PARTIAL PROTECTION OF CONTENT

• US 20020188570A1
• Filed: 03/24/1999
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Donna Coningsby
• Inventors: HOLLIMAN, MATTHEW J., LIU, ROBERT G., YEUNG, MINERVA MING-YEE, YEO, BOON-LOCK
• Application Number:
  US09/275,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188570A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/57
• 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 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• 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

In some embodiments, the invention includes a method of providing content including selecting a set of segments of content from a group of segments to be protected. The segments of the set are protected with protection that can be undone. The group of segments are transmitted. In other embodiments, the invention includes a method of receiving and processing content including receiving a group of segments of content. The set of segments in the group that are protected are identified. The protection is undone. The group of segments is played seamlessly with a media player. Additional embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of providing content, comprising:

selecting a set of segments of content from a group of segments to be protected;

protecting the segments of the set with protection that can be undone; and

transmitting the group of segments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set involves selecting at least some of the set for visual scrambling and protecting the set includes visual scrambling those segments selected for visual scrambling.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein visual scrambling involves using a key, including a remote computer number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the remote computer number is a processor number.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the set involves designating those segments to be protected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set involves selecting at least some of the set for bit encryption and protecting the set includes bit encrypting those segments selected for bit encryption.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the set involves selecting at least some of the set for visual scrambling and at least some of the set for bit encryption, wherein some of the set may be selected for both visual scrambling and bit encryption, and protecting the set includes visual scrambling those segments selected for visual scrambling and bit encrypting those segments selected for bit encryption.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a remote computer number is stored and matched against a remote computer number from a remote receiving computer during playback.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to protection, the segments include video signals.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the video signals are in an MPEG format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to protection, the segments include video and audio and both the video and audio are protected.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the protected segments involves identifying segments that have been visually scrambled.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the protected segments involves identifying segments that have been bit encrypted.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the key includes a remote computer number.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein information identifying protected segments is contained in headers.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein information identifying protected segments is contained in at least one watermark.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein information identifying protected segments is contained in data transmitted separately from the segments.

20. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein protecting the selected segments involves a key including a remote computer number.

21. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes options to select at least some of the set of segments to be visually scrambling and the protecting of the segments selected for visual scrambling includes visual scrambling.

22. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes options to select at least some of the set of segments to be bit encrypted and protecting of the segments selected for bit encryption includes bit encryption.

23. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein the user interface includes options to select at least some of the set of segments to be visually scrambled and at least some of the set of segments to be bit encrypted, wherein some of the set of segments may be selected for both visual scrambling and bit encryption, and protecting of the segments selected for visual scrambling includes visual scrambling and protecting of the segments selected for bit encryption includes bit encryption.

24. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein the content includes video signals.

25. The content providing system of claim 19, wherein the content includes video signals and audio signals.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein protecting the selected segments involves a key including a remote computer number.

29. The article of claim 28, wherein undoing the protecting of the selected segments involves a key including a remote computer number.

12. A method of receiving and processing content, comprising:

receiving a group of segments of content;

identifying a set of segments in the group that are protected if a correct key is received;

undoing the protection; and

playing the group of segments seamlessly with a media player.

19. A content providing system, comprising:

storage to hold content divided into segments;

a user interface; and

circuitry and software cooperating with the user interface to select a set of the segments to be protected and to protect the set of segments.

26. An article comprising:

a machine readable media including instructions that when executed cause a content providing system to;

select a set of segments of content from a group of segments to be protected;

protect the segments of the set with protection that can be undone; and

transmit the group of segments.

28. An article comprising:

a machine readable media including instructions that when executed cause a content providing system to;

receive a group of segments of content;

identify a set of segments in the group that are protected;

undo the protection; and

play the group of segments seamlessly with a media player.