Prior art — US Patent 9043481

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 9043481, I will examine the patent citations listed within the patent document. The "Citations" section of the patent on Google Patents provides a comprehensive list of both patent and non-patent literature considered by the examiner. I will focus on the patent citations for potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Here's an analysis of the patent citations listed for US9043481:

Patent Citations and Potential Anticipation

For each cited patent, I will provide the full citation, publication/filing date, a brief description of its relevance based on its title and abstract (where available within the provided patent text), and an assessment of which claim(s) of US9043481 it potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 occurs when a single prior art reference discloses every element of a claimed invention.

US20010045451A1
- Full Citation: US20010045451A1, "Method and system for token-based authentication"
- Publication Date: 2001-11-29
- Filing Date: 2000-02-28
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and system for token-based authentication. Given the title, it likely involves using tokens for secure access, a core concept in US9043481.
- Potential Anticipation: This reference could potentially anticipate aspects of Claims 1, 5, and 9 related to the generation and use of tokens for access control, particularly if it details the creation of unique tokens based on an initial authorization and for multiple devices. The specific details of how its tokens are generated and what information they contain would be critical.
US6360254B1
- Full Citation: US6360254B1, "System and method for providing secure URL-based access to private resources"
- Publication Date: 2002-03-19
- Filing Date: 1998-09-15
- Brief Description: This patent focuses on providing secure access to private resources using URL-based methods. This is highly relevant as US9043481 utilizes URLs for publishing points and includes tokens within URLs.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate aspects of Claims 1, 5, and 9, particularly concerning secure access to network content via URLs and the mechanisms for controlling that access. The generation of a token including a URL for a publishing point (as mentioned in claim 2) could be anticipated if this patent details similar methods.
US6484197B1
- Full Citation: US6484197B1, "Filtering incoming e-mail"
- Publication Date: 2002-11-19
- Filing Date: 1998-11-07
- Brief Description: This patent pertains to filtering incoming email.
- Potential Anticipation: Based on the title, this patent seems less directly related to the core token-based media access control of US9043481. It is unlikely to anticipate the claims unless there are hidden details about token-based content access within the email filtering context.
US20020177433A1
- Full Citation: US20020177433A1, "Methods and apparatus for restricting access of a user using a cellular telephone"
- Publication Date: 2002-11-28
- Filing Date: 2001-05-24
- Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and apparatus for restricting user access, specifically in the context of cellular telephones.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate the general concept of restricting access to content, but its focus on cellular telephones might distinguish it from the broader media player context of US9043481. If it describes using vouchers and generating multiple tokens for different devices from a single transaction, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US6505300B2
- Full Citation: US6505300B2, "Method and system for secure running of untrusted content"
- Publication Date: 2003-01-07
- Filing Date: 1998-06-12
- Brief Description: This patent relates to secure execution of untrusted content.
- Potential Anticipation: While it addresses security, its primary focus on "untrusted content" may differentiate it from US9043481's "managed access to media services" where content is generally trusted but access is controlled based on payment or subscription. It might anticipate general security aspects but is less likely to anticipate the specific voucher/token and multi-device access elements of the independent claims.
US20030037070A1
- Full Citation: US20030037070A1, "Streaming media security system"
- Publication Date: 2003-02-20
- Filing Date: 2001-07-31
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a security system specifically for streaming media. This is highly relevant to US9043481, which deals with managed access to network media, often streaming.
- Potential Anticipation: This could significantly anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9 if it describes a similar voucher/token system for granting account-based access to streaming media across multiple devices. The phrase "streaming media security system" suggests a direct overlap in the field of invention.
US20030061250A1
- Full Citation: US20030061250A1, "Random number generating circuit"
- Publication Date: 2003-03-27
- Filing Date: 2001-09-26
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a random number generating circuit.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent appears unrelated to the core aspects of managed media access and token generation as described in US9043481, unless the random number generation is specifically tied to the security or uniqueness of the tokens in a way not immediately apparent from the title. It is unlikely to anticipate the independent claims.
US20030093539A1
- Full Citation: US20030093539A1, "Message generation"
- Publication Date: 2003-05-15
- Filing Date: 2001-11-13
- Brief Description: This patent application describes message generation.
- Potential Anticipation: Similar to the previous, this patent's general title makes it seem broadly unrelated to the specific technical problem addressed by US9043481. It is unlikely to anticipate the independent claims.
US20030099353A1
- Full Citation: US20030099353A1, "Method of printing a document"
- Publication Date: 2003-05-29
- Filing Date: 2001-10-13
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a method of printing a document.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent appears entirely unrelated to the managed access to media services of US9043481 and is highly unlikely to anticipate any of its claims.
US20030120943A1
- Full Citation: US20030120943A1, "System and method for controlling the use and duplication of digital content distributed on removable media"
- Publication Date: 2003-06-26
- Filing Date: 2001-11-15
- Brief Description: This patent application describes controlling the use and duplication of digital content on removable media.
- Potential Anticipation: This reference is relevant to controlling digital content, similar to US9043481. However, its focus on "removable media" might distinguish it from network-streamed or downloaded content. If it discusses a voucher/token system for enabling multi-device access from a single authorization, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US6718328B1
- Full Citation: US6718328B1, "System and method for providing controlled and secured access to network resources"
- Publication Date: 2004-04-06
- Filing Date: 2000-02-28
- Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for providing controlled and secured access to network resources. This is broadly aligned with the subject matter of US9043481.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent has a strong potential to anticipate elements of Claims 1, 5, and 9, particularly regarding controlled and secured access to network resources. The critical details would be whether it employs a voucher/token system, a unique transaction ID in those tokens, and the ability to generate multiple tokens for different devices from a single authorization.
US6779115B1
- Full Citation: US6779115B1, "Portable device using a smart card to receive and decrypt digital data"
- Publication Date: 2004-08-17
- Filing Date: 2000-02-18
- Brief Description: This patent describes a portable device using a smart card for receiving and decrypting digital data.
- Potential Anticipation: While dealing with digital data and access, the explicit reliance on a "smart card" as the authorization mechanism might differentiate it from the voucher/token system of US9043481, which seems more software-based. It is unlikely to anticipate the specific claims unless smart cards are considered equivalent to "vouchers" in a broad sense, and multi-device access from a single authorization is detailed.
US20040243475A1
- Full Citation: US20040243475A1, "Method and telecommunication network for delivering and charging for services"
- Publication Date: 2004-12-02
- Filing Date: 2001-10-22
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and telecommunication network for delivering and charging for services.
- Potential Anticipation: This reference could anticipate the "transaction" aspect of the voucher in US9043481. If it details how an initial transaction leads to an authorization mechanism that then allows multiple access points (similar to the voucher/token for multiple media players), it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US6868403B1
- Full Citation: US6868403B1, "Secure online music distribution system"
- Publication Date: 2005-03-15
- Filing Date: 1998-02-06
- Brief Description: This patent describes a secure online music distribution system. This is very closely related to "managed access to media services" for network content.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent has a high potential to anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9, especially if it details a system that uses an initial authorization (like a voucher) to generate distinct access credentials (like tokens) for multiple playback devices (media players) based on a single transaction. The field of invention is almost identical.
US20050060389A1
- Full Citation: US20050060389A1, "System and method for evaluating a capacity of a streaming media server for supporting a workload"
- Publication Date: 2005-03-17
- Filing Date: 2003-09-12
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for evaluating the capacity of a streaming media server.
- Potential Anticipation: While related to streaming media servers, its focus on "capacity evaluation" is different from access control. It is unlikely to anticipate the core claims of US9043481, which deal with the authorization and token-based access mechanism.
US6948061B1
- Full Citation: US6948061B1, "Method and device for performing secure transactions"
- Publication Date: 2005-09-20
- Filing Date: 2000-09-20
  Brief Description: This patent describes a method and device for performing secure transactions.
- Potential Anticipation: This reference could anticipate the "transaction" aspect of the voucher in US9043481. If it elaborates on how a secure transaction leads to authorization and subsequent access for multiple entities or devices, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US20060059346A1
- Full Citation: US20060059346A1, "Authentication with expiring binding digital certificates"
- Publication Date: 2006-03-16
- Filing Date: 2004-09-14
- Brief Description: This patent application describes authentication using expiring digital certificates. The concept of an "expiring" element is relevant to the "time window" for tokens/vouchers in US9043481.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate aspects of Claims 2, 6, 10, 11, 13, and 14, which involve a "time window during which the token is valid" or a "timestamp identifying when the voucher expires." If the digital certificates function similarly to tokens derived from a primary authorization and can be used on multiple devices, it could also anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US20060085862A1
- Full Citation: US20060085862A1, "Method and system for authorizing multimedia multicasting"
- Publication Date: 2006-04-20
- Filing Date: 2004-10-05
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and system for authorizing multimedia multicasting. "Multimedia" and "authorizing" are key terms for US9043481.
- Potential Anticipation: This could anticipate aspects of Claims 1, 5, and 9, especially if "multicasting" implies simultaneous access to content by multiple authorized users/devices based on an initial authorization, similar to the multi-player aspect of US9043481. The details of the authorization mechanism would be crucial.
US20060095779A9
- Full Citation: US20060095779A9, "Uniform resource locator access management and control system and method"
- Publication Date: 2006-05-04
- Filing Date: 2001-08-06
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for URL access management and control. This is directly relevant given US9043481's use of URLs for publishing points and tokens.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent has a high potential to anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9, particularly concerning the management and control of access to resources via URLs. If it details a voucher/token system for multi-device access, it would be highly relevant.
US20060184997A1
- Full Citation: US20060184997A1, "Control for inviting an unauthenticated user to gain access to display of content that is otherwise accessible with an authentication mechanism"
- Publication Date: 2006-08-17
- Filing Date: 2004-01-29
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system for allowing unauthenticated users to gain access to content that typically requires authentication.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate the initial stages of gaining access to content, but its focus on "unauthenticated users" may distinguish it from US9043481's focus on a pre-validated "voucher" representing authorization. However, if the underlying authentication mechanism involves a voucher/token system for multiple devices, it could be relevant to Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US20060190616A1
- Full Citation: US20060190616A1, "System and method for aggregating, delivering and sharing audio content"
- Publication Date: 2006-08-24
- Filing Date: 2005-02-04
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for aggregating, delivering, and sharing audio content.
- Potential Anticipation: This is relevant to "media services" and "network content" as it deals with audio content delivery. If it details an access control mechanism involving vouchers/tokens for sharing content across multiple devices based on a single authorization, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US20060225138A1
- Full Citation: US20060225138A1, "End-to-end digital media entitlement system"
- Publication Date: 2006-10-05
- Filing Date: 2005-04-02
- Brief Description: This patent application describes an "end-to-end digital media entitlement system," which is highly relevant to "managed access to media services."
- Potential Anticipation: This patent has a very high potential to anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9. "Entitlement system" strongly suggests a mechanism for granting and controlling access to digital media. If it implements a voucher/token system with unique transaction IDs to enable access on multiple devices, it would be a very strong prior art reference.
US20070219908A1
- Full Citation: US20070219908A1, "Providing syndicated media to authorized users"
- Publication Date: 2007-09-20
- Filing Date: 2006-03-02
- Brief Description: This patent application describes providing syndicated media to authorized users. The concept of "syndicated media" and "authorized users" directly aligns with US9043481's focus.
- Potential Anticipation: This has a high potential to anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9. "Syndicated media" could imply distribution to multiple points, and "authorized users" points to an access control mechanism. If this system uses a voucher/token scheme for multi-device access from a single user authorization, it would be highly relevant.
US20080183628A1
- Full Citation: US20080183628A1, "System for management of alternatively priced transactions on network"
- Publication Date: 2008-07-31
- Filing Date: 1997-03-07
- Brief Description: This patent application describes a system for managing transactions with alternative pricing on a network.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate the "transaction" aspect of the voucher. However, its focus on "alternatively priced transactions" might differentiate it from the direct access control mechanism of US9043481, unless the transaction management also includes a voucher/token system for multi-device media access.
US7454356B2
- Full Citation: US7454356B2, "Completely anonymous purchasing of goods on a computer network"
- Publication Date: 2008-11-18
- Filing Date: 2000-10-24
- Brief Description: This patent describes anonymous purchasing of goods on a computer network.
- Potential Anticipation: While dealing with transactions on a network, the "anonymous purchasing" aspect does not directly align with the identified user and account-based access of US9043481. It is unlikely to anticipate the core claims.
US7603469B2
- Full Citation: US7603469B2, "Provisioning aggregated services in a distributed computing environment"
- Publication Date: 2009-10-13
- Filing Date: 2002-01-15
- Brief Description: This patent describes provisioning aggregated services in a distributed computing environment.
- Potential Anticipation: "Aggregated services" could potentially involve media services, and a "distributed computing environment" could relate to multiple publishing points and media players. If this patent details an authorization system that grants access to these aggregated services via tokens derived from a primary authorization and enables multi-device access, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US20090287837A1
- Full Citation: US20090287837A1, "Information record infrastructure, system and method"
- Publication Date: 2009-11-19
- Filing Date: 2000-07-06
- Brief Description: This patent application describes an information record infrastructure, system, and method.
- Potential Anticipation: This general title does not suggest a direct relation to media access control. It is unlikely to anticipate the independent claims without more specific details about its application to content access and token generation.
US7962415B2
- Full Citation: US7962415B2, "Performing automatically authorized programmatic transactions"
- Publication Date: 2011-06-14
- Filing Date: 2004-07-19
- Brief Description: This patent describes performing automatically authorized programmatic transactions.
- Potential Anticipation: This could potentially anticipate the "transaction" aspect and the automated nature of authorization in US9043481. If the "programmatic transactions" lead to the issuance of tokens for multi-device access to media, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US8051491B1
- Full Citation: US8051491B1, "Controlling use of computing-related resources by multiple independent parties"
- Publication Date: 2011-11-01
- Filing Date: 2007-12-10
- Brief Description: This patent describes controlling the use of computing resources by multiple independent parties. "Multiple independent parties" could be analogous to multiple media players of a single user.
- Potential Anticipation: This has a strong potential to anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9 if it details a mechanism for authorizing access to resources (e.g., media content) for multiple entities (e.g., media players) from a single initial authorization, using tokens with unique transaction IDs.
US8095972B1
- Full Citation: US8095972B1, "Secure authentication for web-based applications"
- Publication Date: 2012-01-10
- Filing Date: 2008-10-06
- Brief Description: This patent describes secure authentication for web-based applications.
- Potential Anticipation: This could anticipate the authentication aspects of the voucher validation and token generation. If it details a system that issues tokens based on an initial authentication, and these tokens can enable access to content on multiple devices, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US8281136B2
- Full Citation: US8281136B2, "Techniques for key distribution for use in encrypted communications"
- Publication Date: 2012-10-02
- Filing Date: 2005-10-21
- Brief Description: This patent describes techniques for key distribution in encrypted communications.
- Potential Anticipation: While encryption is a component of security, the core of US9043481 is access management using vouchers and tokens, not just key distribution. It's unlikely to anticipate the independent claims unless the "keys" function directly as multi-device access tokens tied to a transaction ID.
US8316091B2
- Full Citation: US8316091B2, "Content management for wireless digital media frames"
- Publication Date: 2012-11-20
- Filing Date: 2008-12-01
- Brief Description: This patent describes content management for wireless digital media frames.
- Potential Anticipation: This is relevant to "media services" and "network content." The term "content management" suggests access control. If it details a system for managing access to content on multiple wireless digital media frames using a voucher-like initial authorization and derived tokens, it could anticipate Claims 1, 5, and 9.
US8333317B2
- Full Citation: US8333317B2, "System and method for authenticating the proximity of a wireless token to a computing device"
- Publication Date: 2012-12-18
- Filing Date: 2003-09-30
- Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for authenticating the proximity of a wireless token to a computing device.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent's focus on "proximity authentication" for a "wireless token" seems distinct from the network-based, non-proximity-dependent token system of US9043481. While it uses "token," the context is different, making it unlikely to anticipate the independent claims.
US8447858B1
- Full Citation: US8447858B1, "System for improving quality of service for wireless LANS"
- Publication Date: 2013-05-21
- Filing Date: 2005-11-18
- Brief Description: This patent describes a system for improving quality of service for wireless LANs.
- Potential Anticipation: This patent appears unrelated to the core access control mechanisms of US9043481. It is unlikely to anticipate the independent claims.
US8566461B1
- Full Citation: US8566461B1, "Managed access to media services"
- Publication Date: 2013-10-22
- Filing Date: 2004-06-09
- Brief Description: This patent, "Managed access to media services," has the exact same title as US9043481. It also shares the same priority date of 2004-06-09, suggesting it is a related or continuation patent.
- Potential Anticipation: Given the identical title and priority date, US8566461B1 is highly likely to be a divisional, continuation, or continuation-in-part of the same original application that led to US9043481. Therefore, it would likely disclose much of the same subject matter and would be considered prior art only if its effective filing date (which is the same as the priority date) is earlier and it discloses elements not present in a prior common application. However, as it is a related patent from the same "family" of applications, it would likely be considered by the examiner during prosecution rather than acting as anticipating prior art against the invention itself, but rather establishing the inventive step. If it has an earlier publication date and discloses all elements of any claim of US9043481, it could anticipate that claim. However, its filing date is later than US9043481's earliest priority date, meaning it is not anticipatory prior art but rather a related patent.

Most Relevant Prior Art

Based on the titles and brief descriptions, the most relevant prior art references for US9043481 are those that directly address secure access to network content, streaming media, or the distribution of digital media with authorization controls. These include:

US20030037070A1: "Streaming media security system" - Directly addresses security for streaming media, which is a core application of US9043481.
US6868403B1: "Secure online music distribution system" - Very similar field of invention, focusing on secure online content distribution.
US20060095779A9: "Uniform resource locator access management and control system and method" - Directly relevant due to US9043481's reliance on URLs and access management.
US20060225138A1: "End-to-end digital media entitlement system" - The term "entitlement system" strongly suggests a comprehensive mechanism for managing access to digital media.
US6718328B1: "System and method for providing controlled and secured access to network resources" - Broadly covers controlled and secured access, which is fundamental to US9043481.
US8051491B1: "Controlling use of computing-related resources by multiple independent parties" - Potentially highly relevant if it describes multi-device access from a single authorization.

To definitively determine anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a detailed claim-by-claim analysis comparing the full disclosures of these prior art documents against the independent claims of US9043481 would be required. This would involve examining whether each and every element of the independent claims (Claim 1, 5, and 9), including the unique ID, the generation of separate and distinct tokens, and the capability for multiple media players from a single voucher, is explicitly disclosed in a single one of these prior art references.