System and methods for permitting open access to data objects and for securing data within the data objects

• US 10,644,884 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US16/138,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20190028272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00818 wherein the usage restriction limits the signal quality, e.g. by low-pass filtering of audio signals or by reducing the resolution of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00985 the trial version being of lower quality than the original version
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2351 involving encryption of additional data arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 : involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A system and methods for permitting open access to data objects and for securing data within the data objects is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for securing a data object is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for securing a data object is disclosed. The method includes the steps of (1) providing a data object comprising digital data and file format information; (2) embedding independent data into a data object; and (3) scrambling the data object to degrade the data object to a predetermined signal quality level. The steps of embedding and scrambling may be performed until a predetermined condition is met. The method may also include the steps of descrambling the data object to upgrade the data object to a predetermined signal quality level, and decoding the embedded independent data.

Claims

1. A method for providing digital information to be played by a digital player, in a scrambled form, comprising:

receiving, in an encoder, a key and digital information encoded in a first format designed for playback on a digital player, said digital information comprising digital sample and format information; and

encoding, using said encoder and said key, a portion of said format information, to thereby result in said portion encoded in a second format, to thereby result in scrambled digital information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information and said key to an address of a digital player having a key-based decoder.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising said key-based decoder using said key and said scrambled digital information to generate said digital information encoded in said first format designed for playback on said digital player;

and playing said digital information on said digital player.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising using said key to also watermark said digital information.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information and said key to an address of a digital player having a key-based decoder.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising said key-based decoder using said key and said scrambled digital information to generate said digital information encoded in said first format designed for playback on said digital player;

playing said digital information on said digital player; and

validate, decode, or validate and decode the watermark.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information to an address of a digital player, and not transmitting said key to said address of said digital player.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising said digital player playing back said scrambled digital information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said portion of said format information is less than all of said file format information.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information and said key to an address of a digital player having a key-based decoder.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising said key-based decoder using said key and said scrambled digital information to generate said digital information encoded in said first format designed for playback on said digital player;

and

playing said digital information on said digital player.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising using said key to also watermark said digital information.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information and said key to an address of a digital player having a key-based decoder.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising said key-based decoder using said key and said scrambled digital information to generate said digital information encoded in said first format designed for playback on said digital player;

playing said digital information on said digital player; and

validate, decode, or validate and decode the watermark.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting said scrambled digital information to an address of a digital player, and not transmitting said key to said address of said digital player.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein playback of said scrambled digital information using said first format results in playback of degraded version of said digital information.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encoding the scrambled digital information, to thereby result in the scrambled digital information being further scrambled.

21. The method of claim 1:

wherein encoding the scrambled digital information is performed using a different key than the encoding of the unscrambled digital information; and

wherein the portion of said format information is less than all of the format information.

17. A system for providing digital information to be played by a digital player, in a scrambled form, comprising:

an encoder, for receiving a key and digital information encoded in a first format designed for playback on a digital player, said digital information comprising digital sample and format information; and

said encoder configured to use said key and a portion of said format information, to thereby result in said portion encoded in a second format, to thereby result in scrambled digital information.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said portion is less than all of said format information.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein playback of said scrambled digital information using said first format results in playback of degraded version of said digital information.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein:

said encoder is configured to encode the scrambled digital information, to thereby result in the scrambled digital information being further scrambled.

23. The system of claim 17:

wherein the encoder is configured to encode the scrambled digital information using a different key than the encoding of the unscrambled digital information; and

wherein the portion of said format information is less than all of the format information.