Apparatus, system and method for securing digital documents in a digital appliance

• US 20060080535A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Harkabi, Dan, Elazar, Gidon, Weingarten, Nehemiah
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client

Abstract

Various embodiments include an apparatus and a method to secure protected digital document content from tampering by their user, such as unauthenticated use or use violating a policy of the digital document. The digital document file can be transferred from a network node such as a web site server to a digital appliance, such as a computer, in encrypted form. The digital document file can be resident already on a device, and/or be transferred into a device that is connected to the digital appliance. The device (hereafter a DRM device) can internally store the digital document or part of the document. The DRM device may decrypt the digital document when requested to do so. The device may further format the content for usage, for example, convert text into its graphic bitmap representation. Device formatting can include sending plain text data to the digital appliance. The device may further process degradation to the resulted file, for example, reduce the resolution of the graphic representation. The digital appliance uploads the result of the processing or sections of the result of the processing for user access via the digital appliance.

Claims

1. A device for digital content management adapted to be coupled to a digital appliance for end use of a digital document, comprising:

a nonvolatile storage section adapted to store said digital document, wherein the digital document is stored in a form where the information of content of digital document is directly accessible internally to the device;

a formatter to render the stored form of the digital document into a presentation equivalent format for the digital appliance, wherein at least a portion of the information content of the digital document is not directly accessible in said presentation equivalent format; and

an interface for sending the at least part of the digital document to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format, wherein the digital appliance can access the digital document only in the presentation equivalent format.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a bitmap image.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a compressed bitmap image.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a non-volatile memory card.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a CompactFlash format.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a Secure Digital format.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a Multi-Media Card format.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible within at least a Memory Stick format.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a TransFlash format.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive type device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is embedded in the digital appliance.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said interface uses a wireless communication channel with the digital appliance.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said presentation equivalent format appears in the format of a web page, at least a portion of which is a bitmap image.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the presentation equivalent format comprises a plurality of pages, each of which corresponds to less than all of the digital document.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein one or more of said pages are rendered prior to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein individual ones of said pages are rendered in response to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein based on said request, one or more additional ones of said pages are also rendered prior to receiving a request therefor.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processing unit whereby, in response to a request from the digital appliance, the information content of digital document can be searched on the device.

19. A method of supplying a digital document from a device for digital content management adapted to a digital appliance for end use, comprising:

storing in a non-volatile manner said digital document in a form where the information of content of digital document is directly accessible internally to the device;

rendering the stored form of the digital document into a presentation equivalent format for the digital appliance, wherein at least a portion of the information content of the digital document is not directly accessible in said presentation equivalent format; and

sending the at least part of the digital document to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format, wherein the digital appliance can access the digital document only in the presentation equivalent format.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a bitmap image.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a compressed bitmap image.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Universal Serial Bus (USB) type protocol.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a secure digital (SD) type protocol.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Compact Flash (CF) type protocol.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a TransFlash type protocol.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Memory Stick type protocol.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a wireless communication channel with the digital appliance.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least an 802.11 based protocol.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a SCSI type protocol.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using a PCI type protocol.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein said presentation equivalent format appears in the format of a web page, at least a portion of which is a bitmap image.

32. The method of claim 19, wherein the presentation equivalent format comprises a plurality of pages, each of which corresponds to less than all of the digital document.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein one or more of said pages are rendered prior to receiving a request prior to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein individual ones of said pages are rendered in response to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein based on said request, one or more additional ones of said pages are also rendered prior to receiving a request therefor.

36. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

in response to a request from the digital appliance, searching the information content of digital document on the device.

37. A system for digital content management, including:

one or more servers adapted to send at least part of a digital document content data;

a digital appliance for end use of at least part of the digital document content; and

a device for digital content management adapted to be coupled to a digital appliance, the device comprising;

a nonvolatile storage section adapted to store said at least part of a digital document, wherein the digital document is stored in a form where the information of content of digital document is directly accessible internally to the device;

a formatter to render the stored form of the at least part of the digital document into a presentation equivalent format for the digital appliance, wherein at least a portion of the information content of the digital document is not directly accessible in said presentation equivalent format; and

one or more interfaces for receiving the at least part of the digital document from the one or more servers and for sending the at least part of the digital document to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format, wherein the digital appliance can access the digital document only in the presentation equivalent format.

38. The system of claim 37, the device further comprising:

one or more decryptors, wherein at least one of the decryptors is adapted to at least partly decrypt at least part of the digital document content.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the least part of the digital document content is sent from the one or more servers to the device in encrypted form.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the least part of the digital document content is sent from the one or more servers to the device through the digital appliance encrypted in a form not decryptable by the digital appliance.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein one or more of the interfaces employs a wireless communication channel.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein the device is a non-volatile memory card.

43. The system of claim 37, wherein the device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive type device.

44. The system of claim 37, wherein the device is embedded in the digital appliance.

45. The system of claim 37, wherein said device is a non-volatile memory card compatible with at least a Secure Digital format.

46. The system of claim 37, wherein said device is a non-volatile memory card compatible with at least a TransFlash format.