Transmitting device for transmitting contents with copyright protection

• US 7,962,154 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Takeshi, Kato, Taku, Nakakita, Hideaki, Tsunoda, Keiji, Isozaki, Hiroshi, Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D
• Application Number:
  US11/946,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20080148053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.06, 455/456.1, 370/328, 707/613, 715/716, 375/295
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0471 Key exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A wireless base station which controls joining of a plurality of wireless terminals to a wireless network, stores a maximum joining possible terminal number which indicates a maximum number of the wireless terminals of each terminal type that can join the wireless network simultaneously, and which is set in advance for each one of a plurality of terminal types that classify the wireless terminals, and a currently joining terminal number which indicates a number of the wireless terminals of each terminal type that are currently joining the wireless network, for each one of the plurality of the terminal types. Then, the wireless base station judges whether the joining of one wireless terminal of one terminal type which sent a request message to the wireless network is permitted or not, according to the maximum joining possible terminal number for the one terminal type and the currently joining terminal number stored for the one terminal type.

Claims

1. A transmitting device for transmitting contents for which a copyright protection is necessary, to one or more receiving devices through a network, in a plurality of communication modes including a first mode in which wireless devices communicate by using a wireless base station and a second mode in which wireless devices communicate without using the wireless base station in a case of carrying out communications with receiving devices, the transmitting device comprising:

a contents supply unit configured to store or generate the contents;

a device authentication and key exchange processing unit configured to determine a receiving device number indicating a number of receiving devices with which communications can be carried out, such that the receiving device number used in the first mode is greater than the receiving device number used in the second mode, and to carry out device authentication and key exchange with receiving devices in number which is less than or equal to the receiving device number;

an encryption processing unit configured to encrypt the contents by using a key exchanged by the device authentication and key exchange processing unit; and

a network interface unit configured to transmit the contents encrypted by the encryption processing unit, to the receiving devices in number which is less than or equal to the receiving device number.

2. A transmitting device for transmitting contents for which a copyright protection is necessary, to one or more receiving devices through a network, in a plurality of communication modes including a first mode in which wireless devices communicate by using a wireless base station and a second mode in which wireless devices communicate without using the wireless base station in a case of carrying out communications with receiving devices, the transmitting device comprising:

a contents supply unit configured to store or generate the contents;

a device authentication and key exchange processing unit configured to determine a key to be used as either a key that permits a finite number of copies or a key that prohibits copies and to receive a device number indicating a number of receiving devices with which communications are to be carried out by using a key that permits a finite number of copies, such that the receiving device number used in the first mode is greater than the receiving device number used in the second mode, and to carry out device authentication and key exchange for the copyright protection with receiving devices;

an encryption processing unit configured to encrypt the contents by using a key exchanged by the device authentication and key exchange processing unit; and

a network interface unit configured to transmit the contents encrypted by the encryption processing unit, to the receiving devices.

3. The transmitting device of claim 2, wherein the device authentication and key exchange processing unit limits a number of receiving devices with which communications are to be carried out by using a key that permits a finite number of copies.

4. The transmitting device of claim 2, wherein the device authentication and key exchange processing unit selects a key that permits a finite number of copies in a case where the authentication by the network ID authentication processing unit succeeds, and selects a key that prohibits copies in a case where the authentication by the network ID authentication processing unit fails.