Methods and systems for transaction digital watermarking in content delivery network

• US 20110126018A1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: nuMetra, Inc.
• Original Assignee: nuMetra, Inc.
• Inventors: Narsinh, Anees, Turner, Jeffrey Lynn
• Application Number:
  US12/592,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20110126018A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations

Abstract

Methods and systems for applying a transaction digital watermark to content being downloaded over a content delivery network. The digital watermark carries information about the transaction pursuant to which the content was downloaded, which can be useful in establishing a “chain of custody” that facilitates piracy detection and/or other tracking and monitoring applications. Moreover, the digital watermark is applied by an edge caching server, which enables downstream entities in the content delivery chain, such as Internet service providers, to influence the information carried in the digital watermark and enables transaction details that become known after the content leaves the content provider network to be carried in the digital watermark, but without opening up a security hole at the end user premises.

Claims

1. A content delivery network, comprising:

an origin server;

a transaction processing system; and

an edge caching server communicatively coupled with origin server and the transaction processing system, wherein the edge caching server applies to content received from the origin server a digital watermark carrying download transaction details received at least in part from the transaction processing system and transmits the content having the digital watermark to an end user device.

2. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the transaction processing system transmits download transaction details to the edge caching server in response to approving a download transaction with an end user using information received from the end user device.

3. The content delivery network of claim 2, wherein the transaction processing system transmits download transaction details to the edge caching server in further response to selecting the edge caching server from among a plurality of edge caching servers based at least in part on network location of the edge caching server.

4. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the edge caching server decodes the content and applies the digital watermark to the decoded content.

5. The content delivery network of claim 4, wherein the edge caching server verifies a steganographically usable area within the decoded content and applies the digital watermark to the steganographically usable area.

6. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include end user identification information.

7. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include Internet access information.

8. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include payment information.

9. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include time information.

10. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include download path information.

11. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include download quality information.

12. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the download transaction details include a unique transaction identifier.

13. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a prerecorded content file.

14. The content delivery network of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a live content stream.

15. An edge caching server for a content delivery network, comprising:

one or more network interfaces;

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the network interfaces and the memory, wherein under control of the processor the edge caching server applies a digital watermark carrying download transaction details to content received on one of the network interfaces and transmits the content on one of the network interfaces.

16. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the edge caching server decodes the content and applies the digital watermark to the decoded content.

17. The edge caching server of claim 16, wherein the edge caching server verifies a steganographically usable area within the decoded content and applies the digital watermark to the steganographically usable area.

18. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include end user identification information.

19. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include Internet access information.

20. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include payment information.

21. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include time information.

22. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include download path information.

23. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include download quality information.

24. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the download transaction details include a unique transaction identifier.

25. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the content comprises a prerecorded content file.

26. The edge caching server of claim 15, wherein the content comprises a live content stream.

27. A method for digital watermarking, comprising the steps of:

receiving content on an edge caching server;

applying by the edge caching server to the content a digital watermark carrying download transaction details; and

transmitting the content from the edge caching server.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

decoding the content; and

verifying a steganographically usable area within the decoded content, wherein the digital watermark is applied to the steganographically usable area.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include end user identification information.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include Internet access information.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include payment information.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include time information.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include download path information.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include download quality information.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the download transaction details include a unique transaction identifier.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the content comprises a prerecorded content file.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the content comprises a live content stream.