Content utilization management method corresponding to network transfer, program, and content transfer system

• US 20050228858A1
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Morino, Harumi, Mizutani, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,952 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system estimates accessibility on the basis of information of a requesting device and digital rights management information of content when a utilization request of the content is raised through a network. In a device including a hard disk for storing a plurality of content files and having a networking function for transmitting the content file to other device, a utilization condition and a utilization state are so managed as to correspond to the content file and when a utilization request of a content file is made, utilizability of the content file is judged from a utilization object in the utilization request and from information of a transmitting device of the utilization request. When utilization is not judged as possible, a report is made to the transmitting device of the utilization request to the effect that the content file cannot be utilized.

Claims

1. A content management apparatus having a storage device for storing contents and a networking function of transmitting the contents to other apparatuses, comprising:

said storage device stores a content utilization condition corresponding to each of said contents;

an access controller for judging transferability of the content designated by a utilization request by looking up said utilization condition when said utilization request of said content stored in said storage device exists;

a content transfer module for transferring said content to a sending apparatus of said utilization request on the basis of the judgment result.

2. A content management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access controller judges referring location information of the requesting device on a network stored in said utilization request whether said utilization request is a request sent from inside its own device or sent from other device connected through said network, and when said utilization request is the request from said other device, said content transfer module transfers the designated content through the network.

3. A content management device as according to claim 1, wherein said utilization condition includes digital rights management information as an available watching frequency of said content, and makes it possible to transmit the content to said other device when a use frequency of said content is below said available watching frequency of said content.

4. A content management device according to claim 1, wherein said utilization condition includes an access level defining limitation of access of a user, and transfers said content to said other device when information of the content requesting device is within the range of said limitation of access.

5. A content management device according to claim 1, wherein said utilization condition includes a content utilization state defining whether the content is utilizable for a plurality of devices or not, and transmits said content to said other device when the access of said content requesting device is within the range of said content utilization condition.

6. A content management device according to claim 1, wherein streaming transfer for periodically transferring a plurality of packets is selected as selection of a transfer system of said content when frames constituting said content are continuously transferred.

7. A content management device according to claim 1, which further includes display device, and wherein said display means displays the content stored in a storage device of its own device and the content stored in a storage device of other device connected through said network.

8. A content management apparatus having a storage device for storing contents and a networking function of transmitting the contents to other device, comprising:

a content management module for managing content management information managing a utilization condition of each content;

a network controller for transmitting and receiving a content utilization request through the network;

a streaming processing module for periodically transmitting the content in the form of a plurality of packets;

a file transfer module for burst-transferring the content; and

a processing collaborator connected to said content management module, said network controller, said streaming controller and said file transfer module;

wherein;

when said network controller receives the utilization request of the content stored in said storage device, said processing collaborator transfers said content utilization request to said content management module;

said content management module judges whether or not a designated content is utilizable by looking up the utilization condition stored in said content management module, and notifies said processing collaborator that said content is transferable when the utilization condition of said content satisfies the utilization condition of said content;

said processing collaborator selects either said streaming controller or said file transfer module on the basis of the kind of the contents; and

said streaming controller or said file transfer module selected transfers said designated content to a requesting device of said utilization request.

9. A content management device according to claim 8, which further includes display device, and wherein:

said display device displays a content stored in said storage device of its own device and a content stored in a storage device of other device connected through said network.

10. A content transferring method in a content transferring system including at least two content management devices each including a storage device storing contents and having a networking function of transmitting and receiving said content to and from other device through a network, comprising the steps of:

looking up a list of contents of other device connected to said network by a first device as a transfer requesting device of said content;

transmitting a content utilization request to a second device having a content designated from said content list;

looking up digital rights management information of content management information corresponding to said content designated and to judge whether or not said content is transmissible to said first device by said second device; and

selecting a transfer system of said content when said content is transmissible, and transmitting said content to said first device by said transfer system selected.

11. A content transferring method according to claim 10, wherein said digital rights management information is an available watching frequency of said content and when a use frequency of said content is below said available watching frequency, said content is transmissible to said first device.

12. A content transferring method according to claim 10, wherein said second device looks up an access level for defining limitation of access of a user, defined by content management information corresponding to said content designated, and judges whether or not said content is transmissible to said first device.

13. A content transferring method according to claim 10, wherein said second device looks up a content utilization condition for defining whether or not said content is transmissible to a plurality of devices, defined by content management information corresponding to said content designated, and judges whether or not said content is transmissible to said first device.

14. A content transferring method according to claim 10, wherein streaming transfer for periodically transferring a plurality of packets is selected as said transfer system of said content when frames constituting said content are continuously transferred.