Digital contents distribution system and digital contents distribution method

• US 20030046367A1
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Nobuyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/227,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0263 based upon Internet or website rating
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00811 wherein said number is encoded as a cryptographic token or ticket
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00855 involving a step of exchanging information with a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• 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 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

A digital contents distribution system according to the present invention includes a contents server that distributes contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal, the client terminal that reproduces the contents, and a management server that controls the contents server. The contents server embeds digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes and the plurality of chapters, the digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter. The client terminal detects and records the digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents are being reproduced. The management server references the digital watermarks recorded by the client terminal to control the contents server.

Claims

1. A contents server distributing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal, said contents server comprising:

means for embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes and the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter; and

means for encoding the digital contents into which the digital watermarks have been embedded.

5. The contents server according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents are provided to said client terminal as streaming data.

6. The contents server according to claim 1, wherein said digital contents are stored in a package medium before being provided to said client terminal.

2. A client terminal reproducing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters, comprising:

detecting means for detecting digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents when the digital contents are reproduced; and

recording means for recording the digital watermarks detected by said detecting means when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped.

3. The client terminal according to claim 2, wherein the digital contents are leaning materials and, based on the digital watermarks recorded on said recording means, a learning level of the leaning materials is investigated.

4. The client terminal according to claim 3, wherein said digital contents are advertisements and, based on the digital watermarks recorded on said recording means, an audience rating of the advertisements is investigated.

7. A digital contents distribution system comprising a contents server that distributes digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal and the client terminal that reproduces the digital contents, wherein

said contents server comprises:

means for embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes and the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter; and

means for encoding the digital contents into which the digital watermarks have been embedded, and

wherein said client terminal comprises;

detecting means for detecting digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents sent from said contents server are being reproduced; and

recording means for recording the digital watermarks when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped, said digital watermarks being detected by said detecting means.

8. A digital contents distribution system comprising a contents server that distributes digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal, the client terminal that reproduces the digital contents, and a management server that controls said contents server, wherein

said contents server comprises:

means for embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes and the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter; and

means for encoding the digital contents into which the digital watermarks have been embedded,

wherein said client terminal comprises;

detecting means for detecting the digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents are being reproduced;

recording means for recording the digital watermarks detected by said detecting means; and

sending means for sending the digital watermarks detected by said detecting means to said management server, and

wherein said management server references the digital watermarks sent from said client terminal to control digital contents distribution performed by said contents server.

10. The digital contents distribution system according to claim 8 or 9,

wherein said management server sends ticket data to said client terminal in response to a data request from said client terminal.

11. The digital contents distribution system according to claim 10, wherein said client terminal sends the ticket data as well as the digital watermarks to said management server.

9. A digital contents distribution system comprising a contents server that distributes digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal, the client terminal that reproduces the digital contents, and a management server that manages said contents server,

wherein said contents server comprises:

means for embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes or the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter; and

means for encoding the digital contents into which the digital watermarks have been embedded,

wherein said client terminal comprises;

detecting means for detecting the digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents sent from said contents server are being reproduced; and

recording means for recording the digital watermarks detected by said detecting means when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped; and

wherein said management server references the digital watermarks sent from said client terminal to instruct said contents server to distribute a part of the digital contents not yet reproduced.

12. A digital contents distribution method for distributing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters to a client terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes or the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter; and

encoding the digital contents into which the digital watermarks have been embedded.

16. The digital contents distribution method according to claim 12, wherein said digital contents are provided to said client terminal as streaming data.

17. The digital contents distribution method according to claim 12, wherein said digital contents are stored in a package medium before being provided to said client terminal.

13. A digital contents reproduction method for reproducing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents when the digital contents are reproduced; and

when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped, recording the detected digital watermarks.

14. The digital contents reproduction method according to claim 13, wherein the digital contents are leaning materials and, based on the recorded digital watermarks, a learning level of the leaning materials is investigated.

15. The digital contents reproduction method according to claim 13, wherein said digital contents are advertisements and, based on the recorded digital watermarks, an audience rating of the advertisements is investigated.

18. A digital contents distribution/reproduction method for distributing and reproducing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters, said method comprising the steps of:

embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes or the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter;

detecting the digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents in which the digital watermarks are embedded are being reproduced; and

when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped, recording the detected digital watermarks.

19. A digital contents distribution/reproduction method for distributing and reproducing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters, said method comprising the steps of:

embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes and the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter;

detecting the digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents white the digital contents in which the digital watermarks are embedded are being reproduced;

recording the detected digital watermarks; and

referencing the detected digital watermarks to control the distribution of the digital contents.

20. A digital contents distribution/reproduction method for distributing and reproducing digital contents composed of a plurality of scenes or a plurality of chapters, said method comprising the steps of:

embedding digital watermarks into the plurality of scenes or the plurality of chapters, said digital watermarks differing from scene to scene or from chapter to chapter;

detecting digital watermarks embedded in the digital contents while the digital contents in which the digital watermarks are embedded are being reproduced;

when a reproduction of the digital contents is stopped, recording the detected digital watermarks; and

referencing the detected digital watermarks to distribute a part of the digital contents not yet reproduced.