Proprietary portable audio player system for protecting digital content copyrights

• US 20070265974A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd
• Original Assignee: Sunplus Technology Co., Ltd
• Inventors: Chang, Yi-Chieh
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/57
• 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: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838

Abstract

A proprietary portable audio player system for protecting digital content copyrights, which includes a proprietary portable audio player, a web access interface, and an online music server. The proprietary portable audio player has a hardware unique device identity. The proprietary portable audio player has a playback token acquirement mode and uses a first transmission medium to link with the online music server to thereby obtain a playback token for a corresponding music file playback. The online music server pre-stores a plurality of music files with compression formats, a plurality of playback tokens, and a mapping table. When a playback token signal from the web access interface is received, the online music server accordingly issues a playback token corresponding to a specific music file, updates the mapping table, and sends the playback token to the proprietary portable audio player through the first transmission medium.

Claims

1. A proprietary portable audio player system for protecting digital content copyrights, comprising:

a proprietary portable audio player, which has a hardware unique device identity and a playback token acquirement mode, plays a music file with a compression format and uses a first transmission medium to link an online music server to thereby obtain a playback token for playback of the music file;

a web access interface, which provides the proprietary portable audio player (PPAP) to access the online music server, wherein the PPAP uses the web access interface to notice the online music server for accessing a designated playback token or music file through the first transmission medium when the designated playback token or music file is selected; and

an online music server, which has said playback token acquirement mode and pre-stores a plurality of music files with compression formats, a plurality of playback tokens corresponding to music files with the compression format and a mapping table; and

a copyright protection mechanism, which protects copyright of music file by limiting and managing playback authority, and only when both the song identity field and the device identity field are matching, the music file can be played;

wherein each said playback token has a song identity field and a device identity field, and when a playback token signal from the web access interface is received, the online music server accordingly issues the playback token of the music file, updates the mapping table and sends the playback token to the PPAP through the first transmission medium.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the song identity field records a song identity.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device identity field records one or more hardware unique devices identity corresponding to one or more proprietary portable audio players.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PPAP further has a music file share mode, and the PPAP on the music file share mode transmits a music file to be shared through a second transmission medium and the web access interface.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the OMS further has a lease-related music file share mode, and the OMS on the lease-related music file share mode updates the mapping table in accordance with an information of a lender and a borrower corresponding to a release playback token signal received from the web access interface and sends the playback token to a PPAP of the borrower such that the PPAP of the borrower is able to play the music file received from the lender.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the online music server on the lease-related music file share mode temporarily disables the playback token corresponding to the music file, which is shared with the borrower, in a PPAP of the lender such that the PPAP of the lender is not able to play the music file in a lease period.

7. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the online music server further has a trade-related music file share mode, and the online music server on the trade-related music file share mode updates the mapping table in accordance with an information of a seller and buyer corresponding to a release playback token signal received from the web access interface and sends a playback token to a PPAP of the buyer such that the PPAP of the buyer is able to play a music file received from the seller.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the online music server on the trade-related music file share mode permanently disables the playback token corresponding to the music file, which is sold to the buyer, in a PPAP of the seller such that the PPAP of the seller is not able to play the music file sold.

9. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first transmission medium is a wireless transmission medium.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the wireless transmission medium is one selected from a group of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and WiMax.

11. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first transmission medium is a wired transmission medium.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wired transmission medium is an Ethernet.

13. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second transmission medium is a wireless transmission medium.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the wireless transmission medium is one selected from a group of Bluetooth, wireless USB and wireless Ethernet.

15. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second transmission medium is a wired transmission medium.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the wired transmission medium is an Ethernet.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein an encryption operation is applied to the playback token before the playback token is sent through the first transmission medium.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the encryption operation is performed using a public key and private key method.

19. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the encryption operation is performed using a proprietary compression method.