Sony Corporation

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.

Iheartmedia Management Services, Inc.

Movielink, LLC

Blockbuster LLC

Brian David Lakamp

Mitch Frederick Singer

David Clifford Blight

Laurence B Linietsky

Andrew Mosson

Bryan Gentry Spaulding

John Christopher Park Russell

Mitchell F Singer

Harish Mandyam

Thomas M Rodriguez

Ira Steven Rubenstein

Scott Jeffrey Sherr

Yair Landau

Michael R Arrieta

Todd Avery Outten

Mitch Singer

Ernesto Brodersohn

Mary Abraham

Douglas Daiseung Chey

Jeremy Eli Barnett

Chris Russell

Douglas Daiseug Chey

Mary Korman

A method includes receiving, at an application provider, a request from a requestor to provide a customized application. The application provider obtains a first configuration parameter including channel configuration information specifying a default channel. The application provider also obtains an unconfigured application from a codebase, and modifies the unconfigured application based, at least in part, on the first configuration parameter, to generate the customized application. As modified, the customized application is configured to include the default channel specified by the channel configuration information. The customized application is then transmitting to a destination specified by the requestor.

Modifying unconfigured application to include default channel

An application provider device receives, from an online application store, a first online request to provide a first application associated with a first market brand, and a first configuration parameter associated with the first market brand. The first configuration parameter includes information identifying a first information source associated with the first market brand, and first visual elements associated with the first market brand. An unconfigured application is obtained from a codebase. The application is configurable for use with multiple different market brands, and further configurable to use a default information source for obtaining media items. The unconfigured application is customized, based on the first configuration parameter, to generate the requested application by pre-configuring the unconfigured application with the first information source as the default information source, and with the first visual elements.

Dynamically configuring software application

A Graphical User Interface (GUI) Customization System provides users with applications that feature customized GUI configurations by applying one or more configuration parameters to common codebases in the applications without user intervention. Various embodiments of the GUI Customization System can provide different methods of acquiring, customizing, and providing applications and sets of configuration parameters to users.

Dynamically configured graphical user interface for a software application

A network media environment includes a first hub network and a second hub network. The first hub network encompasses a first local environment based on a first server which is coupled to a first client. The second hub network encompasses a second local environment based on a second server which is also coupled to the first client. The first local environment and the second local environment overlap. The second local environment is movable with a movement of the second server.

Media network environment

A system for transferring verified media data. The system comprising: an item of content storing the media data, and having an associated serial number; a computing device including a first storage device and a network interface; a secure copying application program; a secure copy of the media data generated by the secure copying application program and stored on the first storage device; a verification server including a serial number database and having a network connection to the computing device through the network interface, wherein the secure copying application program generates the secure copy after verifying the serial number is valid and active by communicating with the verification server; and a portable copy of the media data, including license information, generated from the secure copy by the secure copying application program.

Method for generating a secure copy of media data

Methods and apparatus for managing devices and content in a network environment. In one implementation, a method of adding a client as a member of a hub network includes: detecting a client connected to a server in a hub network; authenticating said client; authorizing said client; and adding said client as a member in said hub network.

Network management in a media network environment

A system for selecting and recording data, comprising: a local storage unit for storing a subset of media content items and other content; a content selection unit to display a catalog of the media content items and other content, to allow a customer to browse, search, and select a media content item and other content from the catalog of media content items and other content, to retrieve the selected media content item and other content from the local storage unit if the selected media content item and other content is found in the subset, and otherwise to retrieve the selected media content item from a remote storage unit, the content selection unit configured to cache the retrieved media content item and other content in the local storage unit for a period of time based on the popularity of the retrieved media content item; a financial transaction unit to determine the cost of the retrieved media content item and other content and display the cost for review and payment by the customer; and an authoring system configured to format, encode, encrypt, and write the media content item and other content onto an article of media when the customer makes the payment.

Individualizing and encrypting on-demand media content in retail kiosks

Acquiring a license in a hub network, including: sending a license request from a client to a server through an intermediary device; sending a connection confirmation from the client to the server through the intermediary device; and receiving license data at the client from the server through the intermediary device in response to the license request, wherein the client and the server are not connected in a hub network, wherein the license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on the client, wherein the sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and wherein the license data is bound to the hub network.

License management in a media network environment

A remote access management service for enabling remote access to an item of media content stored in a network device from a remote device, said network device including a remote access server application program and account information identifying said remote device, and said remote device including a remote access client application program, the service including: an interface configured to provide network connections to said network device and said remote device; and a remote access management application program to collect information on remote access analysis by monitoring remote access transactions between said remote device and said network device, said remote access management application program operating to receive a remote access request from said remote access client application program including said account information and a content identifier indicating said item of media content.

Remote access management

Methods and apparatus for managing devices and content in a network environment. In one implementation, a method of presenting content data includes: receiving at a client in a hub network a present request indicating locked content data; checking a license corresponding to said locked content data to determine if said license permits said client to present said locked content data; and presenting said locked content data through a presentation component connected to said client; wherein said license of said locked content data is bound to said hub network.

Content access in a media network environment

Methods and apparatus for managing devices and content in a network environment. In one implementation, a method of acquiring a license in a hub network includes: sending a license request from a client to a server; sending a connection confirmation from said client to said server; and receiving license data at said client from said server; wherein said client and said server are connected in a hub network, said license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on said client, said sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and said license data is bound to said hub network.

A remote access management service for enabling remote access to an item of media content stored in a network device from a remote device. The network device includes a remote access server application program and account information identifying the remote device, and the remote device includes a remote access client application program. The management service comprises: an interface configured to provide network connections to the network device and the remote device; and a remote access management application program to collect information on remote access analysis by monitoring remote access transactions between the remote device and the network device, the remote access management application program operating to receive a remote access request from the remote access client application program including the account information and a content identifier indicating the item of media content.

A private home entertainment system including plural playback devices can receive discrete content that can be played by any appropriate publicly available devices. The home system can convert the discrete content to content that is bound to the private network using, e.g., cryptographic keys. The bound content can be freely copied and played among the devices in the private network but cannot be played outside the private network. Should the user elect to convert bound content back to discrete content to permit playing the content outside the network, all bound copies in the network are destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable.

Growing community of inventors

Malibu, CA, United States of America

Brian David Lakamp