Portable Entitlement Key for Flexible IPTV Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IPTV systems restrict customer entitlements to fixed locations or devices, limiting access to content beyond the customer's home.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of portable entitlement keys that allow customers to provide their entitlement information to the IPTV system, enabling access to content across various locations and devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If entitlement keys are fixed to a location or device, then content security and access control are maintained, but customer accessibility and flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static entitlement key system into a dynamic portable key system. The entitlement key is no longer fixed to a specific location or device but can be moved between different devices and locations. This dynamic approach allows customers to access content from multiple devices while maintaining security through portable authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a portable entitlement key as an intermediary between the customer and the content delivery system. This portable key acts as a mediator that carries entitlement information across different devices and networks, enabling flexible access while maintaining security through centralized validation at the network level.
2Ease of operation
If entitlement keys are made portable, then customer flexibility and accessibility are improved, but system complexity and security management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the entitlement verification function from the fixed infrastructure and places it in a portable key that travels with the customer. By taking out the entitlement key from its traditional fixed location, the system simplifies the customer experience while distributing the complexity to the network level where centralized management occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the concept of copying entitlement information in a portable format that can be replicated across different devices. The portable key contains copies of entitlement data that can be read and validated by different devices without requiring physical modification to the original key or complex reconfiguration.
3Reliability
If a network entitlement handler mediates content distribution, then content security and access control are enhanced, but network infrastructure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network entitlement handler acts as a centralized intermediary that mediates between content providers, portable entitlement keys, and content delivery systems. This mediator validates entitlement information and controls content distribution, enhancing security through centralized authorization while managing infrastructure complexity by consolidating access control functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The network entitlement handler performs multiple functions including entitlement validation, content authorization, access control, and security management. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent enhances reliability through comprehensive access control while managing infrastructure complexity through functional integration.
Data Source
AI summary
Tools are provided for distributing access-restricted content in an internet protocol television (“IPTV”) environment based on portable entitlement keys. Such tools can include a decoder, an encoder, and a network entitlement handler. The decoder may be configured to receive a key associated with entitlement information, and transmit the entitlement information over a network. The encoder may be configured to receive content from content providers, and to encode the content to create IP-compatible content, with access restrictions based on entitlement. The network entitlement handler may be configured to receive a request for requested content from the decoder; receive the access-restricted content (including the requested content) from the encoder; and transmit the requested content over the network to the decoder using IP, when the decoder is entitled to receive the requested content.