Method of verifying authorized use of electronic book on an information platform

• US 20040030910A1
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Culture.com Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Culture.com Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Lai, Chen-Chun
• Application Number:
  US10/423,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030910A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• 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

A method is proposed for use by an electronic-book (e-book) supplier to verify whether an information platform is authorized to open an electronic-book (e-book) file, where the electronic-book file can be either downloaded via network or directly fetched from a permanent storage medium such as a memory card or an optical disc. The proposed method is characterized by the use of the unique product identification number of a specific hardware component in the information platform, such as the information platform'"'"'s CPU serial number, as an embedded authorization identification code in each restrictively-authorized electronic-book file, so that an information platform can open a restrictively-authorized electronic-book file if and only if that information platform'"'"'s CPU serial number is matched to the embedded authorization identification code in the electronic-book file.

Claims

1. A method of verifying authorized use of an e-book on an information platform, which comprises:

performing an initial authorization setting procedure, wherein the product ID of a specific hardware component in each authorized information platform is utilized as an authorization ID code embedded in the e-book;

performing a hardware scan procedure, which is performed when the information platform is attempting to open the e-book, for scanning the hardware configuration of the information platform to obtain the product ID of the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID in the information platform; and

performing an ID comparison procedure, wherein the scanned authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID from the information platform is compared against the embedded authorization ID code in the e-book;

if unmatched, performing a decryption-inhibiting procedure on the e-book; and

otherwise

if matched, performing a decryption procedure on the e-book to allow its contents to be displayed on the information platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the initial authorization setting procedure, the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID is a CPU'"'"'s product ID in the information platform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-book is downloaded to the information platform via a network system from an e-book Web site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-book is read from a permanent data storage device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the permanent data storage device is an e-book IC card.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the permanent data storage device is an e-book CD/DVD disc.

7. An e-book authorization verifying method for use on an information platform to verify whether the information platform is authorized to open an e-book downloaded via a network system from an e-book Web site;

the e-book authorization verifying method comprising;

performing an initial authorization setting procedure, wherein the product ID of a specific hardware component in each authorized information platform is utilized as an authorization ID code embedded in the e-book downloaded from the e-book Web site;

performing a hardware scan procedure, which is performed when the information platform is attempting to open the e-book downloaded from the e-book Web site, for scanning the hardware configuration of the information platform to obtain the product ID of the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID in the information platform; and

performing an ID comparison procedure, wherein the scanned authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID from the information platform is compared against the embedded authorization ID code in the e-book downloaded from the e-book Web site;

if unmatched, performing a decryption-inhibiting procedure on the e-book; and

otherwise

if matched, performing a decryption procedure on the e-book to allow its contents to be displayed on the information platform.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in the initial authorization setting procedure, the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID is a CPU'"'"'s product ID in the information platform.

9. An e-book authorization verifying method for use on an information platform to verify whether the information platform is authorized to open an e-book from a permanent data storage device;

the e-book authorization verifying method comprising;

performing an initial authorization setting procedure, wherein the product ID of a specific hardware component in each authorized information platform is utilized as an authorization ID code embedded in the e-book recorded on the permanent data storage device;

performing a hardware scan procedure, which is performed when the information platform is attempting to open the e-book from the permanent data storage device, for scanning the hardware configuration of the information platform to obtain the product ID of the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID in the information platform; and

performing an ID comparison procedure, wherein the scanned authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID from the information platform is compared against the embedded authorization ID code in the e-book from the permanent data storage device;

if unmatched, performing a decryption-inhibiting procedure on the e-book; and

otherwise

if matched, performing a decryption procedure on the e-book to allow its contents to be displayed on the information platform.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in the initial authorization setting procedure, the authorization-specific hardware component'"'"'s product ID is a CPU'"'"'s product ID in the information platform.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the permanent data storage device is an e-book IC card.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the permanent data storage device is an e-book CD/DVD disc.