Data nullification device for nullifying digital content recorded on a recording medium, after the digital content has been reproduced, a predetermined time period has passed since the recording of the digital content, or the digital content has been moved to another recording medium

• US 7,493,662 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshikatsu, Miyazaki, Masaya, Murase, Kaoru, Motohashi, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak; Christopher A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henning; Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US10/066,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• Field of Search: 726/33, 386/94
• US Class Current: 726/33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00507 wherein consecutive physical data units of the record carrier are encrypted with separate encryption keys, e.g. the key changes on a cluster or sector basis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00666 involving a step of erasing or nullifying data, e.g. data being overwritten with a random string
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00789 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of functional copies, which can be accessed at a time, e.g. electronic bookshelf concept, virtual library, video rentals or check-in/check out
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing

Abstract

In a data nullification device for nullifying target data recorded on a recording medium, target data is made up of a plurality of data blocks. A judging unit judges, in units of data blocks, whether the target data needs to be nullified. A nullifying unit nullifies, when a predetermined number of data blocks are judged as needing to be nullified or when one or more data blocks whose total amount of data reaches a predetermined amount are judged as needing to be nullified, the judged data blocks.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a recording medium operable to record target data, the target data being made up of a plurality of data blocks;

a reproducing unit operable to reproduce the target data from the recording medium;

a first judging unit operable to judge, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified when the data block is reproduced from the recording medium;

a sequential nullifying unit operable to destroy only a part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified while the reproducing unit reproduces the target data from the recording medium, the part of the reproduced data block including data necessary to reproduce remaining parts of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified, the remaining parts being unable to be reproduced without the part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified;

a total nullifying unit operable to destroy all of the remaining parts that have not been destroyed by the sequential nullifying unit; and

a processing capacity judging unit operable to judge whether the computing device has a processing capacity sufficient to destroy all of the remaining parts while the reproducing unit reproduces the target data from the recording medium, and to control the total nullifying unit to destroy all of the remaining parts when the processing capacity judging unit judges that the computing device has the processing capacity sufficient to destroy all of the remaining parts.

2. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the recording medium stores sequence information that shows a sequence in which the plurality of data blocks were recorded onto the recording medium, and

wherein said first judging unit judges, in succession, the plurality of data blocks in the sequence shown by the sequence information, as needing to be nullified.

3. The computing device of claim 2,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein said first judging unit further judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

4. The computing device of claim 3,

wherein the target data is content data which is transmitted from an external device and recorded on the recording medium,

wherein the content data is accompanied with copy control information showing whether copying of the content data is permitted or prohibited,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the content data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein, only if the copy control information accompanying the content data shows that the copying of the content data is prohibited, said first judging unit judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

5. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein each data block has a length corresponding to a fixed transmission time period, and

wherein a specified number of recording areas which are each used as a recording area of a data block are reserved on the recording medium.

6. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the recording medium stores time limit information showing a recording time limit of each data block recorded on the recording medium, the recording time limit being a time limit after which retention of the data block on the recording medium is prohibited,

wherein said first judging unit judges that each data block whose recording time limit is reached needs to be nullified, based on the time limit information.

7. The computing device of claim 6,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein said first judging unit further judges that each data block which was utilized by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

8. The computing device of claim 7,

wherein the target data is content data which is transmitted from an external device and recorded on the recording medium,

wherein the content data is accompanied with copy control information showing whether copying of the content data is permitted or prohibited,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the content data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein, only if the copy control information accompanying the content data shows that the copying of the content data is prohibited, said first judging unit judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

9. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein said first judging unit judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

10. The computing device of claim 9,

wherein the target data is content data which is transmitted from an external device and recorded on the recording medium,

wherein the content data is accompanied with copy control information showing whether copying of the content data is permitted or prohibited,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the content data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein, only if the copy control information accompanying the content data shows that the copying of the content data is prohibited, said first judging unit judges that each data block on the recording medium which was reproduced by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

11. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising a recording unit that records the target data recorded on the recording medium, to another recording medium, in units of data blocks,

wherein the target data is accompanied with copy control information showing whether copying of the target data is permitted or prohibited,

wherein the reproducing unit reproduces the target data recorded on the another recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein, only if the copy control information accompanying the target data shows that the copying of the target data is prohibited, said first judging unit judges that each data block on the another recording medium which was recorded by the reproducing unit needs to be nullified.

12. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the target data is MPEG data including I pictures, and

wherein the part of the data block necessary to reproduce the remaining parts of the data block is an I picture.

13. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the target data is MPEG data including I pictures, and

wherein the part of the data block necessary to reproduce the remaining parts of the data block is a first sector of an I picture.

14. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein each data block recorded on the recording medium has been encrypted using an individual encryption key,

wherein a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted data block is stored on the recording medium, and

wherein said sequential nullifying unit destroys at least a decryption key corresponding to a data block which is judged as needing to be nullified.

15. The computing device of claim 14, further comprising:

an acquiring unit operable to acquire the target data in an encoded form;

a decoding unit operable to decode the encoded target data using a user key which has been provided to authorized users in advance, to obtain the target data;

a key generating unit operable to generate an arbitrary encryption key and a decryption key corresponding to the encryption key, for each data block of the target data;

a data encrypting unit operable to encrypt the data block using the encryption key so that the encrypted data block can be decrypted using the corresponding decryption key;

a key encrypting unit operable to encrypt the decryption key using an identifier unique to the data nullification device; and

a recording unit operable to record the encrypted data block and the encrypted decryption key onto the recording medium.

16. The computing device of claim 15,

wherein at least said decoding unit, said key generating unit, said data encrypting unit, and said key encrypting unit are contained in a single semiconductor chip.

17. A computer readable medium storing a computer program, the computer program being utilized by a computer for nullifying at least a part of target data recorded on a recording medium, the computer readable medium comprising:

a recording code segment for recording target data on the recording medium, the target data being made up of a plurality of data blocks;

a reproducing code segment for reproducing the target data from the recording medium;

a first judging code segment for judging, for each data block of the target data, whether the data block needs to be nullified when the data block is reproduced from the recording medium;

a sequential destroying code segment for destroying only a part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified while the target data is reproduced from the recording medium, the part of the reproduced data block including data necessary to reproduce remaining parts of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified, the remaining parts being unable to be reproduced without the part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified;

a second judging code segment for judging whether a sufficient processing capacity at the computer exists to destroy all of the remaining parts that have not been destroyed by the sequential destroying code segment; and

a total destroying code segment for destroying all of the remaining parts while the target data is reproduced from the recording medium, when it is judged that there is the sufficient processing capacity to destroy all of the remaining parts.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17,

wherein the recording medium stores sequence information that shows a sequence in which the plurality of data blocks were recorded onto the recording medium, and

wherein the first judging code segment judges, in succession, the plurality of data blocks in the sequence shown by the sequence information, as needing to be nullified.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18,

wherein the reproducing code segment reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the first judging code segment judges that each data block which was utilized in the reproducing code segment needs to be nullified.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17,

wherein the recording medium stores time limit information showing a recording time limit of each data block recorded on the recording medium, the recording time limit being a time limit after which retention of the data block on the recording medium is prohibited, and

wherein the first judging code segment judges that each data block whose recording time limit is reached needs to be nullified, based on the time limit information.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20,

wherein the reproducing code segment reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the first judging code segment judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing code segment needs to be nullified.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17,

wherein the reproducing code segment reproduces the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the first judging code segment judges that each data block which was reproduced by the reproducing code segment needs to be nullified.

23. A data nullification method for nullifying at least a part of target data recorded on a recording medium, the data nullification method comprising:

recording the target data on the recording medium, the target data being made up of a plurality of data blocks;

reproducing the target data from the recording medium;

judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified when the data block is reproduced from the recording medium;

destroying only a part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified while the target data is reproduced from the recording medium, the part of the reproduced data block including data necessary to reproduce remaining parts of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified, the remaining parts being unable to be reproduced without the part of the reproduced data block judged as needing to be nullified;

judging whether a sufficient processing capacity exists to destroy all of the remaining parts that have not been destroyed while the target data is reproduced from the recording medium; and

destroying all of the remaining parts when it is judged that there is the sufficient processing capacity to destroy all of the remaining parts.

24. The data nullification method of claim 23,

wherein the recording medium stores sequence information that shows a sequence in which the plurality of data blocks were recorded onto the recording medium, and

wherein the judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified comprises judging, in succession, the plurality of data blocks in the sequence shown by the sequence information, as needing to be nullified.

25. The data nullification method of claim 24,

wherein the reproducing comprises reproducing the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified comprises judging that each data block which was reproduced needs to be nullified.

26. The data nullification method of claim 23,

wherein the recording medium stores time limit information showing a recording time limit of each data block recorded on the recording medium, the recording time limit being a time limit after which retention of the data block on the recording medium is prohibited, and

wherein the judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified comprises judging that each data block whose recording time limit is reached needs to be nullified, based on the time limit information.

27. The data nullification method of claim 26,

wherein the reproducing comprises reproducing the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified comprises judging that each data block which was reproduced needs to be nullified.

28. The data nullification method of claim 23,

wherein the reproducing comprises reproducing the target data recorded on the recording medium, in units of data blocks, and

wherein the judging, for each data block recorded on the recording medium, whether the data block needs to be nullified comprises judging that each data block which was reproduced needs to be nullified.

29. The data nullification method of claim 23,

wherein each data block recorded on the recording medium has been encrypted using an individual encryption key,

wherein a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted data block is stored on the recording medium, and

wherein the destroying only a part of the data block judged as needing to be nullified comprises destroying at least a decryption key corresponding to a data block which is judged as needing to be nullified.