License management in a media network environment

• US 8,191,154 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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: Singer, Mitch Frederick, Lakamp, Brian David
• Primary Examiner(s): LANIER, BENJAMIN E
• Application Number:
  US13/071,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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

Acquiring a license in a hub network, including: sending a license request from a client to a server through an intermediary device; sending a connection confirmation from the client to the server through the intermediary device; and receiving license data at the client from the server through the intermediary device in response to the license request, wherein the client and the server are not connected in a hub network, wherein the license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on the client, wherein the sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and wherein the license data is bound to the hub network.

Claims

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

sending a license request from a client in a first hub network to a server external to the first hub network through an intermediary device;

sending a connection confirmation from the client to the server through the intermediary device; and

receiving license data at the client from the server through the intermediary device in response to the license request,

wherein the license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on the client and received from a device in a second hub network,

wherein the sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and

wherein the license data is bound to the first hub network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

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

wherein the client clock is a secure clock of the client, and the server clock is a secure clock of the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

updating the sub-copy license for the sub-copy version stored on the client,

wherein updating the sub-copy license includes updating the sub-copy license according to the received sub-copy license.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-copy license indicates permissions for using the sub-copy version,

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

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising

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

wherein the client has a secure client clock,

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

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

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection confirmation indicates that the client is connected to the server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection confirmation indicates the client is within a local environment of the server, and the local environment is a limited area defined relative to the server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising

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

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

receiving a license request from a client in a first hub network at a server external to the first hub network through an intermediary device;

sending a connection confirmation request from the server to the client through the intermediary device; and

sending the license data from the server to the client through the intermediary device in response to the license request;

wherein the license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on the client and received from a device in a second hub network, and

wherein the license data is bound to the first hub network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

checking a revocation list stored on the server to determine whether the client is included in the revocation list.

11. A non-transitory tangible storage medium storing a program for acquiring a license in a hub network, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to:

send a license request from a client in a first hub network to a server external to the first hub network through an intermediary device;

send a connection confirmation from the client to the server through the intermediary device; and

receive license data at the client from the server through the intermediary device in response to the license request,

wherein the license request identifies a sub-copy version stored on the client and received from a device in a second hub network,

wherein the sub-copy version includes sub-copy locked content data, and

wherein the license data is bound to the first hub network.

12. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to

synchronize a client clock with a server clock by setting the client clock according to the server clock before receiving the license data including a sub-copy license at the client,

wherein the client clock is a secure clock of the client, and the server clock is a secure clock of the server.

13. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to

update the sub-copy license for the sub-copy version stored on the client,

wherein updating the sub-copy license includes updating the sub-copy license according to the received sub-copy license.

14. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, wherein the sub-copy license indicates permissions for using the sub-copy version,

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

15. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 14, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to

set an expiration time according to the expiration period including resetting the expiration time if the expiration time was previously set to a different value,

wherein the client has a secure client clock,

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

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

16. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, wherein the connection confirmation indicates that the client is connected to the server.

17. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, wherein the connection confirmation indicates the client is within a local environment of the server, and the local environment is a limited area defined relative to the server.

18. The non-transitory tangible storage medium of claim 11, further comprising executable instructions that cause a processor to

set an expiration time according to the received sub-copy license.