Medium and method for protection of data transmission according to both medium specific protection data and additional protection data
First Claim
1. A medium for transmitting main data to an apparatus for transmission by the apparatus, characterized in that:
- said medium also transmits protection data which are specific to said medium, the apparatus generates apparatus protection data which comprise at least first apparatus protection data and second apparatus protection data, wherein said first apparatus protection data are specific to a region or country in which the apparatus is to be used, said first apparatus protection data can not be modified by a user of the apparatus;
said second apparatus protection data can be modified by the user to selectively define a plurality of protection levels including at least two levels which are respectively specific to adults and to children, and said protection data and apparatus protection data in combination specify a degree of restriction on said transmission of the main data by the apparatus, wherein the combination of said protection data and said first apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted either in their entirety or not at all, and the combination of said protection data and said second apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted in their entirety, partially, or not at all, wherein said medium transmits both said protection data and said main data in an identical form.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a reproduction apparatus, for reproducing an original signal conveyed as main data by a data medium such as a recording disk or broadcasting system, with medium protection data which are specific to the data medium being conveyed together with the main data, the apparatus includes a section for generating apparatus protection data which are specific to the reproduction apparatus, a section for combining the apparatus protection data with the medium protection data to define a protection level, and a section for applying the protection level to restrict reproduction of the original signal, with stepwise variations in restriction occurring in accordance with charges in production level. The medium protection data may include information for specifying restricted reproduction of portions of the original signal, such as by producing a degraded resolution within specified regions of specified frames of a video signal.
11 Citations
4 Claims
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1. A medium for transmitting main data to an apparatus for transmission by the apparatus, characterized in that:
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said medium also transmits protection data which are specific to said medium, the apparatus generates apparatus protection data which comprise at least first apparatus protection data and second apparatus protection data, wherein said first apparatus protection data are specific to a region or country in which the apparatus is to be used, said first apparatus protection data can not be modified by a user of the apparatus;
said second apparatus protection data can be modified by the user to selectively define a plurality of protection levels including at least two levels which are respectively specific to adults and to children, and said protection data and apparatus protection data in combination specify a degree of restriction on said transmission of the main data by the apparatus, wherein the combination of said protection data and said first apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted either in their entirety or not at all, and the combination of said protection data and said second apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted in their entirety, partially, or not at all, wherein said medium transmits both said protection data and said main data in an identical form.
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2. A transmission method for operating on information which is transmitted through a medium and which comprises main data which are to be transmitted, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting protection data which are specific to said medium and are also transmitted through said medium;
generating additional protection data which comprise at least first additional protection data and second additional protection data, wherein said first additional protection data are specific to a region or a country in which said main data are to be transmitted, and can not be modified by a recipient of said transmitted main data, and wherein said second additional protection data can be modified by the recipient to selectively define a plurality of protection levels including at least two levels which are respectively specific to adults and to children;
defining a protection level based on said protection data and on said additional protection data, in combination; and
executing transmission of said main data in accordance with said protection level, wherein the combination of said protection data and said first additional protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted either in their entirety or not at all, and the combination of said protection data and said second additional protection data specifies that said main data are transmitted in their entirety, partially, or not at all, and wherein said medium transmits both said protection data and said main data in an identical form. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
transmitting said main data either in their entirety or not at all, in accordance with said combination of said protection data and said first additional protection data, and transmitting said main data in their entirety, partially, or not at all, in accordance with said combination of said protection data and said second additional protection data.
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Specification