DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT

• US 20090125987A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: IRWIN, James
• Application Number:
  US12/013,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125987A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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: 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 2463/103 applying security measure for protecting copy right protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment, e.g. protection the software providers copyright G06F21/10; data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; secrecy systems or subscription systems H04N7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A method for distributing rights objects between a first device 1 and a second device 50 is disclosed, the rights objects being used to authorise use of a content file. The method includes, at the first device, selecting and requesting content from a distribution server 3; receiving a download descriptor file 9 for the requested content, the download descriptor file identifying at least one available format of the content and identifying from where the content may be retrieved, wherein different formats of the content are suitable for devices having different rendering profiles and different formats of the content are contained within different content files; receiving at least one rights object 13 associated with the content files, the at least one rights object providing authorisation rights for the content files; and embedding the at least one rights object within the download descriptor file. The download descriptor file is then distributed to the second device.

Claims

1. A method for distributing rights objects between a first device and a second device, the rights objects being used to authorize use of a content file, comprising the steps of:

at the first device;

selecting and requesting content from a distribution server;

receiving a download descriptor file for the requested content, the download descriptor file identifying at least one available format of the content and identifying from where the content may be retrieved, wherein different formats of the content are suitable for devices having different rendering profiles and different formats of the content are contained within different content files;

receiving at least one rights object associated with the content files, the at least one rights object providing authorization rights for the content files; and

embedding the at least one rights object within the download descriptor file; and

,

distributing the download descriptor file to the second device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second device performs the steps of identifying an available format of the content appropriate to its rendering profile from the download descriptor, retrieving the content file containing the appropriate format of the content and using the rights object to render the retrieved content file.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first device performs the step of requesting at least one rights object from the distribution server, this step being performed automatically after receiving the download descriptor file for the content.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the step of requesting at least one rights object is initiated by an OMA ROAP trigger.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the identification of where the content may be retrieved from is a URL.

6. A method according to claim 1 comprising the further step of storing the download descriptor file on the first device.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second device has a different rendering profile from the first device.

8. A method according to claim 2 wherein the second device performs the step of retrieving the content automatically when it receives the download descriptor from the first device.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the download descriptor comprises an XML file.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the download descriptor supports multiple DRM systems.

23. A method according to claim 3 wherein the first device performs the step of requesting at least one rights object from the distribution server, this step being performed automatically after receiving the download descriptor file for the content.

11. A system for distributing rights objects between a first device and a second device, the rights objects being used to authorize use of a content file, the system comprising:

the first device comprising;

means for selecting and means for requesting content from a distribution server;

means for receiving a download descriptor file for the requested content, the download descriptor file identifying at least one available format of the content and identifying where the content may be retrieved, wherein different formats of the content are suitable for devices having different rendering profiles and different formats of the content are contained within different content files;

means for receiving at least one rights object associated with the content files, the at least one rights object providing authorization rights for the content file;

means for embedding the at least one rights object within the download descriptor file; and

,

means for distributing the download descriptor file to the second device.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the second device comprises means for identifying an available format of the content appropriate to its rendering profile from the download descriptor, means for retrieving the content file containing the appropriate format of the content and means for using the rights object to render the retrieved content file.

13. A system according to claim 11 the first device further comprising means for requesting at least one rights object from the distribution server, this request being performed automatically after receiving the download descriptor file for the content.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein request for at least one rights object is initiated by an OMA ROAP trigger.

15. A system according to claim 11 wherein the identification of where the content may be retrieved from is a URL.

16. A system according to claim 11 further comprising means for storing the download descriptor file on the first device.

17. A system according to claim 11 wherein the second device has a different rendering profile from the first device.

18. A system according to of claim 12 wherein the second device comprises means for retrieving the content automatically when it receives the download descriptor from the first device.

19. A system according to claim 11 wherein the download descriptor comprises an XML file.

20. A system according to claim 11 wherein the download descriptor supports multiple DRM systems.

24. A system according to claim 12 the first device further comprising means for requesting at least one rights object from the distribution server, this request being performed automatically after receiving the download descriptor file for the content.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)