EFFICIENT COMMON STORAGE OF PARTIALLY ENCRYPTED CONTENT

• US 20150033008A1
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Einarsson, Torbjrn, Barnes, Fritz
• Granted Patent: US 10,182,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• 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: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/065 Encryption by serially and continuously modifying data stream elements, e.g. stream cipher systems, RC4, SEAL or A5/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms described herein facilitate the efficient common storage of partially encrypted content. According to various embodiments, a client device to transmit a designated representation of a media content item via a communications interface may be received. The media content item may be associated with a plurality of representations including the designated representation. The media content item may be associated with first media content data and second media content data. The first media content data may be shared among the plurality of representations. The second media content data may be specific to the designated representation. The first media content data may be combined with the second media content data to create a designated partially encrypted media content portion associated with the designated representation via a processor. The designated partially encrypted media content portion may be transmitted to the client device via the communications interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a client device to transmit a designated representation of a media content item via a communications interface, the media content item being associated with a plurality of representations including the designated representation, the media content item being associated with first media content data and second media content data, the first media content data being shared among the plurality of representations, the second media content data being specific to the designated representation;

combining the first media content data with the second media content data to create a designated partially encrypted media content portion associated with the designated representation via a processor; and

transmitting the designated partially encrypted media content portion to the client device via the communications interface.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first media content data is stored in an unencrypted state and the second media content data is stored in an encrypted state.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein combining the first media content data with the second media content data comprises packaging the first and second media content data as one or more MP4 files or transport streams.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated partially encrypted media content portion comprises a video content frame.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated partially encrypted media content portion is specific to the designated representation.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of partially encrypted media content portions including the designated partially encrypted media content portion, each of the plurality of partially encrypted media content portions being created by combining unencrypted media content data common to the plurality of representations with encrypted media content data specific to the designated representation.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of unencrypted media content portions, each of the unencrypted media content portions being common to the plurality of representations.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of header portions, each of the plurality of header portions being specific to the designated representation.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of header portions is created in response to receiving the request, and wherein each of the plurality of header portions is created based on header data common to the plurality of representations.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the designated representation is selected from the plurality of representations based on a hardware or software capability of the client device.

11. A system comprising:

a storage medium operable to store information for providing a designated representation of a media content item, the media content item being associated with a plurality of representations including the designated representation, the media content item being associated with first media content data and second media content data, the first media content data being shared among the plurality of representations, the second media content data being specific to the designated representation;

a processor operable to combine the first media content data with the second media content data to create a designated partially encrypted media content portion associated with the designated representation; and

a communications interface operable to transmit the designated partially encrypted media content portion to a client device.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the first media content data is stored in an unencrypted state and the second media content data is stored in an encrypted state.

13. The system recited in claim 12, wherein combining the first media content data with the second media content data comprises packaging the first and second media content data as one or more MP4 files or transport streams.

14. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the designated partially encrypted media content portion comprises a video content frame.

15. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the designated partially encrypted media content portion is specific to the designated representation.

16. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of partially encrypted media content portions including the designated partially encrypted media content portion, each of the plurality of partially encrypted media content portions being created by combining unencrypted media content data common to the plurality of representations with encrypted media content data specific to the designated representation.

17. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of unencrypted media content portions, each of the unencrypted media content portions being common to the plurality of representations.

18. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the designated representation includes a plurality of header portions, each of the plurality of header portions being specific to the designated representation.

19. The system recited in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of header portions is created based on header data common to the plurality of representations.

20. One or more computer readable media having instructions stored thereon for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a client device to transmit a designated representation of a media content item via a communications interface, the media content item being associated with a plurality of representations including the designated representation, the media content item being associated with first media content data and second media content data, the first media content data being shared among the plurality of representations, the second media content data being specific to the designated representation;

combining the first media content data with the second media content data to create a designated partially encrypted media content portion associated with the designated representation via a processor; and

transmitting the designated partially encrypted media content portion to the client device via the communications interface.