Content Rental System with Centralized Server Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current video rental systems lack the ability to seamlessly manage and transfer video content across multiple viewing devices while enforcing rental and viewing period restrictions, limiting user convenience and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A content rental system that includes a data store and a content server for storing and transferring video content, allowing authorized devices to check-out and check-in content, with digital rights management to enforce rental and viewing periods, enabling content to be viewed on multiple devices with adjustable restrictions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If video content is made available on multiple viewing devices, then user convenience and flexibility are improved, but system complexity and security management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a content server as an intermediary between the video content and multiple viewing devices. The server manages authentication, authorization, and content distribution, simplifying the system architecture by centralizing control logic rather than implementing complex peer-to-peer management between devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The content server is designed to serve multiple viewing devices simultaneously, providing universal access to authorized users. The system handles diverse device types (televisions, computers, mobile devices) through a single unified platform, reducing overall system complexity compared to device-specific solutions.
2Reliability
If rental period and viewing period restrictions are enforced, then business model compliance is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The content server pre-configures rental and viewing period restrictions before content delivery. Authentication and authorization parameters including time limits are established in advance, allowing the system to enforce business models through simple time-based checks rather than complex real-time monitoring and verification mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically enforces rental and viewing period restrictions without requiring manual intervention or complex monitoring systems. Time-based expiration is handled autonomously by the content server, which automatically terminates access when periods expire, reducing operational complexity while maintaining reliable compliance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If content transfer between devices is allowed, then user flexibility is improved, but security and authorization management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The content server acts as an intermediary that manages all content transfer operations between viewing devices. It handles authentication, authorization, and content distribution centrally, simplifying the authorization management process by consolidating security functions rather than implementing distributed security mechanisms at each device.
Data Source
AI summary
A content rental system includes one data store for storing rental content. The content rental system also includes a content server for transferring content to one viewing device based upon a received request. The content server is further configured to authorize the transfer of the content from the viewing device to another viewing device.