System and method for securely storing and organizing SDARS content with DRM and non-DRM protected media content, and for facilitating obtaining purchased or subscription-based media based on received SDARS content

• US 20080162358A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Patsiokas, Stelios, Marko, Paul D., Morse, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,419 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]

Abstract

Disclosed are a device and method for securely storing and organizing SDARS content on a portable player. SDARS audio content is stored on a private partition of the device not available to a client PC. Shadow files are stored on a public partition of the device. The shadow files contain metadata related to the corresponding SDARS audio and a reference to the SDARS audio on the private partition. Playlists can be organized on the device intermixing stored SDARS content with DRM and non-DRM protected media content. Downloading of purchased or subscription-based media files based on observed or received SDARS content is facilitated. Digital Rights Management features are included to control authorized actions with respect to SDARS content. Firmware updates are performed using encrypted firmware unique to the particular device to thwart firmware hacking.

Claims

1. A portable player comprising:

a receiver for receiving a satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) signal comprising a plurality of channels, each of the channels comprising tracks;

a memory device configured to store at least selected ones of the tracks, and media files obtained from another source;

a computer interface comprising a client application for use with a computer; and

a processing device connected to the memory device and the receiver and programmable to communicate with the computer interface to allow a user to organize the stored tracks and the stored media files for selective playback while preventing removal of the stored tracks from the player.

2. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer interface is configured to generate screens on a display device connected to the computer for providing lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files, and the client application is programmed generate playlists comprising different ones of the stored tracks and the stored media files selected by a user for playback via responses to prompts on the screens.

3. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to generate screens on a display device on the player for providing lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files, and to generate playlists comprising different ones of the stored tracks and the stored media files selected by a user for playback via responses prompts on the screens.

4. A portable player as claimed in claim 3, wherein the computer interface is configured to generate screens on a display device connected to the computer for providing lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files, and the client application is programmed generate playlists comprising different ones of the stored tracks and the stored media files selected by a user for playback via responses to prompts on the screens.

5. A portable player as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing device and the client application can synchronize stored data comprising lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files, and at least one of playlists and user preferences entered via responses to the prompts on the screens on the player and the computer, respectively.

6. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer interface is configured to generate screens on a display device connected to the computer for selectively displaying the channels and the tracks being played on the channels.

7. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a player display device, wherein the processing device is operable to generate screens on the player display device having menu options to allow a user to select preferred tracks, the processing device being programmed to locate the preferred tracks when they are received in the SDARS signal and generate an indication to the user.

8. A portable player as claimed in claim 7, wherein the menu options allow a user to select preferred tracks by at least one of artist name and track title.

9. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing device is operable to write over the stored tracks in the memory device, the player further comprising a player user interface device coupled to the processing device for selectively locking and unlocking stored tracks, the processing device not being able to write over the stored tracks that are locked.

10. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory device comprises a private content partition for storing selected ones of the tracks so as to not be accessible by the computer.

11. A portable player as claimed in claim 10, wherein the memory device comprises a data exchange partition for storing data exchange files that can be exchanged between the player and the computer.

12. A portable player as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track selected from the group consisting of channel information for the channel on which the stored track was received, track identification information, information relating to when the stored track was broadcast, session information relating to the session in which the stored track was recorded, and recording quality information.

13. A portable player as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SDARS media file comprises tag-length-value encoding.

14. A portable player as claimed in claim 12, wherein the SDARS media file comprises IDS tags.

15. A portable player as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track but not the actual content of the stored track.

16. A portable player as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track and at least one of encrypted content and compressed content of the stored track.

17. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory device comprises a public content partition for storing the media files so as to be accessible by the computer.

18. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a user interface for selecting a bookmark operation, wherein the processing device is programmable to identify at least one of a track in the SDARS signal being received and a stored track for authorized acquisition in response to selection of the bookmark operation via the user interface.

19. A portable player as claimed in claim 18, wherein the player is operable to generate a bookmark file in response to the selection of the bookmark operation via the user interface, the bookmark file comprising a first set of data for a stored track and a second set of data for a track that was subject to the bookmark operation during reception of the SDARS signal but not selected for storage as a stored track in the memory device.

20. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein a stored track is a SDARS media file comprising track data that represents SDARS content corresponding to the track.

21. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the track data facilitates authorized acquisition of the SDARS content corresponding to the stored track.

22. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the SDARS media file comprises at least one of an encrypted version and a compressed version of the SDARS content corresponding to the stored track.

23. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file comprises a session identifier indicating when the portable player stored the stored track in the memory device.

24. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file further comprises recording quality data indicating the recording quality of the stored track.

25. A portable player as claimed in claim 24, wherein the recording quality data comprises a truncation indicator for indicated whether the stored track is complete or truncated.

26. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file further comprises data selected from the group consisting of artist label for the stored track, title of the stored track, number of channel over which the track was broadcast, channel name, channel category name, program identifier, time and date the stored track was captured by the memory device.

27. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the SDARS media file comprises tag-length-value encoding.

28. A portable player as claimed in claim 20, wherein the SDARS media file comprises IDS tags.

29. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the player and the computer has a display device, and wherein the SDARS signal comprises recorded sessions, the recorded sessions comprise a plurality of tracks and other components and session data to distinguish the different tracks and other components within the session, at least one of the client application and the processing device being programmed to use the session data to filter a session received via the SDARS signal to not display selected ones of the components as a stored track.

30. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing device is operable to perform at least one of two operations comprising processing parameters received with the SDARS signal to prevent the removal of stored tracks from the player, and processing parameters received via the receiver during activation to verify a valid user subscription for SDARS before allowing at least one of the stored tracks to continue to play.

31. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player is configured to receive parameters for controlling the player to restrict at least one of recording of a selected channel, recording of a selected program, recording of a selected track, playback of a selected track from the memory device after an expiration date, and content organization functions of the player.

32. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player comprises a display and a plurality of user buttons, the processing device being operable to selectively orient screens generated on the display and to selectively assign functions to the user buttons depending on whether the player is used as a portable handheld device or docked using a cradle.

33. A portable player as claimed in claim 1, wherein the player comprises a display, the processing device being operable to generate a message on the display to indicate when the user is listening to the SDARS signal being received, or to the stored tracks and the stored media files.

34. A method of operating a portable player comprising:

receiving and selectively playing back a satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) signal comprising a plurality of channels, each of the channels comprising tracks;

storing at least selected ones of the tracks and media files obtained from another source; and

organizing the stored tracks and the stored media files for selective playback in lieu of the received SDARS signal.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising preventing removal of the stored tracks from the player.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

generating screens on a display device on the player that provide lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files;

generating playlists comprising different ones of the stored tracks and the stored media files according to user responses to prompts on the screens.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

connecting the player to a computer;

configuring the computer to receive and selectively play back the SDARS signal, store at least selected ones of the tracks and media files obtained from another source, and organize+the stored tracks and the stored media files for selective playback in lieu of the received SDARS signal; and

synchronizing stored data on the player and the computer comprising lists of the stored tracks and the stored media files, and at least one of playlists and user preferences entered via the player and the computer, respectively.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising

generating screens on a player display device having menu options to allow a user to select preferred tracks;

locating the preferred tracks when they are received in the SDARS signal; and

generating an indication to the user.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the menu options allow a user to select preferred tracks by at least one of artist name and track title.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the player is operable to write over the stored tracks, the method comprising selectively locking and unlocking the stored tracks, the player not being operable to write over the stored tracks that are locked.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

connecting the player to a computer; and

storing selected ones of the tracks in a private content partition of memory so as to not be accessible by the computer.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising maintaining a data exchange partition in memory for storing data exchange files that can be exchanged between the player and the computer.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track selected from the group consisting of channel information for the channel on which the stored track was received, track identification information, information relating to when the stored track was broadcast, session information relating to the session in which the stored track was recorded, and recording quality information.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the SDARS media file comprises tag-length-value encoding.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the SDARS media file comprises IDS tags.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track but not the actual content of the stored track.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein one of the data exchange files is an SDARS media file to represent a stored track comprising data relating to the stored track and at least one of encrypted content and compressed content of the stored track.

48. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

connecting the player to a computer; and

storing selected ones of the tracks in a public content partition of memory for storing the media files so as to be accessible by the computer.

49. The method of claim 34, further comprising operating a user input on the player to select a bookmark operation to identify at least one of a track in the SDARS signal being received and a stored track for authorized acquisition.

50. The method of claim 34, further comprising generating an SDARS media file for a stored track having track data that represents SDARS content corresponding to the track.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the track data facilitates authorized acquisition of the SDARS content corresponding to the stored track.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the SDARS media file comprises at least one of an encrypted version and a compressed version of the SDARS content corresponding to the stored track.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file comprises a session identifier indicating when the portable player stored the stored track in the memory device.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file further comprises recording quality data indicating the recording quality of the stored track.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the recording quality data comprises a truncation indicator for indicated whether the stored track is complete or truncated.

56. The method of claim 50, wherein the track data in the SDARS media file further comprises data selected from the group consisting of artist label for the stored track, title of the stored track, number of channel over which the track was broadcast, channel name, channel category name, program identifier, time and date the stored track was captured by the memory device.

57. The method of claim 50, wherein the SDARS media file comprises tag-length-value encoding.

58. The method of claim 50, wherein the SDARS media file comprises IDS tags.

59. The method of claim 34, wherein the SDARS signal comprises recorded sessions and the recorded sessions comprise a plurality of tracks and other components and session data to distinguish the different tracks and other components within the session, the method further comprising using the session data to filter a session received via the SDARS signal to not display selected ones of the components as a stored track to a user.

60. The method of claim 34, further comprising enforcing restrictions for storage of the stored tracks by performing at least one of two operations comprising processing parameters received with the SDARS signal to prevent the removal of stored tracks from the player, and processing parameters received via the receiver during activation to verify a valid user subscription for SDARS before allowing at least one of the stored tracks to continue to play.

61. The method of claim 34, further comprising receiving parameters for controlling the player to restrict at least one of recording of a selected channel, recording of a selected program, recording of a selected track, playback of a selected track from the memory device after an expiration date, and content organization functions of the player.

62. The method of claim 34, wherein the player comprises a display and a plurality of user buttons, the method further comprising selectively orienting screens generated on the display and selectively assigning functions to the user buttons depending on whether the player is used as a portable handheld device or docked using a cradle.

63. The method of claim 34, further comprising indicating when the user is listening to the SDARS signal being received, or to the stored tracks and the stored media files.