Repositing for digital content access control

• US 7,877,793 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: de Jong, Eduard, Bostrom, Jon, Cooley, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada; Beemnet W
• Application Number:
  US11/717,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20070162967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 726/9, 726/27, 713/161, 713/170, 713/172, 713/175, 713/182, 713/185
• US Class Current: 726/9
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A method and apparatus for digital content access control comprises receiving an authenticated digital content request based at least in part on a digital content request comprising a request for digital content, validating the authenticated digital content request and providing the digital content if the authenticated digital content request is valid. The validating comprises indicating the authenticated digital content request is valid if the authenticated digital content request is validly associated with the digital content and if the authenticated digital content request authenticates the digital content request, and indicating the authenticated digital content request is invalid if the authenticated digital content request is not validly associated with the digital content.

Claims

1. A method for digital content access control, the method comprising:

receiving, by a content repository, an authenticated digital content request based at least in part on a digital content request comprising a request for digital content;

validating, by said content repository, said authenticated digital content request, said validating comprising;

indicating said authenticated digital content request is valid if said authenticated digital content request is validly associated with said digital content and if said authenticated digital content request authenticates said digital content request; and

indicating said authenticated digital content request is invalid if said authenticated digital content request is not validly associated with said digital content;

synchronizing information stored by said content repository with information stored by a content provisioner if said synchronizing is enabled wherein

said content provisioner is configured to send said authenticated digital content request to a user device if a user associated with said digital content request is authorized to access and use said digital content; and

said synchronizing comprises;

synchronization of said information stored by said content repository with said information stored by said content provisioner wherein said information stored by said content provisioner is used to create said authenticated digital content request, and said information stored by content repository is used by said content repository to validate said authenticated digital content request; and

providing, by said content repository, said digital content if said authenticated digital content request is valid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

said digital content request comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL);

and

said authenticated digital content request comprises a tokenized URL.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said tokenized URL further comprises a token comprising a cryptogram based at least in part on an identifier that describes the location of said digital content.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said token is from a token pool associated with the location of digital content for which access is authorized.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said validating further comprises:

receiving a token;

indicating said token is invalid if said token is not found within a token pool associated with said digital content or if said token has been fully redeemed, said token being fully redeemed if the number of token redemptions equals a predetermined amount; and

incrementing a token redemption count associated with said token and indicating said token is valid if said token is found within said token pool and said token has not been fully redeemed.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said validating further comprises:

receiving a token;

indicating said token is invalid if said token is not found within a token pool associated with said digital content or if said token has been redeemed, said token pool formed from successive applications of a cryptographic one-way function;

indicating said token is valid if said token is found within said token pool and said token has not been redeemed; and

invalidating tokens in said token chain that were generated after said received token.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said validating further comprises:

receiving a token;

indicating said token is invalid if said token is not found within a portion of a token pool comprising unredeemed tokens, said token pool formed from successive applications of a cryptographic one-way function;

indicating said token is valid if said token is found within said token pool and said token has not been redeemed; and

reordering tokens in said token pool after said indicating said token is valid, said reordering based at least in part on whether the tokens have been redeemed.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said validating further comprises:

receiving a token;

initializing a current token to said received token;

applying a cryptographic one-way function to said current token to create a result;

assigning said result to said current token;

repeating said applying until said current token matches a last redeemed token or until all tokens in said pool generated after said received token have been examined;

indicating said token is valid if said current token matches said last redeemed token; and

indicating said token is invalid if said current token does not match said last redeemed token and if all tokens in said pool generated after said received token have been examined.

9. A method for digital content access control, the method comprising:

receiving, by a content repository associated with digital content, an authenticated digital content request including a portion of a tokenized Universal Resource Locator (URL) comprising (i) a token indicator that specifies a token a) that in turn specifies the digital content made accessible by the token, and (b) that is validated to gain the access to said digital content stored at said content repository; and

(ii) a servlet indicator that specifies the pathname of a servlet at said content repository

processing said tokenized URL, by the servlet on the content repository, to determine whether to grant access to said digital content,

wherein the processing comprises;

determining whether said token is associated with the digital content; and

determining whether a redemption property of the token is valid; and

granting, by said content repository, access to said digital content based at least in part on whether said token is associated with said digital content.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said portion further comprises one or more delivery parameter indicators that specify a method for delivering said digital content to an entity using said tokenized URL to request said digital content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a cryptographic protection protocol.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a destination address.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a process to perform on said digital content before delivering said digital content to said entity.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein

said portion further comprises a content item indicator that specifies a pathname for digital content located at said content repository;

and

said token indicator specifies a token that may be validated to gain access to digital content within a context associated with said token.

15. A program storage device including a non-transitory storage medium readable by a machine, and embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for digital content access control, the method comprising:

receiving, by a content repository associated with digital content, an authenticated digital content request including a portion of a tokenized Universal Resource Locator (URL) comprising (i) a token indicator that specifies a token (a) that in turn specifies the digital content made accessible by the token, and (b) that is validated to gain the access to said digital content stored at said content repository; and

(ii) a servlet indicator that specifies the pathname of a servlet at said content repository

processing said tokenized URL, by the servlet on the content repository, to determine whether to grant access to said digital content,

wherein the processing comprises;

determining whether said token is associated with the digital content; and

determining whether a redemption property of the token is valid; and

granting, by said content repository, access to said digital content based at least in part on whether said token is associated with said digital content.

16. The program storage device of claim 15 wherein said portion further comprises one or more delivery parameter indicators that specify a method for delivering said digital content to an entity using said tokenized URL to request said digital content.

17. The program storage device of claim 16 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a cryptographic protection protocol.

18. The program storage device of claim 16 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a destination address.

19. The program storage device of claim 16 wherein said one or more delivery parameter indicators specify a process to perform on said digital content before delivering said digital content to said entity.

20. The program storage device of claim 15 wherein

said portion further comprises a content item indicator that specifies a pathname for digital content located at said content repository;

and

said token indicator specifies a token that may be validated to gain access to digital content within a context associated with said token.