Patent ID: 8209260

Claim:
A method for a content directory server (CDS) to provide content in a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network, the method comprising: storing a user's log-in ID and password in a user information management unit section of the CDS; receiving, by the CDS, a first request for content from a control point; transmitting, by the CDS, at least a first uniform resource locator (URL) and a second URL associated with the content, wherein the first URL comprises a URL for a common gate interface (CGI), and the second URL comprises a content sample URL; receiving, by the CDS, a second request for the content comprising one of the first URL and the second URL from a media rendering device; determining, by the CDS, based on the URL of the second request for the content, whether the content is stored in the CDS; and based on the determining, performing, by the media server, steps comprising: executing the CGI of the URL of the second request for the content; obtaining the user's log-in ID and password from the user information management unit section; performing an authentication at a content purchase site using the log-in and password, and receiving the content from the content purchase site and transmitting the content to the media rendering device.