Digital Rights Management Metafile, Management Protocol and Applications Thereof

• US 20080288788A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: KRIG, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products to create and manage encapsulated Digital Rights Management (DRM) metafiles, also referred to as objects, are provided herein. Each object comprises a file header section, an encrypted webpage metadata section, an encrypted preferences section, an encrypted tracking section, an encrypted license section, a media file section and an encrypted file trailer section. Each section comprises multiple attributes. A metabase is provided herein to catalog objects, sections and attributes. Instructions are provided herein to allow for setting a current object, section or attribute; retrieving an object, section or attribute; and enumerating objects, sections and attributes in a device memory.

Claims

1. A method to create a Digital Rights Management (DRM) media object comprising a media file and an associated DRM license, for storage in a memory of a computational device, comprising:

creating a media file section configured to store one or more media files;

creating an encrypted license section configured to store a DRM license associated with the media file(s); and

storing the DRM media object in the memory of the computational device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a file header section configured to store a first data integrity code, media file type, unique identification, size of the DRM media object and pointers to multiple sections of the DRM media object;

creating an encrypted webpage metadata section configured to store data that enables the computational device to display a web page with information on media stored within the DRM media object;

creating an encrypted preferences section configured to store user preferences for utilizing the media;

creating an encrypted tracking section configured to store media identification and computational device identification, usage history and DRM history;

creating an encrypted file trailer section configured to indicate termination of the DRM media object and store a second data integrity code and a size of the DRM media object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding metadata to the DRM media object.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the unique identification identifies the DRM media object, each section within the DRM media object and each attribute within each section and allows a user to modify each attribute within each section of each DRM media object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media file is one or more of an audio, video or data file.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the user preferences are one or more of volume settings for the media file, audio equalizer settings for the media file, contrast and brightness settings for the media file.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the media identification includes one or more of date of media file creation, media file creator, purchasing transaction information receipt for vendor and purchaser, time and date when media file was played.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the computational device identification includes one or more of an identification number for the computational device and internet protocol address for the computational device.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein DRM history includes data on provider or DRM license and conditions for expiry of DRM license.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the DRM object is encrypted in one or more of an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA 1), Secure Hash Algorithm 2 (SHA 2), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), Message Digest 4 (MD4), Message Digest 5 (MD5), Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4) and Rivest Cipher 5 (RC5).

11. A method to catalog Digital Rights Management (DRM) media objects, that include a media file and an associated DRM license, in a metabase for storage in a memory of a computational device, comprising:

storing object identifications for each object;

storing section identifications for each section within each object; and

storing attribute identifications for each attribute within each section;

wherein the sections within each object are one or more of a file header section, an encrypted webpage metadata section, an encrypted preferences section, an encrypted tracking section, an encrypted license section, a media file section and an encrypted file trailer section.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the metabase is stored in one or more an EXtensible Markup Language (XML), spreadsheet or American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) flatfile formats.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending the metabase in response to receiving a request for the metabase.

14. A method to enable a processor to set a pointer to point to one or more of an object or a section within the object, the object comprising a media file and associated Digital Rights Management (DRM) license, comprising:

encoding a request instruction with one or more of an object identification and/or section identification to enable the processor to cause a pointer to point to a corresponding one of an object or section;

encoding a length of the request instruction; and

sending the request instruction

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in pointing to the object specified by the object identification in the request instruction.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in pointing to the section within the object specified by the object identification and section identification in the request instruction.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the object is encrypted in one or more of an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA 1), Secure Hash Algorithm 2 (SHA 2), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), Message Digest 4 (MD4), Message Digest 5 (MD5), Rivest Cipher 4 (RC4) and Rivest Cipher 5 (RC5) encryption formats.

18. A method to enable a processor to retrieve a section from a current object or attribute from a current section, the current object including the section and the section including the attribute, the current object including a media file and associated Digital Rights Management (DRM) license, comprising:

encoding a request instruction with one of a section identification or attribute identification so as cause the processor to retrieve the section or the attribute indicated by the section identification or attribute identification;

encoding a length of the request instruction; and

sending the request instruction;

wherein the section identification is used to indicate/point to a section within the current object and the attribute identification is used to indicate an attribute within the section;

wherein the current object is an object pointed to by a first pointer and the current section is a section within the current object pointed to by a second pointer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the section specified by the section identification in the request instruction and encoding data from the requested section in a payload field of the response instruction if successful in retrieving the specified section.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the attribute specified by the attribute identification in the request instruction and encoding data from a requested attribute in a payload field of the response instruction if successful in retrieving a specified attribute.

21. A method to enable a processor to retrieve an object, a section from the object or an attribute from the section, the object including a media file and associated Digital Rights Management (DRM) license, comprising:

encoding a request instruction with one or more of an object identification, section identification and attribute identification so as cause the processor to retrieve the object, section or attribute indicated by the object identification, section identification and/or attribute identification;

encoding a length of the request instruction; and

sending the request instruction;

wherein the object identification is used to point to a specific object, the section identification is used to point to a section within the object and the attribute identification is used to point to the attribute within the section.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the object specified by the section identification in the request instruction and encoding data from a requested object in a payload field of the response instruction if successful in retrieving a specified object.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the section specified by the section identification in the request instruction and encoding data from a requested section in a payload field of the response instruction if successful in retrieving a specified section.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, sending a response instruction with a field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the attribute specified by the attribute identification in the request instruction and encoding data from a requested attribute in a payload field of the response instruction if successful in retrieving a specified attribute.

25. A method to enable a processor to enumerate objects in a metabase stored in memory of a computational device, sections within a current object or attributes within a current section, an object including section and sections including attributes, the object including a media file and associated Digital Rights Management (DRM) license, comprising:

sending a request instruction to retrieve one of a list of objects in the metabase, list of sections within a current object or a list of attributes within a current section; and

receiving a response instruction with a first field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving the of objects, sections within a current object or attributes within a current section specified and a second field encoded with the list of objects, sections within a current object or attributes within a current section if successful in enumerating the objects, sections within the current object or attributes within the current section.

wherein the current object is an object pointed to by a first pointer and the current section is a section within the current object pointed to by a second pointer.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein sections within each object are one or more of a file header section, an encrypted webpage metadata section, an encrypted preferences section, an encrypted tracking section, an encrypted license section, a media file section and an encrypted file trailer section.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the metabase is stored in one or more an EXtensible Markup Language (XML), spreadsheet or American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) flatfile formats.

28. A method to enable a processor to enumerate sections or attributes within a section of an object in a metabase stored in memory of a computational device, the object including a media file and associated Digital Rights Management (DRM) license, comprising:

encoding a request instruction with one or more of an object identification and section identification;

encoding a length of the request instruction; and

sending the request instruction;

wherein the object identification is used to point to a specific object and the section identification is used to point to a section within the object.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, receiving a response instruction with a first field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving a list of sections within the object specified by an object identification and a second field encoded with the list of sections within the specified object if successful in enumerating sections within specified object.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising, in response to the request instruction, receiving a response instruction with a first field encoded to indicate success or failure in retrieving a list of attributes within a section specified by section identification and a second field encoded with the list of attributes within the specified section if successful in enumerating the attributes within specified section.

31. A method to enable a processor to retrieve a catalog of Digital Rights Management (DRM) media objects, from a metabase in a memory of a computational device, comprising:

encoding a request instruction with one of a file format for the catalog;

sending the request instruction;

receiving a catalog in the file format with object identifications for DRM media objects stored in the memory, section identifications for sections stored within the DRM media object and attribute identifications for attributes stored within each section.