Secure streaming of digital audio/visual content

• US 6,480,961 B2
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajasekharan, Ajit V., Story, Guy A. Jr., Huffman, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US09/261,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 709/201, 709/203, 709/202, 709/208, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/223, 709/226, 709/220, 709/227, 709/231, 709/237, 380/4, 380/25, 380/20, 710/127
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for secure streaming of digital audio/visual content is disclosed. Secure streaming provides protection against unauthorized use of the digital content. Authorization and integrity checks are performed by a client or playback device on a set of data associated with digital content to be played. The set of data includes authorization and integrity information for content to be received from the source. Streamed content is received from the source by the playback device. The streamed content is intermittently checked for authorization and integrity. If the check is passed, playback continues; otherwise playback is halted.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving authorization data corresponding to streamed digital content;

determining whether a playback device is authorized to play the streamed digital content based, at least in part, on the authorization data;

playing a portion of the streamed digital content, if authorized; and

checking portions of the streamed digital content to determine whether continued playback is authorized, wherein an interval for which authorization is checked is determined based, at least in part, on one or more of network bandwidth, processing power utilization and strength of security desired.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the checking is performed at regular intervals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the checking is performed semi-randomly.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the checking comprises:

determining a hash value for a portion of the steamed digital content;

checking the authorization data to determine whether the hash value is included; and

continuing playback if the hash value is included in the authorization data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating determining whether the playback device is authorized to play the streamed digital content and playing a portion of the streamed digital content, if authorized.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether a playback device is authorized to play the digital content further comprises:

determining whether a source indicator included in the authorization data indicates an approved source; and

determining whether an authorization indicator in the authorization data corresponds to the playback device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the source indicator is a digital signature.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization indicator is a playback device indicator.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving authorization data corresponding to streamed digital content;

means for determining whether a playback device is authorized to play the streamed digital content based, at least in part, on the authorization data;

means for playing a portion of the streamed digital content, if authorized, and

means for checking portions of the streamed digital content to determine whether continued playback is authorized, wherein an interval for which authorization is checked is determined based, at least in part, on one or more of network bandwidth, processing power utilization and strength of security desired.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the means for checking further comprises:

means for determining a hash value for a portion of the stream of data;

means for checking the authorization data to determine whether the hash value is included; and

means for continuing playback if the hash value is included in the authorization data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the means for determining whether a playback device is authorized to play the digital content further comprises:

means for determining whether a source indicator included in the authorization data indicates an approved source; and

means for determining whether an authorization indicator in the authorization data corresponds to the playback device.

12. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed cause one or more electronic devices to:

receive authorization data corresponding to streamed digital content;

determine whether a playback device is authorized to play the streamed digital content based, at least in part, on the authorization data; and

play a portion of the streamed digital content, if authorized; and

check portions of the streamed digital content to determine whether continued playback is authorized, wherein an interval for which authorization is checked is determined based, at least in part, on one or more of network bandwidth, processing power utilization and strength of security desired.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the checking is performed at regular intervals.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the checking is performed randomly.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to check portions of the stream of data further comprise sequences of instructions that when executed cause the one or more electronic devices to:

determine a hash value for a portion of the stream of data;

check the authorization data to determine whether the hash value is included; and

continue playback if the hash value is included in the authorization data.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to play the portion of the digital content comprises receiving a stream of portions of a digital content file.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to determine whether a playback device is authorized to play the digital content comprise sequences of instructions that when executed cause the one or more electronic devices to:

determine whether a source indicator included in the authorization data indicates an approved source; and

determine whether an authorization indicator in the authorization data corresponds to the playback device.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the source indicator is a digital signature.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the authorization indicator is a playback device indicator.

20. A computer data signal embodied in a data communications medium shared among a plurality of network devices comprising sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause one or more electronic systems to:

receive authorization data corresponding to streamed digital content;

determine whether a playback device is authorized to play the streamed digital content based, at least in part, on the authorization data;

play a portion of the streamed digital content, if authorized; and

check portions of the streamed digital content to determine whether continued playback is authorized, wherein an interval for which authorization is checked is determined based, at least in part, on one or more of network bandwidth, processing power utilization and strength of security desired.

21. The computer data signal of claim 20 wherein the checking is performed at regular intervals.

22. The computer data signal of claim 20 wherein the checking is performed randomly.

23. The computer data signal of claim 20 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to check portions of the stream of data further comprise sequences of instructions that when executed cause the one or more electronic devices to:

determine a hash value for a portion of the stream of data;

check the authorization data to determine whether the hash value is included; and

continue playback if the hash value is included in the authorization data.

24. The computer data signal of claim 20 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to play the portion of the digital content comprises receiving a stream of portions of a digital content file.

25. The computer data signal of claim 20 wherein the sequences of instructions that cause the one or more electronic devices to determine whether a playback device is authorized to play the digital content comprise sequences of instructions that when executed cause the one or more electronic devices to:

determine whether a source indicator included in the authorization data indicates an approved source; and

determine whether an authorization indicator in the authorization data corresponds to the playback device.

26. The computer data signal of claim 25 wherein the source indicator is a digital signature.

27. The computer data signal of claim 25 wherein the authorization indicator is a playback device indicator.