Multiple DRM management

• US 7,555,464 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer, Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coppola, Jacob C
• Application Number:
  US11/365,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0485 Networking architectures for enhanced packet encryption processing, e.g. offloading of IPsec packet processing or efficient security association look-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm involves registering a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one (DRM) algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured; upon registering the plurality of player devices, registering the one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device; upon receipt of a request for delivery of specified content to the client, searching the database registry for a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for the content; obtaining a plurality of licenses to the content, at least one for each DRM algorithm for the player devices associated with the client; obtaining the content from a content provider; and encrypting the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm, wherein the DRM algorithms for the player devices need not necessarily be the same and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices are different, comprising:

registering, at a programmed processor, a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one DRM algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured, and wherein at least two DRM algorithms are needed to play content using all of the player devices associated with a client;

upon registering the plurality of player devices, registering the one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device;

receiving a request for delivery of specified content to the client and in response thereto searching the database registry for a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for the content;

obtaining a plurality of licenses to the content, at least one for each DRM algorithm, for the player devices associated with the client;

obtaining the content from a content provider; and

encrypting the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content comprises;

segments of the specified content that axe unencrypted, and

selected segments of the content which are duplicated to produce one copy of the selected content for each of the DRM algorithms with each duplicate copy of the selected segments encrypted under a different one of the DRM algorithms, and

wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising delivering the multiple DRM selective encrypted content to the client.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the delivering of the content is by at least one of download, streaming or delivery of packaged media.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of licenses are obtained from at least one licensing server.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is multiple DRM selective encrypted at a DRM packager.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content directly to the client.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content to the client via a transaction manager.

8. A plurality of tangible computer readable storage mediums that store instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out a method for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each device having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm, wherein the DRM algorithms for the player devices need not necessarily be the same and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices are different, the method comprising:

registering a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one DRM algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured, and wherein at least two DRM algorithms are needed to play content using all of the player devices associated with a client;

upon registering the plurality of player devices, registering the one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device;

receiving a request for delivery of specified content to the client and in response thereto searching the database registry for a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for the content;

obtaining a plurality of licenses to the content, at least one for each DRM algorithm, for the player devices associated with the client;

obtaining the content from a content provider; and

encrypting the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content comprises;

segments of the specified content that axe unencrypted, and

selected segments of the content which are duplicated to produce one copy of the selected content for each of the DRM algorithms with each duplicate copy of the selected segments encrypted under a different one of the DRM algorithms, and

wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices.

9. A method for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm, wherein the DRM algorithms for the player devices need not necessarily be the same and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices are different, comprising:

registering, at a programmed processor, a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one DRM algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured, and wherein at least two DRM algorithms are needed to play content using all of the player devices associated with a client;

upon registering the plurality of player devices;

registering the one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device;

receiving a request for delivery of specified content to the client and in response thereto searching the database registry for a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for the content;

obtaining a plurality of licenses to the content from at least one license server, at least one for each DRM algorithm for the player devices associated with the client;

obtaining the content from a content provider; and

at a DRM packager, encrypting the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content comprises;

segments of the specified content that are unencrypted, and

selected segments of the content which are duplicated to produce one copy of the selected content for each of the DRM algorithms with each duplicate copy of the selected segments encrypted under a different one of the DRM algorithms, and

wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices;

the DRM packager electronically delivering the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content directly to the client by either download or streaming.

10. A system of networked components for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm, wherein the DRM algorithms for the player devices need not necessarily be the same and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices are different, comprising:

a memory that stores a database, said database registers a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one DRM algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured;

wherein, the database further operates to register one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device;

a transaction coordinator that receives a request for delivery of specified content to the client, and in response thereto obtains from the database a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for the ordered content, wherein at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices associated with the client are different;

wherein, the transaction coordinator further operates to obtain a plurality of licenses to the content, at least one for each DRM algorithm for the player devices associated with the client;

a content provider that provides the content; and

a DRM packager that encrypts the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content comprises;

segments of the specified content that are unencrypted, and

selected segments of the content which are duplicated to produce one copy of the selected content for each of the DRM algorithms with each duplicate copy of the selected segments encrypted under a different one of the DRM algorithms, and

wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising at least one licensing server that provides a plurality of licenses to the content to the transaction coordinator.

12. The system according to claim 10, further comprising means for delivering the multiple DRM selective encrypted content to the client.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the delivering of the content is by at least one of download, streaming or delivery of packaged media.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content directly to the client.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content to the client via the transaction manager.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the database operates under control of the transaction manager.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the transaction manager, DRM packager and license server operate under control of the content provider.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the DRM packager operates under control of the content provider.

19. A system of networked components for enabling a single assembly of content to be played on a plurality of player devices, each having at least one available digital rights management (DRM) algorithm, wherein the DRM algorithms for the player devices need not necessarily be the same and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices are different, comprising:

a memory that stores a database, said database registers a plurality of player devices associated with a client with a database registry, wherein each of the plurality of player devices is enabled to play content using at least one DRM algorithm when an appropriate license has been secured;

wherein, the database further operates to register one or more associated DRM algorithms with each player device and at least two DRM algorithms for the player devices associated with the client are different;

a transaction coordinator that receives a request for delivery of specified content to the client and obtains from the database a list of compatible devices and compatible DRM algorithms for fine ordered content;

wherein, the transaction coordinator further obtains a plurality of licenses to the content, at least one for each DRM algorithm for the player devices associated with the client;

a content provider that provides the content; and

a DRM packager that encrypts the content under each of the DRM algorithms to produce multiple DRM selectively encrypted content, wherein the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content comprises;

segments of the specified content that are unencrypted, and

selected segments of the content which are duplicated to produce one copy of the selected content for each of the DRM algorithms with each duplicate copy of the selected segments encrypted under a different one of the DRM algorithms, and

wherein, the unencrypted segments of content are assembled together with each of the DRM encrypted duplicate selected segments to produce a single unified content assembly that can be played on any of the player devices;

at least one licensing server that provides a plurality of licenses to the content to the transaction coordinator;

wherein said DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selectively encrypted content to the client by at least one of download, streaming, or delivery of packaged media.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content directly to the client.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the DRM packager delivers the multiple DRM selective encrypted content to the client via the transaction manager.

22. The system according to claim 19, wherein the database operates under control of the transaction manager.

23. The system according to claim 19, wherein the transaction manager, DRM packager and license server operate under control of the content provider.

24. The system according to claim 19, wherein the DRM packager operates under control of the content provider.