Digital content store system

• US 20040205028A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prakash, Shailesh, Bill, David S., Tenneti, Sanjeev, Pringle, Todd, Milligan, Adam, Goldfarb, Solomon D., Acharya, Kamal, Verosub, Ellis
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00369 wherein a first key, which is usually stored on a hidden channel, e.g. in the lead-in of a BD-R, unlocks a key locker containing a second

Abstract

The digital content store provides users with an opportunity to purchase authorized usage of digital content, such as single or multiple music tracks, video, movies, and/or video games. The users can also buy license to a desired track for a fixed number of times, e.g. preferably the users can listen on three different machines simultaneously. Users can also burn a play list of X number of times, for example ten. The burn limit preferably applies to the play list, not the song. Mixed media capability is provided that allows the purchase of digital content and/or physical media. The digital content store system comprises a unique digital rights management system and a back-end enabling system that controls these digital rights.

Claims

1-29. -29. (Canceled)

30. A process, comprising the steps of:

sending purchase information for an asset from a client machine to a server;

sending a ticket from the server to the client machine, the ticket comprising an asset ID corresponding to the purchased asset;

sending a request for the purchased asset using the asset ID from the client machine to the server;

sending the purchased asset from the server to the client machine in response to the received asset ID;

sending a license request from the client machine to the server;

sending a license from the server to the client machine, the license comprising an asset key and usage rights associated with the purchased asset;

sending an acknowledgement of the receipt of the purchased asset and the license from the client machine to the server;

controlling usage of the purchased asset within the client machine based on the received license; and

updating the usage rights within the client machine, in accordance to the controlled usage.

31. The process of claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

saving the purchased asset to an asset store at the client machine;

attaching machine characteristics to the license; and

securely storing the license at the client machine.

32. The process of claim 31, wherein the machine characteristics comprise a unique identifier associated with the client machine.

33. The process of claim 31, wherein the machine characteristics comprise a unique machine fingerprint associated with the client machine.

34. The process of claim 31, further comprising the step of:

launching a digital content player to play the purchased asset at the client machine.

35. The process of claim 34, wherein the digital content player allows usage of the purchased asset on the client machine if the asset key and the usage rights associated with the purchased asset are present at the client machine.

36. The process of claim 35, wherein the allowed usage of the purchased asset is determined by the usage rights associated with the purchased asset.

37. The process of claim 34, wherein the digital content player prevents usage of the purchased asset on the client machine if the if the asset key and usage rights associated with the purchased asset are absent from the client machine.

38. The process Of claim 30, wherein the purchased asset comprises any of a song, an album, a video, a movie, and a video game.

39. A digital content store system established across a network to a plurality of client machines, comprising:

a plurality of encrypted assets located at a server connected to the network;

a plurality of access keys uniquely associated with each of the encrypted assets;

available usage rights associated with each of the encrypted assets;

means for selectable purchase for at least one encrypted asset at the client machines, wherein upon a purchase transaction between a client machine and the server, the purchased asset, the asset key associated with the purchased asset, and the corresponding usage rights are sent to the client machine;

means for binding the sent usage rights to the receiving client machine, wherein the encrypted asset is enabled by the asset key to be used at the client machine only if the machine-bound usage rights are present at the client machine;

means for controlling usage of the purchased asset within the client machine; and

means for updating the machine-bound usage rights within the client machine, in accordance with the controlled usage.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the usage comprises playing the enabled purchased asset.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the usage rights are updated based upon a playing of the enabled purchased asset.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the usage comprises burning the enabled purchased asset to a medium.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the usage rights are updated based upon a burning of the enabled purchased asset.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the usage comprises loading the enabled purchased asset to a digital content player.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the usage rights are updated based upon a loading of the enabled purchased asset to the digital content player.

46. The system of claim 39, wherein the encrypted purchased asset comprises any of a song, a playlist, a movie, and a video game.

47. A controllable asset system between a client machine and a content store across a network, comprising:

an encrypted asset located at the client machine;

an asset key located at the client machine, the asset key associated with the encrypted asset;

usage rights located at the client machine, the usage rights associated with allowed use of the encrypted asset;

a license bound to the client machine and associated with the usage rights;

means for internally managing usage of the encrypted asset within the client machine, wherein the asset key is conditionally usable to decrypt the encrypted asset only if the machine bound license is present at the machine, and if the use is allowed by the usage rights; and

means for updating the machine-bound usage rights within the client machine, in accordance to the internally managed usage.

51. A process, comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one digital asset;

encoding each of the received digital assets;

encrypting the encoded digital assets;

generating an asset key associated with the encrypted encoded digital assets;

establishing usage rights for the encrypted digital assets;

authorizing the usage rights of at least one of the encrypted digital assets for a user at a client machine;

sending the authorized encrypted digital asset, the asset key, and the usage rights to the authorized client machine;

binding the usage rights to the authorized client machine;

securely storing the usage rights at the authorized client machine;

providing authorized usage of the encrypted digital asset with the asset key within the client machine; and

if usage rights are affected by the authorized usage, updating the usage rights within the client machine.

52. The process of claim 51, wherein the digital assets comprise any of a song, a playlist, a movie, and a video game.

53. The process of claim 51, wherein the authorized usage rights comprise play of at least one of the encrypted digital assets on the authorized client machine.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the authorized usage rights are updated within the client machine based upon a playing of at least one of the encrypted digital assets.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein the authorized usage comprises burning at least one of the encrypted digital assets to a medium.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the authorized usage rights are updated within the client machine based upon the burning of at least one of the encrypted digital assets.

57. The system of claim 51, wherein the authorized usage comprises loading the encrypted digital asset to a digital content player.

58. The system of claim 58, wherein the authorized usage rights are updated within the client machine based upon a loading of at least one of the encrypted digital assets.