Material distribution apparatus

• US 20030046240A1
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Stone, Jonathan James, Pelly, Jason Charles, Collins, Andrew, Keating, Stephen Mark, Tapson, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00

Abstract

A material distribution apparatus, comprising a material server including a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into material to be distributed with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in the material, and a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into the material. A communications network distributes the impaired material to at least one client processor which includes an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse the impairment of the material to produce client restored material.

Claims

1. A material distribution apparatus, comprising

a material server including a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into material to be distributed, said introduced data being introduced into said material with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material, and a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into said material,

a communications network operable to distribute said impaired material to at least one client processor, wherein said client processor comprises

an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse said impairment of said material to produce client restored material.

4. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a further data introduction processor operable to introduce data into said restored material, said introduced data being introduced into said restored material with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material.

5. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data introduction processor is arranged to introduce other data which identifies a person having an interest in the material and/or which is metadata relating to the material.

6. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said other data includes a UMID.

7. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a said person having an interest in the material is the originator of said material and/or the owner of said material, the distributor, licensee or any other party having an interest in the intellectual property rights of said material.

8. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said client processor includes a viewer operable to receive data said impaired material from said communications network and to reproduce said impaired material.

9. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said material includes video material and said apparatus includes a display device for displaying said impaired material.

10. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said material impairment processor is operable to produce said impairment of said material using an impairment algorithm dependent on an encryption key, said impairment processor producing removal data corresponding to the algorithm, said impairment reversing processor being operable to reverse said encrypted impairment in accordance with said removal data.

11. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said material server comprises a seller client processor, said apparatus being configured so that material is transferrable from said seller client to the or each said client processor via said communications network.

12. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said material impairment processor is operable to produce said impairment of said material using an impairment algorithm dependent on an encryption key, said impairment processor producing removal data corresponding to the algorithm, said impairment reversing processor being operable to reverse said encrypted impairment in accordance with said removal data, and the client processor is operable to receive the removal data separately from the said material.

13. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 12, comprising a further server, the seller client being operable to provide the said removal data to the further server, and the said client processor being operable to receive the removal data from the further server.

14. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said material server comprises

a seller client processor and a transaction-server coupled via said communications network, said seller client being operable to communicate said material to said transaction-server for distribution.

15. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said seller client includes

said data introduction processor,

said material impairment processor, and

a communications processor operable to communicate, to said transaction processor, said material into which the data has been introduced and which is impaired.

16. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said transaction server includes a processor operable to store said impaired material, wherein, in response to a request from said client processor to acquire said material, said secure server is operable to communicate said impaired material to the client processor.

17. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said communications network includes the Internet, Extranet, Intranet or the like.

18. A buyer client processor operable to acquire in a material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 4, said buyer client processor comprising

an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse said impairment of said material to produce restored material, and

a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into the said restored material;

wherein the data introduction processor is operable to introduce protection data and other data into said restored material, said introduced protection data and said other data being at least difficult to perceive in the material.

19. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said protection data serves to identify one or more of:

a version of material;

an acquirer of said material; and

the buyer client processor.

20. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein the said other data is metadata relating to the material.

21. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said buyer client is operable to acquire material from a material server of the material distribution apparatus.

22. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 21, wherein said material server comprises a seller client processor, said buyer client processor being configured to receive material from said seller client via said communications network.

23. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 22, for receiving material impaired by an impairment processor, the impairment processor producing the impairment of said material using an impairment algorithm dependent on an encryption key, said impairment processor producing removal data corresponding to the algorithm, said impairment reversing processor being operable to reverse said encrypted impairment in accordance with said removal data, wherein the buyer client processor is operable to receive the removal data separately from the said material.

24. A buyer client processor as claimed in claim 23, comprising a further server, the seller client being operable to provide the said removal data to the further server, and the said buyer client processor being operable to receive the removal data from the further server.

25. A seller client processor operable to provide material in a material distribution apparatus according to claim 1, said seller client processor comprising a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into said material,

a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into the material to be distributed and to produce corresponding removal data,

a communications processor operable to communicate said impaired material and said removal data to said transaction processor.

26. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 25, wherein data includes protection data configured to allow the detection of misuse of the material.

27. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 26, wherein said data introduction processor is arranged to introduce protection data which serves to identify one or more of:

a version of said material;

the client processor; and

the acquirer of the material.

28. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 25, wherein said data introduction processor is arranged to introduce other data which identifies a person having an interest in the material and/or which is metadata relating to the material.

29. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 28, wherein said other data includes a UMID.

30. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 25, which is operable to provide material to a material server of the material distribution apparatus.

31. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 25, configured so that material is transferrable from said seller client to the or each said client processor via said communications network.

32. A seller client processor as claimed in as claimed in claim 31, wherein the impairment processor is operable to produce the impairment of said material using an impairment algorithm dependent on an encryption key, said impairment processor producing said removal data corresponding to the algorithm, said impairment reversing processor being operable to reverse said encrypted impairment in accordance with said removal data, wherein the seller client processor is operable to send removal data separately from the said material.

33. A seller client processor as claimed in claim 32, wherein said seller client is operable to provide the said removal data to a further server.

45. A data signal representing impaired material communicated between the material server and the client processor of the material distribution apparatus claimed in claim 1.

46. A computer program providing computer executable instructions, which when loaded onto a data processor configures the data processor to operate as the buyer client processor of claim 18.

47. A computer program providing computer executable instructions, which when loaded onto a data processor configures the data processor to operate as, the seller client processor of claim 25.

48. A computer program providing computer executable instructions, which when loaded onto a data processor configures the data processor to operate as, or the material distribution apparatus of claim 1.

50. A computer readable medium recorded there on information signals representative of the computer program claimed in claim 46.

2. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said introduced data includes protection data configured to allow the detection of misuse of the material.

3. A material distribution apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said data introduction processor is arranged to introduce protection data which serves to identify one or more of:

a version of said material;

the client processor; and

the acquirer of the material.

34. A method of distributing material comprising

introducing data into material to be distributed with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material,

introducing a reversible impairment into the material to be distributed,

distributing said impaired material to at least one client processor, and

reversing said impairment of said material to produce restored material.

35. A method according to claim 34, wherein the introduced data is protection data configured to allow detection of misuse of the restored material.

36. A method according to claim 35, wherein said introduced data is protection data which serves to identify one or more of:

a version of said material;

the client processor; and

the acquirer of the material.

49. A computer program providing computer executable instructions, which when loaded on to a data processor causes the data processor to perform the method according to claim 34.

37. A system for protecting material, comprising:

first apparatus including a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into material, said introduced data being introduced into said material with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material, and a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into said material; and

second apparatus including an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse said impairment of said material to produce restored material.

38. A system according to claim 37, wherein the second apparatus includes a further data processor operable to introduce data into material, said introduced data being introduced into said material with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material

39. A system according to claim 37, wherein the first apparatus is a camera-recorder for producing and recording video signals as the said material.

40. A system for protecting material comprising:

first apparatus including a material impairment processor operable to introduce data into material to be distributed with the effect that the introduced data is at least difficult to perceive in said material; and

second apparatus including an impairment reversing processor operable to reverse said impairment of said material to produce restored material wherein, the first apparatus is a camera-recorder for producing and recording video signals as the said material.

41. A system according to claim 40, wherein the second apparatus is a video signal processor.

42. A system according to claim 40, wherein the impairment processor generates impairment removal data.

43. A system according to claim 42, comprising a communications channel for transferring the removal data from the first apparatus to the second apparatus, the first and second apparatus each having a communications interface with the network.

44. A system according to claim 42, wherein the first apparatus has an interface for transferring the removal data to a secure data carrier, and the second apparatus has an interface for receiving the removal data from a secure data carrier.

51. A material distribution system, comprising:

apparatus including a material impairment processor operable to introduce a reversible impairment into the material to be distributed, the reversible impairment providing an at least partially impaired previewable version of the material;

a communications network operable to broadcast the stored material to a plurality of receivers; and

at least one impairment reversing processor coupled to a respective one of the receivers and operable to reverse the said impairment of said material to produce restored material.

52. A system according to claim 51, comprising a plurality of the said apparatus each including a material impairment processor and each coupled to the communications network.

53. A system according to claim 52, wherein the apparatus is arranged to associate an identifier with the impaired material to identify the material.

54. A system according to claim 51, wherein the said network includes a server for storing the said impaired material to be broadcast.

55. A system according to claim 51, comprising a store coupled to the said one of the receivers for storing the said material.

56. A system according to claim 55, wherein the said store is arranged to store impaired material.

57. A system according to claim 55, wherein the said store is arranged to receive restored material from the impairment reversing processor and to store restored material.

58. A system according to claim 55, comprising an impairment reversing processor coupled to the store via a communications system.

59. A system according to claim 51, further comprising a system for transferring impairment removal data to the impairment reversing processor.

60. A system according to claim 59, wherein the said communications network includes a conditional access and subscriber management system which acts as the said system for transferring impairment removal data.

61. A system according to claim 59, wherein the said material impairment processor is operable to produce the said removal data and the said system for transferring impairment removal data is operable to link the said impairment removal processor to the said material impairment processor to transfer the removal data.

62. A system according to claim 51, further comprising a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into the said material.

63. A system according to claim 62, wherein the said data introduction processor is operable to introduce data into the said material to be distributed.

64. A system according to claim 62, wherein the said data introduction processor is operable to introduce data into the said restored material.

65. A system according to claim 64, comprising a further data introduction processor operable to introduce data into the said material to be distributed.

72. Apparatus for use in the distribution system of claim 51, comprising:

an input for receiving broadcast impaired material;

a store for storing the received impaired material; and

an impairment reversing processor coupled to the said store to receive therefrom the impaired material for restoring the material.

73. Apparatus according to claim 72, comprising a communications interface for linking the apparatus to a communications network.

74. Apparatus for use in the distribution system of claim 51, comprising:

an input for receiving broadcast impaired material;

a store for storing the received impaired material; and

a communications interface for linking the apparatus to a communications network for transferring stored impaired material to a user remote from the apparatus.

75. Apparatus according to claim 74, further comprising an impairment reversing processor coupled to the said store via a communications network and the said interface to receive therefrom the impaired material for restoring the material.

76. Apparatus according to claim 72, comprising a broadcast receiver coupled to the said input for receiving the broadcast impaired material.

77. Apparatus according to claim 72, further comprising a data introduction processor operable to introduce data into the said material.

66. A method of distributing material comprising the steps of:

introducing a reversible impairment into material to be distributed;

broadcasting the stored material to a plurality of receivers; and

reversing the said impairment of the received impaired material to produce restored material.

67. A method according to claim 66, comprising the step of associating an identifier with the impaired material to identify the material.

68. A method according to claim 66, comprising storing the said impaired material for broadcasting.

69. A method according to claim 66, comprising storing the received impaired material.

70. A method according to claim 69, comprising transferring stored impaired material to a user remote from the stored material.

71. A method according to claim 70, comprising reversing the said impairment of the transferred impaired material to produce restored material.