Methods, systems, and devices for securing content

• US 20070011747A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zimler, Randy, Whitfield, Lloyd
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8045 using predictive coding

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for securing content in memory. When the content is received, the content includes a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory. Prior to expiration of the lock the content cannot be read from memory. At expiration, however, the content is then readable.

Claims

1. A method of securing content, comprising:

receiving the content, the content having a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory until expiration of the lock; and

storing the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a flag, the flag defined by a date and a time at which the content may be read from the memory, and prior to the flag the content is unreadable from the memory.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a preview option that permits reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a preview option that permits reading only a portion of the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating payment information for a preview option, the preview option permitting reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

6. A method according to claim 2, further comprising comparing a system date and a system time to the flag.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein when the system date and the system time equal the flag, then changing a status of the flag to permit reading the content from the memory.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically deleting the content from the memory after a predetermined time.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising setting a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.

10. A device, comprising:

a processor communicating with memory, the processor receiving content having a lock that prohibits reading the content from the memory until expiration of the lock,

wherein the processor stores the content in the memory, thereby securing the content.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the lock comprises a flag, the flag defined by a date and a time at which the content may be read from the memory, and prior to the flag the content is unreadable from the memory.

12. A device according to claim 10, wherein the lock comprises a preview option that permits reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

13. A device according to claim 10, wherein the lock comprises a preview option that permits reading only a portion of the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

14. A device according to claim 10, wherein the processor communicates payment information for a preview option, the preview option permitting reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

15. A device according to claim 11, wherein the processor compares a system date and a system time to the flag.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein when the system date and the system time equal the flag, then the processor changes a status of the flag to permit reading the content from the memory.

17. A device according to claim 10, wherein the processor automatically deletes the content from the memory after a predetermined time.

18. A device according to claim 10, wherein the processor sets a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.

19. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving content having a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory until expiration of the lock; and

storing the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory.

20. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for defining the lock as a flag, the flag defined by a date and a time at which the content may be read from the memory, and prior to the flag the content is unreadable from the memory.

21. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for a preview option that permits reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

22. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for a preview option that permits reading only a portion of the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock.

23. A computer-readable medium according to claim 20, further comprising instructions for comparing a system date and a system time to the flag, and when the system date and the system time equal the flag, then changing a status of the flag to permit reading the content from the memory.

24. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for automatically deleting the content from the memory after a predetermined time.

25. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising instructions for setting a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.