System and methods providing secure delivery of licenses and content

• US 7,702,591 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Capitant, Patrice J., Nuttall, Francois-Xavier, Collier, David Charles, Fenney, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie, Charles C
• Application Number:
  US11/336,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20060122942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/74, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer network having a requesting node and a providing node permits data transfer therebetween when permitted by an authorizing node. Reports generated in response to authorizations and reports generated in response to data transfers are reconciled at a reconciliation node to improve the accuracy of payments collected and paid for use of the data. Such payments include copyright royalties for audio, video, and other works recorded in digital format.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

requesting a permit from a consumer subsystem to a providing node;

notifying an authorizing node to generate the permit by the providing node;

generating the permit by the authorizing node;

delivering the permit from the authorizing node to the consumer subsystem without conveying identification indicia of the authorizing node;

receiving at a reconciling node at least two reports of a plurality of reports during a time period, wherein the plurality of reports include a permit request report, a permit delivery report, a product delivery request report, a product delivery commencement report, and a product delivery completion report;

conveying electronic digital data in a protected transfer to deliver a product by the providing node to the consumer subsystem in accordance with the permit;

identifying tuples of related reports from the plurality of reports;

determining whether a report of a tuple is unmatched;

determining whether a tuple is incomplete; and

providing notice of a breach of security in accordance with at least one of whether a report of a tuple is unmatched and whether a tuple is incomplete.

2. A system comprising:

means for requesting a permit from a consumer subsystem to a providing node;

means for notifying an authorizing node to generate the permit by the providing node;

means for generating a permit by the authorizing node;

means for delivering the permit from the authorizing node to the consumer subsystem without conveying identification indicia of the authorizing node;

means for receiving at a reconciling node at least two reports of a plurality of reports during a time period, wherein the plurality of reports include a permit request report, a permit delivery report, a product delivery request report, a product delivery commencement report, and a product delivery completion report;

means for conveying electronic digital data in a protected transfer to deliver a product by the providing node to the consumer subsystem in accordance with the permit;

means for identifying tuples of related reports from the plurality of reports;

means for determining whether a report of a tuple is unmatched;

means for determining whether a tuple is incomplete; and

means for providing notice of a breach of security in accordance with at least one of whether a report of a tuple is unmatched and whether a tuple is incomplete.

3. A computer implemented method for reducing the risk of unauthorized access to an electronic digital data product, the method comprising:

requesting a permit from a consumer subsystem to a providing node;

notifying an authorizing node to generate the permit by the providing node;

generating the permit by the authorizing node;

delivering the permit from the authorizing node to the consumer subsystem without conveying identification indicia of the authorizing node;

receiving at a reconciling node at least two reports of a plurality of reports during a time period, wherein the plurality of reports include a permit request report, a permit delivery report, a product delivery request report, a product delivery commencement report, and a product delivery completion report;

conveying electronic digital data in a protected transfer to deliver a product by the providing node to the consumer subsystem in accordance with the permit;

identifying tuples of related reports from the plurality of reports;

determining whether a report of a tuple is unmatched;

determining whether a tuple is incomplete; and

providing notice of a breach of security in accordance with at least one of whether a report of a tuple is unmatched and whether a tuple is incomplete.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein the request is conveyed in response to a first notice that payment for the permit has been verified by a provider node, and wherein the the notification is issued to the authorizer system in response to receiving by the provider node a request for the permit that originated from the consumer subsystem.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein the authorizing node comprises a multiple subsystem facility.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5 wherein the identification indicia of the authorizing node comprises identification indicia of the multiple subsystem facility.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6 wherein the multiple subsystem facility comprises:

a first subsystem for conveying the permit;

a second subsystem for conveying the portion of the electronic digital data product; and

a private network coupling the first subsystem to the second subsystem.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 wherein the identification indicia of the authorizing node comprises identification indicia of the first subsystem.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8 wherein the identification indicia of the authorizing node comprises identification indicia of the second subsystem.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 wherein a portion of the permit is encrypted.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10 wherein the request for the electronic digital data product comprises at least a portion of the permit.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the first notice comprises at least a portion of the permit.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12 wherein the consumer subsystem comprises a consumer substation.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 wherein the consumer subsystem comprises a browser that originates the request for the permit and the request for the electronic digital data product.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14 wherein the electronic digital data product comprises at least one of a digital work, a file, an audio recording, a video recording, an executable program, a document, a multimedia program, and content.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein conveying the portion of the electronic digital data product comprises downloading the electronic digital data product in entirety.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein conveying the portion of the electronic digital data product comprises streaming the electronic digital data product.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17 wherein conveying the permit comprises:

detecting a prerequisite event, the event being at least one of receiving the first notice and determining a network address of the consumer subsystem; and

conveying the request across an interface and from a port in accordance with a protocol that denies entry into a state for transferring electronic digital data of the permit unless the event is detected.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein conveying the portion of the electronic digital data product comprises:

detecting a prerequisite event, the event being at least one of receiving the second notice, receiving at least a portion of the permit, receiving a key for encrypting the portion of the electronic digital data product, and determining a network address of the consumer subsystem; and

conveying the electronic digital data across an interface and from a port in accordance with a protocol that denies entry into a state for transferring electronic digital data of the electronic digital data product unless the event is detected.