Biometric rights management system

• US 7,003,670 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yangaroo Inc
• Original Assignee: Yangaroo Inc
• Inventors: Hunt, Cliff, Heaven, John, Steinman, Shane, Staples, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US09/875,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 705/57, 713/186, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 713/186
• 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: 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 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

An apparatus and method for using biometric information to control access to digital media that is obtained over a network such as the Internet. Encryption, techniques are used in combination with biometric verification technology to control and monitor access to online or locally held media. Biometrics such as keystroke dynamics are measured at a user'"'"'s computer to confirm the identity of a user for the purpose of allowing the user to audit music files to which the user has authorized access.

Claims

1. A method for allowing an authorized user to audit encrypted media files, comprising:

(a) measuring dynamic characteristics of an information entry by an authorized user to create a biometric profile of the authorized user;

(b) receiving a request to audit a selected encrypted media file from an individual;

(c) prompting the individual to perform the information entry, measuring dynamic characteristics thereof for comparison against the biometric profile of the authorized user, and verifying based on the comparison if the individual is the authorized user;

(d) determining whether the authorized user has a right to audit the selected encrypted media file by consulting a user rights profile; and

(e) if the individual is verified as the authorized user and the authorized user has the right to audit the selected encrypted media file, streaming the selected encrypted media file from a storage location, decrypting the streamed media file, and providing the decrypted streamed media file to an auditing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes measuring keystroke dynamics of the information entry made by the authorized user through a keyboard, the biometric profile being based on a typing cadence of the authorized user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the information entry includes a password for which dynamic entry characteristics are measured.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the information entry includes user name address for which dynamic entry characteristics are measured.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the media files are digitally encoded music files.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein, in step (c), the individual is prompted to perform the information entry at a user computer system, the storage location being a mass storage device locally accessible to the user computer system.

7. The method of claim 6 including, prior to step (e), a step of downloading the selected encrypted media file over the Internet to the mass storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the storage location is at a location remote from the auditing device and the media file is streamed over a network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein, in step (c), the individual is prompted to perform the information entry at a user computer system, and prior to verification of the individual as being the authorized user, a check is performed to determine if a biometric profile for the authorized user is stored locally at the user computer system, and if not, a remote server is accessed over the Internet to determine if a biometric profile for the authorized user is stored at the remote server in which case the biometric profile is downloaded to the user computer system and used thereby for the comparison in step (c).

10. A computer readable storage device containing instructions for controlling a computer to perform steps according to claim 1.

11. A communications signal containing instructions for controlling a computer to perform steps according to claim 1.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user rights profile includes one or more associations between the authorized user and encrypted media files, and wherein said step of determining includes determining whether the one or more associations include an association between the authorized user and the selected encrypted media file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the association between the authorized user and the selected encrypted media file includes conditions of use, and wherein the step of determining includes determining whether the request to audit meets the conditions of use.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for allowing an authorized user to audit encrypted media files comprising:

code means for measuring physical characteristics of an authorized user'"'"'s typing style and creating a biometric profile of the authorized user based on the measured physical characteristics of the authorized user'"'"'s typing style;

code means for measuring physical characteristics of a typing style of an individual purporting to be the authorized user and comparing features thereof with the biometric profile to verify, within a predetermined likelihood, that the individual is the authorized user;

code means for determining whether the authorized user has a right to audit a selected encrypted media file based upon a user rights profile; and

code means for, if the individual is verified to be the authorized user and if the authorized user has the right to audit the selected encrypted media file, causing the selected encrypted media file to be streamed to an auditing device and decrypted.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the comparing of the features of the measured physical characteristics of the individual'"'"'s typing style with the biometric profile is caused to be performed at a computer system at which the physical characteristics of the typing style of the individual are measured.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, including program code means for determining if the biometric profile for the authorized user is locally stored at the computer system and, if not, causing the computer system to contact a remote server over the Internet and download therefrom the biometric profile prior to comparing the features of the measured physical characteristics of the typing style of the individual with the biometric profile.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the encrypted media file is stored locally at the computer system and the auditing device includes a media player run by the computer system.

18. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein measuring of the physical characteristics of the individual'"'"'s typing style is caused to be performed at a computer system and the encrypted media file is streamed from a remote server, the product including program code means for, if the individual is verified to be the authorized user, causing the encrypted media file to be streamed over the Internet from the remote server to a media player run by the computer system.

19. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the computer readable medium is selected from the group consisting of a laser readable disc, a magnetic storage device and a communications signal.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the code means for determining includes codes means for identifying whether the user rights profile contains an association between the authorized user and the selected encrypted media file, wherein the association between the authorized user and the selected encrypted media file includes conditions of use, and wherein the code means for determining further includes code means for determining whether the request to audit meets the conditions of use.

21. A biometric rights management system for controlling access to encrypted media files, comprising:

a remote server system having a database of encrypted media files and a database of user profiles each associated with an authorized user, at least some of the user profiles including an associated biometric profile containing biometric information identifying the authorized user associated therewith, the user profiles including one or more associations between the respective authorized user and one or more encrypted media files; and

a plurality of user computer systems connected to the remote server through the Internet, each having a biometric input device and being configured to;

(a) download from the server and store at a local storage device a selected encrypted media file;

(b) download from the server and store at a local storage device a selected user profile and associated biometric profile;

(c) measure biometric information of an individual using the biometric input device;

(d) compare the measured biometric information with the downloaded biometric profile to verify if the individual is the authorized user associated with the downloaded user profile;

(e) receive a request from the individual to audit the selected encrypted media file;

(f) determine whether the selected user profile includes an association between the selected encrypted media file and the authorized user; and

(e) if the individual is verified to be the authorized user and if the authorized user is associated with the selected encrypted media file, permit the encrypted media file to be audited.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the biometric information of the authorized user and the individual includes information of keystroke dynamics of the authorized user and the individual, respectively, measured during entering of predetermined information using a keyboard or keypad.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the predetermined information includes a password selected by the authorized user.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein at least some of the user profiles include information uniquely identifying a default computer system of the associated authorized user, at least some of said user computer systems being configured to determine if the user profile downloaded thereby identifies it as a default computer system, in which case the individual is verified to be the authorized user without requiring a comparison of measured biometric information with the biometric profile.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the encrypted media files are digitally encoded music files.

26. The system claimed in claim 21, wherein the association between the authorized user and the selected encrypted media file includes conditions of use, and wherein the plurality of user computer systems are further configured to determined whether the request from the individual to audit the selected encrypted media file meets the conditions of use.