Systems and methods for video storage and display

• US 20050091681A1
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bruce Borden, Russell Brand
• Original Assignee: Bruce Borden, Russell Brand
• Inventors: Borden, Bruce, Brand, Russell
• Application Number:
  US10/967,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/31
• 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 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00231 wherein the key is obtained from a local external medium, e.g. a card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00717 wherein accounting and payment are postponed, e.g. until the player can establish a network connection to the service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42669 the medium being removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Systems and methods for cost effectively making video content available to users are disclosed. In particular, a prescient abundant viewer (PAW) is described. A PAW includes a content receiver, a media vault encoder, a media vault interface, a media vault decoder, a digital rights management module and an access rights module. A PAW stores and accesses content on a media vault. A PAW includes a smart card reader to support a plethora of authentication, billing, and access privilege scenarios. In another embodiment, a PAW includes a media vault interface and a media vault decoder. According to an embodiment of the invention, a media vault includes a high capacity IDE drive with special encoding to support sophisticated digital rights management and access rights management. Methods are provided for the storing, distribution and viewing of digital content stored on a media vault.

Claims

1. A system for providing access to content, comprising:

(a) a content receiver that receives content from a source;

(b) a media vault encoder that encodes said content onto a media vault;

(c) a media vault interface that provides an interface for inserting a media vault into said system; and

(d) a media vault decoder that decodes compressed data stored on a media vault.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a digital rights management module that ensures intellectual property protection of content contained on a media vault.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an access rights module that enables content owners to manage usage privileges.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a smart card interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a media vault includes an IDE disk drive.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a media vault includes an iVDR removable disk package.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a media vault is public-key enabled, wherein data content can not be viewed without a proper key.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said media vault has a tamper-resistant timesource that allows stored images to be reliably time-stamped.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said media vault decoder recognizes private keys associated with video input sources to ensure that videos are viewed only upon entry of a valid private key corresponding to the stored video.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said source is a cable television network, satellite system, VCR player or DVD player.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said content is movies, television shows, slide shows, a collection of still images, books, textual materials, computer programs, video games, scientific databases, engineering tables, product catalogs, regulatory updates, industry directories, phone books, music videos, music audio tracks, audio books, recorded radio programs, technical manuals, scripts or legal documents.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said movies includes a movie header comprising a movie genre, movie title, movie duration, pricing information, or access privilege levels for each movie.

13. A system for providing access to content, comprising:

(a) a media vault interface that provides an interface for inserting a media vault into said system; and

(b) a media vault decoder that decodes compressed data stored on a media vault.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a digital rights management module that ensures intellectual property protection of content contained on a media vault.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising an access rights module that enables content owners to manage usage privileges.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a smart card interface.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein a media vault includes an IDE disk drive.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein a media vault includes an iVDR removable disk package.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein a media vault is public-key enabled, wherein data content can not be viewed without a proper key.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein said media vault decoder recognizes private keys associated with video input sources to ensure that videos are viewed only upon entry of a valid private key corresponding to the stored video.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein said content is movies, television shows, slide shows, a collection of still images, books, textual materials, computer programs, video games, scientific databases, engineering tables, product catalogs, regulatory updates, industry directories, phone books, music videos, music audio tracks, audio books, recorded radio programs, technical manuals, scripts or legal documents.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said movies includes a movie header comprising a movie genre, movie title, movie duration, pricing information, or access privilege levels for each movie.

23. A method for viewing content stored on a media vault, comprising:

(a) selecting a media vault with data content;

(b) inserting the media vault into a viewer;

(c) inserting a smart card into the viewer;

(d) selecting content to be viewed from the media vault;

(e) deciding whether to pay for the content to be viewed; and

(f) viewing the selected content.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein step (a) selecting a media vault with data content occurs at a retail store.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein step (a) data content is preloaded onto the media vault.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein step (a) further comprises determining the data to be loaded onto a media vault.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein step (e) further comprises responding to a price displayed on a monitor to view the selected content.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein step (f) further comprises paying for the selected content when the selected content is viewed.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein step (f) further comprises authorizing a debit from a smart card.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising adding commentary, subtitles, translations to content without disturbing the original content.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising adding bookmarks.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the data content is movies, television shows, slide shows, a collection of still images, books, textual materials, computer programs, video games, scientific databases, engineering tables, product catalogs, regulatory updates, industry directories, phone books, music videos, music audio tracks, audio books, recorded radio programs, technical manuals, scripts or legal documents.

33. A method to store video onto a media vault when content is continuously transmitted, comprising:

(a) providing an interface to a user to select content to be delivered to a media vault;

(b) authenticating the user;

(c) receiving user selections for content to be loaded to a media vault;

(d) encoding the content selected to a media vault;

(e) delivering the media vault to the user; and

(f) requiring user authentication to allow the user to access content on the media vault.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein step (a) the interface is provided through the Internet.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein step (a) the content is movies, wherein the movies are organized based on movie genre, lead actor, or date of original release.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein step (b) authenticating the user is conducted by validating a user provided pin number, credit card number or password.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein step (e) delivering the media vault is done by a courier service.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein step (e) further comprises encoding encrypted authentication information on the media vault, wherein said authentication information includes user credit card or biometric information.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the content is movies, television shows, slide shows, a collection of still images, books, textual materials, computer programs, video games, scientific databases, engineering tables, product catalogs, regulatory updates, industry directories, phone books, music videos, music audio tracks, audio books, recorded radio programs, technical manuals, scripts or legal documents.

40. A method to store data content onto a media vault using Internet connections, comprising:

(a) receiving one or more data content streams;

(b) determining whether data within a data content stream should be stored;

(c) determining whether authorization exists to store a requested data content stream;

(d) recording a selected data content stream onto the media vault;

(e) updating an index for the media vault to reflect the selected data content recorded in step (d); and

(f) determining whether to monitor for additional data content streams to be recorded.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein step (a) the data content stream is a video stream.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein step (a) receiving one or more data content streams occurs serially.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein step (a) receiving one or more data content streams occurs in parallel.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving random data blocks of the one or more data content streams on multiple channels in a spread spectrum-like fashion.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein step (d) multiple data content streams are recorded.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein the content is movies, television shows, slide shows, a collection of still images, books, textual materials, computer programs, video games, scientific databases, engineering tables, product catalogs, regulatory updates, industry directories, phone books, music videos, music audio tracks, audio books, recorded radio programs, technical manuals, scripts or legal documents.

47. A method for distributing video content on a media vault through a retail store, comprising:

(a) selecting one or more video categories;

(b) recording video content from the selected video categories onto a media vault;

(c) encoding digital management rights into the media vault;

(d) authenticating a potential user;

(e) encoding usage permissions into a media vault or into a potential user'"'"'s smart card; and

(f) renting a media vault to the potential user.