Information converting apparatus

• US 7,424,034 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tianma Microelectronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Eiji, Hatano, Kouji, Kawaguchi, Kyoko, Sugiura, Masataka, Tsukamoto, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US10/307,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/57, 370/466, 726/27, 726/29
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1073 Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A technique that can enhance convenience on each of both sides that distribute and use content under the conditions where use limitations intended to protect the copyright of content have diversified. According to this technique, a right gateway 100 is provided, that converts the condition of use in the right information of content subject to transmission from repository 20 at the transmitting end to repository 30 at the transmission destination in accordance with the right management capacity (capacity information 200) of content in repository 30 at the transmission destination. With right gateway 100 performing processing, the range of equipment and recording mediums capable of use of content expands, thereby promoting the use of content.

Claims

1. An information converting apparatus, comprising:

a first obtainer that obtains right information of content which is transmitted to a repository;

a second obtainer that obtains right management capacity information of the repository, the right management capacity information specifying conditions of content use which the repository has a capacity to comply with;

a storage that holds a conversion policy for changing right information according to the right management capacity information of the repository;

a converter that converts the right information obtained by said first obtainer, the conversion being based on the right management capacity information obtained by said second obtainer and following the conversion policy; and

a transmitter that transmits a result of the conversion by said converter to the repository.

2. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion policy describes a conversion of an attribute of the right information.

3. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion policy describes a conversion of the right information which is based on a communication means used by the repository.

4. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion policy is recorded in the right information.

5. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an ID specifying the conversion policy is recorded in the right information.

6. The information converting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said converter obtains the conversion policy corresponding to the ID from a conversion policy server that performs conversion policy management.

7. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a provision of an approval for conversion policy change is recorded in the right information, and the information converting apparatus further comprises a reviser that revises the conversion policy based on the provision of the approval for conversion policy change recorded in the right information.

8. The information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a right execution history pertaining to use of content is recorded in the right information, and said reviser changes a way of converting a condition of use of content provided by the conversion policy based on the right execution history recorded in the right information.

9. The information converting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a right execution history pertaining to use of content is recorded in the right information, and said reviser changes a way of modifying content provided by the conversion policy based on the right execution history recorded in the right information.

10. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information converting apparatus is provided between repositories that exchange files, and further comprises a storage that holds a performance record of a file exchange, wherein said converter performs conversion processing in such a way that reflects the performance record of the file exchange.

13. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information converting apparatus a repository which transmits the content are provided in a single device.

14. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information converting apparatus and the repository are provided in a single device.

15. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information converting apparatus, a repository which transmits the content and the repository which receives the content are provided in a single device.

16. The information converting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information converting apparatus is provided in a device apart from the repository.

17. A content distribution system comprising the information converting apparatus of claim 1.

11. An information converting apparatus, comprising:

a first obtainer that obtains right information of content which is transmitted to a repository;

a second obtainer that obtains right management capacity information of the repository, the right management capacity information specifying conditions of content use which the repository has a capacity to comply with;

a converter that converts the right information obtained by said first obtainer, the conversion being based on the right management capacity information obtained by said second obtainer and following a conversion policy;

a transmitter that transmits a result of the conversion by said converter to the repository;

a capacity database which stores at least one of right management capacity information of the repository, a description of services adequate to the right management capacity information of the repository, and use history information of the repository; and

a provider that, by referring to said capacity database, provides a service adequate for the repository.

12. The information converting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a searcher that searches for a service adequate for the repository based on at least one of the right management capacity information and the use history information of the repository and of other repositories, wherein said provider provides a service found by said searcher.

18. An information conversion method, comprising:

obtaining right information of content which is transmitted to a repository;

obtaining right management capacity information of the repository, the right management capacity information specifying conditions of content use which the repository has a capacity to comply with;

converting the obtained right information based on the obtained right management capacity information and following a conversion policy for changing the right information according to the right management capacity information of the repository; and

transmitting a result of the conversion to the repository.

19. A computer-readable medium which stores an information conversion program, comprising:

a first obtaining code segment for obtaining right information of content transmitted to a repository;

a second obtaining code segment for obtaining right management capacity information of the repository, the right management capacity information specifying conditions of content use which the repository has a capacity to comply with;

a conversion code segment for converting the obtained right information based on the obtained right management capacity information and following a conversion policy for changing the right information according to the right management capacity information of the repository; and

a transmission code segment for transmitting a result of the conversion to the repository.

20. An information converting apparatus, comprising:

a first obtainer that obtains right information of content transmitted from a repository at a transmitting end to a repository at a transmission destination;

a second obtainer that obtains right management capacity information of the repository at the transmission destination, the right management capacity information indicating types of user authentication means;

a storage that holds a conversion policy for changing right information according to the right management capacity information of the repository at the transmission destination;

a converter that converts the right information obtained by said first obtainer, the conversion being based on the right management capacity information obtained by said second obtainer and following the conversion policy; and

a transmitter that transmits a result of the conversion by said converter to the repository at the transmission destination.

21. An information converting apparatus, comprising:

a first obtainer that obtains right information of content transmitted from a repository at a transmitting end to a repository at a transmission destination;

a second obtainer that obtains right management capacity information of the repository at the transmission destination, the right management capacity information indicating types of communication means provided by the repository at the transmission destination;

a storage that holds a conversion policy for changing right information according to the right management capacity information of the repository at the transmission destination;

a converter that converts the right information obtained by said first obtainer, the conversion being based on the right management capacity information obtained by said second obtainer and following the conversion policy; and

a transmitter that transmits a result of the conversion by said converter to the repository at the transmission destination.