Digital content cryptograph and process

• US 6,892,306 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin-Young, Byun, En-Seung, Kang
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US09/217,932
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 713/167, 713/193, 380/202, 380/201, 380/277
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/107 License processing; Key processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

A digital cryptograph and encryption process encrypts and transmits in a digital format specific items of information requested by a user of a digital content transmission system by using key information, a user'"'"'s key and a temporary validation key, to decrypt and replay the encrypted digital information at the user'"'"'s terminal by using the key information and the user'"'"'s authorization information. Each registered subscribing user is provided with unique key information. The user key is generated by applying the key information to a key generation algorithm. The temporary validation key that is created when the registered user accesses the server, is encrypted with the user key. The digital information is encrypted by using the temporary validation key in an encryption algorithm. The decryption algorithm allows the user to decrypt and replay the encrypted digital information upon receipt of the key information that has a one-to-one correspondence to the identity characters of the registered subscribing user.

Claims

1. A copyright protection protocol for protecting copyright of digital contents, said protocol including a header and the digital contents, said digital contents being encrypted, said header including key data for decrypting the digital contents, said key data being randomly generated in response to identity characters of a user transmitted to a host server from a terminal unit, wherein said terminal unit receives said protocol from said host server and replays said digital contents by decrypting the encrypted digital contents in response to the key data, wherein the header comprises a copyright support field for indicating whether the digital contents are under copyright protection, an unencrypted header field, and an encrypted header field;

wherein the unencrypted header field comprises a copyright library version field, a digital content conversion format field, a field for indicating the code of a digital content provider, a key generation algorithm field, a digital content encryption algorithm field, a field for indicating the number of users sharing a personal computer, a field for indicating the number of users sharing a replaying device, a field for indicating user authorization information at the personal computer, and a field for indicating user authorization information at the replaying device; and

wherein the field for indicating user authorization information at the personal computer and the field for indicating user authorization information at the replaying device comprise a field for indicating a hash value of a user key, and a field for indicating the size of the hash value generated by a hash algorithm, a field for indicating a resultant value of an encrypted temporary validation key, and a field for indicating the size of the resultant value of the encrypted temporary validation key, respectively.

2. The protocol of claim 1, further comprising a field for indicating the size of the encrypted digital contents, and an additional information field.

3. A copyright protection protocol for protecting copyright of digital contents, said protocol including a header and the digital contents, said digital contents being encrypted, said header including key data for decrypting the digital contents, said key data being randomly generated in response to identity characters of a user transmitted to a host server from a terminal unit, wherein said terminal unit receives said protocol from said host server and replays said digital contents by decrypting the encrypted digital contents in response to the key data, wherein the header comprises a copyright support field for indicating whether the digital contents are under copyright protection, an unencrypted header field, a field for indicating the size of the unencrypted header field, an encrypted header field, and a field for indicating the size of the encrypted header field;

wherein the unencrypted header field comprises a copyright library version field, a digital content conversion format field, a field for indicating the code of a digital content provider, a key generation algorithm field, a digital content encryption algorithm field, a field for indicating the number of users sharing a personal computer, a field for indicating the number of users sharing a replaying device, a field for indicating user authorization information at the personal computer, and a field for indicating user authorization information at the replaying device; and

wherein the field for indicating user authorization information at the personal computer and the field for indicating user authorization information at the replaying device comprise a field for indicating a hash value of a user key, and a field for indicating the size of the hash value generated by a hash algorithm, a field for indicating a resultant value of an encrypted temporary validation key, and a field for indicating the size of the resultant value of the encrypted temporary validation key, respectively.

4. The protocol format of claim 3, wherein the encrypted header field comprises a field for an encryption algorithm of the digital content, a field for indicating a basic process unit of the digital content, a field for indicating the number of encrypted bytes, and a hash value field for a hash value for determining a state of the entire header.

5. Apparatus for decrypting and encrypting a digital content, comprising:

a terminal unit having a decryption algorithm, said terminal unit transmitting identity characters of a user to a service server, receiving and storing key information output from said service server, receiving a protocol including encrypted digital content output from said service server, and decrypting said protocol by using said decryption algorithm and said stored key information; and

said service server, said service server having an encryption algorithm, said service server producing said key information in response to said identity characters transmitted from said terminal unit, transmitting said key information in a header to said terminal unit, encrypting said digital content by using said key information and said encryption algorithm, and transmitting the encrypted digital content along with said header, as said protocol, to said terminal unit, wherein said service server further comprises

a key generation algorithm responsive to said key information for generating a user key, the user key being used for encrypting a temporary validation key generated in response to a user'"'"'s request, the temporary validation key being used for encrypting said digital content, the user key and the encrypted temporary validation key being used to generate user authorization key information, the header being generated in response to the user authorization key information, wherein said service server further comprises;

an interface for receiving said identity characters transmitted from said terminal unit;

a key information generator for producing said key information in response to said identity characters received by said interface;

a user key generator responding to said key information for generating said user key;

a temporary validation key generator for generating said temporary validation key in response to a user digital content request signal that is input through the interface;

a user authorization information generator responding to said user key for encrypting said temporary validation key to generate user authorization information;

a header generator responding to said user key for generating a header, wherein said header includes said user authorization information; and

a protocol format generator for adding said encrypted digital content to said header to generate said protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said service server further comprises a database storing a set of identity characters used by said key information generator for comparison with the user'"'"'s identity characters in order to determine whether the user is a registered user.

7. An apparatus for encrypting and decrypting a digital content, comprising:

a terminal unit having a decryption algorithm, said terminal unit transmitting identity characters of a user to a service server, receiving and storing a key information output from said service server, receiving a protocol including encrypted digital content output from said service server, and decrypting the encrypted digital content included with said protocol by using said decryption algorithm and said key information;

said service server having an encryption algorithm, said service server transmitting said key information to said terminal unit and transmitting said identity characters to a host server, encrypting said digital content by using said key information and said encryption algorithm, and transmitting said protocol to said terminal unit; and

said host server responding to said identity characters transmitted from said service server for producing said key information, for transmitting said key information to said service server, and for storing a set of user identity characters for comparison to the identity characters transmitted to said host server from said service server, wherein said terminal unit further comprises;

a key generation algorithm responsive to said stored key information for generating a user key, the user key being used for generating and confirming user authorization information by decrypting a temporary validation key in a user authorization information field of the header, said temporary validation key being used for decrypting said encrypted digital content;

 

an interface for receiving said key information transmitted from said service server;

a user authority identifier utilizing said key information for obtaining the user key after reading the header of the protocol received from the service server and identifying whether said user is authorized to receive said digital content by analyzing the user authorization information with the user key;

a temporary validation key decryptor for decrypting said temporary validation key by using the user key provided by said user authorization identifier; and

a digital content decryptor for decrypting said encrypted digital content by using the temporary validation key decrypted by the temporary validation key decryptor.

8. An apparatus for encrypting and decrypting a digital content, comprising:

a terminal unit having a decryption algorithm, said terminal unit transmitting identity characters of a user to a service server, receiving and storing a key information output from said service server, receiving a protocol including encrypted digital content output from said service server, and decrypting the encrypted digital content included with said protocol by using said decryption algorithm and said key information;

said service server having an encryption algorithm, said service server transmitting said key information to said terminal unit and transmitting said identity characters to a host server, encrypting said digital content by using said key information and said encryption algorithm, and transmitting said protocol to said terminal unit; and

said host server responding to said identity characters transmitted from said service server for producing said key information, for transmitting said key information to said service server, and for storing a set of user identity characters for comparison to the identity characters transmitted to said host server from said service server, wherein said service server comprises;

a key generation algorithm responsive to said key information for generating a user key, the user key being used for encrypting a temporary validation key generated in response to a user'"'"'s request, the temporary validation key being used for encrypting said digital content, the user key and the encrypted temporary validation key being used to generate user authorization key information, the header being generated in response to the user authorization key information, wherein said service server further comprises;

an interface for receiving said identity characters transmitted from said terminal unit and transmitting said identity characters to said host server;

a user key generator responding to said key information for generating said user key;

a temporary validation key generator, responding to said user'"'"'s request, for generating said temporary validation key;

a user authorization information generator responding to said user key for encrypting said temporary validation key to generate said user authorization information;

a header generator responding to said encrypted temporary validation key for generating the header, wherein said header includes said user authorization information; and

a protocol format generator for adding said encrypted digital content to said header to generate said protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said host server comprises:

a key information generator and a database, said database storing said set of user identity characters and corresponding key information, said key information generator checking said data base for user identity characters corresponding to the identity characters transmitted from said interface, said key information generating new key information when it is determined that said database does not include a set of user identity characters corresponding to said identity characters transmitted from said interface and providing the new key information to said user key generator, and when said database does include a set of user identity characters corresponding to said identity characters transmitted from said interface and providing, providing the stored corresponding key information to said user key generator.

10. A method of digital content encryption and decryption in a digital content transmission system, the method comprising steps of:

generating key information using random numbers, said key information corresponding to identity characters of a user transmitted to a server location from a terminal unit;

transmitting the key information from the server location to said terminal unit;

applying said key information to a key generating algorithm to generate a user key;

generating a temporary validation key in response to a user request signal requesting downloading of digital information;

encrypting said temporary validation key by utilizing said user key and a key encryption algorithm to thereby generate user authorization information;

generating a header in response to said user authorization information, said header including said user authorization information;

encrypting the digital information requested by the user of said terminal unit to generate encrypted digital content;

combining the header and the encrypted digital content to form a copyright protection protocol;

transmitting the copyright protection protocol from the server location to said terminal unit;

receiving and storing, at said terminal unit, said key information transmitted from said server location;

receiving and storing, at said terminal unit, said copyright protection protocol;

generating a second user key in response to the stored key information;

analyzing said user authorization information in response to said second user key to determine whether the user is authorized to receive said encrypted digital information, and when said user is authorized to receive said encrypted digital information, utilizing said second user key to decrypt said temporary validation key from said user authorization information; and

decrypting said encrypted digital content the decrypted temporary validation key being used to decrypt to restore said digital information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step of transmitting information relating to a service fee to a service sanction agent server, said information being generated when said encrypted digital content is transmitted to said terminal unit.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step of applying said user key to a hash algorithm at said server location to generate a hash value, said hash value being added to said header.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising a steps of:

applying said second user key to a hash algorithm in said terminal unit to generate a second hash value; and

comparing said hash value in said header to said second hash value, and when the second hash value is determined to coincide with the hash value in the header, the user is recognized to be authorized and the temporary validation key is decrypted using the user key.