METHOD FOR PROTECTION OF DATA DECODING ACCORDING TO MEDIUM PROTECTION DATA POSITION INFORMATION AND FIRST AND SECOND APPARATUS PROTECTION DATA TO DETERMINE WHETHER MAIN DATA AT SPECIFIED POSITIONS ARE DECODED IN THEIR ENTIRETY, PARTIALLY, OR NOT AT ALL

• US 6,795,500 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugahara, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, Y YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/991,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20020034236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.712, 375/240.01, 375/240.25, 375/240.26, 386/94
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00094 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/806 : with processing of the sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 : Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

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 changes in protection level. The medium protection data may include information for specifying restricted reproduction of portions of the original signal, such as by producing degraded resolution within specified regions of specified frames of a video signal.

Claims

1. A decoding protection method, for operating on information which is conveyed by a medium and comprises main data which are to be decoded, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting medium protection data which are specific to each of predetermined data pieces within said main data and are also conveyed by said medium;

detecting protection position information which specifies a position of said predetermined data pieces within said main data at which to apply said decoding protection, said protection position information also being conveyed by said medium;

generating 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 a country in which said main data are to be decoded and are unmodifiable by a recipient of said main data and said second apparatus 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 medium protection data and on said apparatus protection data, in combination; and

executing decoding of said main data in accordance with said protection level,

wherein the combination of said medium protection data and said first apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are decoded either in their entirety or not at all, and the combination of said medium protection data and said second apparatus protection data specifies that said main data are decoded in their entirety, partially, or not at all.

2. A decoding protection method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of executing decoding of said main data comprises:

decoding said main data either in their entirety or not at all, in accordance with said combination of said medium protection data and said first apparatus protection data, and

decoding said main data in their entirety, partially, or not at all, in accordance with said combination of said medium protection data and said second apparatus protection data.