COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD AND SYSTEM TO ENABLE OUT OF BAND TRACKING FOR DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

• US 20080089435A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellison, Robert, Torrubia, Andres
• Application Number:
  US11/953,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089435A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/295
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• 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 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system to enable out of band tracking for digital distribution are disclosed. The method and system include storing an ancillary data block related to a unit of digital data to be distributed, the ancillary data block being stored separately from the unit of digital data to be distributed, obtaining out of band data associated with the unit of digital data to be distributed, injecting into the out of band data information indicative of the ancillary data block to produce modified out of band data, and delivering the unit of digital data to be distributed with the modified out of band data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing an ancillary data block related to a unit of digital data to be distributed, the ancillary data block being stored separately from the unit of digital data to be distributed;

obtaining out of band data associated with the unit of digital data to be distributed;

injecting into the out of band data information indicative of the ancillary data block to produce modified out of band data; and

delivering the unit of digital data to be distributed with the modified out of band data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 including injecting into the out of band data information indicative of a link to the ancillary data block to produce modified out of band data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the out of band data is a file name.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the out of band data is a data stream identifier.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a file.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is an executable file.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a non-executable file.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ancillary data includes distribution network information.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ancillary data includes a timestamp.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein information indicative of an ancillary data block is an index.

11. An article of manufacture embodied in a machine storage medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, causes the machine to:

store an ancillary data block related to a unit of digital data to be distributed, the ancillary data block being stored separately from the unit of digital data to be distributed;

obtain out of band data associated with the unit of digital data to be distributed;

inject into the out of band data information indicative of the ancillary data block to produce modified out of band data; and

deliver the unit of digital data to be distributed with the modified out of band data.

12. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 being operable to inject into the out of band data information indicative of a link to the ancillary data block to produce modified out of band data.

13. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the out of band data is a file name.

14. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the out of band data is a data stream identifier.

15. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a file.

16. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is an executable file.

17. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a non-executable file.

18. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ancillary data includes distribution network information.

19. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein the ancillary data includes a timestamp.

20. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11 wherein information indicative of an ancillary data block is an index.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a unit of distributed digital data with out of band data;

extracting from the out of band data information indicative of an ancillary data block related to the distributed unit of digital data, the ancillary data block having been stored separately from the distributed unit of digital data;

using the information indicative of an ancillary data block extracted from the out of band data to access the ancillary data block; and

using information from the ancillary data block to access the content of the distributed unit of digital data.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the out of band data is a file name.

23. The method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a file.

24. The method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the ancillary data includes distribution network information.

25. An article of manufacture embodied in a machine storage medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, causes the machine to:

receive a unit of distributed digital data with out of band data;

extract from the out of band data information indicative of an ancillary data block related to the distributed unit of digital data, the ancillary data block having been stored separately from the distributed unit of digital data;

use the information indicative of an ancillary data block extracted from the out of band data to access the ancillary data block; and

use information from the ancillary data block to access the content of the distributed unit of digital data.

26. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 25 wherein the out of band data is a file name.

27. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 25 wherein the unit of digital data to be distributed is a file.

28. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 25 wherein the ancillary data includes distribution network information.