Self-Describing User Identifiers for Anonymous Media Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems face challenges in providing efficient and secure temporary anonymous access to media content, especially for large commercial media providers, as creating temporary user accounts for millions of anonymous users leads to increased database complexity and delays, while not using accounts prevents tracking and limiting of media consumption.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of self-describing user identifiers that include account information, allowing for asynchronous testing of media consumption limits, where the media content provider generates and stores these identifiers on the client device, enabling fast and secure access without the need for additional database storage and reducing delays.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If temporary user accounts are created for anonymous users, then media consumption tracking and limiting is enabled, but database complexity and access delays increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemedia consumption trackingVSAvoiddatabase complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments user identification into two distinct types: permanent user accounts stored in the user database and temporary anonymous identifiers generated on-demand. This segmentation allows the system to handle anonymous users without cluttering the permanent user database, thereby maintaining database simplicity while still enabling consumption tracking through the temporary identifier mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary temporary identifier system that mediates between anonymous users and the media consumption tracking infrastructure. These identifiers act as a bridge, allowing anonymous users to be tracked and limited without requiring full user account creation, thus reducing database complexity while maintaining reliability of consumption tracking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If temporary user accounts are created for anonymous users, then consumption limits can be enforced, but access speed and user experience deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconsumption limit enforcementVSAvoidaccess speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating and caching temporary anonymous identifiers before they are needed for media access. When an anonymous user requests media, the identifier is already prepared and stored in a temporary storage mechanism, eliminating the need for real-time account creation and database queries during media playback, thus ensuring both consumption limit enforcement and fast access speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If user registration and login are required, then personalized user experience and consumption tracking are improved, but ease of access and seamless sharing deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepersonalized user experienceVSAvoidease of access

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts its authentication mechanism based on user state: registered users receive personalized experiences through their permanent accounts, while anonymous users are automatically provided with temporary identifiers that enable immediate access. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain personalized experiences for logged-in users while ensuring ease of access for anonymous users through seamless temporary identifier generation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If a separate database for anonymous accounts is created, then anonymous user tracking is improved, but system complexity and processing delays increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanonymous user trackingVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the temporary identifier generation and storage function from the main user database system. Instead of creating a separate anonymous user database that would increase system complexity, the temporary identifiers are generated and stored in a lightweight, dedicated temporary storage mechanism that is independent of the permanent user database, thereby improving anonymous user tracking without significantly increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS11658979B2Systems and methods for efficient and secure temporary anonymous access to media content

Publication Date: 2023.05.23 SPOTIFY

AI summary

A method for providing access to media content from a media content provider is performed at an electronic device. The method includes receiving, from a client device, a request for access to a media item. The request for access includes a self-describing user-identifier. The method includes, in response to the request for access to the media item, initiating an analysis to determine whether the client device is authorized to access the media item, the analysis including an examination of a media consumption log associated with the client device. The media consumption log stores data representing self-describing user-identifiers. The analysis includes, based on the examination of the media consumption log, detecting multiple requests from different self-describing user identifiers corresponding to the client device to determine whether the client device has reached an access limit and, when the client device has reached the access limit, terminating access to the media item.