Linked user accounts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9626720-B2
Application number	US-201314089691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2013
Priority date	Nov 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

Separate user accounts can be linked into a group of linked user accounts so that content items assigned to each of the user accounts can be accessed by each user account in the group. Linking user accounts in this way allows the individual user accounts to share content items while also retaining their individual properties such as username, password, preference data, etc. Linking user accounts allows each user account to retain the content items assigned to the user account when the user account is unlinked from the group. Linking user accounts can be restricted according to linking rules that dictate how many user accounts can be included in a group, when a user account can be added or removed from a group, etc. A master user account can set parameters restricting content items accessible to the user accounts in the group, as well as money spent be each user account.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
linking, using a computing device including a processor communicating with a database, a first user account, defining relationships to content items maintained in the database for a first user, with a second user account defining relationships to the content items maintained in the database for a second user, the second user account defining a particular relationship to a particular content item that was obtained using the second user account and thereby assigned to the second user account;
after the first user account is linked to the second user account, providing access to the particular content item assigned to the second user account using the first user account, wherein the particular content item is not assigned to the first user account, and wherein access includes streaming or downloading the particular content item.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
assigning, to the first user account, a content item purchased using the first user account, wherein the second user account can access the content item purchased using the first user account but the content item purchased using the first user account is not assigned to the second user account.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
unlinking the first user account from the second user account, wherein, when the first user account is unlinked from the second user account:
content items assigned to the first user account remain assigned to the first user account,
content items assigned to the second user account remain assigned to the second user account;
the first user account cannot access content items assigned to the second user account that are not assigned to the first user account including content items locally stored on a client device associated with the first user account, and
the second user account cannot access content items assigned to the first user account that are not assigned to the second user account including, content items locally stored on a client device associated with the second user account.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving a request to unlink the first user account from the second user account; and
determining that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed after the first user account was linked to the second user account, wherein the request to unlink the first user account from the second user account is denied when the predetermined amount of time has not elapsed.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to link a third user account to the first user account and the second user account;
determining whether the third user account is linked to a fourth user account, the fourth user account being different than the first user account and the second user account, and the fourth user account not being linked to the first user account and the second user account; and
when the third user account is linked to the fourth user account, denying the request to link the third user account to the first user account and the second user account.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user account and the second user account are part of a group of linked user accounts in which each user account included in the group of linked user accounts is linked to each other user account included in the group of linked user accounts.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein, each user account included in the group of linked user accounts must make purchases using the same payment method.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving a request to add a third user account to the group of linked user accounts;
determining whether a total number of user accounts included in the group of linked user accounts is less than a predetermined limit;
when the number of user accounts included in the group of linked user accounts is not less than the predetermined limit, denying the request to add the third user account to the group of linked user accounts.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content item that was purchased by the second user account was purchased prior to the linking of the first user account with the second user account.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the particular content item using the first user account does not modify profile data corresponding to the first user account.

11. A system comprising:
a database including content items;
a processor; and
a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
link a first user account defining relationships to the content items for a first user with a second user account defining relationships to the content items maintained in the database for a second user, the second user account defining a particular relationship to a particular content item that was obtained using the second user account and thereby assigned to the second user account;
after the first user account is linked to the second user account, providing access to the particular content item assigned to the second user account using the first user account, wherein the particular content item is not assigned to the first user account, and wherein access includes streaming or downloading the particular content item.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first user account and the second user account are part of a first group of linked user accounts wherein each user account included in the first group of linked user accounts, includes a record of other user accounts that are part of the first group of linked user accounts within account profiles associated with the each respective user accounts, the account profiles associated with the each respective user accounts stored at a content management system.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
receive a request to add a third user account to the first group of linked user accounts, wherein the third user account is not included in the first group of linked user accounts;
determine whether the third user account is included in a second group of linked user accounts, different than the first group of linked user accounts;
when the third user account is not included in a second group of linked user accounts, add the third user account to the first group of user accounts; and
when the third user account is included in the second group of linked user accounts, deny the request to add the third user account to the first group of linked user accounts.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first user account is designated as a master user account of the first group of linked user accounts, the master user account being granted permission to set parameters affecting the first group of linked user accounts.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the master user account can define the types of content items that can be accessed by a user account in the first group of linked user accounts.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the master user account can specify an amount of money that a user account in the first group of linked user accounts can utilize to purchase content items.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the master user account can specify that a recurring allocation of money be allocated to the second user account to purchase content items.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the master user account can require that a user account in the first group of linked user accounts request permission from the master user account to purchase a content item.

19. The system of c

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Robbin Jeffrey L
• Cue Eduardo Humburto
• Krasts Evan C
• Williams Andrew Irvin
• Ioveva Maria
• Gautier Patrice Olivier
• Gedikian Steve S
• Hajj Usama Mikael

Classifications

• G06Q40/02 Primary

  Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03) · CPC title

• G06Q30/0601

  Electronic shopping [e-shopping] · CPC title

• G06Q20/229

  Hierarchy of users of accounts · CPC title

• G06F21/10

  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

• G06Q20/1235

  with control of digital rights management [DRM] · CPC title