Copyright protection of digital images transmitted over networks

• US 20010000541A1
• Filed: 12/05/2000
• Published: 04/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kioba Processing, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Finjan Software Limited (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Goldman, Andrew, Schreiber, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for protecting digital images distributed over a network, including the steps of receiving a request from a client computer running a network browser, for an original layout page containing references to digital images therein, parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images, generating a modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data, and sending the modified layout page to the client computer. A system is also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for protecting digital images distributed over a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a client computer running a network browser, for an original layout page containing references to digital images therein;

parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images;

generating a modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data; and

sending the modified layout page to the client computer.

2. The method of

claim 1

wherein the layout page is a hyper-text markup language (HTML) page.

3. The method of

claim 1

wherein the layout page is an extended markup language (XML) page.

4. The method of

claim 1

wherein the layout page is an active server page (ASP).

5. The method of

claim 1

further comprising the step of determining characteristics of the network browser used by the client computer to issue the request.

6. The method of

claim 5

wherein the substitute data referenced in the modified layout page depends on the characteristics of the network browser used by the client computer.

7. The method of

claim 1

wherein said parsing step comprises the steps of:

locating tags within the layout page indicating references to digital images; and

identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

8. The method of

claim 1

wherein said parsing step comprises the steps of:

locating tags within the layout page delimiting protected parts of the layout page;

extracting references to digital images within the protected parts of the layout page; and

identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

9. The method of

claim 1

wherein the substitute data is pre-defined data.

10. The method of

claim 9

wherein the pre-defined data is pre-defined text data.

11. The method of

claim 9

wherein the pre-defined data is pre-defined image data.

12. The method of

claim 1

further comprising the step of deriving the substitute data from the digital images.

13. The method of

claim 12

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the digital images.

14. The method of

claim 12

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the digital images using an encryption algorithm.

15. The method of

claim 1

wherein at least one of the references to digital images is a reference to an alias for a protected digital image.

16. The method of

claim 15

further comprising the step of looking up a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

17. The method of

claim 15

wherein the protected digital image resides on a remote computer.

18. The method of

claim 17

further comprising the step of looking up an address for the remote computer and a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

19. The method of

claim 18

further comprising the steps of:

requesting protected digital image data from the remote computer, using the address for the remote computer and the file name for the protected digital image; and

receiving protected digital image data from the remote computer.

20. The method of

claim 19

further comprising the step of deriving the substitute data from the protected digital image data.

21. The method of

claim 20

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the protected digital image data.

22. The method of

claim 20

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the protected digital image data using an encryption algorithm.

23. A system for protecting digital images distributed over a network, comprising:

a receiver receiving a request from a client computer running a network browser, for an original layout page containing references to digital images therein;

a layout page parser parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images;

a layout page generator generating a modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data; and

a transmitter sending the modified layout page to the client computer.

24. The system of

claim 23

wherein the layout page is a hyper-text markup language (HTML) page.

25. The system of

claim 23

wherein the layout page is an extended markup language (XML) page.

26. The system of

claim 23

wherein the layout page is an active server page (ASP).

27. The system of

claim 23

further comprising a browser detector determining characteristics of the network browser used by the client computer to issue the request.

28. The system of

claim 27

wherein the substitute data referenced in the modified layout page depends on the characteristics of the network browser used by the client computer.

29. The system of

claim 23

wherein said layout page parser comprises:

a tag locator locating tags within the layout page indicating references to digital images; and

a protection status detector identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

30. The system of

claim 23

wherein said layout page parser comprises:

a tag locator locating tags within the layout page delimiting protected parts of the layout page;

a digital image detector extracting references to digital images within the protected parts of the layout page; and

a protection status detector identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

31. The system of

claim 23

wherein the substitute data is pre-defined data.

32. The system of

claim 31

wherein the pre-defined data is pre-defined text data.

33. The system of

claim 31

wherein the pre-defined data is pre-defined image data.

34. The system of

claim 33

further comprising a data processor deriving substitute data from the digital images.

35. The system of

claim 34

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the digital images.

36. The system of

claim 34

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the digital images using an encryption algorithm.

37. The system of

claim 23

wherein at least one of the references to digital images is a reference to an alias for a protected digital image.

38. The system of

claim 37

further comprising a file name index containing a file name for the protected digital image corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

39. The system of

claim 37

wherein the protected digital image resides on a remote computer.

40. The system of

claim 39

further comprising an address and file name index containing an address for the remote computer and a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

41. The system of

claim 40

wherein said transmitter requests protected digital image data from the remote computer, using the address for the remote computer and the file name for the protected digital image, and wherein said receiver receives protected digital image data from the remote computer.

42. The system of

claim 41

further comprising a data processor deriving substitute data from the protected digital image data.

43. The system of

claim 42

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the protected digital image data.

44. The system of

claim 42

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the protected digital image data using an encryption algorithm.

45. A method for protecting digital images distributed over a network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a client computer;

submitting the request to a server computer;

receiving an original layout page containing references to digital images therein from the server computer;

parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images;

generating a modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data; and

sending the modified layout page to the client computer.

46. The method of

claim 45

further comprising the steps of:

appending an identifier to the request;

authenticating the request based on the identifier; and

removing the identifier from the request.

47. The method of

claim 46

further comprising the step of randomly generating the identifier.

48. The method of

claim 45

further comprising the step of dynamically generating the original layout page.

49. The method of

claim 45

wherein the layout page is a hyper-text markup language (HTML) page.

50. The method of

claim 45

wherein the layout page is an extended markup language (XML) page.

51. The method of

claim 45

wherein the layout page is an active server page (ASP).

52. The method of

claim 45

wherein said parsing step comprises the steps of:

locating tags within the layout page indicating references to digital images; and

identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

53. The method of

claim 45

wherein said parsing step comprises the steps of:

locating tags within the layout page delimiting protected parts of the layout page;

extracting references to digital images within the protected parts of the layout page; and

identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

54. The method of

claim 45

wherein the substitute data is pre-defined image data.

55. The method of

claim 46

further comprising the step of deriving the substitute data from the digital images.

56. The method of

claim 55

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the digital images.

57. The method of

claim 55

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the digital images using an encryption algorithm.

58. The method of

claim 45

wherein at least one of the references to digital images is a reference to an alias for a protected digital image.

59. The method of

claim 58

further comprising the step of looking up a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

60. The method of

claim 58

wherein the protected digital image resides on a remote computer.

61. The method of

claim 60

further comprising the step of looking up an address for the remote computer and a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

62. The method of

claim 61

further comprising the steps of:

requesting protected digital image data from the remote computer, using the address for the remote computer and the file name for the protected digital image; and

receiving protected digital image data from the remote computer.

63. The method of

claim 62

further comprising the step of deriving the substitute data from the protected digital image data.

64. The method of

claim 63

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the protected digital image data.

65. The method of

claim 63

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the protected digital image data using an encryption algorithm.

66. A system for protecting digital images distributed over a network, comprising:

a receiver receiving a request from a client computer and receiving an original layout page containing references to digital images therein from a server computer;

a transmitter submitting the request to the server computer and sending a modified layout page to the client computer;

a layout page parser parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images; and

a layout page generator generating the modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data.

67. The system of

claim 66

further comprising:

a request modifier appending an identifier to the request and removing the identifier from the request; and

a request authenticator authenticating the request based on the identifier.

68. The system of

claim 67

further comprising an identifier generator randomly generating the identifier.

69. The system of

claim 66

further comprising an interpreter dynamically generating the original layout page.

70. The system of

claim 66

wherein the layout page is a hyper-text markup language (HTML) page.

71. The system of

claim 66

wherein the layout page is an extended markup language (XML) page.

72. The system of

claim 66

wherein the layout page is an active server page (ASP).

73. The system of

claim 66

wherein said layout page parser comprises:

a tag locator locating tags within the layout page indicating references to digital images; and

a protection status detector identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

74. The system of

claim 66

wherein said layout page parser comprises:

a tag locator locating tags within the layout page delimiting protected parts of the layout page;

a digital image detector extracting references to digital images within the protected parts of the layout page; and

a protection status detector identifying protection status of the digital images, based on information in a protection status database.

75. The system of

claim 66

wherein the substitute data is pre-defined image data.

76. The system of

claim 66

further comprising a data processor deriving substitute data from the digital images.

77. The system of

claim 76

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the digital images.

78. The system of

claim 76

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the digital images using an encryption algorithm.

79. The system of

claim 66

wherein at least one of the references to digital images is a reference to an alias for a protected digital image.

80. The system of

claim 79

further comprising a file name index containing a file name for the protected digital image corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

81. The system of

claim 79

wherein the protected digital image resides on a remote computer.

82. The system of

claim 81

further comprising an address and file name index containing an address for the remote computer and a file name for the protected digital image, corresponding to the alias for the protected digital image.

83. The system of

claim 82

wherein said transmitter requests protected digital image data from the remote computer, using the address for the remote computer and the file name for the protected digital image, and wherein said receiver receives protected digital image data from the remote computer.

84. The system of

claim 83

further comprising a data processor deriving substitute data from the protected digital image data.

85. The system of

claim 84

wherein the substitute data is watermarked data derived from the protected digital image data.

86. The system of

claim 84

wherein the substitute data is encrypted data derived from the protected digital image data using an encryption algorithm.