System and method for time based digital content access

• US 20060287956A1
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Higashi, Akio, Okamoto, Ryuichi
• Application Number:
  US10/568,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• 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 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A content reproduction control system comprising a server apparatus and a terminal apparatus that are connected via a communication path, wherein the server apparatus includes: based on time information attached to a content, a control information generation unit operable to generate control information for specifying a range for permitting or prohibiting a user'"'"'s predetermined operation in the terminal apparatus; and a distribution unit that distributes the control information to the terminal apparatus, the terminal apparatus includes: a content use unit operable to use the content; a receiving unit operable to receive the control information; and a content use control unit operable to control reproduction of the content based on the received control information.

Claims

1. A content reproduction control system comprising a server apparatus and a terminal apparatus that are connected to each other via a communication path,

wherein the server apparatus includes:

a control information generation unit operable to generate, based on time information attached to a content, control information which specifies a range for permitting and prohibiting a user'"'"'s predetermined operation on the content performed in the terminal apparatus; and

a distribution unit operable to distribute the control information to the terminal apparatus, and

the terminal apparatus includes;

a content use unit operable to use the content;

a receiving unit operable to receive the control information; and

a content use control unit operable to control a reproduction of the content based on the received control information, the reproduction being included in the use of the content performed by the content use unit.

2. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information indicates a section where a special reproduction of the content is prohibited.

3. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information indicates a section where only a normal reproduction of the content is permitted.

4. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information indicates a section where a preview of the content is permitted.

5. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the time information is a value of the time information attached to the content.

6. The content reproduction control system according to claim 5,

wherein the time information is composed, based on at least one of a Program Clock Reference of a Transport Stream, a Presentation Time Stamp of a Packetized Elementary Stream, and a Decoding Time Stamp of the Packetized Elementary Stream.

7. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the time information is composed of time information about a beginning of the content and time information about an offset from the beginning of the content.

8. The content reproduction control system according to claim 7,

wherein the time information is composed based on at least one of a Program Clock Reference of a Transport Stream, a Presentation Time Stamp of a Packetized Elementary Stream, and a Decoding Time Stamp of the Packetized Elementary Stream.

11. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving unit receives the control information through communication with the server apparatus.

13. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information includes a type of the permitted operation.

14. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information includes at least one of, for until a specific operation is permitted, a number of viewings, viewing time and a viewing validity period.

15. The content reproduction control system according to claim 14,

wherein the specific operation is one of a commercial message skip, a commercial message fast-forward and a commercial message rewind.

16. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information includes a limit concerning a permitted number of operations or permitted time.

17. The content reproduction control system according to claim 16,

wherein the permitted operation is a preview of the content.

18. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information is issued for a user'"'"'s contract and includes a license ID that specifies either a main license indicating a license which allows use of a plurality of contents under the contract or a sublicense indicating a license which is issued for a single content.

19. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the content use control unit controls use of the content so that the predetermined operation cannot be operated when the control information is not yet obtained.

20. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the terminal apparatus further includes

a viewing record recording unit operable to record a viewing record including a viewed portion of the content, and

the content use control unit controls use of the content in the content use unit using the control information and the viewing record.

21. The content reproduction control system according to claim 20,

wherein the content use control unit controls a permission for a special reproduction of the content to permit a special reproduction of the content when an amount of the viewing records exceeds a limit of the amount of the viewing records which can be included in the control information.

22. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information generation unit predicts a value of time information and generates the control information when the content is a stream type content.

23. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information generation unit generates, when the content is a stream type content, the control information after a delivery of the content is started.

24. The content reproduction control system according to claim 23,

wherein the control information generation unit further generates control information only including a beginning time of a distribution of the content, and

the distribution unit distributes the generated control information after the distribution of the control information which excludes the generated control information.

25. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information generation unit generates, when the content is a file type content, the control information using time information after a value is defined.

26. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein the control information is assigned at least to one of a content key (Kc) distribution Entitlement Control Message (ECM), an Entitlement Control Message-work key (ECM-Kw) and an Entitlement Control Message-content key (ECM-Kc) for digital broadcasting.

27. The content reproduction control system according to claim 26,

wherein different control information are assigned respectively to the ECM-Kw and the Kc distribution ECM.

28. The content reproduction control system according to claim 26,

wherein different control information are assigned respectively to the ECM-Kw and the ECM-Kc.

29. The content reproduction control system according to claim 1,

wherein a portion of the predetermined operation that is permitted or prohibited is different between two cases:

when the content is viewed in a real time; and

when the content is stored and viewed.

9. The content reproduction control system according to claim

wherein the receiving unit receives the control information by broadcasting from the server apparatus.

10. The content reproduction control system according to claim 9,

wherein the control information is issued for a user'"'"'s contract and assigned to either a main license indicating a license which allows use of a plurality of contents under the contract or a sublicense indicating a license issued for a single content.

12. The content reproduction control system according to claim 9,

wherein the control information is issued for a user'"'"'s contract and assigned to either a main license indicating a license which allows use of a plurality of contents under the contract or a sublicense indicating a license issued for a single content.

30. A server apparatus in a content reproduction control system comprising the server apparatus and a terminal apparatus that are connected to each other via a communication path, comprising:

a control information generation unit operable to generate, based on time information attached to the content, control information which specifies a range for permitting or prohibiting a user'"'"'s predetermined operation on a content in the terminal apparatus; and

a distribution unit operable to distribute the control information to the terminal apparatus.

31. A terminal apparatus in a content reproduction control system comprising a server apparatus and the terminal apparatus that are connected to each other via a communication path, comprising:

a content use unit operable to use a content;

a receiving unit operable to receive control information; and

a content use control unit operable to control a reproduction of the content based on the received control information, the reproduction being included in the use of the content performed by the content use unit,

wherein the control information is information which specifies, based on time information attached to the content, a range for permitting or prohibiting a user'"'"'s predetermined operation on the content in the terminal apparatus.

32. A content reproduction control method used for a content reproduction control system comprising a server apparatus and a terminal apparatus that are connected to each other via a communication path, the method including steps A executed in the server apparatus and steps B executed in the terminal apparatus,

wherein the steps A include steps of:

generating control information that generates, based on time information attached to the content, control information which specifies a range for permitting or prohibiting a user'"'"'s predetermined operation on a content in the terminal apparatus; and

distributing the control information to the terminal apparatus,

the steps B include steps of;

using the content; and

controlling a reproduction of the content based on the received control information, the reproduction being included in the use of the content.