Apparatus and method for reporting operation state of digital rights management

• US 20050198693A1
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Sohn, Young-chul, Choi, Yang-lim, Cho, Jung-yon
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2585 Generation of a revocation list, e.g. of client devices involved in piracy acts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reporting the operation state of digital rights management are provided. In a home network formed with control devices and a control point, the apparatus for reporting the operation state of digital rights management of the control device to the control point includes: a digital rights management (DRM) module which performs digital rights management; a state variable generation unit which receives DRM operation state information indicating the state of a DRM process currently operating, from the DRM module, and based on the received DRM state information, generates DRM state variables; and a universal plug and play (uPnP) module which by using a uPnP protocol, transmits the generated state variables to the control point.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reporting an operation state of digital rights management (DRM) of a control device to a control point in a home network formed with the at least one control device and the control point, the apparatus comprising:

a DRM module which performs DRM;

a state variable generation unit which receives DRM operation state information indicating the state of a DRM process currently operating, from the DRM module, and generates DRM state variables based on the received DRM state information; and

a universal plug and play (uPnP) module which, by using a uPnP protocol, transmits the state variables generated by the state variable generation unit to the control point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DRM state information indicates at least one of authentication beginning, authenticating, authentication failure, and authentication success by the DRM module.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DRM state information indicates at least one of key processing, key processing failure, and key processing success by the DRM module.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein if the control device is a media source, the DRM state information is generated if contents in the media source are output to another control device, and if the control device is a media renderer, the DRM state information is generated if contents in the media renderer are input to the media renderer or are rendered.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DRM state information is transmitted to the control point by using a uPnP protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the DRM state information indicates whether rights of a home network device to which the DRM module is installed is revocated.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state variable generation unit generates:

a not-authenticated state variable which indicates that the at least one control device including the DRM module is turned on;

a normal-operation state variable which indicates that the DRM module is normally operating;

an authenticating state variable which indicates that an authentication operation by the DRM module is performed; and

an authentication-failed state variable which indicates that a result of the authentication by the DRM module is a failure.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the DRM module has begun authentication, the state variable generation unit causes the not-authenticated state variable to change to the authenticating state variable.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication by the DRM module is successful, the state variable generation unit causes the authenticating state variable to change to the normal-operation state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication by the DRM module has failed, the state variable generation unit causes the authenticating state variable to change to the authentication-failed state variable.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein when the DRM state information indicates an authentication finishing condition of the at least one control device, the state variable generation unit causes the normal-operation state variable to change to the not-authenticated state variable.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the state variable generation unit further generates:

a key-processing state variable which indicates that a key processing operation by the DRM module is performed; and

a key-processing-failure state variable which indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module is a failure.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the DRM operation state information indicates that the authentication operation by the DRM module is successful, the state variable generation unit causes the authenticating state variable to change to the key-processing state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication operation by the DRM module has failed, the state variable generation unit causes the key-processing state variable to change to the authentication-failed state variable.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the DRM module has begun key-processing, the state variable generation unit causes the normal-operation state variable to change to the key-processing state variable.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module is successful, the state variable generation unit causes the key-processing state variable to change to the normal-operation state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module has failed, the state variable generation unit causes the key-processing state variable to change to the key-processing-failure state variable.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a state variable storage unit which stores the state variables, wherein, in response to a state variable search request from the control point, the uPnP module searches for a state variable stored in the state variable storage unit according to a uPnP protocol, and transmits the state variable to the control point.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the state variable is transmitted to the at least one control device as a response to get_protocol Info command by the control point.

17. A method for reporting the operation state of digital rights management (DRM) of a control device to a control point in a home network formed with the control device and the control point, the method comprising:

performing DRM;

generating DRM state information determining a current DRM operation currently operating;

generating a DRM state variable based on the DRM state information; and

transmitting the generated DRM state variable to the control point by using a universal plug and play (uPnP) protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the DRM state information is performed while performing the DRM.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the DRM state information indicates at least one of authentication beginning, authenticating, authentication failure, and authentication success by a DRM module.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the DRM state information indicates at least one of key processing, key processing failure, and key processing success by the DRM module.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein if the control device is a media source, the DRM state information is generated if contents in the media source are output to another control device, and if the control device is a media renderer, the DRM state information is generated whenever contents in the media renderer are input to the media renderer or rendered.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the DRM state information is transmitted to the control point by using a uPnP protocol.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the DRM state information indicates whether at least one right of a home network device to which a DRM module is installed is revocated.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the DRM state variable comprises generating:

a not-authenticated state variable which indicates that the control device including a DRM module is turned on;

a normal-operation state variable which indicates that the DRM module is normally operating;

an authenticating state variable which indicates that an authentication operation by the DRM module is performed; and

an authentication-failed state variable which indicates that a result of the authentication by the DRM module has failed.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the DRM module has begun authentication, the generating of the DRM state variable comprises making the not-authenticated state variable to change to the authenticating state variable.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication by the DRM module is successful, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the authenticating state variable to change to the normal-operation state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication by the DRM module has failed, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the authenticating state variable to change to the authentication-failed state variable.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein when the DRM state information indicates an authentication finishing condition of the control device, the generating the DRM state variable comprises making the normal-operation state variable to change to the not-authenticated state variable.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the generating the DRM state information further comprises generating:

a key-processing state variable which indicates that a key processing operation by the DRM module is performed; and

a key-processing-failure state variable which indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module is a failure.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication operation by the DRM module is successful, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the authenticating state variable to change to the key-processing state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the authentication operation by the DRM module has failed, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the key-processing state variable to change to the authentication-failed state variable.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein when the DRM state information indicates that the DRM module has begun key-processing, the generating the DRM state variable comprises making the normal-operation state variable to change to the key-processing state variable.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein if the DRM state information indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module is successful, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the key-processing state variable to change to the normal-operation state variable, and if the DRM state information indicates that the key-processing operation by the DRM module is a failure, the generating the DRM state variable comprises causing the key-processing state variable to change to the key-processing-failure state variable.

32. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing the DRM state variable, wherein in transmitting the DRM state variable, the DRM state variable stored in the state variable storage unit is transmitted to the control point in response to a state variable search request by the control point.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the DRM state variable is transmitted to the control point in response to a get_protocol Info command from the control point.