Secure IP based streaming in a format independent manner

• US 7,249,264 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Belknap, William R., Brew, Glenn E., Lotspiech, Jeffrey B., Nusser, Stefan, Westerink, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sandoval, Kristin D.
• Application Number:
  US10/114,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20030188152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A system, method and computer readable medium for providing secure IP-based streaming in a format independent manner is disclosed. The method on a content mastering system begins with an encoded media file consisting of content data and associated metadata. First, the metadata is read from the encoded media file. Next, the encoded media file including the content data and the associated metadata is encrypted. Then, in a streaming server system, the encoded/encrypted media file is divided into more than one data packet, streamed in accordance with one or more parameters in the metadata. Each data packet includes a portion of the encoded/encrypted media file and an offset value corresponding to a location within the encoded/encrypted media file. The data packets are then streamed to a client information processing system (i.e., the client) over a network.

Claims

1. A method on a server information processing system for providing streaming data, comprising:

receiving a media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file has been encoded and encrypted, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming, and wherein the associated metadata, at least prior to the media file being encrypted, includes streaming parameters for streaming data packets in addition to the single media file being available for downloading and non-streaming parameters;

receiving non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the non-encrypted metadata is received separately and distinctly from the media file, and wherein the non-encrypted metadata is a portion of the associated metadata and is extracted from the media file prior to the media file and the associated metadata being encrypted, wherein the non-encrypted metadata includes one or more of the streaming parameters for streaming data packets, and wherein the media file is encrypted prior to receiving the non-encrypted metadata;

dividing the media file which has been encoded and encrypted into more than one data packet, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file and an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file, and wherein the dividing is independent of a format for the media file; and

streaming the more than one data packets over a network to a client as directed by the one or more parameters in the non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the streaming is independent of a format for the media file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first receiving step comprises:

receiving an encoded media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file has been encrypted using a stream cipher.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first receiving step further comprises:

wherein the media file has been encoded using a MPEG 2 compression algorithm.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second receiving step comprises:

receiving non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the non-encrypted metadata includes a bitrate value, wherein only a remaining portion of the associated metadata excluding the non-encrypted metadata is received by the client.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the streaming step comprises:

streaming the more than one data packets over a network to a client using a RTP protocol.

6. A method on a client information processing system for receiving streaming data, comprising:

requesting a media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming;

receiving one or more data packets associated with the media file which has been requested, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file which has been encrypted and encoded, wherein at least one data packet includes at least a portion of the media file, wherein the portion of the media file is associated metadata that has also been encrypted and only includes non-streaming parameters, and wherein each data packet includes an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file and wherein the data packets are streamed independently of a format for the media file;

decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet;

decoding each data packet; and

rendering the content data in each data packet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the decrypting step comprises:

decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet, wherein a stream decipher algorithm is used for the decrypting.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the decoding step comprises:

decoding each data packet, wherein a MPEG 2 decoding algorithm is used for decoding.

9. A computer readable medium including computer instructions on a server information processing system for providing streaming data, the computer instructions comprising:

receiving a media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file has been encoded and encrypted, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming, and wherein the associated metadata, at least prior to the media file being encrypted, includes streaming parameters for streaming data packets in addition to the single media file being available for downloading and non-streaming parameters;

receiving non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the non-encrypted metadata is received separately and distinctly from the media file, and wherein the non-encrypted metadata is a portion of the associated metadata and is extracted from the media file prior to the media file and the associated metadata being encrypted, wherein the non-encrypted metadata includes one or more of the streaming parameters for streaming data packets, and wherein the media file is encrypted prior to receiving the non-encrypted metadata;

dividing the media file which has been encoded and encrypted into more than one data packet, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file and an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file, and wherein the dividing is independent of a format for the media file; and

streaming the more than one data packets over a network to a client as directed by the one or more parameters in the non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the streaming is independent of a format for the media file.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer instructions for receiving comprise:

receiving an encoded media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file has been encrypted using a stream cipher.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer instructions for receiving further comprise:

wherein the media file has been encoded using a MPEG 2 compression algorithm.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer instructions for receiving comprise:

receiving non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, wherein the non-encrypted metadata includes a bitrate value.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for streaming comprise:

streaming the more than one data packets over a network to a client using a RTP protocol.

14. A computer readable medium including computer instructions on a client information processing system for receiving streaming data, the computer instructions comprising:

requesting a media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming;

receiving one or more data packets associated with the media file which has been requested, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file which has been encrypted and encoded, wherein at least one data packet includes at least a portion of the media file, wherein the portion of the media file is associated metadata that has also been encrypted and only includes non-streaming parameters, and wherein each data packet includes an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file and wherein the data packets are streamed independently of a format for the media file;

decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet;

decoding each data packet; and

rendering the content data in each data packet.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for decrypting comprise:

decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet, wherein a stream decipher algorithm is used for the decrypting.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for decoding comprise:

decoding each data packet, wherein a MPEG 2 decoding algorithm is used for decoding.

17. A system for providing streaming data, comprising:

a content mastering server, the content mastering server comprising;

an encoded media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming, wherein the associated metadata, at least prior to the media file being encrypted, includes streaming parameters for streaming data packets in addition to the single media file being available for downloading and non-streaming parameters;

an encrypter for encrypting the media file including the content data and the associated metadata;

a metadata extractor for extracting a set of metadata from the associated metadata, wherein the set of metadata is a portion of the associated metadata, the extracting occurring prior to the encrypter encrypting the content data and the associated metadata, the set of metadata being a set of non-encrypted metadata associated with the media file, and wherein the non-encrypted metadata includes one or more parameters for streaming data packets; and

a streaming server for dividing the media file which has been encoded and encrypted into more than one data packet, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file and an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file, and streaming the data packets to a client over a network as directed by the one or more parameters in the set of non-encrypted metadata, wherein the dividing and streaming are independent of a format for the media file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the encrypter comprises:

an encrypter for encrypting the media file including the content data and the associated metadata, wherein a stream cipher is used for encrypting.

19. A client information processing system for receiving streaming data, comprising:

a request for a media file including content data and associated metadata, wherein the media file is a single media file that is available for both downloading and streaming;

one or more data packets, wherein each data packet includes a portion of the media file, which has been encoded and encrypted, wherein at least one data packet includes at least a portion of the media file, wherein the portion of the media file is associated metadata that has also been encrypted and only includes non-streaming parameters, and, an offset value corresponding to a location within the media file and wherein the data packets are streamed independently of a format for the media file;

a decrypter for decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet;

a decoder for decoding each data packet; and

a renderer for rendering the content data in each data packet.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the decrypter comprises:

a decrypter for decrypting each data packet using the offset values in each data packet, wherein a stream decipher is used for decrypting.