Method and apparatus for playing content

• US 20050005104A1
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Darwin Mitchel Hanks
• Original Assignee: Darwin Mitchel Hanks
• Inventors: Hanks, Darwin Mitchel
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• 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: H04L 2209/12 Details relating to cryptographic hardware or logic circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for playing content. In one embodiment, an identification key is generated. The identification key is encrypted and transmitted to a playback drive. Encrypted content containing a content identification key is received. If the content identification key matches the identification key that was generated, the content is decrypted and played.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating an identification key;

encrypting the identification key;

transmitting the encrypted identification key to a playback drive;

in response to the transmitting, receiving encrypted content containing a content identification key;

if the content identification key matches the identification key, decrypting the encrypted content to expose content, and playing the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the content comprises driving a graphics card of a personal computer monitor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the content comprises driving a video display component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the content comprises driving an audio component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting the identification key comprises:

receiving a session key;

configuring a programmable hardware using the session key to produce a first configuration of the programmable hardware; and

using the first configuration of the programmable hardware to encrypt the identification key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein decrypting the encrypted content comprises:

configuring a programmable hardware with a first configuration by using a content access key and the identification key;

using the first configuration of the programmable hardware to decrypt the encrypted content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the programmable hardware comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

8. A method comprising:

receiving an encrypted identification key from a playback device;

decrypting the encrypted identification key to expose an identification key;

inserting the identification key into at least one location of content;

encrypting the content containing the identification key; and

transmitting the encrypted content to the playback device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein decrypting comprises:

configuring a programmable hardware with a first configuration;

using the first configuration of the programmable hardware to decrypt the encrypted identification key.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein inserting the identification key comprises:

configuring a programmable hardware with a first configuration;

using the first configuration of the programmable hardware to insert the identification key into at least one location of the content.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein encrypting comprises configuring a programmable hardware with a first configuration;

and using the first configuration of the programmable hardware to encrypt the content containing the identification key.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the playback device comprises one of a stereo, a television, and a computer monitor.

13. A method comprising:

configuring a programmable hardware using a content access key;

streaming encrypted content through the configured programmable hardware;

if a content identification key associated with the content does not match a device identification key, disabling the streaming.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising if the content identification key matches the device identification key, decrypting the encrypted content using the configured programmable hardware.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising converting the decrypted content to analog and playing the converted content.

16. A playback device comprising:

an identification key generator;

an interface to transmit an encrypted identification key and to receive encrypted content embedded with a content identification key;

an encryption device to encrypt the identification key, the encryption device further to decrypt the encrypted content if the content identification key matches the identification key; and

a play mechanism to play decrypted content.

17. The playback device of claim 16, further comprising a digital to analog converter to convert the content to analog format, and wherein the display device displays the content in analog form.

18. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the encryption device comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

19. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the play mechanism comprises one of a stereo component, a television, and a computer monitor.

20. A system comprising:

a playback device to transmit an encrypted identification key to a playback drive and to receive encrypted content from the playback drive, the playback device including an identification key generator to generate an identification key, a first encryption device to encrypt the identification key and to decrypt the encrypted content if a content identification key received with the encrypted content matches the identification key, and a play mechanism to play decrypted content; and

the playback drive, the playback drive to receive the encrypted identification key from the playback device and to transmit the encrypted content to the playback device, the playback drive including a second encryption device, the second encryption device to decrypt the encrypted identification key, to insert the identification key into at least one location of content, and to encrypt the content containing the identification key.