Reproduction apparatus

• US 7,336,786 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Toshifumi, Takahashi, Masaru, Kawamae, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, THANHNGA B
• Application Number:
  US10/959,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 380/203, 380/22, 369/1, 369/12, 369/27, 369/47.1, 360/60, 360/55, 382/100, 705/57, 726/32
• US Class Current: 380/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Information or contents cannot be reproduced even from a regular storage medium which is encrypted in accordance with a predetermined encryption system, due to erroneous detection of watermarks. Detection of the watermarks and restriction over reproduction depending thereon is conducted only in a case where the medium is not encrypted. In case of detecting that the data is not encrypted in accordance with a predetermined encryption system by an encryption detection circuit and when the watermarks are detected by a watermark detection circuit, reproduction of the data is stopped by a reproduction restricting circuit. In a case that it is detected to be encrypted in the predetermined encryption system by the encryption detection circuit, the reproduction restricting circuit will not stop the reproduction thereof.

Claims

1. A reproduction apparatus for reproducing video or audio information recorded in a storage medium, comprising:

an encryption system detection circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to detect whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is encrypted or not in accordance with a predetermined encryption system;

an electronic watermark detection circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to detect an electronic watermark information indicative of a copy management information, including at least copy prohibition which is superimposed onto the video or audio information, in a case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is detected in said encryption system detection circuit as being not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system; and

a reproduction restricting circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to control reproduction of the video or audio information in accordance with said copy management information, when any of the copy management information is detected upon a detection result by said watermark detection circuit, in a case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system.

2. A reproduction apparatus as defined in the claim 1, comprising:

an information analysis circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to analyze whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is a regular video or audio information or not, from which the electronic watermark can be detected in the watermark detection circuit, in the case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system, wherein

said reproduction restricting circuit to control the reproduction of the video or audio information, when it is not decided to be the regular video or audio information from which the watermark can be detected, in the case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system.

3. A reproduction apparatus as defined in the claim 1, comprising:

a medium and format deciding circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to decide a kind from a plurality of storage mediums and a recording format thereof, wherein,

said encryption system detection circuit to detect whether the data on said medium is encrypted or not in accordance with the encryption system which is corresponding to each of the kinds of said plurality of storage mediums and the recording format thereon, and,

said reproduction restricting circuit to control reproduction of the video or audio information in accordance with the copy management information when any of the copy management information is detected upon detection result by said watermark detection circuit, in a case that the video and audio information is not encrypted in accordance with an encryption system which is corresponding to each of the kinds of said plurality of storage mediums and the recording format thereon.

4. A reproduction apparatus as defined in the claim 1, wherein the electronic watermark detection circuit is connected to receive and use non-decrypted video or audio information for detecting an electronic watermark information indicative of a copy management information.

5. A reproduction apparatus as defined in the claim 1, wherein a detected type of storage medium is used to set the predetermined encryption system expected in the detecting whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is encrypted or not in accordance with the predetermined encryption system.

6. A reproducing method for reproducing video or audio information recorded in a storage medium, comprising:

an encryption system detecting, using an encryption system detection circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to detect whether the video or audio information recorded in the storage medium is encrypted in accordance with a predetermined encryption system or not;

an electronic watermark detecting, using an electronic watermark detecting circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to detect electronic watermark information indicative of copy management information, including at least a copying prohibition which is superimposed onto the video or audio information, in a case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system; and

a reproduction restricting, using a reproduction restricting circuit, to control reproduction of the video or audio information in accordance with said copy management information, when any one of the copy management information is detected upon a detection result of said electronic watermark detecting operation.

7. A reproducing method, as described in the claim 6, comprising:

a medium and format deciding, using a medium and format deciding circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to decide a kind from a plurality of storage mediums and a recording format thereof, wherein

said encryption system detecting to detect whether the data on said medium is encrypted or not in accordance with the encryption system which is corresponding to each of the kinds of said plurality of storage mediums and the recording format thereon, and

reproduction of the video or audio information is stopped, in a case if not being encrypted in accordance with the encryption system corresponding to the kind of the storage medium and the recording format on said storage medium, which are decided in said medium and format deciding operation.

8. A system comprising:

a reproduction apparatus for reproducing video or audio information recorded in a storage medium, including;

an encryption system detection circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to detect whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is encrypted or not in accordance with a predetermined encryption system;

an electronic watermark detection circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to detect an electronic watermark information indicative of a copy management information, including at least copy prohibition which is superimposed onto the video or audio information, in a case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is detected in said encryption system detection circuit as being not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system; and

a reproduction restricting circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to control reproduction of the video or audio information in accordance with said copy management information, when any of the copy management information is detected upon a detection result by said watermark detection circuit, in a case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system, and

at least one of;

a reader to read information recorded in the storage medium and supply the same to the reproduction apparatus; and

an output unit to receive an output of the reproduction apparatus to produce at least one of audio sound and video display.

9. A system as defined in the claim 8, wherein the reproduction apparatus comprising:

an information analysis circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to analyze whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is a regular video or audio information or not, from which the electronic watermark can be detected in the watermark detection circuit, in the case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system, wherein

said reproduction restricting circuit to control the reproduction of the video or audio information, when it is not decided to be the regular video or audio information from which the watermark can be detected, in the case where the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is not encrypted in accordance with the predetermined encryption system.

10. A system as defined in the claim 8, wherein the reproduction apparatus comprising:

a medium and format deciding circuit having at least one of hardwiring and programming, to operate to decide a kind from a plurality of storage mediums and a recording format thereof, wherein

said encryption system detection circuit to detect whether the data on said medium is encrypted or not in accordance with the encryption system which is corresponding to each of the kinds of said plurality of storage mediums and the recording format thereon, and

said reproduction restricting circuit to control reproduction of the video or audio information in accordance with the copy management information when any of the copy management information is detected upon detection result by said watermark detection circuit, in a case that the video and audio information is not encrypted in accordance with an encryption system which is corresponding to each of the kinds of said plurality of storage mediums and the recording format thereon.

11. A system as defined in the claim 8, wherein the electronic watermark detection circuit is connected to receive and use non-decrypted video or audio information for detecting an electronic watermark information indicative of a copy management information.

12. A system as defined in the claim 8, wherein a detected type of storage medium is used to set the predetermined encryption system expected in the detecting whether the video or audio information recorded in said storage medium is encrypted or not in accordance with the predetermined encryption system.