Tamper-Proof Content-Playback System Offering Excellent Copyright Protection

• US 20060158737A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chenming Hu, Guobiao Zhang
• Original Assignee: Chenming Hu, Guobiao Zhang
• Inventors: ZHANG, Guobiao, HU, Chenming
• Application Number:
  US10/906,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

To protect copyright, the present invention provides a tamper-proof content-playback system. Its content-playback unit has the following I/O characteristics: A) at least a portion of its content input(s) is encrypted digital signals; B) at least a portion of its content output(s) is non-digital (e.g. analog) or non-electrical (e.g. image) signals. Only secure data connections are allowed for decrypted contents inside the content-playback unit. Accordingly, its components are preferably integrated into: a single chip, a single package, or a chip/package-on-panel.

Claims

1. A tamper-proof content-playback system offering excellent copyright protection, comprising:

a content-storage function, at least a portion of contents stored in said content-storage function being encrypted;

a content-decrypting function for decrypting at least a portion of encrypted contents from said content-storage function to decrypted contents;

a data-converting function for converting at least a portion of decrypted contents into non-digital electrical content output(s) or non-electrical content output(s); and

secure data-connecting means between said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function for prohibiting ready external access to any form of decrypted contents.

2. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, wherein said secure data-connecting means is selected from a group consisting of chip interconnects, bond wires, solder bumps, and protected PCB wires.

3. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, further comprising a data-decompressing function between said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function.

4. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, wherein said data-converting function is selected from a group consisting of digital-to-analog converter, digital-to-PWM converter, digital-to-PPM converter, analog copyright protection circuit, digital loudspeaker, digital light modulator, micro-display, digital micro-mirror device, liquid-crystal-on-silicon, scanned beam display, light-emitting diode array, display panel, liquid-crystal display, plasma display and organic light-emitting-diode display.

5. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, further comprising at least an element selected from a group consisting of a player ID, an access control block, a content-key table and a content-metadata table.

6. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, wherein said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function is located in a same chip.

7. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 1, wherein said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function is located in a same package or chip/package-on-panel.

8. A tamper-proof content-playback system offering excellent copyright protection, comprising:

a player ID for a content-key provider to identify said content-playback system as an approved device;

a content-decrypting function for decrypting at least a portion of encrypted contents from said content-storage function to decrypted contents;

a data-converting function for converting at least a portion of decrypted contents into non-digital electrical content output(s) or non-electrical content output(s); and

secure data-connecting means between the storage of said player ID and said content-decrypting function and between said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function for prohibiting ready external access to any form of plaintext data.

9. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, wherein said secure data-connecting means is selected from a group consisting of chip interconnects, bond wires, solder bumps, and protected PCB wires.

10. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, further comprising a data-decompressing function between said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function.

11. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, wherein said data-converting function is selected from a group consisting of digital-to-analog converter, digital-to-PWM converter, digital-to-PPM converter, analog copyright protection circuit, digital loudspeaker, digital light modulator, micro-display, digital micro-mirror device, liquid-crystal-on-silicon, scanned beam display, light-emitting diode array, display panel, liquid-crystal display, plasma display and organic light-emitting-diode display.

12. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, further comprising at least an element selected from a group consisting of a content-storage function, an access control block, a content-key table and a content-metadata table.

13. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, wherein said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function is located in a same chip.

14. The tamper-proof content-playback system according to claim 8, wherein said content-decrypting function and said data-converting function is located in a same package or chip/package-on-panel.

15. A hot-key element associated with at least one tamper-proof content-playback system, comprising:

a user ID for identifying said hot-key element to a content provider;

a content-metadata table for storing a plurality of contents keys; and

a player-ID table for storing a plurality of player ID'"'"'s for the associated content-playback systems.

16. The hot-key element according to claim 15, wherein said hot-key element is implemented in a single chip.

17. The hot-key element according to claim 15, further comprising secure channel(s) for user ID, player ID and/or content keys, wherein said secure channel(s) conducts information exchange in encrypted forms.

18. The hot-key element according to claim 17, wherein said secure channel(s) uses at least one wired means.

19. The hot-key element according to claim 17, wherein said secure channel(s) uses at least one wireless means.

20. The hot-key element according to claim 15, further comprising a content-playback function for converting at least a portion of digital contents into non-digital electrical content output(s) or non-electrical content output(s).