METHOD OF PROTECTION OF DATE REPRODUCTION, AND REPRODUCTION APPARATUS PROVIDING PROTECTION OF DATA REPRODUCTION

• US 20010006534A1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Published: 07/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Takayuki Sugahara
• Inventors: SUGAHARA, TAKAYUKI
• Granted Patent: US 7,010,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• 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 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/806 : with processing of the sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 : Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

In a reproduction apparatus, for reproducing an original signal conveyed as main data by a data medium such as a recording disk or broadcasting system, with medium protection data which are specific to the data medium being conveyed together with the main data, the apparatus includes a section for generating apparatus protection data which are specific to the reproduction apparatus, a section for combining the apparatus protection data with the medium protection data to define a protection level, and a section for applying the protection level to restrict reproduction of the original signal, with stepwise variations in restriction occurring in accordance with changes in protection level. The medium protection data may include information for specifying restricted reproduction of portions of the original signal, such as by producing degraded resolution within specified regions of specified frames of a video signal.

Claims

1. A reproduction protection method comprising:

attaching medium protection data, which are specific to a data medium, to main data which represent an original signal, and conveying said medium protection data and main data by said data medium;

supplying said main data and medium protection data via said data medium to a reproduction apparatus;

generating apparatus protection data which are specific to said reproduction apparatus, within said reproduction apparatus;

determining a protection level by combining the medium protection data and the apparatus protection data; and

controlling said reproduction apparatus to utilize said main data to reproduce said original signal in accordance with said protection level.

2. A reproduction apparatus providing reproduction protection, for operating on main data which are conveyed by a data medium and represent an original signal and on medium protection data which are specific to said data medium and are conveyed by said data medium, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating apparatus protection data which are specific to said reproduction apparatus;

means for defining a protection level based on said medium protection data and apparatus protection data in combination; and

means for executing reproduction of said original signal by utilizing said main data, including means for selectively restricting said reproduction in accordance with said protection level.

3. A reproduction apparatus providing reproduction protection, for operating on main data which are conveyed by a data medium and represent an original signal and on medium protection data which are specific to said data medium and are conveyed by said data medium, the apparatus comprising:

means (10, 11) for detecting said medium protection data to obtain a medium protection signal expressing said medium protection level;

means (12) for generating an apparatus protection signal expressing an apparatus protection level which has been assigned to said reproduction apparatus;

means (13) responsive to said medium protection signal and apparatus protection signal for determining a final protection level in accordance with a combination of said medium protection level and apparatus protection level, and generating a final protection level signal expressing said final protection level;

means (15) for utilizing said main data to execute reproduction of said original signal, including means (14) responsive to said final protection level signal for selectively restricting said reproduction in accordance with said final protection level.

4. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said main data are conveyed by said data medium after having been compressed and encoded, wherein said reproduction apparatus includes means (15a, 15b, 15c) for decoding and means for decompressing said main data, and wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal comprise means for controlling at least one of said decoding means and said decompressing means in accordance with said final protection level.

5. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said main data comprise video data which are conveyed by said data medium after having been compressed by applying a transform operation upon each of fixed-size blocks of pixel values within each frame of a video signal, wherein said decompressing means includes means (15c) for applying an inverse transform operation, and wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal serves to selectively eliminate specific ones of a plurality of transform coefficients utilized in executing said inverse transform operation.

6. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said main data are conveyed by said data medium after having been compressed, quantized and encoded, wherein said reproduction apparatus includes means (15b) for dequantizing said main data, and wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal comprise means for controlling said dequantizing means in accordance with said final protection level.

7. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal comprise means (52, 62) for periodically omitting selected portions of said main data from use by said reproduction control means in reproducing said original signal.

8. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein each of said selected portions comprises at least one digital data sample.

9. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein said main data express a digital video signal, and wherein each of said selected portions comprises at least one video signal frame.

10. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal comprises gradation control means (51, 63) for selectively varying a number of signal amplitude gradations which can be expressed by each data sample of said main data.

11. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said means for selectively restricting reproduction of the original signal comprises controllable digital low-pass filter means (61) for filtering said main data, to thereby controllably vary a bandwidth of a reproduced original signal obtained from said apparatus.

12. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, wherein said medium protection data specify a medium protection level and protection position information, and wherein said protection position information specifies a portion of said main data which is to subjected to reproduction restriction in accordance with said final protection level.

13. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 12

, wherein said main data comprise a digital video signal, and wherein said protection position information specifies at least one region within each of a plurality of frames of said video signal.

14. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 3

, further comprising protection severity modification means, operable for modifying said final protection level which is determined by said combination of medium protection data and apparatus protection data, to obtain a modified final protection level.

15. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 14

, wherein said severity modification means comprise a manually operable switch (31) provided on said reproduction apparatus, and severity modification circuit means (30) coupled to said switch and coupled to receive a signal representing said final protection level, for modifying said final protection level in accordance with a setting position of said switch and thereby producing an output signal expressing a modified final protection level.

16. A reproduction apparatus according to

claim 15

, wherein said final protection level has a value which defines one of a plurality of successively increasing degrees of restriction of reproduction of said original signal, extending between a minimum and a maximum degree of restrictions and wherein said severity modification means is responsive to a change in said setting position of the switch for changing only said minimum degree of restriction.

17. A data medium for transferring main data representing an original signal to a reproduction apparatus, to reproduce said original signal by said reproduction apparatus, wherein said data medium further transfers medium protection data which are specific to said data medium and wherein said reproduction apparatus generates apparatus protection data which are specific to said reproduction apparatus, said medium protection data and apparatus protection data in combination specifying a degree of restriction on said reproduction of the original signal by said reproduction apparatus.