Theft resistant graphics

• US 20030005302A1
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LockStream Corp. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LockStream Corp. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Searle, Scott
• Application Number:
  US10/086,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005302A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• 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]

Abstract

The addition of personally valuable information to graphical content to reduce theft of the content is disclosed. The showing of the personally valuable information within the content deters users from disseminating the content. The information may be a credit card number of the user, address information of the user, or another type of personally valuable information.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a semi-transparent graphical overlay in the corner of a video comprising:

retrieving a user'"'"'s credit card information and an electronic video file containing data representative of frames in a video,

combining the data contained in the electronic video file with the credit card information to create a new file, the new file separating the video data from the credit card information, the credit card information being stored in textual form,

encrypting at least the video data,

sending the new file from a server to a client,

decrypting, at the client, the video data stored in the new file,

rendering, at the client, the video from the video data stored in the new file, the step of rendering including placing a semi-transparent image in the corner of the video whereby the image displays the credit card information,

displaying the rendered video including the semi-transparent image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first or second personal information relates to the user'"'"'s credit card number.

2. A method of displaying a video comprising:

encrypting video signals based on first personal information relating to a user,

sending the encrypted video signals with second personal information over a network,

decrypting the video signals based on the first personal information,

rendering the video from the video signals such that the second personal information is overlaid on the video.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second personal information relate to the same user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second personal information relates to the user'"'"'s name.