Methods and systems for securing content played on mobile devices

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for managing content, including advertising content, delivered to various network-connected devices, including screens, mobile devices, computers, televisions, radios, and the like, based on usage profiles associated with device-specific identifiers for mobile devices, short-distance wireless technologies for transmission of content and detection of proximity, and content targeting and management techniques.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of the following provisional application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. Provisional App. No. 60 / 825,708 filed Sep. 14, 2006.BACKGROUND [0002] 1. Field [0003] The methods and systems herein described relate to mobile device identification and authentication for access to and presentation of targeted content. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Methods and systems exist for targeting content, including advertising content, directed to users of network-connected devices, such as televisions, mobile handsets, computers, radios, advertising screens and the like. Such content-targeting methods face various challenges, depending on the users and devices to which content is targeted. For example, television and radio advertisements are often directed to a mass audience, with little information about specific users. Internet advertisements may be based on cookies o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] One advantage of the methods and systems herein is they enable a drastic improvement in the television advertising industry. There are certain technology and business drivers for a higher penetration of more advanced set-top boxes that may be associated with improvements in television advertising.

[0015] Using the mobile device is potentially the only way to attain a real-time, live assessment of who is watching the television and tailor the advertisements delivered to the unique combinations of viewers. A father and son watching television content together represent two very unique advertising markets. To best take advantage of this blend of viewers simultaneously viewing television, for the purposes of accurate and proportional advertising, a device that is overwhelmingly individual specific such as the mobile handset may provide tremendous value.

[0016] Additionally, activity performed on a mobile handset as a portion of overall activity performed on a network-connected device, is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

[0019] Digital Rights Management synergies with content producers are enabled by the methods and systems herein. Content production companies such as News Corporation can enjoy digital rights management services to protect their premium content while using the methods and systems herein to aid in the serving of highly-precise, targeted ads, such as by using DSI based identification / authentication profiles.

[0020] Placing an emphasis on a mobile handset's device-specific identification (DSI) as a base for a user-specific profile generated from activity performed on various network-connected devices may be based on an understanding that it is essentially carried on a given user's person and thus is very individual-specific. Additionally, since it is carried on a given user's person, it follows the user in many places where other devices such as a PC / laptop might not, thus allowing user-specific profiles created with specific dependencies and ties to the mobile handset, to be portable by virtue of the inherent portability of mobile handset. Additionally, when attempting to aggregate all the Internet usage habits of a user across various devices, beginning with the mobile DSI may facilitate the aggregation by enabling the use of clues or information associated with the mobile handset DSI and the associated user to determine what other information, found as a result of Internet usage on other network-connected devices associated with the same user, to aggregate with it. Starting with a fixed position, or multi-user device, such as a PC, a television, or other stationary Internet-enabled device presents user identification challenges that the mobile handset does not. These challenges are mainly rooted on the basis that such devices may, and often, have multiple regular users. Therefore the mobile handset may serve as a primary identification device for a scenario in which the methods and systems herein (e.g. identification or authentication) could be applied for advertising, content / software as a service-authentication, and the like. The mobile handset is widely regarded as becoming the most frequently used computing interface, making it ideal for user authentication purposes. However, the methods and systems described herein do not all require a mobile component, and therefore, for the purposes of the unique methods and systems described herein, they can be associated with mechanisms that do include a mobile component.

Problems solved by technology

Such content-targeting methods face various challenges, depending on the users and devices to which content is targeted.

Internet advertisements may be based on cookies or similar mechanisms that indicate that a user is returning to a particular site, but targeting based on cookies and similar information are subject to limitations, among them being that multiple users may access the Internet through the same device.

Mobile content may be targeted more easily to a specific user, such as based on information about the user in a database maintained by a wireless carrier or based on the user's interaction with content on the mobile handset, but the more limited range of content that can be delivered to mobile devices means that profiles based on that usage are often limited and sometimes misleading.

As a result of mobile carriers dealing with voice revenue decaying rapidly and as even the margins on data consumption are becoming hyper-competitive, mobile carriers are rapidly seeking ways to monetize their high penetration numbers through advertising.

Starting with a fixed position, or multi-user device, such as a PC, a television, or other stationary Internet-enabled device presents user identification challenges that the mobile handset does not.

These challenges are mainly rooted on the basis that such devices may, and often, have multiple regular users.

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