Media on demand via peering

• US 7,165,050 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Marketing Aaron
• Inventors: Marking, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, NANCY LOAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/171,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/71, 725/87, 725/89, 369/30.8
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• 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 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms

Abstract

A method of protecting media files includes dividing a media file into segments. Each segment is encrypted multiple times with a different encryption key each time. Downloads of the segments are controlled such that different combinations of segments and keys are downloaded. Key bundles are provided to user devices, with each key bundle is a combination of keys only for that user device combination of segments and keys.

Claims

1. A method of protecting media files, comprising:

dividing a media file into file segments;

encrypting each file segment with multiple different encryption keys, resulting in multiple unique file segment instances;

controlling downloads of the file segment instance such that different combinations of file segments are downloaded as a complete instance of the media file; and

providing key bundles to user devices, wherein each key bundle is a unique combination of keys only for a particular complete instance of the media file on the user devices different from at least one other bundle of keys for other media instances.

2. The method of claim 1, encrypting each segment further comprising:

encrypting each segment such that a key for the segment is not usable for a different segment encrypted with the same encryption algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1, controlling downloads further comprising:

selecting segment instances related to a media file that are stored on other peers in the network such that the resultant media instance is as unique as possible.

4. A user media device, comprising:

a port to allow the device to communicate with a network, such that the network may deliver to and transfer from the device;

a storage having an encrypted file store not visible to the user or the user media device operating system and a user-visible file store;

a processor to;

receive segment instances and store the segment instances in the encrypted file store to form a unique media instance;

transmit segment instances to peers on the network as requested by the network;

receive a unique key bundle for the segment instances comprising the selected media instance in the encrypted file store;

decrypt only those encrypted file segments for which a key is received, creating decrypted file segments; and

move the decrypted file segments to the user-visible store, leaving the encrypted file segments in the encrypted file store for use by the network.

5. The user media device of claim 4, the processor further to move only decrypted files to the user-visible store.

6. The user media device of claim 4, the encrypted file store being configured so as to not be visible to the user media device operating system with regard to available drive space.

7. The user media device of claim 4, the processor to decrypt and move further to decrypt and copy simultaneously.