System and method for generating new licenses

• US 20050273439A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Blythe, John Princen, Pramila Srinivasan, Wei Yen
• Original Assignee: David Blythe, John Princen, Pramila Srinivasan, Wei Yen
• Inventors: Yen, Wei, Srinivasan, Pramila, Princen, John, Blythe, David
• Application Number:
  US11/203,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1077 Recurrent authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode

Abstract

Dynamic assignment of rights to content, such as in a closed distribution system. Noting state information generated by an item of current content, and modifying state or rights of new content in response. Preloading or dynamically sending new content to the owner of the current content, with rights being enabled only at a later time, in the playback device, with predetermined conditions. In response to current state information, dynamically sending a license for new content from a server. Conditional or dynamic licenses to new content, including a set of rights associated with a class of possible sets of state information. Assignment of limited rights to a content, with support in a secure player to enforce them; for purposes of rental, bonus content, trials and other business models.

Claims

1. A playback system executing instructions according to specified conditions, comprising:

a playback device, including a processor and storage having content stored thereon;

a license server coupled to the playback device, wherein, in operation,

the license server delivers a conditional license associated with the content to the playback device;

the processor determines if a condition associated with the conditional license is satisfied;

the processor executes the content if the condition associated with the conditional license is satisfied;

the processor sends feedback from the playback device to the license server, which generates a new conditional license using the feedback.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor includes a secure processor executing trusted software.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein data associated with said condition is selected from the group consisting of:

rules, name-value pairs, codified instructions in resident playback device software, codified instructions in the conditional license, a state of execution of said content on said playback device, a state of transactions associated with said content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said condition is associated with a state of transactions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the license server determines license permissions based on conditions selected from the group consisting of:

state of the content executed by the processor, associated assets of the content available to the processor, an amount of time the content is executed by the processor, a number of times the content is executed by the processor, progress by the processor in executing the content, state local to the license server, transactions by an entity associated with the content and the playback device, and purchases associated with the content.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor dynamically allocates rights or permissions associated with the conditional license based on rules associated with the content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the license server issues to the playback device bonus rights or permissions, associated with bonus content, based on said condition.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the license server issues to the playback device trial rights or permissions, associated with new content, based on said condition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said playback device is one of a plurality of playback devices, and wherein said condition includes state associated with one or more of said plurality playback devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the playback device is one of a plurality of playback devices each of which is associated with a user account, and wherein said condition includes state associated with one or more of the user accounts.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the state received from the playback device is selected from the group consisting of:

content state, game state, player state, time, duration of play, number of times content has been executed, progress of play, assets, score, and a combination thereof.

11. A playback license server device executing instructions according to specified conditions, comprising:

an input means for receiving state from a playback device;

memory having executable modules, including a license generator module, stored thereon;

a processor, coupled to the memory, for executing the executable modules;

a license generator, including the license generator module, configured to generate a conditional license using state from the playback device;

an output means for sending the conditional license to the playback device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the state from the playback device includes secure state.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory further includes transaction state, and wherein the license generator is further configured to generate a conditional license for content using the transaction state associated with the content.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory further includes transaction state, and wherein the license generator is further configured to generate a conditional license for first content using the transaction state associated with second content.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the memory further includes server rules, and wherein the license generator is further configured to generate a conditional licenses for content using the server rules.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the license generator generates a new conditional license based on feedback from the playback device.

18. The device of claim 11, further comprising a secure device, including:

a secure processor having hardware and software elements effective to measure consumption of content;

a secure internal memory coupled to the secure processor, wherein, in operation, the secure processor stores a value associated with the measured consumption of content in the secure internal memory, the secure processor compares the value with quantities associated with the conditional license, and the secure processor enforces the conditional license based on the comparison.

19. The device of claim 11, further comprising a secure system, including:

a secure processor having hardware and software elements effective to measure consumption of content;

cryptographically secure mass storage coupled to the secure processor, wherein, in operation, the secure processor stores a value associated with the measured consumption of content in the cryptographically secure mass storage, the secure processor compares the value with quantities associated with the conditional license, and the secure processor enforces the conditional license based on the comparison.

20. The device of claim 11, further comprising a secure system, including:

a secure processor having hardware and software elements effective to measure consumption of content;

a memory means coupled to the secure processor, wherein, in operation, a value associated with the measured consumption is stored in the memory means;

a secure timer effective to facilitate runtime comparisons by the secure processor, wherein the runtime comparisons include comparing the value with quantities associated with the conditional license using a secure timer interrupt that is set up at content launch.

21. The device of claim 11, further comprising a secure system, including:

a secure processor having hardware and software elements effective to measure consumption of content;

a memory means coupled to the secure processor, wherein, in operation, a value associated with the measured consumption is stored in the memory means;

a secure timer effective to facilitate accumulation of time associated with the consumption of content by executing secure code at interrupt intervals, wherein when the accumulated time exceeds a threshold associated with the conditional license, the secure processor cancels the conditional license.