1
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS 5 RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10 and Rule 13]
10
TITLE: “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING AN ACCESS TO OVER-THETOP
(OTT) CONTENT ON RESTRICTED DEVICE PLATFORM”
15
Name and address of the Applicant:
TATA PLAY LIMITED, 3rd Floor, Unit 301 to 305, Windsor, Off C.S.T. Road, Mumbai-
400098, India.
20
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is
25 to be performed.
2
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosure generally relates to Over-The-Top (OTT) environment, digital
media management. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a method and a system for
providing an access to over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform.
5
BACKGROUND
[0002] At present, with substantive rise in digital technology, Over-the-Top (OTT)
platforms/media service is emerging as one of main content providers. Easy and cost-effective
10 access to user devices and internet services is another reason for proliferation of the OTT
platforms. An “OTT” media service refers to an online content provider that offers streaming
media as a standalone product. The term is commonly applied to video-on-demand platforms,
but may also refer to audio streaming, messaging services, or internet-based voice calling
solutions. OTT services are accessible through web-based internet services and are typically
15 paid subscriptions or in-application purchases. A user can download applications for various
OTT service providers, and with growing interest in media content, the user is increasingly
downloading applications for all different providers due to the availability of different types of
content. OTT services provide an alternative medium to traditional media distribution channels,
such as telecommunications networks or cable television providers.
20
[0003] Currently, an OTT aggregator system allows the user to access video content
seamlessly across different service provider applications through a Single Sign-On (SSO)
process. The different service provider applications will be registered with the OTT aggregator
system. For accessing the content across the different service provider applications, the user
25 signs-in to the OTT aggregator system and a unique ID is generated based on the sign-in. Then,
the unique ID may be sent to each service provider application via backend Application
Programming Interface (API) calls, and when the user clicks on the content in the service
provider applications, the unique ID is validated through deep links or Software Development
Kit (SDKs) to provide access to the content.
30
[0004] However, a limitation arises when a platform or a device does not support direct
communication between the OTT aggregator system and service provider applications front
end. In such cases, the user must manually input login credentials when accessing the content
associated with the service provider applications, as the direct unique ID transfer process is not
3
supported by the device. Thereby, repeated login may be required leading to inefficient signin
process.
[0005] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only
for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention 5 and should not
be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the
prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
10 [0006] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way
limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above,
further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings
and the following detailed description.
15 [0007] In an embodiment, a method of providing an access to Over-The-Top (OTT)
content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment is disclosed. The method
comprises receiving from a user device associated with the OTT aggregator system, a request
to access OTT content of a service provider application of a plurality of service provider
applications registered with the OTT aggregator system. The request comprises a device
20 identifier (ID) of the user device. Further, the method comprises facilitating the service
provider application to match the device ID of the user device with pre-stored device IDs, while
launching a session in the service provider application. The device ID along with one or more
parameters are transmitted to the service provider application, prior to the launch of the session.
Thereafter, the method comprises providing the access to the OTT content associated with the
25 service provider application to the user device, by automatically logging to the service provider
application through a Single-Sing-On (SSO) process, based on the match.
[0008] In an embodiment, an OTT aggregator system for providing an access to Over-
The-Top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment is disclosed.
30 The OTT aggregator system comprises a processor and a memory. The memory stores
processor-executable instructions, which, on execution causes the processor to receive from a
user device associated with the OTT aggregator system, a request to access OTT content of a
service provider application of a plurality of service provider applications registered with the
OTT aggregator system. The request comprises a device identifier (ID) of the user device.
35 Further, the processor is configured to facilitate the service provider application to match the
4
device ID of the user device with pre-stored device IDs, while launching a session in the service
provider application. The device ID along with one or more parameters are transmitted to the
service provider application, prior to the launch of the session. Therefore, the processor is
configured to provide the access to the OTT content associated with the service provider
application to the user device, by automatically logging to the service provider 5 application
through a Single-Sing-On (SSO) process, based on the match.
[0009] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way
limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above,
10 further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings
and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0010] The above and other objects and features of the disclosure will become apparent
15 by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0011] The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the
appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further
objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following
detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the
20 accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only,
with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like
elements and in which:
[0012] FIGURE 1 illustrates an environment for providing an access to over-the-top
(OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in accordance with one
25 or more example embodiments of the disclosure;
[0013] FIGURE 2 illustrates a detailed diagram of an OTT aggregator system for
providing an access to over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT
environment, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure;
30
[0014] FIGURE 3a shows an exemplary illustration for providing an access to overthe-
top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in accordance
with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure;
35 [0015] FIGURE 3b shows a sequence diagram that illustrates a sequence flow of
5
providing an access to over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT
environment of FIGURE 3a, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
disclosure;
[0016] FIGURE 4 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for providing 5 an access to
over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in
accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.
[0017] FIGURE 5 shows a block diagram of a computing system for providing an
10 access to over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment,
in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.
[0018] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein
represents conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the inventive
15 concepts of the disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams,
state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be
substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or
processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
20 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving
as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or implementation of the present
subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred
or advantageous over other embodiments.
25
[0020] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative
forms, specific embodiments thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and
will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to
limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to
30 cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
[0021] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are
intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises
a list of components or operations does not include only those components or operations but
35 may include other components or operations not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or
6
device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by
“comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements
or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[0022] In some cases where a platform or a device does 5 not support direct
communication between an Over-The-Top (OTT) aggregator system and a service provider
application in an OTT environment, the service provider application may not be able to provide
access to OTT content on the service provider application. In such cases, a user may manually
provide login credentials to the service provider application as the OTT aggregator system may
10 not be able to directly transfer a unique ID to the service provider application. Thereby,
repeated login may be required leading to inefficient sign-in process.
[0023] According to an example embodiment, there is provided a method and a system
for providing an access to OTT content on a restricted device platform in the OTT environment.
15 For providing access to the OTT content of a service provider application, initially a user may
login to an OTT aggregator system using login credentials. Based on the login, the OTT
aggregator system may generate an authentication token. Further, the OTT aggregator may
send a unique user ID, device identifier (ID) associated with a user device, a service provider
identifier (ID) associated with a service provider application and source information of the
20 OTT aggregator system, to multiple service provide applications registered with the OTT
aggregator system. Thereafter, when a user launches a service provider application among the
multiple service provide applications for the first time, the user device sends a request to the
OTT aggregator system for providing access to the OTT content of the service provider
application. In such case, the OTT aggregator system may enable the service provider
25 application to match the device ID shared by the OTT aggregator system with prestored device
IDs. In case the device ID is matched, the service provider application may send an
authorization call for verifying the unique user ID, the service provider ID, and the source
information, to the OTT aggregator system. Then, the OTT aggregator system may verify and
transmit an authentication token generated during the login process to the service provider
30 application for providing access to the OTT content by automatically logging to the service
provider application using the authentication token. Thus, the present disclosure provides an
efficient login process that logs-in the user directly without any manual interruption for
providing login credentials. Thereby, manual interruption and time required for login may be
reduced.
7
[0024] FIGURE 1 illustrates an environment 100 for providing an access to Over-The-
Top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in accordance with
one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. The environment 100 includes a user
device 102. The user device 102 may comprise an OTT aggregator system 104 5 and a plurality
of service provider applications (such as, 106a, 106b, …….. 106n, and the like, which are
collectively referred to as the plurality of service provider applications 106). For illustration,
one general service provider application 106 may be considered to explain in the description.
In a non-limiting example, the user device 102 may be a mobile, a television, a tab, a laptop, a
10 computer system. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may refer to
a platform or service that brings together multiple OTT streaming services and allows a user to
access, browse, and manage content from the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n
in a single interface. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may be
implemented in the user device 102. In another embodiment, the user device 102 may be
15 implemented as the OTT aggregator system 104. The plurality of service provider applications
106a-n may be registered with the OTT aggregator system 104. In an embodiment, the OTT
aggregator system 104 may be any computing device that communicates with the plurality of
service provider applications 106a-n over a physical channel or a network.
20 [0025] The OTT aggregator system 104 may include an I/O interface 108, a processor
110, and a memory 112. In some implementations, the OTT aggregator system 104 may include
other components (not shown in this fig.) to implement desired functions of the OTT aggregator
system 104. The processor 110 may also be referred to as Central Processing Units (CPUs). In
some embodiments, the memory 112 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 110.
25 The memory 112 stores instructions executable by the processor 110. Further, the memory 112
may store login credentials. In an embedment, the memory 112 may include, but not limited to
a volatile memory such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and a non-volatile
memory such as NAND flash memory, and the like. However, the present disclosure is not
limited thereto, and as such, according to another example embodiment, any other memory
30 types may be used in the OTT aggregator system 104. The processor 110 may comprise at least
one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated
requests. The memory 112 may store instructions, executable by the processor 110, which, on
execution, may cause the processor 110 to provide access to the OTT content of the plurality
of service provider applications 106a-n. The I/O interface 108 is coupled with the processor
8
110 through which an input data or/and an output data is communicated. In an exemplary
embodiment, the login credentials may be received via the I/O interface 108. In an embodiment,
the OTT aggregator system 104 may be implemented in a variety of computing systems.
[0026] Generally, in existing OTT environment, user devices are 5 implemented in a
restricted platform. That is, the user devices such as Televisions, may restrict OTT systems to
serve direct communication to the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n for
providing access to the OTT content associated with each of the plurality of service provider
applications 106a-n. In such cases, the OTT aggregator system 104 of the present disclosure
10 may be configured to receive a request from the user device 102 associated with the OTT
aggregator system 104, to access the OTT content of the service provider application 106 of
the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n registered with the OTT aggregator system
104. The request may comprise a device identifier (ID) of the user device 102. In an exemplary
embodiment, the device ID may be unique for each user device 102.
15
[0027] Upon receiving the request from the user device 102, the OTT aggregator
system 104 may facilitate the service provider application 106 to match the device ID of the
user device 102 with pre-stored device IDs, while launching a session in the service provider
application 106. That is, when the user launches a session in the service provider application
20 106 for watching a content. The device ID along with one or more parameters are transmitted
to the service provider application 106 from the OTT aggregator system 104, prior to the launch
of the session in the service provider application 106.
[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, prior to installing the service provider application
25 106 and launching the session to access the OTT content in the service provider application
106, from the OTT aggregator system 104, the user may have to login to the OTT aggregator
system 104. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may perform the
login process using login credentials of the user associated with the user device 102. In an
exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may receive the login credentials
30 entered by the user. In an exemplary embodiment, the login credentials may include user
credentials such as, but not limited to, a username, a mobile number, and the like. In an
embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may validate the login credentials to login to the
OTT aggregator system 104. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104
may comprise an OTT aggregator application. The OTT aggregator application may be used
35 to login to the OTT aggregator system 104 for accessing the OTT content from the plurality of
9
service provider applications 106a-n. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator
application and the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n may be present on the
same user device 102.
[0029] Upon login, an authentication token may be generated by 5 the OTT aggregator
system 104, based on the login credentials. The authentication token may be stored in a
database associated with the OTT aggregator system 104. Upon login, the OTT aggregator
system 104 may transmit one or more parameters to each of the plurality of service provider
applications 106a-n.
10
[0030] The one or more parameters may include, but are not limited to, a unique user
identifier (ID), a service provider identifier (ID) associated with the service provider
application 106, source information of the OTT aggregator system 104, and the device ID. In
an exemplary embodiment, the unique user ID may be an encrypted form of user credentials.
15 In an exemplary embodiment, each of the service provider application 106 may be associated
with a unique service provider ID. In an exemplary embodiment, the source information of the
OTT aggregator system 104 may comprise information related to the respective OTT
aggregator system 104. Each of the service provider applications 106a-n may receive the one
or more parameters and may store the one or more parameters in a respective database. In an
20 exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may be implemented on multiple user
devices.
[0031] The OTT aggregator system 104 may transmit the device ID along with the
other one or more parameters to the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n for storing
25 the one or more parameters. Accordingly, each of the service provider application 106 may
comprise the one or more parameters which includes the device ID from multiple user devices.
Thus, prior to launching the session in the service provider application 106, each of the plurality
of service provider applications 106a-n may comprise the one or more parameters received
from the OTT aggregator system 104, in advance.
30
[0032] In an embodiment, upon facilitating the service provider application 106 to
match the device ID of the user device 102 with pre-stored device IDs, the service provider
application 106 may extract the device ID from the user device 102 at that particular instant,
and then match the extracted device ID with the pre-stored device IDs.
35
10
[0033] Then, the OTT aggregator system 104 may provide the access to the OTT
content associated with the service provider application 106 to the user device 102, by
automatically logging to the service provider application 106 through a Single-Sing-On (SSO)
process, based on matching the device ID. Upon matching the device ID by the service provider
application 106, the OTT aggregator system 104 may receive an authorization 5 call from the
service provider application 106. In an embodiment, the authorization call may indicate
verification of the one or more parameters. Then, the OTT aggregator system 104 may transmit
the authentication token to the service provider application 106 by verifying the one or more
parameters based on the authorization call. The authentication token may be used to
10 automatically login to the service provider application 106 to provide direct access to the OTT
content without manual login. In an embodiment, from the transfer of the one or more
parameter from the OTT aggregator system 104 to the service provider application 106 till the
transfer of the authentication token from the OTT aggregator system 104 to the service provider
application 106 for direct access of the OTT content, are performed by direct communication
15 between a back end of the OTT aggregator system 104 and a back end the service provider
application 106. Hence, the SSO process for providing access to the OTT content of the service
provider application 106 may be performed at the backend without the involvement of the user.
Thus, the present disclosure provides direct access to the OTT content by automatically logging
to the service provider application 106 through the SSO process and thereby streamlining user
20 experience by eliminating the need for repeated logins and maintaining security through tokenbased
authentication.
[0034] As the present disclosure provides direct access to the OTT contents in the
service provider application 106 by automatically matching the device ID transmitted by the
25 OTT aggregator system 104, the present disclosure provides a simple and smooth single-signon
process that manages security policies. Further, as the restricted device may not provide
direct communication between a front end of the OTT aggregator system 104 and a front end
of the service provider application 106, the matching of the device ID provides direct access to
the OTT content in service provider application 106. Thus, the present disclosure streamlines
30 user experience by eliminating the need for repeated logins and maintaining security through
token-based authentication.
[0035] FIGURE. 2 illustrates a detailed diagram 200 of an OTT aggregator system 104
for providing an access to over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an
11
OTT environment, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure.
The OTT aggregator system 104 may include the I/O interface 108, the processor 110 (also
referred as “Central Processing Units”, “CPUs”, and “processor”), and the memory 112. In an
example embodiment, the memory 112 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 110.
The processor 110 may include at least one data processor for executing 5 program components
for executing user or system-generated requests. The memory 112 may be communicatively
coupled to the processor 110. The memory 112 stores instructions, executable by the processor
110, which, on execution, may cause the OTT aggregator system 104 to provide access to the
OTT content in the service provider application 106. In an example embodiment, the processor
10 110 may include data 202 and one or more modules 204. According to an example
embodiment, the one or more modules 204 may be configured to provide the access to the OTT
content on a restricted device platform in the OTT environment. For example, the one or more
modules 204 may be configured to use the data 202 and perform the operations for providing
the access to the OTT content. In an example embodiment, each of the one or more modules
15 204 may be a hardware which may be outside the memory 112 and coupled with the OTT
aggregator system 104. As used herein, the term modules 204 may include, but is not limited
to, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a Field-
Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), operational amplifiers, Programmable System-on-Chip
(PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide described
20 functionality.
[0036] According to an example embodiment, one or more of the modules 204 may be
implemented by software or a combination of hardware and software. According to an example
embodiment, the one or more modules 204 when configured with the described functionality
25 defined in the disclosure will result in a novel hardware or may be considered as a special
purpose processor. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and as such, the disclosure
may be implemented in another way according to various other example embodiments. Further,
the I/O interface 108 is coupled with the processor 110 through which an input signal or/and
an output signal is communicated. For example, the OTT aggregator system 104 may receive
30 the user credentials via the I/O interface 108. The I/O interface 108 may include an internal
interface or an external interface.
[0037] According to an example embodiment, the modules 204 may include, for
example, a receiving module 214, a content facilitation module 216, a content access providing
12
module 218, and other modules 220. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules
204 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. In one
implementation, the data 202 may include, for example, received data 206, content facilitation
data 208, content access data 210, and other data 212.
[0038] In certain cases, a restricted device may restrict providing direct 5 communication
such as deep links and the like between the OTT aggregator system 104 and the plurality of
service provider applications 106a-n to provide access to the OTT content. In such cases, the
user device 102 may be provided with the direct access to the OTT content via the OTT
aggregator system 104, by providing the direct communication between the OTT aggregator
10 system 104 and the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n to streamline user
experience and eliminate repeated logins. In an exemplary embodiment, the modules 204 of
the OTT aggregator system 104 may provide access to the OTT content on the restricted device
platform in the OTT environment.
[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving module 214 may be configured to
15 receive the request from the user device 102 associated with the OTT aggregator system 104,
to access the OTT content of the service provider application 106 of the plurality of service
provider applications 106a-n registered with the OTT aggregator system 104. The request may
comprise the device ID of the user device 102. The device ID may be unique for each of the
user device 102 and the device ID may be received form the user device 102. The user device
20 102 may comprise both the OTT aggregator system 104 and the plurality of service provider
applications 106a-n. The device ID may be stored as received data 206 in the OTT aggregator
system 104.
[0040] FIGURE 3a shows an exemplary illustration for providing an access to overthe-
top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in accordance
25 with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. Consider that the OTT aggregator
system 104 and the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n may be in the restricted
device platform. In an exemplary embodiment, the OTT aggregator system 104 may comprise
a front end 302 and a back end 304. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the plurality of
service provider applications 106a-n may comprise a front end 306a-n and a back end 308a-n.
30 For example, the service provider application 106a comprises a front end 306a and a back end
308a. For illustration, one general front end 306 of the service provider application 106 and a
back end 308 of the service provider application 106 is shown to explain in the description.
The restricted device may not support direct communication between the front end 302 of the
13
OTT aggregator system 104 and the front end 306a-n of each of the plurality of service provider
applications 106a-n.
[0041] In such cases, initially once the service provider application 106 is installed on
the user device 102, the user tries to access the OTT content by launching the session in the
service provider application 106 (as shown in step S (320) of FIGURE 3b). At 5 that instant, the
OTT aggregator system 104 may receive the request from the user device 102 to access the
OTT content of the service provider application 106.
[0042] Referring back to Figure 2, upon receiving the request, the content facilitation
module 216 may facilitate the service provider application 106 to match the device ID of the
10 user device 102 with pre-stored device IDs, while launching the session in the service provider
application 106. In an exemplary embodiment, the device ID along with the one or more
parameters are transmitted to the service provider application 106, prior to the launch of the
session.
[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, before launching the session, the OTT aggregator
15 system 104 may be logged in by the user using the login credentials. In an exemplary
embodiment, the login credentials may include the user credentials such as the username, the
mobile number, and the like. Then, the OTT aggregator system 104 may generate the
authentication token based on the login. Further, the OTT aggregator system 104 may transmit
the one or more parameters to each of the plurality of service provide applications 106a-n in
20 advance. The one or more parameters may include the unique user ID, the service provider ID,
the source information of the OTT aggregator system 104 and the device ID. The unique user
ID may be the encrypted form of the user credentials. The service provider ID may be a unique
character string with respect to each of the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n.
The source information may comprise information such as type of OTT aggregator system 104
25 and the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more parameters may be transmitted to
each of the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n once the login process at the OTT
aggregator system 104 is completed. In another exemplary embodiment, the one or more
parameters may be transmitted to each of the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n
prior to the installation of the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n.
30 [0044] Referring to FIGURE 3b, at step S (312), the user may login to the front end
302 of the OTT aggregator system 104. At step S (314), the front end 302 of the OTT
aggregator system 104 may transmit the one or more parameters to the back end 304 of the
14
OTT aggregator system 104. Further, at step S (316), the back end 304 of the OTT aggregator
system 104 may transmit the one or more parameters to the back end 308 of each of the service
provider application 106. At step S (318), the back end 308 of the service provider application
106 may store the one or more parameters in the database. The steps S (312) to S (318) may be
performed prior to launch of the session to access the OTT content in the 5 service provider
application 106.
[0045] Referring back to Figure 2, once after installation of the service provider
application 106 on the user device 102 and upon receiving the request to provide access to the
OTT content by the user device 102, the OTT aggregator system 104 may facilitate the service
10 provider application 106 to match the device ID extracted by the service provider application
106 at the current time with the pre-stored device IDs received previously from the OTT
aggregator system 104. In an exemplary embodiment, the device ID may be extracted by the
service provider application 106 from the user device 102. The matching of the device ID may
be stored as content facilitation data 208 in the OTT aggregator system 104.
15 [0046] In an exemplary embodiment, Further, the OTT aggregator system 104 may
receive the authorization call from the service provider application 106, in case the service
provider application 106 identifies that the device ID extracted by the service provider
application 106 matches with one of the pre-stored device IDs. In an exemplary embodiment,
the authorization call may be an indication of verifying the one or more parameters. Then, the
20 OTT aggregator system 104 may transmit the authentication token to the service provider
application 106 after verifying the one or more parameters. The authentication token may be
generated by the OTT aggregator system 104 during the login to the OTT aggregator system
104.
[0047] Referring back to FIGURE. 3b, upon facilitating the service provider
25 application 106 to match the device ID, at step S (322), the front end 306 of the service provider
application 106 may intimate the back end 308 of the service provider application 106 to match
the device ID with the pre-stored device IDs. In case the back end 308 of the service provider
application 106 identifies the match in the device ID, at step S (324) the back end 308 of the
service provider application 106 may send one or more parameters for verification to the back
30 end 304 of the OTT aggregator system 104. Then, the back end 304 of the OTT aggregator
system 104 verifies the one or more parameters received form the back end 308 of the service
provider application 106. Upon verifying the one or more parameters, at step S (326) the back
end 304 of the OTT aggregator system 104 may transmit the authentication token generated
15
during the user login to the front end 302 of the OTT aggregator system 104.
[0048] Referring back to FIGURE 2, upon facilitating the service provider application
106 to match the device ID, the access providing module 218 may provide the access to the
OTT content associated with the service provider application 106 to the user device 102, by
automatically logging to the service provider application 106 through the 5 SSO process, based
on the device ID match. In an exemplary embodiment, upon matching the device ID, the OTT
aggregator system 104 may provide the authentication token (as described above) to the service
provider application 106, for accessing the OTT content by automatically logging to the service
provider application 106. Thus, the present disclosure streamlines user experience by
10 eliminating the need for repeated logins and maintaining security through token-based
authentication. The authentication token may be stored as content access data 210 in the OTT
aggregator system 104.
[0049] Referring back to FIGURE 3B, then, at step S (328) using the authentication
token, the back end 308 of the service provider application 106 may provide access to OTT
15 content. At step S (330), the front end 306 of the service provider application 106 may display
the OTT content. The steps S (322) to S (326) may be performed between the back end 304 of
the OTT aggregator system 104 and the back end 308 of the service provider application 106
without receiving login credentials from the user. Hence, the SSO process for providing access
to the OTT content of the service provider application 106 may be performed at the backend
20 without receiving login credentials from the user.
[0050] As the present disclosure provides direct access to the OTT contents in the
service provider application 106 by automatically matching the device ID transmitted by the
OTT aggregator system 104, the present disclosure provides a simple and smooth single-signon
process that manages security policies. Further, as the restricted device may not provide
25 direct communication between the front end 302 of the OTT aggregator system 104 and the
front end 306 of the service provider application 106, the matching of the device ID provides
direct access to the OTT content in service provider application 106. Thus, the present
disclosure streamlines user experience by eliminating the need for repeated logins and
maintaining security through token-based authentication.
30
[0051] The other data 212 may store data, including temporary data and temporary
files, generated by the one or more modules 204 for performing the various functions of the
OTT aggregator system 104. The one or more modules 204 may also include the other modules
16
220 to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the OTT aggregator system 104. The
other data 212 may be stored in the memory 112. It will be appreciated that the one or more
modules 204 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
[0052] FIGURE 4 shows a flow chart illustrating method for providing 5 an access to
over-the-top (OTT) content on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, in
accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. As illustrated in
FIGURE. 4, the method 400 may include one or more operations. The method 400 may be
described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer
10 executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures,
procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement
particular abstract data types.
[0053] The order in which the method 400 is described is not intended to be construed
15 as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order
to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods
without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the
method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination
thereof.
20
[0054] At step 402, the request to access the OTT content of the service provider
application 106 of the plurality of service provider applications 106a-n registered with the OTT
aggregator system 104 from the user device 102 associated with the OTT aggregator system
104 may be received from the OTT aggregator system 104.
25
[0055] At step 404, facilitating the service provider application 106 to match the device
ID of the user device 102 with pre-stored device IDs by the OTT aggregator system 104, while
launching the session in the service provider application 106. The device ID along with one or
more parameters are transmitted to the service provider application 106, prior to the launch of
30 the session In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more parameters may include but, are not
limited to, the unique user ID, the service provider ID and source information of the OTT
aggregator system 104.
[0056] At step 406, the access to the OTT content associated with the service provider
35 application 106 to the user device 102 may be provided by the OTT aggregator system 104, to
17
automatically logging to the service provider application 106 through the SSO process, based
on the device ID match. In an exemplary embodiment, after matching the device ID, the OTT
aggregator system 104 may receive the authorization call from the service provider application
106 to verify the one or more parameters by the OTT aggregator system 104. Upon receiving
the authorization call, the OTT aggregator system 104 may verify the one 5 or more parameters
and transmit the authentication token to the service provider application 106. Then, the
authentication token may be used to provide the access to the OTT content by automatically
logging to the service provider application 106.
10 [0057] FIGURE 5 illustrates a block diagram of a computer system 500 for
implementing example embodiments consistent with the disclosure. In an example
embodiment, the computer system 500 may include the OTT aggregator system 104. Thus, the
computer system 502 may be used for providing the access to the OTT content of the service
provider application 106, on the user device 102. The computer system 502 and the OTT
15 aggregator system 104 may be connected via an interface. The interface may include an internal
interface or an external interface. The computer system 502 may include a Central Processing
Unit 512 (also referred as “CPU”, “processor 512” or a controller). The processor 512 may
include at least one data processor. The processor 512 may include specialized processing units
such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point
20 units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.
[0058] The processor 512 may be configured to communicate with one or more
input/output (I/O) devices via I/O interface 508. The I/O interface 508 may employ
communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital,
25 monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) -1394, serial
bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital
visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF)
antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple
access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile
30 communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.
[0059] Using the I/O interface 508, the computer system 502 may communicate with
one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device 504 may be an antenna, keyboard,
mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric
35 reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device,
18
transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device 706 may be a printer, fax machine,
video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode
(LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or
the like), audio speaker, etc.
5
[0060] The processor 512 may be configured to communicate with the communication
network 516 via a network interface 514. The network interface 514 may communicate with
the communication network 516. The computer system 502 may communicate with the OTT
aggregator system 104 and the service provider application 106 via the communication network
10 516. The network interface 514 may employ connection protocols including, without
limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission
control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The
communication network 516 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local
area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless
15 Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. The network interface 514 may employ connection
protocols include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000
Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE
802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.
20 [0061] The communication network 516 includes, but is not limited to, a direct
interconnection, an e-commerce network, a peer to peer (P2P) network, local area network
(LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application
Protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, and such. The first network and the second network may either
be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different
25 types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the first network and the
second network may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers,
computing devices, storage devices, etc.
30
[0062] In an example embodiment, the processor 512 may be configured to
communicate with a memory 524 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc.) via a storage interface 518. The
storage interface 518 may connect to memory 524 including, without limitation, memory
drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced
35 technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal
19
Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory
drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive,
Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives,
etc.
[0063] The memory 524 may store a collection of program or database 5 components,
including, without limitation, user interface 534, an operating system 536, web browser 532
etc. In an example embodiment, computer system 502 may store user/application data, such as,
the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be
implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or
10 Sybase®.
[0064] The operating system 536 may facilitate resource management and operation of
the computer system 500. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE
MACINTOSHR OS X, UNIXR, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY
15 SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTIONTM (BSD), FREEBSDTM, NETBSDTM, OPENBSDTM, etc.),
LINUX DISTRIBUTIONSTM (E.G., RED HATTM, UBUNTUTM, KUBUNTUTM, etc.), IBMTM
OS/2, MICROSOFTTM WINDOWSTM (XPTM, VISTATM/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLER IOSTM,
GOOGLER ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRYR OS, or the like.
20 [0065] In an example embodiment, the computer system 502 may implement the web
browser 532 stored program component. The web browser 532 may be a hypertext viewing
application, for example MICROSOFTR INTERNET EXPLORERTM, GOOGLER
CHROMETM0, MOZILLAR FIREFOXTM, APPLER SAFARITM, etc. Secure web browsing may
be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL),
25 Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 532 may utilize facilities such as AJAXTM,
DHTMLTM, ADOBER FLASHTM, JAVASCRIPTTM, JAVATM, Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs), etc. In an example embodiment, the computer system 502 may implement a
mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as
Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASPTM,
30 ACTIVEXTM, ANSITM C++/C#, MICROSOFTR, .NETTM, CGI SCRIPTSTM, JAVATM,
JAVASCRIPTTM, PERLTM, PHPTM, PYTHONTM, WEBOBJECTSTM, etc. The mail server may
utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging
Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFTR exchange, Post Office Protocol
(POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In an example embodiment, the
20
computer system 502 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client
may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLER MAILTM, MICROSOFTR
ENTOURAGETM, MICROSOFTR OUTLOOKTM, MOZILLAR THUNDERBIRDTM, etc.
[0066] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media 5 may be utilized in
implementing embodiments consistent with the disclosure. A computer-readable storage
medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a
processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for
execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to
10 perform operations or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term
“computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude
carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access
Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard
drives, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD ROMs), Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash
15 drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
[0067] According to an example embodiment, there is provided a method and an OTT
aggregator system for providing the access to the OTT content on the restricted device platform
in the OTT environment. In the present disclosure, the OTT aggregator system facilitates the
20 service provider application to match the device ID and upon matching the device ID, the OTT
aggregator system may provide the authentication token for directly accessing the OTT content
in the service provider application. Thus, the present disclosure provides a single sign-on
mechanism for viewing OTT content. Further, the present disclosure helps in accessing content
on the service provider application in the restricted device platform and manages security
25 policy. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a unified login experience across various
service provider applications without requiring separate logins. Further, as the verification
process happens at the back end of both the OTT aggregator application and the service
provider application, without any manual inputs or manual login process, the present disclosure
streamlines user experience by eliminating the need for repeated logins and maintaining
30 security through token-based authentication. Thus, increasing the security in the OTT
environment and eliminating multiple login processes in restricted device platform.
[0068] In the above example embodiments, components according to example
embodiments of the disclosure are referenced by using modules or units. The modules or units
35 may be implemented with various hardware devices, such as an integrated circuit, an
21
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), operational amplifiers, a field programmable
gate array (FPGA), and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), firmware driven in
hardware devices, software such as an application, or a combination of a hardware device and
software. Also, the modules or units may include circuits implemented with semiconductor
elements in an integrated circuit, or circuits enrolled as an intellectual 5 property (IP).
[0069] The terms “an example embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “the
embodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “some embodiments”, and
“one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)” unless
10 expressly specified otherwise.
[0070] The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereof mean
“including but not limited to”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
15 [0071] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are
mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean
“one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
[0072] A description of an example embodiment with several components in
20 communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the
contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of
possible embodiments of the invention.
[0073] When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent
25 that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a
single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein
(whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be
used in place of the more than one device or article, or a different number of devices/articles
may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the
30 features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not
explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the
invention need not include the device itself.
[0074] The illustrated operations of FIG. 5 show certain events occurring in a certain
35 order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order,
modified, or removed. Moreover, operations may be added to the above-described logic and
22
still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur
sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be
performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.
[0075] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally 5 selected for
readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or
circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention
be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application
based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to
10 be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following
claims.
[0076] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other
aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and
15 embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be
limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.
Referral Numerals:
Referral Number Description
100 Exemplary environment
102 User device
104 OTT aggregator system
106 Service provider application
108 I/O Interface
110 Processor
112 Memory
200 Detailed diagram
202 Data
204 Modules
206 Received data
23
208 Content facilitation data
210 Content access data
212 Other data
214 Receiving module
216 Content facilitation module
218 Content access providing module
220 Other modules
24
We Claim:
1. A method of providing an access to Over-The-Top (OTT) content on a 5 restricted device
platform in an OTT environment, the method comprising:
receiving, by an OTT aggregator system (104), from a user device (102) associated with
the OTT aggregator system, a request to access OTT content of a service provider application
(106) of a plurality of service provider applications (106a-n) registered with the OTT
10 aggregator system (104), wherein the request comprises a device identifier (ID) of the user
device (102);
facilitating, by the OTT aggregator system (104), the service provider application (106)
to match the device ID of the user device (102) with pre-stored device IDs, while launching a
session in the service provider application (106), wherein the device ID along with one or more
15 parameters are transmitted to the service provider application (106), prior to the launch of the
session; and
providing, by the OTT aggregator system (104), the access to the OTT content
associated with the service provider application (106) to the user device (102), by automatically
logging to the service provider application (106) through a Single-Sing-On (SSO) process,
20 based on the match.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise at least one
of a unique user identifier (ID), a service provider identifier (ID) associated with the service
provider application (106), source information of the OTT aggregator system (104) and the
25 device ID.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein facilitating the service provider application (106)
to match the device ID further comprising:
receiving an authorization call from the service provider application (106) upon
30 matching the device ID, wherein the authorization call indicates verification of the one or more
parameters;
transmitting an authentication token to the service provider application (106) by
verifying the one or more parameters based on the authorization call; and
providing the access to the OTT content by automatically logging to the service
35 provider application (106) using the authentication token.
25
4. An OTT aggregator system (104) for providing an access to Over-The-Top (OTT) content
on a restricted device platform in an OTT environment, the OTT aggregator system (104)
comprises:
a processor 5 (110); and
a memory (112), wherein the memory stores processor-executable instructions, which,
on execution causes the processor (110) to:
receive from a user device (102) associated with the OTT aggregator system (104), a
request to access OTT content of a service provider application (106) of a plurality of service
10 provider applications (106a-n) registered with the OTT aggregator system (104), wherein the
request comprises a device identifier (ID) of the user device (102);
facilitate the service provider application (106) to match the device ID of the user
device (102) with pre-stored device IDs, while launching a session in the service provider
application (106), wherein the device ID along with one or more parameters are transmitted to
15 the service provider application (106), prior to the launch of the session; and
provide the access to the OTT content associated with the service provider application
(106) to the user device (102), by automatically logging to the service provider application
(106) through a Single-Sing-On (SSO) process, based on the match.
20 5. The OTT aggregator system (104) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more parameters
comprise at least one of a unique user identifier (ID), a service provider identifier (ID)
associated with the service provider application (106), source information of the OTT
aggregator system (104) and the device ID.
25 6. The OTT aggregator system (104) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor (110) is
configured to facilitate the service provider application (106) to match the device ID by:
receiving an authorization call from the service provider application (106) based upon
matching the device ID, wherein the authorization call indicates verification of the one or more
parameters;
30 transmitting an authentication token to the service provider application (106) by
verifying the one or more parameters based on the authorization call; and
providing the access to the OTT content by automatically logging to the service
provider application (106) using the authentication token.