of claim 1 , wherein the access limit is modifiable by an owner of the content using the content-providing mobile user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring further comprises:
responsive to determining that the request exceeds the access limit, determining by the monitor whether the access limit has been increased.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein
the operation of granting access comprises granting access to the content by the monitor responsive to the request responsive to determining that the access limit is increased; and
the operation of denying access comprises denying access to the content by the monitor responsive to the request responsive to determining that the access limit is not increased.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the analyzing the request by the monitor comprises:
analyzing the request to determine an identity of a requester making the request;
comparing the identity of the requester to the access list of users who have permission to access the resource; and
determining that the request does not exceed the access limit responsive to determining that the requester is included in the access list of users who have permission to access the resource.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the analyzing the request by the monitor further comprises:
responsive to determining that the requester is not included in the access list of users who have permission to access the resource, determining whether adding the requester to the access list would cause a number of users on the access list to exceed the numerical limit on the number of users that are allowed to access the content;
adding the requester to the access list responsive to determining that doing so would not cause a number of users on the access list to exceed the numerical limit on the number of users that are allowed to access the user-generated content; and
responsive to adding the requester to the access list of users who have permission to access the user-generated content, determining that the request does not exceed the access limit.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the operation of analyzing the request by the monitor further comprises:
responsive to determining that adding the requester to the access list of users who have permission to access the resource would cause the number of users on the access list to exceed the numerical limit on the number of users that are allowed to access the content, determining that the request exceeds the access limit.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation of analyzing the request by the monitor comprises:
analyzing the request to determine a location of a device from which the request was made;
comparing the location of the device to a geographical boundary corresponding to the geographical limit on locations from which users are allowed to access the content; and
determining that the request does not exceed the access limit on access to the content if the device is located within the geographical boundary.

9. A content-sharing method for preserving server resources, the method comprising:
receiving user-generated content from a mobile user device executing a content-sharing application;
storing the user-generated content on a server;
providing access to the user-generated content over a network through a shareable link, the shareable link including a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) pointing to a location of the user-generated content on the server;
transmitting the shareable link from the server to the mobile user device;
transmitting the shareable link from an application executing on the mobile user device to at least a second user device;
receiving a plurality of requests to access resources stored on the server, wherein the plurality of requests originate from one or more content-consuming devices;
analyzing a traffic load to the server, wherein the traffic load includes the plurality of requests;
identifying geographical locations of the plurality of requests based on respective network addresses associated w

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Makofsky Steven
• Katz Nitzan
• Smith Michael David

Classifications

• G06F21/10 Primary

  Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]} · CPC title