Personal license server and methods for use thereof

• US 20090210923A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Jogand-Coulomb, Fabrice E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,561,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• 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

A personal license server and methods for use thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, a personal license server is provided comprising a memory and circuitry operative to receive a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server, store the DRM license in the memory, and provide the DRM license to a personal license server client, wherein the personal license server client receives the DRM license without communicating with the license server. In another embodiment, a personal license server client is provided that receives, from a license requester, a request for a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server; in response to the request, communicates with a personal license server instead of the license server to receive the DRM license; and provides the DRM license to the license requester. Other embodiments are provided, and each of these embodiments can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Claims

1. A personal license server comprising:

a memory; and

circuitry operative to;

receive a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server;

store the DRM license in the memory; and

provide the DRM license to a personal license server client, wherein the personal license server client receives the DRM license without communicating with the license server.

2. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server and the personal license server client are in separate devices.

3. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server and the personal license server client are in a same device.

4. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein a device that comprises the personal license server client also comprises a playback system requiring the DRM license.

5. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein a playback system requiring the DRM license is in a different device from a device running the personal license server client.

6. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server client communicates with the personal license server using a same protocol as when communicating with the license server.

7. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server client communicates with the personal license server using a different protocol than a protocol used to communicate with the license server.

8. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server is part of a memory card.

9. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server is part of a host device operative to be connected with a memory card.

10. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server is part of a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

11. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the DRM license provided to the personal license server client is different from the DRM license received by the personal license server.

12. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein the personal license server client is operative to perform name resolution.

13. The personal license server of claim 1, wherein a device that runs the personal license server is the same device that performs name resolution.

14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising:

a computer program with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

receive, from a license requester, a request for a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server;

in response to the request, communicate with a personal license server instead of the license server to receive the DRM license; and

provide the DRM license to the license requester.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use name resolution to determine a network location of the personal license server.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use name resolution to determine a network location of the license server.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use name resolution to determine a network location of an intermediate redirection server.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are operative to automatically run on a host device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the license requestor uses a local host address to communicate with a personal license server client.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium and the processor are part of a same device.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium and the processor are on different devices.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium and personal license server are on different devices.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium and personal license server are on a same device.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is part of a memory card.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is part of a host device operative to be connected with a memory card.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the personal license server is part of a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 further comprising a computer program with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform name resolution.

28. A method for using a personal license server, the method comprising:

receiving, with a personal license server, a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server;

storing, with the personal license server, the DRM license; and

providing, with the personal license server, the DRM license to a personal license server client, wherein the personal license server client receives the DRM license without communicating with the license server.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server and the personal license server client are in separate devices.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server and the personal license server client are in a same device.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein a playback system requiring the DRM license is in a same device as the personal license server client.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein a playback system requiring the DRM license is in a different device from a device running the personal license server client.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server client communicates with the personal license server using a same protocol as when communicating with the license server.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server client communicates with the personal license server using a different protocol than a protocol used to communicate with the license server.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server is part of a memory card.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server is part of a host device operative to be connected with a memory card.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server is part of a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

38. The method of claim 28, wherein the DRM license provided to the personal license server client is different from the DRM license received by the personal license server.

39. The method of claim 28, wherein the personal license server client is operative to perform name resolution.

40. The method of claim 28, wherein a device that runs the personal license server is the same device that performs name resolution.

41. A method for interacting with a personal license server, the method comprising:

receiving, from a license requestor, a request for a digital rights management (DRM) license from a license server;

in response to the request, communicating with a personal license server instead of the license server to receive the DRM license; and

providing the DRM license to the license requester.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising using name resolution to determine a network location of the personal license server.

43. The method of claim 41 further comprising using name resolution to determine a network location of the license server.

44. The method of claim 41 further comprising using name resolution to determine a network location of an intermediate redirection server.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the license requester uses a local host address to send the request.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving, communicating, and providing acts are performed by a device other than one running the personal license server.

47. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving, communicating, and providing acts are performed by a device running the personal license server.

48. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving, communicating, and providing acts are performed by a memory card.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein the receiving, communicating, and providing acts are performed by a host device operative to be connected with a memory card.

50. The method of claim 41, wherein the personal license server is part of a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

51. The method of claim 41 further comprising performing name resolution.