Method and apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, and program executed on information processor

• US 20020166047A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Youji
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/169
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

The authentication capability of a portable terminal connected to a playback device is used to perform user authentication, thereby providing content with a sufficient reliability while only requiring a simple mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

a connecting step of connecting to a portable terminal so as to communicate data to and from a playback device containing encrypted content;

an authenticating step of authenticating the portable terminal; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating step.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said authenticating step includes authenticating the portable terminal over a telephone line.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said authenticating step includes the substeps of:

receiving, from the portable terminal, information for identifying the portable terminal and information for identifying the content to be decrypted in the playback device; and

determining whether or not the portable terminal is licensed for the content to be decrypted according to the information for identifying the portable terminal and the information for identifying the content to be decrypted in the playback device, and

wherein said providing step provides the information necessary for decrypting the content to the portable terminal when it is determined in said authenticating step that the portable terminal is licensed.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

purchasing the information necessary for decrypting the content when it is determined in said authenticating step that the portable terminal is not licensed.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the information for identifying the content to be decrypted in the playback device is received by the portable terminal from the playback device.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said providing step includes:

providing information for decoding a key for decrypting the content, said key being received by the portable terminal from the playback device.

7. An apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

connecting means for connecting to a portable terminal so as to communicate data to and from a playback device containing encrypted content;

authenticating means for authenticating the portable terminal; and

providing means for providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating means.

8. A program for causing an information processing system to execute a method of providing information for decrypting content, said method comprising:

a connecting step of connecting to a portable terminal so as to communicate data to and from a playback device containing encrypted content;

an authenticating step of authenticating the portable terminal; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating step.

9. A method of providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a first authenticating step of authenticating the playback device;

a first receiving step of receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted;

a second connecting step of connecting to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content;

a second authenticating step of authenticating the providing device;

a second receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device according to the result of the second authenticating step; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received by the providing device.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said first receiving step further includes receiving an encrypted key for decrypting the content from the playback device;

said second receiving step includes receiving information for decrypting the encrypted key from the providing device; and

said providing step includes the substeps of;

decoding the encrypted key according to the information received by the providing device; and

providing the key decoded in said decoding substep to the providing device.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising a user authentication step of authenticating a user according to a user input.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said user authentication step includes authenticating the user according to a password input from the user.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said first receiving step further includes receiving an encrypted key for decrypting the content from the playback device;

said first providing step includes the substeps of;

decoding the encrypted key according to the self-contained information; and

providing the key decoded in said decoding substep to the providing device;

said second receiving step further includes receiving information for decoding the encrypted key from the providing device; and

said second providing step includes the substeps of;

decoding the encrypted key according to the information received from the providing device; and

providing the key decoded in said decoding substep to the providing device.

13. An apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

connecting means for connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content and to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content;

authenticating means for authenticating the playback device, and for authenticating the providing device; and

control means for receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted, for receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device, and for providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received by the providing device.

14. A program for causing a portable terminal to execute a method of providing information for decrypting content, said method comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a first authenticating step of authenticating the playback device;

a first receiving step of receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted from the playback device;

a second connecting step of connecting to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content;

a second authenticating step of authenticating the providing device;

a second receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device according to the result of the second authenticating step; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received by the providing device.

15. A method of providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a first receiving step of receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted;

a determining step of determining whether or not information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained according to the information for identifying the content;

a first providing step for, if the information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained, providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the self-contained information;

a second connecting step of connecting to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content if the information for decrypting the content is not self-contained;

a second receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device; and

a second providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.

17. An apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

connecting means for connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content and to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content; and

control means for receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted;

for determining whether or not information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained according to the information for identifying the content;

for, if the information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained, providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the self-contained information;

for, if the information necessary for decrypting the content is not self-contained, receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device; and

for providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.

18. A program for causing a portable terminal to execute a method of providing information for decrypting content, said method comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a first receiving step of receiving, from the playback device, information for identifying the content to be decrypted;

a determining step of determining whether or not information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained according to the information for identifying the content;

a first providing step for, if the information necessary for decrypting the content is self-contained, providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the self-contained information;

a second connecting step of connecting to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content if the information for decrypting the content is not self-contained;

a second receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device; and

a second providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.

19. A method of providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content so as to communicate data to and from a user'"'"'s portable terminal;

an obtaining step of obtaining, from the playback device, information for identifying the portable terminal;

a second connecting step of connecting to the portable terminal according to the information for identifying the portable terminal;

an authenticating step of authenticating the portable device; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating step.

20. An apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

connecting means for connecting to a user'"'"'s portable terminal and to a playback device containing encrypted content so as to communicate data to and from the portable terminal;

authenticating means for authenticating the portable device; and

control means for obtaining, from the playback device, information for identifying the portable terminal;

for accessing the portable terminal according to the information for identifying the portable terminal; and

for providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating means.

21. A program for causing an information processing system to execute a method of providing information for decrypting content, said method comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content so as to communicate data to and from a user'"'"'s portable terminal;

an obtaining step of obtaining, from the playback device, information for identifying the portable terminal;

a second connecting step of connecting to the portable terminal according to the information for identifying the portable terminal;

an authenticating step of authenticating the portable device; and

a providing step of providing information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device to the portable terminal according to the result of said authenticating step.

22. A method of using a portable terminal to provide information for decrypting content, comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a sending step of sending information for identifying the portable terminal to the playback device;

a second connecting step of, when accessed from a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content, connecting to the providing device according to the information for identifying the portable device which is sent to the playback device;

an authenticating step of authenticating the providing device;

a receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device according to the result of said authenticating step; and

a providing step of providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.

23. An apparatus for providing information for decrypting content, comprising:

connecting means for connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content, and to a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content;

authenticating means for authenticating the providing device; and

control means for sending information for identifying the portable terminal to the playback device;

when accessed from the providing device, connecting to the providing device according to the information for identifying the portable device which is sent to the playback device;

for receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device according to the result of said authenticating means; and

for providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.

24. A program for causing an information processing system to execute a method of providing information for decrypting content, said method comprising:

a first connecting step of connecting to a playback device containing encrypted content;

a sending step of sending information for identifying the portable terminal to the playback device;

a second connecting step of, when accessed from a providing device for providing information for decrypting the content, connecting to the providing device according to the information for identifying the portable device which is sent to the playback device;

an authenticating step of authenticating the providing device;

a receiving step of receiving, from the providing device, information necessary for decrypting the content in the playback device according to the result of said authenticating step; and

a providing step of providing information for decrypting the content to the playback device according to the information received from the providing device.