Sending apparatus, receiving apparatus, use limit system and method of sending contents

• US 20030005311A1
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishio, Toshiro, Kitamura, Tomohiko, Kajimura, Toshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/178,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005311A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• 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

A use limit system in which only contents users who have made a viewing contract can decrypt encrypted contents and use the contents.

Use limit is set on contents on the basis of the physical features of the rightful user. The use limit system is made up of a sending apparatus for sending the contents and a receiving apparatus which removes use limit of contents sent from the sending apparatus by acquiring the physical features of the rightful user of contents.

Claims

1. A sending apparatus in a transmission system confirming that use permit information included in contents is identical with use permit information in a receiver and making it possible to use said contents, said sending apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing physical features of a contents user as said use permit information and

multiplexing means for multiplexing said physical features and contents.

2. The sending apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises scrambling means for scrambling said contents.

3. The sending apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises encryption means for encrypting said physical features.

4. The sending apparatus of claim 1 wherein said physical features include at least one of fingerprint, palm print, hand print, voiceprint, pattern of the retina, pattern of the iris, form of the face, and DNA (deoxyribo nucleic acid).

5. A receiving apparatus which comprises:

receiving means for receiving multiplexed information in which the physical features of a contents user and contents are multiplexed,

acquiring means for acquiring the physical features of the content user included in said multiplexed information,

judging means for judging whether the physical features of said contents user acquired by said acquiring means are identical with the physical features of a contents user received by said receiving means, and

removal means that makes it possible to use contents included in multiplexed information received by said receiving means if said judging means judges that the physical features are identical.

6. The receiving apparatus of claim 5 which further comprises removal means for descrambling contents if the contents included in said multiplexed information is scrambled.

7. The receiving apparatus of claim 5 which further comprises decryption means for decrypting physical features if the physical features of a contents user included in said multiplexed information is encrypted.

8. The receiving apparatus of claim 5 which further comprises a feature reader for reading the physical features of said contents user, said reader being fixable on and detachable from said acquiring means.

9. The receiving apparatus of claim 5 wherein said physical features include at least one of fingerprint, palm print, hand print, voiceprint, pattern of the retina, pattern of the iris, form of the face, and DNA.

10. A receiving apparatus which comprises:

storage means storing the physical features of a contents user as use permit information,

a sending apparatus comprising multiplexing means for multiplexing said physical features and contents,

receiving means for receiving multiplexed information where said physical features and contents are multiplexed,

acquiring means for acquiring the physical features of a contents user,

judging means for judging whether the physical features of said contents user acquired by said acquiring means are identical with the physical features of a contents user received by said receiving means, and

removal means that makes it possible to use contents included in multiplexed information received by said receiving means if said judging means judges that the physical features are identical.

11. A contents sending method used in a transmission system confirming that use permit information included in contents is identical with use permit information in a receiver and making it possible to use said contents, said sending method comprising the steps of:

scrambling contents and

multiplexing said physical features and scrambled contents.

13. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 which further comprises reading means for reading removal information from a storage medium and inputting the information into said removal means.

14. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 which further comprises operating means for inputting removal information into said removal means.

15. The receiving apparatus of claim 13 or claim 14 which further comprises removal information decryption means for decrypting removal information if the removal information is encrypted.

16. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 wherein said removal means is flag information altering means for converting use prohibiting flag information set on contents into use permitting flag information.

17. The receiving apparatus of claim 12 wherein said removal means is contents decryption means for decrypting encrypted contents.

19. The use limit system of claim 18 wherein after removing a use limit for the reproduction, said third apparatus sets a use limit for the reproduction.

20. The use limit system of claim 18 or 19 wherein said first apparatus and said second apparatus are connected via a plurality of said third apparatuses.

12. A receiving apparatus in a system handling contents provided with a use limit for the transmission, a use limit for the reproduction and a use limit for contents, said receiving apparatus comprises:

reading means for reading a removal key to remove the use limit for the contents when contents with the use limit for the transmission removed is obtained, and

removal means for removing the use limit for the contents using the removal key read by said reading means, and transferring the contents to an apparatus where the contents is used.

18. A use limit system handling contents provided with a use limit the transmission, a use limit for the reproduction and a use limit for contents, said use limit system comprises:

first apparatus for removing a use limit for transmission,

third apparatus for removing a use limit for contents when the contents with the use limit for the transmission removed is obtained, and

second apparatus for removing a use limit for the reproduction when the contents with a use limit for contents is removed.