Method for protecting data contents

• US 20130014276A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bull Sas (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Convergence Creators GmbH (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Gudenus, Gabriel, Weiss, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 method for protecting data contents, in particular video data, is provided. The data contents are provided by a distribution application available in a communications network and may be loaded onto an output unit to be played back on this output unit. A current system utilization of the output unit is monitored or measured during playback of the loaded data contents on the output unit. This current system utilization is compared to an estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for the playback of data contents. If the current system utilization of the output unit exceeds the estimated standard system utilization during a predefined period, appropriate protective measures, such as interrupting playback of the data contents, a corresponding message to the distribution application, etc., are taken and carried out to protect the data contents.

Claims

1. A method for protecting data contents, wherein the data contents are loaded from a distribution application available in a communications network onto an output unit and are played back on the output unit, comprising:

monitoring a current system utilization of the output unit during playback of loaded data contents on the output unit,

comparing the current system utilization to an estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for playback of data contents, and

taking appropriate protective measures for the data contents when the current system utilization exceeds the estimated standard system utilization.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a system utilization for decoding and decryption of data contents to be played back on the output unit and a system utilization for basic applications which run by default on the output unit are used for estimating the standard system utilization of the output unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the current system utilization of the output unit is carried out during a predefined period and is compared with the estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for this period.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the monitoring of the current system utilization of the output unit is carried out during a predefined period and is compared with the estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for this period.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein playback of the data contents is interrupted as a protective measure for the data contents when the current system utilization exceeds the standard system utilization.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein playback of the data contents is interrupted as a protective measure for the data contents when the current system utilization exceeds the standard system utilization.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending a message to the distribution application as a protective measure for the data contents when the current system utilization exceeds the standard system utilization.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

defining a limit for a difference between a current system utilization and an estimated standard system utilization.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

defining a limit for a difference between a current system utilization and an estimated standard system utilization.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program code which executes, when run on a computer, a method of protecting data contents, wherein the data contents are loaded from a distribution application available in a communications network onto an output unit and are played back on the output unit, the method comprising:

monitoring a current system utilization of the output unit during playback of loaded data contents on the output unit,

comparing the current system utilization to an estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for playback of data contents, and

interrupting the playback of the data contents when the current system utilization of the output unit exceeds the estimated standard system utilization.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein a system utilization for decoding and decryption of data contents to be played back on the output unit and a system utilization for basic applications which run by default on the output unit are used for estimating the standard system utilization of the output unit.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the monitoring of the current system utilization of the output unit is carried out during a predefined period and is compared with the estimated standard system utilization of the output unit for this period.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 10, the method further comprising:

sending a message to the distribution application when the current system utilization of the output unit exceeds the estimated standard system utilization.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium as claimed in claim 10, the method further comprising:

defining a limit for a difference between the current system utilization and the estimated standard system utilization.