Techniques for accessing controlled media objects

• US 20080086422A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Graham, Jamey, Wolff, Gregory J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• 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]

Abstract

Techniques for managing media objects are provided. The techniques include providing an algorithm configured to generate an identifier (ID) based on content of a first media object. The ID is then generated for the first media object. The ID allows the first device to identify the first media object to a second device. The second device is configured to use the ID to determine if a second media object associated with the ID is accessible to the second device. Also, the determination is made notwithstanding source information for the first and second media objects or digital rights restrictions imposed on the first and second media objects, where the first media object and second media object include substantially identical content.

Claims

1. A method for managing media objects, the method comprising:

providing an algorithm configured to generate an identifier (ID) based on content of a first media object; and

generating the ID for the first media object, wherein the ID allows the first device to identify the first media object to a second device, wherein the second device is configured to use the ID to determine if a second media object associated with the ID is accessible to the second device, the first media object and second media object including substantially identical content, wherein the determination is made notwithstanding source information for the first and second media objects or digital rights restrictions imposed on the first and second media objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media object or second media object is provided by one or more content providers, wherein different content providers use different source information or different digital rights management for the first media object and the second media object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media object is identified using first source information by a first content provider and the second media object is identified using second source information by a second content provider, the first source information being different from the second source information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first media object is identified by a first identifier (ID) and the second media object is identified by a second identifier (ID), wherein the first and second ID are generated using the algorithm, the first ID being identical to the second ID.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first media object is encrypted by a first key and the second media object is encrypted by a second key, wherein the ID is generated for the first media object and the second media object using the algorithm, wherein the ID is generated using the decrypted first media object or the decrypted second media object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein additional information other than the ID is used to determine the second media object associated with the ID.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional information comprises identification of the algorithm used to generate the ID, an offset of content from the media object used to generate the ID, a decryption key, or an identifier for the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an encryption key based on the content of the first media object;

generating the encryption key based on the content of the second media object;

encrypting the first media object using the encryption key; and

sending the encrypted first media object to the second device, wherein the second device is able to decrypt the encrypted first media object using the encryption key generated based on the content of the second media object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the ID to the second device, wherein the second device uses the ID to determine if a second media object associated with the ID is accessible to the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second ID based on a portion of the content of the first media object; and

transferring the second ID to the second device and an indication of the portion of the content that was used to generate the second ID, wherein the second device is able to determine if the portion of the content is accessible to the second device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the ID is stored in the first device and the first media object is stored remotely, wherein the ID is used to retrieve the first media object stored remotely.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first device, the second media object, wherein the second media object is encrypted using an encryption key; and

decrypting the second media object using a decryption key capable of decrypting the encrypted second media object.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

outputting the decrypted second media object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media object is locally accessible to the first device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device or the second device comprise a music player.

16. A method for managing media objects, the method comprising:

determining an input identifier (ID), using a reader, for an input media object, the input ID generated based on content of the input media object;

comparing the input ID to reader IDs for the one or more media objects to determine if the input ID matches a reader ID, each reader ID generated based on the content of a media object in the one or more media objects; and

if the input ID corresponds to a reader ID, determining a media object used to generate the reader ID.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the input media object or media object is provided by one or more content providers, wherein different content providers use different source information or digital rights management for the input media object and the media object.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising if the input ID corresponds to a reader ID, outputting the media object.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising if the input ID does not corresponds to a reader ID, generating a request to retrieve the input media object.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising sending the request to a provider to retrieve the input media object.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the input ID is generated using a hash and/or a fingerprint of the content of the input media object.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the input ID comprises a global ID, wherein the global ID is the same for media objects including substantially identical content.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the input ID is read from a fixed representation of the input ID.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the fixed representation comprises a paper medium.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the input ID is generated by a second reader different from the reader.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the request further comprises using the input ID to generate the request.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the input ID includes a reference to a service to request the content of the input media object.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the request comprises encrypting the input ID using a key associated with the reader.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving a requested media object with content substantially identical to the input media object from a service remotely located from the reader.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the requested media object is encrypted such that the reader can only decrypt the requested media object.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising decrypting the requested media object.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the requested media object is decrypted using a private key associated with the reader.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising outputting the decrypted requested media object.

34. A method for managing media objects, the method comprising:

generating an ID for a first media object at a first device based on content of the first media object; and

transferring the ID to a second device, wherein the second device is configured to use the ID to determine if a second media object associated with the ID is accessible to the second device, the first media object and second media object including substantially identical content, wherein the determination is made notwithstanding source information for the first and second media objects and digital rights restrictions imposed on the first and second media objects.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein transferring comprises:

creating a fixed representation of the ID; and

reading the fixed representation of the ID using the second device.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the fixed representation comprises a paper medium that includes the ID printed thereon.

37. The method of claim 34, provided by one or more content providers, wherein different content providers use different source information and digital rights management for a media object.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the first media object is identified using first source information by a first content provider and the second media object is identified using second source information by a second content provider, the first source information being different from the second source information.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the first media object is identified by a first identifier and the second media object is identified by a second identifier, wherein the first ID and second ID are generated using an algorithm, the first ID being identical to the second ID.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first media object is encrypted by a first key and the second media object is encrypted by a second key, wherein the ID is generated using the algorithm for the first media object and the second media object, wherein the ID is generated using the decrypted first media object and the second media object.

41. A method for providing digital rights management for media objects, the method comprising:

generating an ID based on unencrypted content of the media object and an encryption key based on the unencrypted content;

receiving a request using the ID from a device;

encrypting the media object using the encryption key; and

sending the encrypted media object encrypted by the encryption key to the device, wherein the device can only decrypt the encrypted media object if the device previously had access to the media object that can be decrypted by the encryption key.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

receiving an encrypted media object; and

decrypting the media object using a second encryption key,

wherein the device can only decrypt the encrypted media object if the device received the encrypted media object and decrypted the media object using the second encryption key.