Systems and methods for licensing one or more data streams from an encoded digital media file

• US 20040143760A1
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alkove, James M., West, Cory R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• 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

Systems and methods to license combinations of one or more data streams from an encoded file including multiple data streams are described. In one aspect, the encoded file is accessed from a data source. A header is generated to specify a first group of one or more data streams for licensing independent of a second group of one or more data streams. The data stream content in the first group is not equivalent to the data stream content of the second group. A number of business rules are identified to indicate respective licensing strategies for the data streams in the first and second groups. A data file is generated to encapsulate the header and an encrypted version of the encoded media. An end-user is provided access to the data streams in the first and/or second groups via the data file and the header according to the respective licensing strategies.

Claims

1. In a computer system coupled to a data source, a method comprising:

accessing an encoded media file from the data source, the encoded media file comprising multiple data streams;

generating a header to specify a first group of one or more data streams for licensing independent of a second group of one or more data streams of the data streams, data stream content of the first group not being equivalent to data stream content of the second group;

identifying business rules to indicate respective licensing strategies for the first and second group;

encrypting at least the encoded media file to generate a data file; and

providing an end-user access to the first and/or second group via the data file and the header based on the respective licensing strategies.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the multiple data streams comprise any combination of one or more video, audio, and/or metadata data streams.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first group includes a metadata data stream, wherein the second group includes a different data stream of the data streams, the different data stream not being the metadata data stream, and wherein the metadata data stream is a value added aspect of the different data stream.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing further comprises:

communicating the business rules to a license server;

sending the data file to a content distributor; and

wherein the license server and the content distributor are part of a Digital Rights Management computing system.

5. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions executable by a processor in a computer system, the computer-program instructions comprising instructions for:

accessing an encoded media file from a data source, the encoded media file comprising multiple data streams;

generating a header to specify a first group of one or more data streams for licensing independent of a second group of one or more data streams of the data streams, data stream content of the first group not being equivalent to data stream content of the second group;

identifying business rules to indicate respective licensing strategies for the first and second group;

encrypting at least the encoded media file to generate a data file; and

providing an end-user access to the first and/or second group via the data file and the header based on the respective licensing strategies.

6. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the multiple data streams comprise any combination of one or more video, audio, and/or metadata data streams.

7. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the first group includes a metadata data stream, wherein the second group includes a different data stream of the data streams, the different data stream not being the metadata data stream, and wherein the metadata data stream is a value added aspect of the different data stream.

8. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 5, wherein the instructions for providing further comprise instructions for:

communicating the business rules to a license server;

sending the data file to a content distributor; and

wherein the license server and the content distributor are part of a Digital Rights Management computing system.

9. A computing device for licensing one or more data streams from an encoded digital media file, the computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor for;

accessing an encoded media file from a data source, the encoded media file comprising multiple data streams;

generating a header to specify a first group of one or more data streams for licensing independent of a second group of one or more data streams of the data streams, data stream content of the first group not being equivalent to data stream content of the second group;

identifying business rules to indicate respective licensing strategies for the first and second group;

encrypting at least the encoded media file to generate a data file; and

providing an end-user access to the first and/or second group via the data file and the header based on the respective licensing strategies.

10. A computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the multiple data streams comprise any combination of one or more video, audio, and/or metadata data streams.

11. A computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the first group includes a metadata data stream, wherein the second group includes a different data stream of the data streams, the different data stream not being the metadata data stream, and wherein the metadata data stream is a value added aspect of the different data stream.

12. A computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions for providing further comprise instructions for:

communicating the business rules to a license server;

sending the data file to a content distributor; and

wherein the license server and the content distributor are part of a Digital Rights Management computing system.

13. A computing device for licensing one or more data streams from an encoded digital media file, the computing device comprising:

means for accessing an encoded media file from a data source, the encoded media file comprising multiple data streams;

means for generating a header to specify a first group of one or more data streams for licensing independent of a second group of one or more data streams of the data streams, data stream content of the first group not being equivalent to data stream content of the second group;

means for identifying business rules to indicate respective licensing strategies for the first and second group;

means for encrypting the encoded media file to generate a data file; and

means for providing an end-user access to the first and/or second group via the data file and the header based on the respective licensing strategies.

14. A computing device as recited in claim 13, wherein the multiple data streams comprise any combination of one or more video, audio, and/or metadata data streams.

15. A computing device as recited in claim 13, wherein the first group includes a metadata data stream, wherein the second group includes a different data stream of the data streams, the different data stream not being the metadata data stream, and wherein the metadata data stream is a value added aspect of the different data stream.

16. A computing device as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for providing further comprise:

means for communicating the business rules to a license server;

means for sending the data file to a content distributor; and

wherein the license server and the content distributor are part of a Digital Rights Management computing system.

17. A data structure for licensing different combinations of one or more data streams from an encoded digital media file comprising multiple data streams, the data structure comprising:

a header data field for specifying first and second groups of encrypted data streams, a collection of one or more encrypted data streams in the first group not being equivalent to encrypted data streams in the second group, the encrypted data streams corresponding to the one or more data streams;

an encrypted data object data field for storing the encrypted data streams; and

wherein the header data field and the encrypted data field allow a content provider to license the one or more data streams from the encoded digital media file based on a number of business rules.

18. A data structure as recited in claim 17, wherein the multiple data streams comprise any combination of one or more video, audio, and/or metadata data streams.

19. A data structure as recited in claim 17, wherein the first group includes a metadata data stream of the multiple data streams, wherein the second group includes a different data stream of the of the multiple data streams, the different data stream not being the metadata data stream, and wherein the metadata data stream is a value added aspect of the different data stream.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising a data structure as recited in claim 17.

21. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor for;

licensing different combinations of one or more data streams from an encoded digital media file comprising multiple data streams; and

wherein the licensing is performed based at least in part on a data structure as recited in claim 17.