Abstract:
Serving user selected content in accordance with a service policy is disclosed. The user may select content from a content source to be accessed at a mobile device. The desired content is modified as necessary such that transmission of the content complies with a policy. Alternatively, only content that complies with the policy may be made available for selection. The manner in which a policy is defined and the content provided may be determined by various factors including mobile device capabilities, user preferences, and network conditions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/002,300 entitled “Content Delivery to a Mobile Device from a Content Service” filed on Dec. 13, 2007 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/008,710 entitled “Mobile Virtual Network Operator” filed on Jan. 11, 2008. The disclosure of each co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless mobile device network services. More specifically, the present invention relates to serving user selected content in accordance with an enforcement policy. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The Internet allows users to access data remotely through a computer. Traditionally, the computer has been a desktop unit or laptop. Mobile devices now have the computing power to access data remotely and effectively function as a desktop or laptop. 
     Notwithstanding, there are numerous issues related to serving content to mobile devices. Each mobile device will have varying capabilities such as resident software applications, screen size, memory capacity, and processing power. Additionally, there are many preferences that a user may have or be subject to that when incorporated into the content serving process, limit the ability to serve content. 
     Effectively managing mobile device capabilities and user preferences would provide improved and enhanced content access on a mobile device. 
     SUMMARY 
     A system for policy based content delivery includes a mobile device, a content source, and a content server. The mobile device selects and receives content. The content source provides content selected by the mobile device to the content server. The content source modifies content selected by the mobile device prior to providing the selected content to the mobile device. The content server detects content at the content source. The content server provides a list of detected content to the mobile device for selection by the user. The content server instructs the content source to provide the content in a manner that is in accordance with a policy. 
     A system for policy based content delivery includes a mobile device, a content source, and a content server. The mobile device selects and receives content. The content source provides content selected by the mobile device to the content server. The content server detects content at a content source. The content server provides a list of detected content to the mobile device for selection by the user. The content server requests content from the content source. The content server includes a content reformatting engine to modify selected content in a manner that is in accordance with a policy. 
     A system for policy based content delivery includes a mobile device, a content source, and a content server. The mobile device selects and receives content. The content source provides content selected by the mobile device to the content server. The content source modifies content selected by the mobile device prior to providing the selected content to the mobile device. The content server detects content at a content source. The content server provides a list of detected content to the mobile device for selection by the user. The content server instructs the content source to provide the content in a manner that is in accordance with a policy. The content server includes a content reformatting engine to modify selected content in a manner that is in accordance with a policy. 
     A method for providing content in accordance with a policy includes discovering available content at a content source, requesting content located on a content source from a mobile device, processing the request from the mobile device at a content server, requesting content source to provide content in a manner that conforms to the enforcement policy, and transferring the requested content from the content source in a manner that conforms to the enforcement policy. 
     A computer program is stored on a computer readable storage medium. The program is executable by a processor for performing a method for providing user selected content to a mobile device. The method includes discovering available content at a content source, requesting content located on a content source from a mobile device, processing the request from the mobile device at a content server, requesting content source to provide content in a manner that conforms to the enforcement policy, and transferring the requested content from the content source in a manner that conforms to the enforcement policy. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary system in which metadata is sent from a variety of content sources to a content server for content discovery. 
         FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary system in which user selected content is sent from a content source through a policy based content server to a mobile device. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary system in which user selected content is sent directly from a content source with a connector to a mobile device. 
         FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary system in which user selected content is sent from a content source with a connector through an approved external proxy to a mobile device. 
         FIG. 5  depicts an exemplary method for policy based service of content. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary system  100  in which metadata is sent through a network  190  from a variety of content sources to a content server  120  for content discovery.Mobile device  110  requests content from a content source  115  as may be identified through a catalog, listing, or web pages associated with content source  115  or content server  12 . Content source  115  may include a personal computer  170  or content portal such as YAHOO! Video  150  or YOUTUBE Video  160 . 
     Content server  120  receives metadata  195  from the content source  115  and determines the information concerning the requested content such as file size, format, encoded bit rate, and DRM limitations. Policy  130  is any one or combination of service provider restrictions, mobile device capabilities, and user preferences. The content server  120  uses policy  130  to identify what type of requested content may be transferred to the mobile device  110 . 
     Policy enforcement engine  180  ensures that requested content transferred to the mobile device  110  meets the requirements of the policy  130 . This enables the service provider, for example, to enforce the service policy on the user&#39;s transmissions. The content server  120  may then instruct the content source  115  whether the requested content should be provided. 
     For example, the requested content may be a still image. The content source will send metadata  180  to the content server  120  indicating, for example, the format and file size of the still image. In this example, the still image may have a file size of 4 MB and be in the bitmap format. The content server  120  will then use policy  130  and policy enforcement engine  180  to determine whether the requested content can be provided “as is” from the content server  115 . If not, the policy enforcement engine  180  and content reformatting engine  135  may attempt to reformat the content prior to transfer to the mobile device in order to comply with policy  130 . 
     In this example, the policy  130  may limit the file size to 2 MB and the picture format to jpeg. The content server  110  will instruct the content source  115 , if possible, to provide the requested content as 2 MB jpeg file. If not available as a 2 MB jpeg, the policy enforcement engine  180  may instruct content reformatting  135  to modify the content that is available for delivery in compliance with the policy  130 . In other situations, the policy  130  may limit the bit rate at which the transfer occurs, as well as resolution, total bandwidth, and transfer protocol. 
     Policy  130  may be modified or set according to personal user preferences. The user may add additional limits on the manner in which content is or is not provided to the mobile device  110 . For example, the user can control the quality of the audio playback and the audio format to use when receiving audio content. 
     In  FIG. 1 , the personal computer  170  includes a connector  140 . The connector  140  is a software application that allows a user to configure the personal computer  170  to provide content to the mobile device  110  via content server  120 . The connector  140  may be configured by the user to allow desired folders and files on the personal computer to be accessible to the mobile device. In other embodiments, the connector  140  may be connected to other content sources. Personal computer  170 , in an alternate embodiment, may include the policy  130 , policy enforcement engine  180 , and content reformatting engine  190 . 
     The content server  120  may be configured to reformat downloaded digital content using the content reformatting engine  135 . The content reformatting engine  135  may decode, encode, transcode, or resample digital content. The content reformatting engine  135  may initiate reformatting of the downloaded content in response to a command issued by the policy enforcement engine  180  or by the mobile device  110 . Reformatting may also occur automatically according to user preferences reflected in the policy  130 . The content reformatting engine  135  may include copying a file while changing a file format from one format to another, or while changing a bit rate or resolution such that the copy has a different bit rate or resolution than the original. 
     In one example, the content reformatting engine  135  reformats an MPEG-2 encoded video file to a 3GP encoded video file by copying the MPEG-2 encoded video file and saving the copied video file in the local content store  132  as a 3GP encoded video file. In a second example, the content reformatting engine  135  reformats an AVI encoded video file having a resolution of 720 by 480 pixels to an AVI encoded video file having a resolution of 360 by 240 pixels. In another example, the content reformatting engine  135  reformats an MPEG-4 encoded video file having a frame rate of approximately 30 frames per second (fps) to an MPEG-4 encoded video file having a frame rate of approximately 15 fps. By further example, the content reformatting engine  135  reformats an MP3 encoded audio file having a bit rate of 192 kilobits per second (kbps) to an MP3 encoded audio file having a bit rate of 128 kbps. 
     The content reformatting engine  135  may also reformat the content based upon a factor dependent on the mobile device  110 , a user-selectable preference, or a preset preference. The factor dependent on the mobile device  110  may further include supported codecs (e.g., MP3 and WMA), bit rates (i.e., bits per second), sampling rates (i.e., samples per second), sample resolutions (i.e., bits per sample), and video frame rates (i.e., frames per second). The factor dependent on the mobile device  110  may also include processing power, memory size, free available memory, screen size, and screen resolution. 
     The reformatting may be performed such that the reformatted digital content transferred to the mobile device  110  corresponds to an optimal data size range as determined by factors listed above. As an example, the downloaded content may be reformatted to more compact file sizes when free available memory at the mobile device  110  is low. Alternatively, the downloaded content may be reformatted to larger file sizes when free available memory at the mobile device is high. As another example, the downloaded content may be reformatted to a lower resolution screen size when the mobile device  110  is a cellular telephone than when the mobile device  120  is a PDA. The downloaded content may be reformatted to resolution somewhat larger (finer) than the screen size resolution to allow the downloaded content to be zoomed and cropped to a reasonable degree at the mobile device  110 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts an exemplary system  200  in which user selected content is sent from a content source  230  through the policy based content server  220  to a mobile device  210 . The policy based content server  220  corresponds to the content server  120  of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, policy enforcement occurs at the policy based content server  220 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary system  300  in which user selected content is sent directly from a content source with connector  330  to a mobile device  310 . In this embodiment, the policy enforcement occurs at the content source with connector  330  as the content is not sent back through the policy based content server  320 . A content source with connector  330  may be akin to the coupling or integration of the connector  140  and personal computer  170  in FIG.  1 . A connector coupled to or integrated with the content source may perform policy enforcement at the content source. In some embodiments, content selection may bypass the policy based content server  320  and occur by and between mobile device  310  and content source  330 . 
       FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary system  400  in which user selected content is sent from a content source with connector  430  through an approved external proxy  440  to a mobile device  410 . The policy enforcement may occur at the content source  430  or the external approved proxy  440 . Use of the external approved proxy  440  may be subject to the proxy having a connector application. The approved external proxy  440  may be a server remote from the service provider. Alternately, the external proxy  440  may be a separate server located at the same data center as the content based content server  420 . 
       FIG. 5  depicts an exemplary method for policy based service of content. Step  510  is the discovery of available content on a content source. Step  520  is the requesting of content located on a content source from a mobile device. Step  530  is the processing of the request from a mobile device at a content server. Step  540  is requesting the content source to provide content in a manner that conforms to a service policy. Step  550  is the optional reformatting of the selected content as necessary to conform to the enforcement policy. Step  560  is the transferred of the requested content from the content source in a manner that conforms to the enforcement policy to the mobile device. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with a series of preferred embodiment, these descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth herein. To the contrary, the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.