Demarcated digital content and method for creating and processing demarcated digital works

• US 6,973,445 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Xin, Tadayon, Bijan, Raley, Michael C., Ta, Thanh T., Nahidipour, Aram, Lao, Guillermo
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/867,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 705/54, 705/57, 380/203, 713/150
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction

Abstract

Flags are used to mark portions of content in a digital work to permit marking or demarcation of portions of the document. The demarcated portions can be handled in various ways. For example, different usage rights can be applied to demarcated portions, the demarcated portionis can be culled for use as a summary, or the like. The flags can be used to demarcate portions of content that has been downloaded to keep track of payment and download status and thus add flexibility to electronic distribution of content. A flag usage rights element can be attached to limit and control access to flags in a desired manner.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions embedded therein for effecting a method for distributing digital works for use in a digital rights management system, said instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving a request from a requesting device for downloading digital content data;

instructions for associating a flag element with said digital content data, said flag element having at least one memory register;

instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data;

instructions for manipulating said flag element to store at least one demarcation flag in at least one of said at least one memory register, said at least one demarcation flag being stored at specific locations within said at least one memory register to demarcate the downloaded portion of said digital content data; and

instructions for associating at least one respective usage right with said at least one demarcation flag, said at least one respective usage right specifying a permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of said digital content data,

wherein said at least one memory register corresponds to memory addresses on an addressable memory indicating the downloaded portion of said digital content data, whereby the downloaded portion of the digital content data can be determined with said at least one demarcation flag without accessing the digital content data for enforcing said permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of said digital content data.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for downloading comprises instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data that will fit into the available memory of a device receiving said content data.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions for determining said available memory in said device receiving said digital content data,

wherein said instructions for manipulating said flag element comprises instructions for storing at least one of said demarcation flags in at least one of said memory registers corresponding to memory addresses demarcating a portion of said digital content data, said demarcated portion corresponding to said available memory of said device receiving said digital content data, and

wherein said instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data comprises instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data in memory addresses corresponding to said demarcated portion.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein one of said at least one demarcation flag demarcates a non-downloaded portion of said digital content data.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for collecting fees based on one more demarcation flags representing downloaded portions of said digital content data.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for collecting fees based on one more demarcation flags representing an aggregate of the downloaded portions of said digital content data.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing said at least one demarcation flag for customization of said digital content data for a user.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for changing a scope of said at least one respective usage right associated with said at least one demarcation flag.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing demarcation flags to implement a hierarchical access scheme with respect to a plurality of digital content data.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing demarcation flags to allow said digital content data to be at least one of selected, separated, cut, copied, and printed.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing demarcation flags to be inserted automatically to keep track of habits of a user.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing demarcation flags for securing user access to said digital content data.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for allowing a user to demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation flags.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for allowing said requesting device to automatically demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation flags.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for employing demarcation flags for super distribution of said digital content data to one or more users.

16. A method for distributing digital works to a computing device for use in a digital rights management system, said method comprising:

receiving a request, from a first computing device, at a second computing device, for downloading digital content data;

associating a flag element with said digital content data, said flag element having at least one memory register;

downloading a portion of said digital content data to said first computing device; and

manipulating said flag element to store at least one demarcation flag in at least one of said at least one memory register, said at least one demarcation flag being stored at specific locations within said at least one memory register to demarcate the downloaded portion of said digital content data, and

associating at least one respective usage right with said at least one demarcation flag, said at least one respective usage right specifying a permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of said digital content data,

wherein said at least one memory register corresponds to memory addresses on an addressable memory indicating the downloaded portion of said digital content data, whereby the downloaded portion of the digital content data can be determined with said at least one demarcation flag without accessing the digital content data for enforcing said permitted manner of use of the respective demarcated downloaded portion of said digital content data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said downloading step comprises instructions for downloading a portion of said digital content data that will fit into the available memory of said first computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of determining said available memory in said first computing device,

wherein said manipulating step comprises storing at least one of said demarcation flags in at least one of said memory registers corresponding to memory addresses demarcating a portion of said digital content data, said demarcated portion corresponding to said available memory of said first computing device, and

wherein said downloading step comprises downloading a portion of said digital content data in memory addresses corresponding to said demarcated portion.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one of said at least one demarcation flag demarcates a non-downloaded portion of said digital content data.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising collecting fees based on one more demarcation flags representing downloaded portions of said digital content data.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising collecting fees based on one more demarcation flags representing an aggregate of the downloaded portions of said digital content data.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing said at least one demarcation flag for customization of said digital content data for a user.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing a scope of said at least one respective usage right associated with said at least one demarcation flag.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing demarcation flags to implement a hierarchical access scheme with respect to a plurality of digital content data.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing demarcation flags to allow said digital content data to be at least one of selected, separated, cut, copied, and printed.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing demarcation flags to be inserted automatically to keep track of habits of a user.

27. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing demarcation flags for securing user access to said digital content data.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising allowing a user to demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation flags.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising allowing said requesting device to automatically demarcate said digital content data with one or more demarcation flags.

30. The method of claim 16, further comprising employing demarcation flags for super distribution of said digital content data to one or more users.

31. A computer program product including one or more computer readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and configured to cause one or more processors to perform the steps recited in claim 16.

32. A computer system including one or more computer hardware and/or software devices configured to perform the steps recited in claim 16.