System, method and article of manufacture for remote unlocking of local content located on a client device

• US 6,529,949 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterActual Technologies Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Getsin, Evgeniy M., Lamkin, Allan B., Collart, Todd R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/499,247
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/224, 709/225, 709/203, 380/4, 380/202, 380/229
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• 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 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for remotely controlling content stored on a local computer connected to a network system such as the Internet. The invention allows content such as DVD Video content to be locked so that play can only be accomplished through verification of user identity and also allows augmentation and supplementation of the content provided by the video from a remote server. In addition, upon verification of user client credentials, the present invention allows the locally stored content to be supplemented with additional content delivered over the network system. Furthermore, the present invention allows content stored locally on a client device to be remotely controlled to play synchronously on a plurality of client devices.

Claims

1. A method for remotely allowing access to locked content stored locally at a client device, the method comprising:

receiving device identification data at a server;

authenticating the identification data at the server;

sending to a client device, in response to the authenticating, unlocking data for setting a register in the client device and allowing the client device access to the locked content;

wherein the locked content has been authored such that when the register is set to a specific value a post command is generated in the client device that directs the client device to the locked content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the register is a General Purpose Register.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending to the client device a navigation command for setting the General Purpose Register.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the client device is a computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the client device is a set top box.

6. The method of claims 1 wherein the identification includes information about the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identification data includes information about the user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending to the client device additional unlocking data for setting additional registers in the client device and allowing the client device access to additional locked content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the additional registers are General Purpose Registers.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving from the client device Burst Cut Area information.

11. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for remotely allowing access to locked content stored locally at a client device comprising:

a source code segment for receiving an identification from the client device;

a source code segment for determining whether the client device should have access to the locked content, the locked content being previously authored such that access will be granted if a register in the client device is properly set; and

a source code segment for sending unlocking information to the client device, wherein the unlocking information sets the register in the client device, allowing for a proper post command to be generated in the client device.

12. The computer program as in claim 11 wherein the register is a General Purpose Register in the client device.

13. The computer program as in claim 12 further comprising a source code segment for sending a navigation command to the client device to set the General Purpose Register.

14. The computer program as in claim 12 further comprising a source code segment for directly setting the General Purpose Register in the client device.

15. The computer program as in claim 11 further comprising a code segment for unlocking content stored on a Digital Versatile Disc.

16. A method for unlocking content for display at a client device comprising:

receiving from the client device information data from a Burst Cut Area;

determining at a server whether the client device should have access to the content based upon the information data from the Burst Cut Area; and

sending an unlock command over a network to the client device to allow for the display of the content.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising setting registers in the client device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the registers are General Purpose Registers.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the content is a web-site.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the content is data stored on a Digital Versatile Disc.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the Burst Cut Area contains information identifying a specific copy of a disc.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising querying a database to identify a user who purchased the specific copy of the disc.

23. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for remotely allowing access to locked content comprising:

a source code segment for receiving information from a client device, the information based on data in a Burst Cut Area;

a source code segment for determining whether the client device should have access to the locked content based on the information received; and

a source code segment for sending unlocking information to the client device.

24. The computer program as in claim 23 further comprising:

a source code segment for receiving client identification data for identifying the client device; and

a source code segment for determining whether the client device should have access to the locked content based on the client identification data.

25. The computer program as in claim 23 further comprising a source code segment for unlocking content stored on a Digital Versatile Disc.

26. The computer program as in claim 23 further comprising a source code segment for setting registers in the client device.

27. The computer program as in claim 26 wherein the registers are General Purpose Registers.

28. The computer program as in claim 23 further comprising a source code segment for sending menu navigation commands to the client device.