Motor vehicle navigation system having a protected storage medium

• US 7,185,369 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Drijfhout, Theo, Thoone, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr.; Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): POLTORAK, PIOTR
• Application Number:
  US09/823,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 713182-183, 713/201, 713/193, 340388-996, 380/201, 380/239, 380/213, 726 27- 30, 726 17- 21, 705/52
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1217 on discs

Abstract

The invention specifies a navigation or multimedia system in which a check is carried out to determine whether a user of files, such as roadmap data, is authorized to use these files. To this end, the navigation system has means for checking authorized use of files on the bulk storage medium on which the files are stored. The files are stored in encrypted form, in particular. In accordance with an inventive method for enabling the use rights on a file, provision is made for the user to enter a first and a second scrambled code (PIN and ACW) into the navigation system first. These codes are converted into vectors. A device identifier ID of the navigation system and the first scrambled code PIN are first used to calculate a key k. The key k and the second scrambled code ACW are used to calculate an access authorization identifier AC, which is compared with the access authorization identifiers for the files stored on the storage medium. If these identifiers match, the associated file is decrypted and enabled for use by the navigation system.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle navigation or multimedia computer system comprising:

a central processor with associated memory and a manual input unit;

an output unit and a reader for a bulk storage medium, wherein the navigation or multimedia system has means for checking authorized use of each of the bulk storage medium and a selected file from a group of files on the bulk storage medium;

a file management system which is designed to compare an access authorization identifier to enable access to the selected file from a group of files, calculated from a code entered using the manual input unit with access authorization identifiers for the files stored on the bulk storage medium;

a means for unscrambling an access authorization identifier entered in scrambled form;

means for calculating a key (k) decrypting an encrypted file from a first code (PIN) stored on the storage medium, entered in scrambled form, and a stored device identifier; and

means for calculating the access authorization identifier (AC) from a second code (ACW), entered in scrambled form using the key (k).

2. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bulk storage medium contains encrypted files.

3. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for decrypting encrypted files.

4. The computer system as claimed claim 1, wherein the access authorization identifier can be described as a vector.

5. The computer system as claimed in claim 4, wherein an at least an m-dimensional access authorization identifier is utilized, where m is the number of files stored on the bulk storage medium.

6. The computer system as claimed claim 1, further comprising a device identifier (ID) which is stored in a nonvolatile memory element.

7. The computer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the device identifier can be changed.

8. The computer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the device identifier (ID) is a vector.

9. The computer system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the device identifier can be automatically changed whenever a new first code has been entered.

10. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising voice input means.

11. The computer system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a reader for an optical bulk storage medium.

12. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bulk storage medium is a CD-ROM.

13. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bulk storage medium is a DVD.

14. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the files are roadmap data and/or system programs and/or application programs.

15. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a connection to a communication means which permits communication with a central station in which the use rights on the files are managed.

16. The computer system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the connection is a short-haul radio link.

17. The computer system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the communication takes place via a mobile radio network.

18. The computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is designed to receive and process traffic information.

19. A method for enabling access to a selected group of files which are a subset of files stored on a storage medium comprising the steps of:

calculating a key (k) with a device identification number (ID), wherein the device identification number (ID) is for the storage medium, and a first scrambled code (PIN) by a motor vehicle computer system;

generating an identifier (AC) with the key (k) and a second scrambled code (ACW) entered manually for the selected group of files which are to be enabled; and

enabling access to the selected group of files provided with the generated identifier used by the computer system;

wherein the storage medium is used by the computer system;

wherein the selected group of files is encrypted using the key (k) and is decrypted for use by the computer system using the key (k).

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the selected group of files are enabled by a file management system of the computer system.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the device identification number (ID) is changed whenever another file on the storage medium is enabled, and the changed device identification number is stored in a nonvolatile memory of the computer system.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the selected group of files are part of a hierarchical file structure on the storage medium.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the generated identifier is a vector.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the access authorization identifier has binary components.

25. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein m components a(1), a(2), a(3), . . . of a vector AC(x)=(a(1), a(2), a(3), . . . , a(x−

1), a(x), a(x+1), . . . , a(m)) are used to determine a position of a file D(x) in the hierarchical file structure such that all the components of the vector AC(x) which are allocated to files on which the file D(x) is hierarchically dependent take a first value, while all the remaining components, which are allocated to files on which the file D(x) is not hierarchically dependent, take a second value.

26. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the key (k) is a vector.

27. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the device identification number (ID) is a vector.