Video media security and tracking system
First Claim
1. A method for authorized playing of a prerecorded medium on a player, the prerecorded medium having a contents portion including prerecorded program contents, a medium program identification, and a decryption key, the method comprising the steps of:
- reading from the contents portion the medium program identification and the decryption key;
reading from an authorization medium an encrypted program identification and a player identification recorded on the authorization medium;
using the decryption key to decrypt the program identification and the player identification read from the authorization medium;
comparing the decrypted program identification and player identification to respectively a player identification stored in the player and to the medium program identification read from the contents portion; and
if both comparisons indicate a match, enabling operation of the player to play the prerecorded medium.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing security and tracking data for rental video media, including digital video discs and digital video cassettes. Those new formats for video players and media allow for inclusion of security features which both allow tracking of rental of such media and prevent unauthorized rental thereof. Each player includes a decision circuit which plays a particular disc (or tape) only if a player identification number recorded on a special separate authorization memory card is the same as the player identification stored in the player, and if a movie identification number optically read from the disc matches a movie identification number recorded on the special card. A corresponding apparatus is provided at the video rental store which, at the time of rental, records on the authorization card in encrypted form the movie identification number and the number of the particular disc player for which that rental is intended. The encryption uses the private key of a public key system, the public key and the modulus being pre-recorded on the optical portion of the disc.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for authorized playing of a prerecorded medium on a player, the prerecorded medium having a contents portion including prerecorded program contents, a medium program identification, and a decryption key, the method comprising the steps of:
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reading from the contents portion the medium program identification and the decryption key; reading from an authorization medium an encrypted program identification and a player identification recorded on the authorization medium; using the decryption key to decrypt the program identification and the player identification read from the authorization medium; comparing the decrypted program identification and player identification to respectively a player identification stored in the player and to the medium program identification read from the contents portion; and if both comparisons indicate a match, enabling operation of the player to play the prerecorded medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A player for playing recorded media, each medium having a content portion including prerecorded program contents, a medium program identification, and a decryption key, the player comprising:
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a prerecorded medium reader portion; a control portion connected to the medium reader to receive therefrom the decryption key and the medium program identification; a reading circuit adapted for reading an encrypted program identification and player identification from an authorization medium; a decryptor, connected to the reading circuit and to the control portion, uses the decryption key to decrypt the encrypted program identification and player identification to provide a program identification and a player identification read from the authorization medium in decrypted form to the control portion; a first comparator connected to the decryptor and to the control portion, thereby comparing the decrypted program identification to the medium program identification from the content portion of the medium; a memory storing the player identification; a second comparator connected to the decryptor and to the memory, thereby comparing the decrypted player identification to the player identification stored in the memory; and logic connected to the first and second comparators, providing a signal enabling playing of the program contents of the medium if both comparators indicate a match. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification