Universal multimedia optic disc player and its application for revocable copy protection

• US 7,058,284 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Hong Heather, Zou, Han
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/821,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20020141741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/94, 386/95, 386/125, 386/126, 709/218, 710/36, 380/203
• US Class Current: 386/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• 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 20/00659 involving a control step which is implemented as an executable file stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/211 Discs having both read-only and rewritable or recordable areas containing application data; Partial ROM media
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The media player employs an operating system that supports a virtual machine into which auto-run playback programs may be loaded and run. The auto run playback program is stored on the media containing the program content, such as on an optical disc medium. When the medium is inserted in the player, the auto run playback program automatically launches and is thereafter used to access playback the media content. Support for legacy media is provided to allow the player to playback compact discs and DVD discs that were manufactured without the auto run playback program

Claims

1. A universal optical disc player, comprising:

a disc drive with associated drive controller;

a processor coupled to said drive controller;

signal processing circuitry coupled to said processor and having an output port for coupling to a media presentation device;

a memory coupled to said processor having a data structure defined therein;

said data structure comprising an operating system having an associated virtual machine that provides an environment to host an auto-run playback program obtained from an optical disc placed in said disc drive;

said operating system and said auto-run playback program executing under said operating system to collectively-provide control instructions to said processor to cause said processor to access media content from said optical disc and supply said media content to said signal processing circuitry for output to said media presentation device,

wherein said media content includes an embedded active agent program and said auto-run playback program interacts with said active agent program to effect copy protection by altering media playback procedure.

2. The disc player of claim 1 wherein said data structure further comprises media support data used by said virtual machine in the event an auto-run program is not obtained from said optical disc.

10. The disc player of claim 1, wherein said active agent program is uniquely developed to work with said auto-run program.

3. A method of distributing media content, comprising:

placing an auto-run playback program on a machine-readable vehicle that also embodies said media content;

supplying said machine-readable vehicle to a playback system;

loading said auto-run playback program into said playback system in response to said supplying step; and

using said loaded auto-run playback program to access and supply said media content through a media presentation device coupled to said playback system,

wherein said media content includes an embedded active agent program and said auto-run playback program interacts with said active agent program to effect copy protection by altering media playback procedure.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said machine-readable vehicle is an optical disc.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said machine-readable vehicle is a memory device.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said machine-readable vehicle is a carrier wave propagated over a communications network.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of using said loaded auto-run playback program comprises providing a virtual machine within an operating system of a media player and executing said auto-run playback program from within said virtual machine.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein said playback system is a disc player and said supplying step is performed by placing a disc containing said auto-run playback program in said disc player.

9. The method of claim 3 further comprising supplying legacy media playback program and using said legacy media playback program in the event said auto-run playback program is not present on said media.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising uniquely developing said active agent program to work with said auto-run program.