METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OBJECTS

• US 20090064344A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, HYOUNG-SHICK, Kwon, Won-Seok
• Application Number:
  US12/200,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064344A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for managing digital rights management (DRM) rights objects, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for downloading and managing DRM rights objects by accessing a device, which does not support DRM technology, using a universal plug and play (UPnP) network. The method includes requesting a media server, which has downloaded specified content, to provide meta information of the content; determining whether to download a rights object for the content based on the meta information of the content; requesting an approval for the download of the rights object if it is determined to download the rights object; and providing the downloaded rights object to the media server.

Claims

1. A method of managing digital rights management (DRM) rights objects, the method comprising:

requesting a media server, which has downloaded specified content, to provide meta information of the content;

determining whether to download a rights object for the content based on the meta information of the content;

requesting an approval for the download of the rights object and downloading the rights object if it is determined to download the rights object; and

providing the downloaded rights object to the media server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the downloaded rights object to the media server comprises:

transmitting a uniform resource identifier (URI) of the downloaded rights object to the media server to enable the media server to download the rights object using the URI.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking a validity of a specified rights object provided to the media server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the checking the validity of the rights object provided to the media server comprises:

requesting the media server to provide meta information of a specified rights object;

determining the validity of the rights object based on the meta information of the rights object; and

deleting the rights object if the rights object is determined to be invalid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media server does not support DRM technology.

6. An apparatus for managing digital rights management (DRM) rights objects, the apparatus comprising:

a meta information request unit which requests a media server, which has downloaded specified content, to provide meta information of the content;

a determination unit which determines whether to download a rights object for the content based on the meta information of the content; and

a rights object managing unit which downloads the rights object from a rights issuer when the determination unit determines to download the rights object, and provides the downloaded rights object to the media server.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the rights object managing unit transmits a uniform resource identifier (URI) of the downloaded rights object to the media server to enable the media server to download the rights object from the apparatus using the URI.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the determination unit checks a validity of a specified rights object provided to the media server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the determination unit checks the validity of the specified rights object, which is provided to the media server, based on meta information of the specified rights object received from the media server after the meta information request unit requested the media server to provide the meta information of the specified rights object.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the media server does not support DRM technology.