Computer system and usage method thereof

• US 20020129262A1
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Shinichi, Kutaragi, Ken, Miura, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• 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 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00

Abstract

A computer system having a verification system for verifying whether or not optical disks are being used in an unauthorized manner comprises a plurality of computers each capable of being mounted with an optical disk storing application programs, and an authentication server capable of being connected with the computers via a network, wherein each computer has a unique device ID, each optical disk has a unique disk ID, and the server has a user database for accumulating the device ID when using the computer and the disk ID when using the optical disk, such that data is accumulated in the user database in pairs of disk ID and device ID. In the event of using the optical disk for the second time or subsequent times, data for the disk ID and data for the device ID are transmitted from the computer to the host server, thereby verifying at the host server that the usage is valid.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium; and

a second information processing apparatus capable of being connected to the first information processing apparatus via a network;

wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to receive, from the first information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium, and further the second information processing apparatus is operative to make reference to each of said received unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the recording medium.

2. A network system according to claim 1, wherein the second information processing apparatus further enables the database to accumulate either of the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus or the unique information relating to the first recording medium.

3. A network system according to claim 1, wherein the second information processing apparatus further enables the database to accumulate both of the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the first recording medium.

4. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the information within the database comprises either of the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus or the unique information relating to the first recording medium, which is pre-recorded in the database.

5. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the information within the database comprises both of the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the first recording medium, which are pre-recorded in the database.

6. A network system according to claim 2, wherein the information within the database is updated to newly accumulated information.

7. A network system according to claims 2, wherein the system is configured such that whenever unauthorized usage of the recording medium occurs, either of the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus or the unique information relating to the first recording medium is accumulated in the database.

8. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the second information processing apparatus further enables or disables processing to be performed in the first information processing apparatus.

9. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the second information processing apparatus further enables or disables the first information processing apparatus to read out a program stored in the first recording medium.

10. A network system according to claim 8, wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to transmit a permission signal for enabling processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus or an inhibit signal for disabling processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus.

11. A network system according to claim 10, wherein the system is configured such that when the results of the reference made by the second information processing apparatus indicates that information corresponding to the unique information relating to the first recording medium is accumulated in the database, the processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus is enabled.

12. A network system according to claim 10, wherein the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the first recording medium may be accumulated as interrelated information in the database, and

wherein the system is configured such that when the results of the reference made by the second information processing apparatus indicates that the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the first recording medium, received by the second information processing apparatus, match with the interrelated information in the database, the processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus is enabled.

13. A network system according to claim 9, wherein an encrypted program is stored in the first recording medium, and

wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to transmit information for decrypting the program in the first recording medium that is encrypted by the first information processing apparatus, thereby to enable reading of the first recording medium by the first information processing apparatus.

14. A network system according to claim 13, wherein the information for decrypting comprises a decryption key.

15. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the network system is connected to a third information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a second recording medium different from the first recording medium, and

wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to receive unique information relating to the second recording medium from the third information processing apparatus, in accompany with receipt of the unique information relating to the first recording medium from the first information processing apparatus.

16. A network system according to claim 15, wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to make reference to the unique information relating to the first recording medium received from the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the second recording medium received from the third information processing apparatus, and further if the same unique information as made reference to by the second information processing apparatus occur simultaneously, the second information processing apparatus enables or disables the third information processing apparatus to read out a program stored in the second recording medium.

17. A network system according to claim 16, wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to transmit, to the first information processing apparatus, information for confirmation of whether execution processing of the second recording medium to be performed in the third information processing apparatus is allowed or not.

18. A network system according to claim 17, wherein the third information processing apparatus is operable to perform the execution processing of the second recording medium when the second information processing apparatus receives consent from the first information processing apparatus.

19. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the first information processing apparatus is further capable of being mounted with a third recording medium, and

wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to transmit the unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and the unique information relating to the first recording medium, to the first information processing apparatus, after it has received each of said unique information from the first information processing apparatus, and then the first information processing apparatus enables the second recording medium to store each of said unique information.

20. A network system according to claim 19, wherein the first information processing apparatus makes reference to the unique information relating to the first recording medium as well as information stored in the third recording medium.

21. A network system according to claim 20, wherein in the event that the results of the reference made by the first information processing apparatus indicates that information corresponding to the unique information relating to the first recording medium is stored in the third recording medium, then the processing to be performed by the first information processing apparatus is enabled.

22. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the unique information relating to respective information processing apparatus is an apparatus ID.

23. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the unique information relating to respective information processing apparatus is a user ID.

24. A network system according to claims 1, wherein the unique information relating to respective recording medium is a recording medium ID.

25. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium storing the application programs is an optical disk, and the unique information relating to said recording medium is a disk ID.

26. A computer system according to claim 25, wherein the disk ID is recorded in a region within a data area or a region other than the data area of the optical disk.

27. A computer system according to claim 25, wherein the disk ID is detected by a computer based on an address of disk ID data recorded in a data area of the optical disk.

28. A computer system according to claim 25, wherein the disk ID is recorded in the disk with an organic coloring matter.

29. A computer system according to claim 25, wherein the disk ID is formed with a method using physical changes in pit rows.

30. A computer system according to claim 29, wherein the method using physical changes in pit rows uses one of change in radical direction of pit rows, change in the minor axis direction of pit size, and change in the depth direction of pits.

31. A computer system according to claim 26, wherein the disk ID is formed with a method using electronic watermarking.

32. A method of performing verification of a recording medium by utilizing a network system, wherein said system comprises a first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium, and a second information processing apparatus capable of being connected to the first information processing apparatus via a network, said method comprising the steps of:

using the second information processing apparatus to receive, from the first information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium; and

using the second information processing apparatus to make reference to each of said received unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, whereby verification of the first recording medium is performed.

33. A first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium, wherein the first information processing apparatus is capable of being connected to a second information processing apparatus via a network, and further

the first information processing apparatus is operative to transmit, to the second information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium,

whereby the first recording medium is verified by making reference to each of said transmitted information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information.

34. A second information processing apparatus capable of being connected through a network to a first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium,

wherein the second information processing apparatus is operative to receive, from the first information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium, and then to make reference to each of said received unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the first recording medium.

35. A recording medium capable of being executed by a second information processing apparatus which is connected through a network to a first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium, wherein the recording medium stores a program capable of being read and executed by the second information processing apparatus, and wherein the program comprises the steps of:

receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium; and

making reference to each of said received unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the first recording medium.

36. A recording medium capable of being executed by a first information processing apparatus which is capable of being mounted with a first recording medium and further capable of being connected to a second information processing apparatus via a network, wherein the recording medium stores a program capable of being read and executed by the first information processing apparatus, and wherein the program comprises the steps of:

transmitting, to the second information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium; and

making reference to each of said transmitted unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the first recording medium.

37. A program capable of being executed by a second information processing apparatus which is connected through a network to a first information processing apparatus capable of being mounted with a first recording medium, wherein the program is capable of being read and executed by the second information processing apparatus, and wherein the program comprises the steps of:

receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium; and

making reference to each of said received unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the first recording medium.

38. A program capable of being executed by a first information processing apparatus which is capable of being mounted with a first recording medium and further capable of being connected to a second information processing apparatus via a network, wherein the program is capable of being read and executed by the first information processing apparatus, and wherein the program comprises the steps of:

transmitting, to the second information processing apparatus, unique information relating to the first information processing apparatus and unique information relating to the first recording medium; and

making reference to each of said transmitted unique information and also to information within a database which is included in, or connected to, the second information processing apparatus and is capable of accumulating, erasing and so on of information, thereby to perform verification of the first recording medium.