Apparatus, system and method for secure information dissemination

• US 7,984,167 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2005
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirayama, Tomoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Application Number:
  US11/175,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/229, 709/223, 709/228, 709/217, 705/10, 705/74
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/16 on playing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

An apparatus transfers the title of content to an ID-assigning unit which assigns an ID to the content and transmits the content ID to a broadcasting unit via a tagging unit. A broadcasting apparatus then broadcasts the content ID and a receiver extracts the content ID from a received signal and transfers the content ID to a verification unit which determines whether or not the content ID received from a reception functional unit matches a stored content ID. If the content ID received from the reception unit matches a stored content ID, user information of the receiver is transmitted to a privacy-guarding unit. The privacy-guarding unit searches privacy-guarding items and, in accordance with a result of the search, only necessary user information presented by the verification unit is transmitted to a provider unit.

Claims

1. A computer-readable recording medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by hardware cause the hardware to perform a method of privacy guarding, comprising:

receiving user profile information, privacy-guarding data of a user, and privacy-guarding data of a content provider, wherein the privacy-guarding data of a user defines each of a plurality of parameters in the user profile as being one of a static privacy guarded parameter or a dynamic privacy guarded parameter;

determining, based on the privacy-guarding data of a user and the privacy-guarding data of a content provider, whether a privacy function is activated;

requesting content from the content provider based on a request received from an information processing apparatus corresponding to the user;

transmitting, when the privacy guarding function is not activated, a notification that the privacy function is not activated;

transmitting at least a portion of the user profile to the contents provider if the privacy function is activated, wherein the at least portion of the user profile transmitted are defined as not guarded by the privacy-guarding data of a user;

controlling transmission of a dynamic privacy guarded parameter to the content provider based on a rating of the content provider included in the privacy guarding data of the content provider;

controlling transmission of a static privacy guarded parameter to the content provider regardless of a rating of the content provider included in the privacy guarding data of the content provider; and

paying a fee for the requested content to the content provider on behalf of the user when data of the user profile defined as guarded by the privacy-guarding data of the user includes a user'"'"'s account settlement method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the privacy-guarding data of a user defines a plurality of parameters in the user profile to either be privacy guarded parameters or non-privacy guarded parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification that the privacy function is not activated is transmitted to the information processing apparatus corresponding to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification that the privacy function is not activated is transmitted to a verification unit, which, upon receiving the notification, is configured to initiate an exchange of the user profile information to the content provider.

5. A privacy guarding apparatus, comprising:

an interface configured to receive user profile information, privacy-guarding data of a user, and privacy-guarding data of a content provider, wherein the privacy-guarding data of a user defines each of a plurality of parameters in the user profile as being one of a static privacy guarded parameter or a dynamic privacy guarded parameter;

a module configured to determine, based on the privacy-guarding data of a user and the privacy-guarding data of a content provider, whether a privacy function is activated;

an interface configured to request content from the content provider based on a request received from an information processing apparatus corresponding to the user;

an interface configured to transmit, when the privacy guarding function is not activated, a notification that the privacy function is not activated;

an interface configured to transmit at least a portion of the user profile to the contents provider if the privacy function is activated, wherein the at least portion of the user profile transmitted are defined as not guarded by the privacy-guarding data of a user; and

an order placing unit configured to pay a fee for the requested content to the content provider on behalf of the user when data of the user profile defined as guarded by the privacy-guarding data of the user includes a user'"'"'s account settlement method,

wherein the interface is configured to control transmission of a dynamic privacy guarded parameter to the content provider based on a rating of the content provider included in the privacy guarding data of the content provider, and

the interface is configured to control transmission of a static privacy guarded parameter to the content provider regardless of a rating of the content provider included in the privacy guarding data of the content provider.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the privacy-guarding data of a user defines a plurality of parameters in the user profile to either be privacy guarded parameters or non-privacy guarded parameters.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the interface is configured to transmit the notification that the privacy function is not activated to the information processing apparatus corresponding to the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the interface is configured to transmit the notification that the privacy function is not activated to a verification unit, which, upon receiving the notification, is configured to initiate an exchange of the user profile information to the content provider.