Content Rights Markers for Location-Based Interactive Features

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Solution Overview

Problem

Technical deficiencies and legal restrictions prevent users from interacting with content, degrading the user experience, particularly in scenarios like betting on a sports game while watching it.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for content management that uses markers, such as SCTE-35 and SCTE-224, to determine device capabilities and geographic restrictions, enabling the activation of supplemental features like in-game betting by encoding these markers into content streams and managing rights through a rights management device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users are allowed to interact with content (e.g., betting on sports games), then user experience and engagement are improved, but legal restrictions and compliance requirements worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interaction capabilityVSAvoidlegal restriction compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different interaction capabilities to different geographic regions by detecting device location and comparing it against jurisdiction-specific gambling laws. Content in permitted regions receives full interactivity (betting features), while content in restricted regions receives degraded functionality, thus allowing user interaction where legal while preventing it where prohibited.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

A rights management device acts as an intermediary between the content delivery system and the user device. This intermediary detects device capabilities and geographic location, then determines whether supplemental interactive features should be activated, thereby mediating between user interaction desires and legal compliance requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If supplemental interactive features are activated based on device capabilities and location, then user engagement is enhanced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinteractive feature activationVSAvoidrights management system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The rights management device performs preliminary detection of device capabilities and geographic location before content delivery. By determining in advance whether supplemental features should be activated, the system avoids complex real-time decision-making during content playback, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The rights management device performs multiple functions within a single system: detecting device capabilities, determining geographic location, checking compliance against multiple jurisdictional laws, and controlling feature activation. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating what could be separate specialized components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260065754A1Methods and systems for content management

Publication Date: 2026.03.05 COMCAST CABLE COMM LLC

AI summary

Methods and systems for content management are described. If programming content is distributed to viewers, signals such as markers are transmitted with the programming content. If a user device receives the marker, the use device may make a request to a rights management device. The rights management device may receive the request and determine an identifier associated with the request and an identifier associated with the marker. The rights management server may determine if the user device is authorized for supplemental features associated with the programming content.