UNIVERSAL MULTIMEDIA OPTIC DISC PLAYER AND ITS APPLICATION FOR REVOCABLE COPY PROTECTION

• US 20090285548A1
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: ZOU, Han, Yu, Hong Heather
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00659 involving a control step which is implemented as an executable file stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/211 Discs having both read-only and rewritable or recordable areas containing application data; Partial ROM media
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The media player employs an operating system that supports a virtual machine into which auto-run playback programs may be loaded and run. The auto run playback program is stored on the media containing the program content, such as on an optical disc medium. When the medium is inserted in the player, the auto run playback program automatically launches and is thereafter used to access playback the media content. Support for legacy media is provided to allow the player to playback compact discs and DVD discs that were manufactured without the auto run playback program

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A content player comprising:

an interface for obtaining a media delivery vehicle propagated across the network, with associated controller

a processor coupled to said controller;

signal processing circuitry coupled to said processor and having an output port for coupling to a media presentation device;

a memory coupled to said processor and having a data structure defined therein;

said data structure comprising a virtual machine for hosting an auto-run playback program obtained from the media delivery vehicle via said interface;

the auto-run playback program being operable to provide control instructions to said processor to cause said processor to access content from the media delivery vehicle and supply the content to said signal processing circuitry for output to the media presentation device; and

the content including copy protection data and the auto-run playback program being operable to read the copy protection data to effect copy protection.

18. A method of distributing content, said method comprising:

propagating an auto-run playback program and the content using a media delivery vehicle across a network to a playback system;

loading said auto-run playback program into said playback system in response to said propagating;

hosting the auto-run playback program obtained from the media delivery vehicle;

using the loaded auto-run playback program to access the content from the media delivery vehicle and supply the content to a media presentation device coupled to the playback system; and

reading copy protection data included in the content by the auto-run playback program to effect coy protection.

21. A program embodied on a computer readable medium for use in a content player, said program comprising:

computer-executable program code operable to cause the content player to;

load an auto-run playback program from a media delivery vehicle in response to the media delivery vehicle being propagated to the content player, the media delivery vehicle being used to propagate the auto-run playback program and content across a network;

host the auto-run playback program obtained from the media delivery vehicle by a virtual machine included in the content player;

use said loaded auto-run playback program to access content from the media delivery vehicle and supply the content to a media presentation device coupled to the content player; and

read copy protection data included in the content by the auto-run playback program to effect copy protection.

24. A device for use in a content player, said device comprising:

a processor operable to cause the content player to;

load an auto-run playback program from a media delivery vehicle into the content player in response to the media delivery vehicle being propagated to the content

player, the media delivery vehicle being used to propagate the auto-run playback program and content across a network;

host the auto-run playback program obtained from the media delivery vehicle by a virtual machine included in the content player,

use said loaded auto-run playback program to access content from the media delivery vehicle and supply the content to a media presentation device coupled to the content player, and

read copy protection data included in the content by the auto-run playback program to effect copy protection.