METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING DRM SERVICE

• US 20120291142A1
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: SELEZNEV, Sergey Nikolayevich, Lee, Byung-Rae, Kang, Bo-Gyeong
• Granted Patent: US 9,038,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• 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 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; tracking of instant messages H04L51/234; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for providing a DRM service by a user terminal apparatus consuming DRM content in a service environment that provides the DRM content using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems. A license corresponding to the DRM content is acquired from a service providing apparatus that provides the DRM content. It is determined whether the license is a common license having a common DRM interface format. The common DRM interface format of the common license is converted to a format of a first DRM system installed in the user terminal apparatus, when the license is the common license. The license having the format of the first DRM system is applied in reproducing the DRM content. The common license is provided from the service providing apparatus to the user terminal apparatus through a common DRM interface when the service providing apparatus does not support the first DRM system.

Claims

1. A user terminal apparatus for consuming Digital Rights Management (DRM) content and providing a DRM service in a service environment that provides the DRM content by using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems, the user terminal apparatus comprising:

a transceiver;

a DRM agent for supporting a first DRM system; and

a DRM proxy server agent for acquiring, through the transceiver, a license corresponding to the DRM content from a service providing apparatus that provides the DRM content, determining whether the license is a common license having a common DRM interface format, converting the common DRM interface format of the common license to a format of the first DRM system installed in the user terminal apparatus when the license is the common license, and transferring the license to the DRM agent,

wherein the common license is provided from the service providing apparatus to the user terminal apparatus through a common DRM interface when the service providing apparatus does not support the first DRM system.

2. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the license comprises information on a decryption key capable of decrypting the DRM content and an access right for the DRM content.

3. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DRM proxy server agent converts a format of a first message received at the transceiver from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface, and a format of information included in the first message, to the format of the first DRM system, and transfers the first message to the DRM agent, and wherein the DRM proxy server agent converts a format of a second message received from the DRM agent and a format of information included in the second message to the common DRM interface format and transfers the second message to the service providing apparatus.

4. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the DRM agent prepares for license acquisition according to a protocol of the first DRM system and transfers a license request message having the format of the first DRM system to the DRM proxy server agent when the prepared for license acquisition, and wherein the DRM proxy server agent converts the format of the license request message to the common DRM interface format, transmits the license request message to the service providing apparatus through the transceiver, and receives a license response message including the license through the common DRM interface.

5. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DRM proxy server agent receives an acquisition request message for the license from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface, converts the common DRM interface format of the acquisition request message to the format of the first DRM system, and transfers the acquisition request message to the DRM agent, and wherein the DRM agent prepares for license acquisition according to reception of the acquisition request message.

6. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DRM proxy server agent stores information used for authentication of the DRM agent when the user terminal apparatus is initially registered in the service providing apparatus, performs the authentication of the DRM agent according to a protocol of the first DRM system when a registration request message for the user terminal apparatus is received from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface, and transmits a report message informing that the authentication has been successfully performed to the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface, and wherein the report message comprises information on a type of the first DRM system.

7. The user terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DRM proxy server agent transmits an error identification request message comprising contents of an error to the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface when the error is generated in a process of communication with the DRM agent, receives an error response message comprising resolution information on the error from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface, converts the common DRM interface format of the resolution information to the format of the first DRM system, and transfers the error response message to the DRM agent.

8. A method of providing a Digital Rights Management (DRM) service by a user terminal apparatus consuming DRM content in a service environment that provides the DRM content by using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a license corresponding to the DRM content from a service providing apparatus that provides the DRM content;

determining whether the license is a common license having a common DRM interface format;

converting the common DRM interface format of the common license to a format of a first DRM system installed in the user terminal apparatus, when the license is the common license; and

applying the license having the format of the first DRM system in reproducing the DRM content,

wherein the common license is provided from the service providing apparatus to the user terminal apparatus through a common DRM interface when the service providing apparatus does not support the first DRM system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the license comprises information on a decryption key capable of decrypting the DRM content and an access right for the DRM content.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein acquiring the license comprises:

receiving an acquisition request message for the license from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface;

converting a format of the acquisition request message to the format of the first DRM system and transferring the acquisition request message to a DRM agent supporting the first DRM system;

preparing for license acquisition according to a protocol of the first DRM system;

transmitting a license request message to the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface; and

receiving a license response message including the license through the common DRM interface.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a registration request message for the user terminal apparatus from the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface;

performing authentication for a DRM agent installed in the user terminal apparatus to provide the DRM service according to a protocol of the first DRM system; and

transmitting a report message informing that the authentication has been successfully performed to the service providing apparatus through the common DRM interface,

wherein the report message comprises information on a type of the first DRM system.

12. A method of providing a Digital Rights Management (DRM) service by a service providing apparatus that provides DRM content in a service environment that provides the DRM content by using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a license corresponding to the DRM content, wherein the license has a format of a first DRM system supported by the service providing apparatus;

converting the format of the license to a common DRM interface format when a user terminal apparatus that is to receive the license is equipped with a second DRM system that is different than the first DRM system; and

transmitting the license to the user terminal apparatus through a common DRM interface.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the license comprises information on a decryption key capable of decrypting the DRM content and an access right for the DRM content.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the license is included in a license response request message and the license response request message is transmitted to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface in response to a license request message received from the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting a user terminal registration request message to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface; and

receiving, from the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface, a report message informing that an authentication for a DRM agent installed in the user terminal apparatus, which provides a DRM service according to a protocol of the second DRM system, has been successfully performed,

wherein the report message comprises information on a type of the second DRM system.

16. A service providing apparatus for providing Digital Rights Management (DRM) content and providing a DRM service in a service environment that provides the DRM content by using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems, service providing apparatus comprising:

a service provider for storing information on types of DRM systems installed in a plurality of user terminal apparatuses;

a DRM server for supporting a first DRM system and generating a license corresponding to the DRM content, wherein the license has a format of the first DRM system; and

a common domain manager for, when a user terminal apparatus that is to receive the license is equipped with a second DRM system that is different than the first DRM system, converting the format of the license to a common DRM interface format and transmitting the license to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface.

17. The service providing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the license comprises information on a decryption key capable of decrypting the DRM content and an access right for the DRM content.

18. The service providing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the common domain manager converts a format of a first message received from the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface, and a format of information included in the first message, to the format of the first DRM system, and transfers the first message to the DRM server, and wherein the common domain manager converts a format of a second message received from the DRM server and a format of information included in the second message to the common DRM interface format, and transfers the second message to the user terminal apparatus.

19. The service providing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the common domain manager transmits a license response request message including the license to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface in response to a license request message received from the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface.

20. The service providing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the license request message is received in response to a license acquisition request message transmitted to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface.

21. The service providing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the common domain manager transmits a user terminal registration request message to the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface and receives, from the user terminal apparatus through the common DRM interface, a report message informing that an authentication for a DRM agent installed in the user terminal apparatus, which provides the DRM service according to a protocol of the second DRM system, has been successfully performed, wherein the report message comprises information on a type of the second DRM system.