System and method for manipulating a computer file and/or program

• US 6,615,349 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sightsound Technologies LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Parsec Sight/Sound Incorporated
• Inventors: Hair, Arthur R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US09/256,432
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 713/153, 713/164, 713/168, 713/165
• US Class Current: 713/165
• 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: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files

Abstract

A system for manipulating a computer file and/or program. The system includes a serving device having access to a computer file and/or program which is unencrypted and which can encrypt the unencrypted computer file and/or program to become an encrypted computer file and/or program and transfer it. The system includes a connector connected to the serving device on which the encrypted computer file and/or program travels and to which the serving device transfers the encrypted computer file and/or program. The system includes a client device which receives the encrypted computer file and/or program and decrypts the encrypted computer file and/or program back to the unencrypted computer file and/or program.

Claims

1. A system for manipulating a computer file and/or program comprising:

a serving device having access to a computer file and/or program which is unencrypted and which can encrypt the unencrypted computer file and/or program to become an encrypted computer file and/or program and transfer it;

a connector connected to the serving device on which the encrypted computer file and/or program travels and to which the serving device transfers the encrypted computer file and/or program;

a client device which receives the encrypted computer file and/or program and decrypts the encrypted computer file and/or program back to the unencrypted computer file and/or program, said client device not allowing intervention to the encrypted computer file and/or program during a time when the encrypted computer and/or file program is received, said serving device separate, apart and distinct from the client device, the serving device assigns permissions and/or rights to the unencrypted computer file and/or program which identifies what the client device can do with the unencrypted or encrypted computer file and/or program after the client device has received the encrypted computer file and/or program or after the client device has decrypted the encrypted computer file and/or program back to the unencrypted computer file and/or program, the serving device encrypts the permissions and/or rights and transfers them to the client device through the connector, said client device decrypts the unencrypted permissions and/or rights, the serving device includes controlling server software and/or firmware which causes the encryption of the unencrypted computer file and/or program and the permissions and/or rights and instructs the client device to temporarily suspend user intervention when the client device receives the encrypted computer file and/or program and the encrypted permissions and/or rights, the client device includes controlling client software and/or firmware which causes the decryption of the encrypted computer file and/or program, the client device has a mechanism for requesting the unencrypted computer file and/or program from the serving device, the controlling client software and/or firmware causes the encryption of the unencrypted computer file and/or program and the permissions and/or rights for storage, the client device has an operating system and the controller client software and/or firmware instructs the operating system to reestablish user intervention at a desired time, the serving device has a server public key infrastructure which encrypts using encrypted communication protocols the permissions and/or rights and the unencrypted computer file and/or program, the client device has a client public key infrastructure which decrypts from transmission the permissions and/or rights and encrypted computer file and/or program using encrypted communication protocols, the client device includes an encrypting file system which encrypts the unencrypted computer file and/or program and the permissions and/or rights and allows for the manual selection of the unencrypted computer file and/or program for encryption or decryption, the client public key infrastructure has an encryption and/or decryption key and the encrypting file system uses the encryption and/or decryption key utilized by the client public key infrastructure, the controlling client software and/or firmware moves or copies the encrypted computer file and/or program to the next client device through the second connector, said client device having a controlling next client software and/or firmware which decrypts the received encrypted computer file and/or program and the encrypted permissions and/or rights and temporarily suspends user intervention of the next client device while the encrypted computer file and/or program is received by the next client device; and

a next client device connected to the client device through the connector.

2. A system as described in claim 1 wherein the connector includes a communication link, the serving device includes a transmitter connected to the communication link for transferring the encrypted computer file and/or program and unencrypted permissions and/or rights to the communication link, and the client device includes a receiver connected to the communication link which receives the encrypted computer file and/or program and the encrypted permissions and/or rights from the communication link.

3. A system as described in claim 2 wherein the connector is part of the Internet or other communication network.

4. A method for manipulating a computer file and/or program comprising the steps of:

suspending intervention by a user at a client device of the client device;

encrypting an unencrypted computer file and/or program at the server device to form an encrypted computer file and/or program;

transferring the encrypted computer file and/or program to the client device along a connector connected to the client device and the server device; and

reestablishing the intervention of the client device by the user.

5. A method as described in claim 4 including before the transferring step, there is the step of encrypting permissions and/or rights of the unencrypted computer file and/or program and transferring the encrypted permission and/or rights to the client device along the connector from the server device.

6. A method as described in claim 5 including before the encrypting the unencrypted computer file and/or program step, there is the step of requesting by the client device the unencrypted computer file and/or program of the server device.

7. A method as described in claim 6 including after the requesting step, there is the step of copying a primary unencrypted computer file and/or program to form the unencrypted computer file and/or program.

8. A method as described in claim 7 including before the reestablishing step, there is the step of decrypting the encrypted computer file and/or program back to the unencrypted computer file and/or program at the client device.

9. A method as described in claim 8 including after the decrypting step, there are the steps of encrypting the unencrypted computer file and/or program and permissions and/or rights at the client device and storing the encrypted computer program and/or file and the encrypted permissions and/or rights in the client device.

10. A method as described in claim 9 including after the storing step, there is the step of transferring the encrypted computer file and/or program to a next client device connected to the client device by a second connector.