METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTRIBUTING DATA

• US 20070055862A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gomes, Sylvie, Sharma, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US11/470,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• 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 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and system for distributing data to at least one communication device are disclosed. When multiple communication devices request the same data, a seeder sends a different piece of the data to each communication device and the communication devices share the piece of data each other by using a wireless connection established between them. The communication devices automatically suspend and resume downloading of the piece of the data from other communication devices as the communication device performs a handover. The receiver may be given super-distribution rights. When a destination communication device requests data, a content provider identifies a source communication device which possesses the same data and has the source communication device to forward the data to the destination communication device. The source communication device re-encrypts the data with a new encryption key and the destination communication device obtains a license from a rights issuer to decrypt the data.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication including a plurality of communication devices and a central tracker, a method for distributing data to the communication devices, the method comprising:

the central tracker receiving a request for downloading of data from a plurality of communication devices;

each of the communication devices establishing a connection to a seeder and a connection to other communication devices that requested the same data;

the seeder sending a different piece of the data to each of the communication devices; and

the communication devices sending the received piece of the data to other communication devices using the connection established between them;

wherein each of the communication devices automatically suspends and resumes downloading of a piece of the data from other communication devices when one of said plurality of communication devices performs a handover.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the connection between the communication devices is established via one of a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a wide area cellular network.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the communication devices obtain location information of other communication devices and establishes the connection to other communication devices based on the location information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the communication devices obtain the location information using at least one of a global positioning system (GPS), a triangulation method and information regarding a cell with which the first and second communication devices are associated.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the location information is provided by the central tracker.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the communication devices perform an inter-technology handover between the wide area cellular network and the WLAN.

7. In a wireless communication including a content provider, a rights issuer and a plurality of communication devices, a method for distributing data to a communication device, the method comprising:

at least one destination communication device requesting download of data from the content provider;

the content provider identifying a source communication device which possesses the data;

the content provider requesting the source communication device to forward the data to the destination communication device;

the destination communication device and the source communication device establishing a link between them;

the source communication device receiving a new encryption key from the rights issuer;

the source communication device decrypting the data with an old decryption key that the source communication device received previously for the data;

the source communication device re-encrypting the data with the new encryption key;

the source communication device forwarding the re-encrypted data to the destination communication device via the link; and

the destination communication device obtaining a license and a decryption key from the rights issuer and decrypting the re-encrypted data with the decryption key.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the content provider identifies the source communication device that is located close to the destination communication device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the content provider identifies the source communication device using one of a global positioning system (GPS), a triangulation method and information regarding a cell in which the source and destination communication devices are located.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the link between the source communication device and the destination communication device is a peer-to-peer link.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the content provider maintains a list of communication device identifications whose users agree with participation of distribution of the content in accordance with the request of the content provider.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein a user of the communication device has a capability of selectively activating and deactivating a function for distribution.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the communication devices sends an updated list of contents that each communication device possesses to the content provider.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the content provider checking a load of the source communication device such that the source communication device is not overloaded for forwarding the data.

15. A wireless communication system for distributing data to a communication device, the system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices;

a central tracker configured to receive a request for downloading of data from the communication devices;

a seeder configured to send a different piece of the data to each of the communication devices; and

each of the communication devices comprising;

a communication unit configured to establish a connection to the seeder and a connection to other communication devices that requested the same data, send a received piece of the data to other communication devices using the connection established between the communication devices; and

a handover unit configured to perform a handover, wherein the communication unit automatically suspends and resumes downloading of a piece of the data from other communication devices when a handover is performed.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the connection between the communication devices is established via one of a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a wide area cellular network.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein each of the communication devices include a positioning unit to obtain location information of other communication devices, whereby the communication unit establishes the connection to other communication devices based on the location information.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the positioning unit obtains the location information using at least one of a global positioning system (GPS), a triangulation method and information regarding a cell with which the communication devices are associated.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein each of the communication devices obtain the location information from the central tracker.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the handover unit performs an inter-technology handover between the wide area cellular network and the WLAN.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the seeder and the central tracker are the same entity.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the central tracker is included in a service provider server.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein at least one of the communication devices is configured to perform functions of the central tracker and the seeder.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein at least one of the central tracker and the seeder is included in one of a base station and a radio network controller (RNC) of a radio access network.

25. A wireless communication system for distributing data to a communication device, the system comprising:

a content provider configured to identify a source communication device which possesses the data that is requested by a destination communication device and request the source communication device to forward the data to the destination communication device;

a rights issuer configured to issue a license and an encryption/decryption key for the data;

the source communication device comprising;

an encryption/decryption unit configured to decrypt the data with an old decryption key and re-encrypt the data with a new encryption key received from the rights issuer; and

a communication unit configured to send the re-encrypted data to the destination communication device in accordance with the request from the content provider; and

the destination communication device comprising;

a communication unit configured to receive the re-encrypted data from the source communication device; and

an encryption/decryption unit configured to decrypt the re-encrypted data with a decryption key received from the rights issuer.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the content provider identifies the source communication device that is located close to the destination communication device.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the content provider identifies the source communication device using one of a global positioning system (GPS), a triangulation method and information regarding a cell in which the source communication device and the destination communication device are located.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the source communication device and the destination communication device establishes a link via one of a wide area cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN).

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the content provider maintains a list of communication device identifications whose users agree with participation of distribution of the content in accordance with the request of the content provider.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein a user of the communication device has a capability of selectively activating and deactivating a function for distribution.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein a communication device sends an updated list of contents that each communication device possesses to the content provider.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the content provider checks a load of the source communication device such that the source communication is not overloaded for forwarding the data.