Information processing apparatus and method, and data communication system and method

• US 7,853,532 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagao, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal; Shahid
• Application Number:
  US11/958,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51- 59, 705/67, 726/26, 713/153
• 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: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/487 Parts, accessories, attachments and adjuncts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5013 Canes, umbrellas, apparel

Abstract

A client obtains license information. The client has a client module for using content under conditions defined in the license information. When the client module is updated and a new function is added, the client obtains updating license information including permission of the new function. The client is allowed to use the content under the conditions defined in the previous license information and the conditions defined in the updating license information without obtaining new rights information for the updated client module.

Claims

1. A data communication system, comprising:

a communication terminal; and

a server connected with the communication terminal via a network, the server comprising a server communication unit that issues updating license information to the communication terminal, the updating license information including condition information for at least one usage function to use content,

the communication terminal comprising

a client module that obtains license information, and

a processing device that uses the content under condition information defined in the license information, wherein,

when the client module is updated by an updating module to add the at least one usage function and the condition information defined in the license information does not include the condition information for the at least one usage function, the server communication unit issues the updating license information including the condition information for the at least one usage function, and

the client module reads a version indicator of the license information, obtains the updating license information, based on the version indicator of the license information, and uses the content under both the condition information defined in the updating license information for the at least one usage function and the condition information defined in the license information.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the server transmits the updating module to the communication terminal.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the client module has a version number according to a usage function that can be used in the client module, and the license information includes version information indicating a version of the client module, and condition information for the usage function that can be used in the version of the client module.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the updating license information includes additional condition information for the at least one usage function, and target-version information specifying a version of the client module that requires the additional condition information.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the condition information defined in the license information includes a permission condition for permitting a use of a usage function, and a usage condition for the usage function, and the updating license information specifies a permission condition for permitting a use of the at least one usage function.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein, when the client module is updated by the updating module to add the at least one usage function, a version of the client module is updated from a previous version to an updated version, the version indicator of the license information indicating the previous version, the updating license information indicating the previous version.

6. A data communication method for communicating data between a communication terminal and a server connected with the communication terminal via a network, the data communication method comprising:

issuing updating license information from the server to the communication terminal, the updating license information including condition information for at least one usage function to use content;

obtaining license information in the communication terminal; and

using the content in a client module of the communication terminal under condition information defined in the license information, wherein

when the client module is updated by an updating module to add at least one usage function and the condition information defined in the license information obtained in the obtaining does not include the condition information for the at least one usage function, the issuing issues the updating license information including the condition information for the at least one usage function, and

the using includes

checking a version indicator of the license information,

obtaining the updating license information, based on the version indicator of the license information, and

using the content under both the condition information defined in the updating license information for the at least one usage function and the condition information defined in the license information.

7. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium encoded with computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving updating license information including condition information for a usage function to use content, when a client module executable by the processing device is updated by an updating module to add the usage function and condition information defined in license information does not include the condition information for the usage function;

checking a version indicator of the license information;

obtaining the updating license information, based on the version indicator of the license information; and

using the content under both the condition information included in the updating license information for the usage function and the condition information defined in the license information.