License management in a media network environment

• US 7,934,263 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lakamp, Brian David, Singer, Mitch Fredrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Lanier; Benjamin E
• Application Number:
  US10/686,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 29, 726/31, 705/51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• 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 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• 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 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2585 Generation of a revocation list, e.g. of client devices involved in piracy acts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 : involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 : Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 : Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 : by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for managing devices and content in a network environment. In one implementation, a method of acquiring a license in a hub network includes: sending a license request from a client to a server; sending a connection confirmation from said client to said server; and receiving license data at said client from said server; wherein said client and said server are connected in a hub network, said license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on said client, said sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and said license data is bound to said hub network.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring a license in a hub network, comprising:

sending a license request from a client to a server;

sending a connection confirmation from said client to said server; and

receiving a sub-copy license at said client from said server in response to said license request;

wherein said client and said server are connected in a hub network and are members of said hub network,

wherein said license request identifies a sub-copy version of content stored on said client, said sub-copy version including sub-copy locked content data,

wherein said sub-copy version is a copy of a source version of content, the source version being a source for generating the sub-copy version of content which is provided to the client through the hub network when client is connected to the server,

wherein said source version is bound to the hub network and stored on said server, and said sub-copy version is bound to members of said hub network, and

wherein the sub-copy version being bound to the members of the hub network indicates that the content cannot be freely copied onto other media unless a compliant device first requests to unbind the sub-copy version of the content from the hub network by changing the bound sub-copy version to a discrete version before the sub-copy version can be removed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing a client clock with a server clock by setting said client clock according to said server clock before receiving said license data including a sub-copy license at said client;

wherein said client clock is a secure clock of said client, said server clock is a secure clock of said server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating said sub-copy license for said sub-copy version stored on said client;

wherein

updating said sub-copy license includes updating said sub-copy license according to said received sub-copy license.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said sub-copy license indicates permissions for using said sub-copy version.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

said sub-copy license indicates an expiration period, and

said expiration period indicates an amount of time for which said sub-copy license is valid.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

setting an expiration time according to said expiration period including resetting said expiration time if said expiration time was previously set to a different value;

wherein said client has a secure client clock,

when said client clock indicates that the current expiration time has been reached, said sub-copy license expires and becomes disabled, and

said client will not decrypt said sub-copy locked content data when said sub-copy license is disabled.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said license request indicates said sub-copy version.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said connection confirmation indicates said client is connected to said server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said connection confirmation indicates said client is within a local environment of said server, and

said local environment is a limited area defined relative to said server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a security confirmation from said client to said server,

wherein said security confirmation indicates a state of security data stored on said client.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a security update at said client from said server;

wherein said security update includes new security data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

said security data includes a new key for decryption.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an expiration time according to said received sub-copy license.

14. A method of providing a license in a hub network, comprising:

after receiving, at a client, a sub-copy version of content from a device that is a member of first hub network;

receiving a license request from said client at a server;

sending a connection confirmation request from said server to said client; and

sending license data from said server to said client in response to said license request;

wherein said client and said server are connected in a second hub network, said license request identifies said sub-copy version stored on said client, and said license data corresponding to said sub-copy version is bound to said second hub network,

wherein said sub-copy version and copies of said sub-copy version of a bound instance are made only by clients connected to said second hub network;

synchronizing a client clock with a server clock by setting said client clock according to said server clock before sending said license data including a sub-copy license to said client;

wherein said client clock is a secure clock of said client, said server clock is a secure clock of said server, and

wherein the sub-copy version being bound to the hub network indicates that the content cannot be freely copied onto other media unless a compliant device first requests to unbind the sub-copy version of the content from the hub network by changing the bound sub-copy version to a discrete version before the sub-copy version can be removed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said license data corresponds to a sub-copy license for said sub-copy version and includes data for updating said sub-copy license.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said license data is a sub-copy license indicating permissions for using said sub-copy version.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

said sub-copy license indicates an expiration period,

said expiration period indicates an amount of time for which said sub-copy license is valid, and

when said expiration time has been reached after sending said license data, said sub-copy license expires and becomes disabled.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said license request indicates said sub-copy version.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said connection confirmation request requests confirmation that said client is connected to said server.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said connection confirmation request requests confirmation that said client is within a local environment of said server, and

said local environment is a limited area defined relative to said server.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending a security confirmation request from said server to said client,

wherein said security confirmation request requests confirmation of a state of security data stored on said client.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a security confirmation at said server from said client;

wherein said security confirmation indicates said state of said security data stored on said client.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending a security update from said server to said client.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

wherein said security update includes a new key for decryption.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

checking a revocation list to determine whether said client is included in said revocation list;

wherein said revocation list is stored on said server.

26. A method of refreshing a license in a hub network, comprising:

after receiving, at a client, a sub-copy version of content from a device that is a member of first hub network;

sending a refresh request from said client to a server;

sending a connection confirmation from said client to said server;

receiving an updated sub-copy license at said client from said server in response to said refresh request; and

updating a sub-copy license stored on said client according to said updated license data;

wherein said client and said server are members of a second hub network, said refresh request corresponds to said sub-copy version of content stored on said client, said sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and

wherein said sub-copy license is a license tied to said sub-copy version, said sub-copy version is bound to members of said second hub network, and said sub-copy is generated from a source version that is bound to the said second hub network, and

wherein the sub-copy version being bound to the members of the hub network indicates that the content cannot be freely copied onto other media unless a compliant device first requests to unbind the sub-copy version of content from the hub network by changing the bound sub-copy version to a discrete version before the sub-copy version can be removed.

27. A method of refreshing a license in a hub network, comprising:

after receiving, at a client, a sub-copy version of content from a device that is a member of first hub network;

receiving a refresh request from said client at a server;

sending a connection confirmation request from said server to said client; and

sending an updated sub-copy license from said server to said client in response to said refresh request;

wherein said client and said server are connected in a second hub network and are members of said second hub network, said refresh request identifies said sub-copy version stored on said client, and

wherein said updated sub-copy license updates a sub-copy license corresponding to said sub-copy version, said sub-copy version is bound to said second hub network, and said sub-copy is generated from a source version that is bound to the said second hub network, and

wherein the sub-copy version being bound to the members of the hub network indicates that the content cannot be freely copied onto other media unless a compliant device first requests to unbind the sub-copy version of the content from the hub network by changing the bound sub-copy version to a discrete version before the sub-copy version can be removed.