Contents transmitter apparatus, contents receiver apparatus and contents transmitting method

• US 7,836,507 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Chiyo, Okamoto, Hiroo
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Oscar A
• Application Number:
  US10/846,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/3, 726/5, 726/6, 726/7
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273

Abstract

For achieving the protection of copyright, by suppressing illegal copy production thereof, in particular, when transmitting contents with using a wired or wireless LAN, as well as, for preventing the transmission of contents from deviating from a range of a personal use thereof, a contents transmitter apparatus and a contents receiver apparatus make an authentication, mutually, before transmitting contents therebetween. At the time when conducting this authentication, measurement is made upon a time-period up to arrival of a receipt confirmation responding to the transmission of an authentication request or a response to the authentication; then, only in the case when this value measured does not exceed a predetermined upper value, the transmission is conducted on the contents encrypted, and at the same time, address information and equipment information unique to the apparatus are registered, thereby conducting the transmission of encrypted contents, but without conducting the time-measurement thereon, when transmitting the contents, again. Also, while conducting the time-measurement periodically, dynamic management is made on the registration information, so that the contents thereof are suitable for the network structure at the present.

Claims

1. A contents transmitter apparatus configured for transmitting copy protected contents to a content receiver apparatus comprising:

an authentication circuit configured for executing authentication of the contents receiver apparatus using equipment information received from the contents receiver apparatus, and transmitting key information to the contents receiver apparatus, so as to decrypt encrypted contents to be transmitted to the contents receiver apparatus;

a timer circuit configured for measuring a first time after predetermined information is transmitted to the contents receiver apparatus until a response to the predetermined information is received from the contents receiver apparatus to determine whether the contents receiver apparatus is located within a region of personal use, and a second time after the equipment information of the contents receiver apparatus is registered by a registration circuit;

the registration circuit being configured for registering the equipment information when the authentication becomes successful and the measured first time does not exceed a first predetermined time, and for deleting the equipment information of the contents receiver apparatus when the measured second time exceeds a second predetermined time; and

a content transmitter circuit configured for encrypting the contents and sending out encrypted contents to the content receiver apparatus with a copy control information of the contents, wherein;

the authentication circuit transmits the key information to the contents receiver apparatus when the authentication becomes successful and the equipment information is registered in the registration circuit; and

the authentication circuit transmits the predetermined information and/or an authentication request that indicates that number of apparatuses through which the predetermined information and/or the authentication request pass so that the authentication circuit limits the number of apparatuses through which the predetermined information and/or the authentication request pass.

2. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein the authentication circuit executes the first time measurement with respect to the contents receiver apparatus for the equipment information which is registered in the registration circuit, and when the measured first time exceeds the first predetermined time, deletes the stored equipment information relating to the contents receiver apparatus from the storage.

3. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein the authentication circuit executes the first time measurement every predetermined time-period or every predetermined number of transmitted contents packets, with respect to the contents receiver apparatus for the equipment information, which is registered in the registration circuit, and resets the second time measurement when the measured first time does not exceed the first predetermined time.

4. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein the authentication circuit executes the first time measurement with respect to the contents receiver apparatus whose equipment information is registered in the registration circuit, in response to at least one of turning on the contents transmitter apparatus, activating the contents transmitter apparatus from a stand-by mode, and connecting the contents transmitter apparatus to a network, and resets the second time measurement when the measured first time does not exceed the first predetermined time.

5. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein the authentication circuit executes the first time measurement in response to making a reservation of recording or viewing of the contents or changing the contents, with respect to the contents receiver for the equipment information apparatus which is registered in the registration circuit, and resets the second time measurement when the measured first time does not exceed the first predetermined time.

6. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein

the key information is not transmitted to the contents receiver apparatus when the first time measurement is executed by using the timer circuit and the measured first time exceeds the first predetermined time.

8. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in claim 1, wherein

when execution of the first time measurement by the timer circuit is requested from the contents receiver apparatus for the equipment information which is registered in the registration circuit,

the first time measurement is executed by the timer circuit for the contents receiver apparatus, and

the second time measurement by the timer circuit is conducted, again, from beginning thereof, when the measured first time does not exceed the first predetermined time.

7. A contents transmitting method in a contents transmitter apparatus configured for transmitting copy protected contents to a contents receiver apparatus, the method comprising:

executing authentication of the contents receiver apparatus using equipment information received from the contents receiver apparatus;

measuring a first time after predetermined information is transmitted to the contents receiver apparatus until a response to the predetermined information is received from the contents receiver apparatus to determine whether the contents receiver apparatus is located within a region of personal use;

registering the equipment information when the authentication becomes successful and the measured first time does not exceed a first predetermined time;

measuring a second time after the equipment information of the contents receiver apparatus is registered;

deleting the equipment information of the contents receiver apparatus when the measured second time exceeds a second predetermined time;

encrypting the contents and sending out encrypted contents to the content receiver apparatus with a copy control information of the contents; and

transmitting key information to the contents receiver apparatus when the authentication becomes successful and the equipment information is registered in the registration circuit, so as to decrypt encrypted contents to be transmitted to the contents receiver apparatus,

wherein the predetermined information and/or an authentication request indicates the number of apparatuses through which the predetermined information and/or an authentication request pass so that the contents transmitter apparatus limits the number of apparatus through which the predetermined information and/or the authentication request pass.

9. The contents transmitting method, as is described in claim 7, wherein

when execution of the first time measurement is requested from the contents receiver apparatus for the equipment information which is registered in the registration circuit,

the first time measurement is executed by a timer circuit for the contents receiver apparatus, and

the second time measurement by the timer circuit is conducted, again, from beginning thereof, when measured first time does not exceed the first predetermined time.

10. The contents transmitting method, as is described in claim 7, wherein

the first time measurement is executed by using a timer circuit with respect to the contents receiver apparatus for the equipment information, which is registered in the registration circuit, and when the measured first time exceeds the first predetermined time, the registered equipment information relating to the contents receiver apparatus is deleted from the registration circuit.