Control of a computer program

• US 20150346700A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
• Inventors: diFlora, Cristiano
• Granted Patent: US 10,838,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

According to an example embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured at least to receive control information embedded in an audio content signal, determine the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program, and modify execution of the computer program at least in part in dependence of the determination.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including a computer program, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus at least to:

receive control information embedded in an audio content signal;

determine the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program, and

modify execution of the computer program at least in part in dependence of the determination.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control information does not identify a media content item the audio content signal is comprised in.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program being are configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus to modify the execution of the computer program by modifying a set of available functionalities in the computer program.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of adding and removing menu options from a user interface of the computer program.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of enabling and disabling aspects of the computer program.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the computer program comprises a game and modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of allowing access to a bonus level, allowing use of a bonus item, recharging a player entity in the game and allowing use of a bonus vehicle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein determining the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program comprises determining the control information comprises at least one of an identifier of the computer program, an identifier of a manufacturer of the computer program, an identifier of a type of the computer program and an identifier associated with a set of computer programs, the computer program being comprised in the set of computer programs.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein determining the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program comprises verifying the control information comprises a valid cryptographic token.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cryptographic token comprises a cryptographic signature.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control information control information does not identify the media content item.

10. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including a computer program, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the apparatus at least to:

retrieve, from a media storage, a media content item, and

play the media content item, the media content item comprising an audio content signal which comprises embedded therein control information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus further comprises the media storage.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the media storage comprised at least one of a magnetic memory, an optical memory, flash memory and random access memory.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control information comprises at least one of an identifier of a computer program, an identifier of a manufacturer of a computer program, an identifier of a type of a computer program and an identifier associated with a set of computer programs.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control information comprises a valid cryptographic token.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cryptographic token comprises a cryptographic signature.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving control information embedded in an audio content signal;

determining the control information conforms to a criterion defined by a computer program, and

modifying execution of the computer program at least in part in dependence of the determination.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the control information does not identify a media content item the audio content signal is comprised in.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the execution of the computer program comprises modifying a set of available functionalities in the computer program.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of adding and removing menu options from a user interface of the computer program.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of enabling and disabling aspects of the computer program.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the computer program comprises a game and modifying the set of available functionalities in the computer program comprises at least one of allowing access to a bonus level, allowing use of a bonus item, recharging a player entity in the game and allowing use of a bonus vehicle.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein determining the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program comprises determining the control information comprises at least one of an identifier of the computer program, an identifier of a manufacturer of the computer program, an identifier of a type of the computer program and an identifier associated with a set of computer programs, the computer program being comprised in the set of computer programs.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein determining the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program comprises verifying the control information comprises a valid cryptographic token.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the cryptographic token comprises a cryptographic signature.

26. A method, comprising:

retrieving, from a media storage, a media content item, and

playing the media content item, the media content item comprising an audio content signal which comprises embedded therein control information.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising storing the media content item in the media storage.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the control information control information does not identify the media content item.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the control information comprises at least one of an identifier of a computer program, an identifier of a manufacturer of a computer program, an identifier of a type of a computer program and an identifier associated with a set of computer programs.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the control information comprises a valid cryptographic token.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the cryptographic token comprises a cryptographic signature.

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive control information embedded in an audio content signal;

determine the control information conforms to a criterion defined by the computer program, and

modify execution of the computer program in dependence of the determination

35. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

retrieve, from a media storage, a media content item, and

play the media content item, the media content item comprising an audio content signal which comprises embedded therein control information.

36. (canceled)