Digital Content Streaming via Phone Number Pre-Auth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital audio-video content delivery systems restrict flexibility in accessing downloaded content across different client devices, particularly for copyrighted content, which limits user convenience and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A digital content management system that allows users to download audio-video content on a personal computer associated with a user account, enabling streaming on designated mobile devices without requiring user authentication, using a phone number as a pre-authorized identifier, and synchronizing content access across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital content is downloaded to a client device with access restrictions, then content protection and licensing control are improved, but device flexibility and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication system by separating device identification from user account verification. Mobile devices are identified by phone numbers registered to user accounts, while personal computers require full user account authentication. This segmentation allows different authentication levels for different device types, protecting content while enabling flexible access across multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different authentication requirements to different device contexts. Mobile devices registered with phone numbers receive simplified access without requiring user account credentials, while personal computers maintain strict authentication requirements. This local quality approach tailors security measures to the specific device type and usage scenario, balancing protection with convenience.
2Reliability
If user authentication is required for content access, then content security and licensing compliance are improved, but user convenience and access speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary registration of mobile device phone numbers to user accounts during an initial setup process. Once registered, these devices are pre-authenticated and can access content without requiring user account credentials during subsequent viewing sessions. This preliminary action eliminates repeated authentication requirements, maintaining licensing compliance while significantly improving user convenience for mobile access.
3Ease of operation
If content is streamed to mobile devices without authentication, then user convenience and accessibility are improved, but content protection and access control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces phone numbers as an intermediary authentication mechanism between user accounts and mobile devices. Instead of requiring direct user account credentials on mobile devices, the system uses registered phone numbers as a trusted intermediary that proves device authorization. This intermediary approach maintains access control reliability while enabling simplified, authentication-free content access on registered mobile devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for managing digital content include authenticating a user account identifier from a client device over a computer network, registering a telephone number for at least one wireless mobile device in a registry identified with the user account based on the authenticating, as a pre-authorized identifier for accessing digital content licensed for use with the client device. The methods include maintaining a library of digital content identified with the user account for access by the at least one wireless mobile device, and initiating streaming of the digital video content to the at least one wireless mobile device without requiring user authentication from the at least one wireless mobile device, based on the registering of the telephone number as the pre-authorized identifier. An apparatus for performing the method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory holding instructions for performing steps of the method as summarized above.