METHOD, SYSTEM, AND DEVICE FOR LICENSE-CENTRIC CONTENT CONSUMPTION

• US 20110213721A1
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: RALEY, Michael Charles, CHEN, Eddie J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/358 Digital rights management

Abstract

A method, system, and device for license-centric content use or distribution, including a pre-existing digital rights management (DRM) system having a unique interface to a repository of data thereof to govern use of content; a shared license repository configured to access the data to govern the use of the content and to communicate with the unique interface of the pre-existing DRM system; and a user interface configured to interact with the pre-existing DRM system, and configured to allow the user to send a license associated with the content from the shared license repository to the pre-existing DRM system or to another shared license repository.

Claims

1. A license repository device having a computer readable memory with instructions recorded thereon to define modules that carry out functions when executed by a processor, said license repository device being configured to manage one or more licenses on behalf of a user associated with the license repository device, said modules comprising:

an interface module configured to receive at least one identifier of a permitted use of a user for one or more content titles on at least one instance of a DRM computer system;

a user input module configured to receive a request from the user for an inventory of at least one content title for which the user has a permitted use on the at least one instance of a DRM computer system;

a determination module configured to determine a type of the at least one instance of DRM computer system;

an authentication module configured to authenticate the user as an authenticated user; and

a license management user interface module configured to generate an inventory of the content titles for which the authenticated user has a permitted use on the at least one instance of a DRM computer system.

2. The license repository device of claim 1, wherein the at least one instance of a DRM computer system is one type DRM computer system of plural types of DRM computer systems and wherein said interface module is configured to determine the one type of DRM computer system based on the type of DRM computer system that was used to generate the request.

3. The license repository device of claim 1, further comprising:

a generation module configured to generate a license in response to a selection, by the authenticated user, of a content title from the inventory, the license specifying a permitted use of a specific instance of the content and being enforceable by a selected instance of a DRM computer system to provide use of a specific instance of the content to the user in accordance with the permitted use; and

an interface module configured to transmit the license to the selected instance of a DRM computer system in accordance with an interface of the selected instance of the DRM computer system.

4. The license repository device of claim 1, wherein said a license management user interface module is further configured to receive license lifecycle management commands from the authenticated user.

5. The license repository device of claim 4, wherein the license lifecycle management commands are selected from a group which includes commands for renewing licenses, searching licenses, issuing licenses, extracting licenses, transferring licenses, adding licenses, and converting licenses.

6. The license repository device of claim 3, wherein said generation module is further configured to generate another license in response to a selection, by the authenticated user, of a content title from the inventory, the another license specifying a permitted use of a specific instance of the content and being enforceable by another instance of a DRM computer system that has a proprietary DRM format different from a proprietary DRM format of the selected instance of a DRM computer system to provide use of a specific instance of the content to the user in accordance with the permitted use;

and

wherein the interface module is further configured to transmit the another license to the another instance of a DRM computer system in accordance with an interface of the another instance of the DRM computer system.

7. A method for managing one or more licenses on behalf of a user associated with a license repository device, said method comprising:

authenticating a user as an authenticated user;

receiving at least one identifier of a permitted use of a user for one or more content titles on at least one instance of a DRM computer system;

receiving a request from the user for an inventory of at least one content title for which the user has a permitted use on the at least one instance of a DRM computer system;

determining a type of the at least one instance of DRM computer system; and

generating an inventory of the content titles for which the authenticated user has a permitted use on the at least one instance of a DRM computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one instance of a DRM computer system is one type DRM computer system of plural types of DRM computer systems and wherein said determining step comprises determining the one type of DRM computer system based on the type of DRM computer system that was used to generate the request.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a license in response to a selection, by the authenticated user, of a content title from the inventory, the license specifying a permitted use of a specific instance of the content and being enforceable by a selected instance of a DRM computer system to provide use of a specific instance of the content to the user in accordance with the permitted use; and

transmitting the license to the selected instance of a DRM computer system in accordance with an interface of the selected instance of the DRM computer system.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving license lifecycle management commands from the authenticated user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the license lifecycle management commands are selected from a group which includes commands for renewing licenses, searching licenses, issuing licenses, extracting licenses, transferring licenses, adding licenses, and converting licenses.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating another license in response to a selection, by the authenticated user, of a content title from the inventory, the another license specifying a permitted use of a specific instance of the content and being enforceable by another instance of a DRM computer system that has a proprietary DRM format different from a proprietary DRM format of the selected instance of a DRM computer system to provide use of a specific instance of the content to the user in accordance with the permitted use;

and

transmitting the another license to the another instance of a DRM computer system in accordance with an interface of the another instance of the DRM computer system.

13. A rendering device having a computer readable memory with instructions recorded thereon to define modules that carry out functions when executed by a processor, said rendering device being configured to communicate with at least one license repository device to manage one or more licenses on behalf of a user associated with the rendering device, said license repository device storing at least one identifier of a permitted use of a user for one or more content titles on at least one instance of a DRM computer system, said modules comprising:

a request module configured to transmit a request to a license repository device for an inventory of at least one content title for which the user has a permitted use on the rendering device as an instance of a DRM system; and

a license management module configured to receive from the license repository device an inventory of the content titles for which the user has a permitted use on the rendering device.

14. The rendering device of claim 13, further comprising:

a license request module configured to select a content title from the inventory;

a license receipt module configured to receive a license of the selected content title, the license specifying a permitted use of a specific instance of the content and being enforceable by the rendering device to provide use of the specific instance of the content to the user in accordance with the permitted use.

15. The rendering device of claim 13, further comprising a lifecycle management request module configured to transmit license lifecycle management requests.

16. The rendering device of claim 15, wherein the license lifecycle management requests are selected from a group which includes requests for renewing licenses, searching licenses, issuing licenses, extracting licenses, transferring licenses, adding licenses, and converting licenses.