Contents transmitter apparatus, contents receiver apparatus and contents transmitting method

• US 8,209,534 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Chiyo, Okamoto, Hiroo
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIE, OSCAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/900,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273

Abstract

For achieving the protection of copyright, by suppressing illegal copy production thereof, in particular, when transmitting contents with using a wired or wireless LAN, as well as, for preventing the transmission of contents from deviating from a range of a personal use thereof, a contents transmitter apparatus and a contents receiver apparatus make an authentication, mutually, before transmitting contents therebetween. At the time when conducting this authentication, measurement is made upon a time-period up to arrival of a receipt confirmation responding to the transmission of an authentication request or a response to the authentication; then, only in the case when this value measured does not exceed a predetermined upper value, the transmission is conducted on the contents encrypted, and at the same time, address information and equipment information unique to the apparatus are registered, thereby conducting the transmission of encrypted contents, but without conducting the time-measurement thereon, when transmitting the contents, again. Also, while conducting the time-measurement periodically, dynamic management is made on the registration information, so that the contents thereof are suitable for the network structure at the present.

Claims

1. A contents transmitter apparatus, comprising:

network communication processing means for conducting transmission of data through a network;

transmission contents producing means for supplying contents to be transmitted to a contents receiver apparatus which is connected to the contents transmitter apparatus through said network, to said network communication processing means;

authentication means for receiving an authentication request from said contents receiver apparatus for executing an authentication process between said contents transmitter apparatus and said contents receiver apparatus, and for transmitting a time authentication request for a time authentication to said contents receiver apparatus;

encryption means for producing key information upon the basis of information which is obtained through execution of the authentication process by said authentication means, and for conducting an encryption process on the contents with said key information;

timer means for measuring a first time-period beginning from said transmission of the time authentication request until reception of a response to said time authentication request; and

registration means for registering equipment information about said contents receiver apparatus, wherein;

said authentication means registers equipment information unique to said contents receiver apparatus by using said registration means, when a measurement result of said timer means does not exceed a predetermined value,

said authentication means does not conduct said time authentication by using said timer means in the case where said equipment information unique to said contents receiver apparatus is registered in said registration means, and

said authentication means executes a measurement, by using said timer means, of a second time-period which is an accumulated time-period for contents transmission after said equipment information of said contents receiver apparatus is registered by said authentication means using said registration means, and deletes said equipment information by using said registration means depending upon a result of said measurement of said second time-period.

2. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in the claim 1, wherein said time authentication is conducted every predetermined time-period or every predetermined number of contents packets, with respect to said contents receiver apparatus, the equipment information of which is registered within said registration means, thereby renewing contents registered within said registration means depending upon a result of the measurement by means of said timer means.

3. The contents transmitter apparatus, as is described in the claim 1, wherein said time authentication is conducted when an electric power source is turned on, when a system is started, when the contents transmitter apparatus is connected to a network, or when a reservation of the contents is executed, or when the contents are changed, with respect to said contents receiver apparatus which is registered within said registration means, thereby renewing contents registered within said registration means depending upon a result of a measurement by means of said timer means.

4. A contents receiver apparatus, comprising:

authentication means for receiving a time authentication request from a contents transmitter apparatus which is connected to the contents receiver apparatus through a network, and for sending a response to said time authentication request to said contents transmitter apparatus; and

decryption means for producing key information upon the basis of information which is obtained through execution of an authentication process by said authentication means, and for executing decryption process of contents received from said contents transmitter apparatus with said key information, wherein;

the authentication means transmits the response to the time authentication request to said contents transmitter apparatus so that measurement of a time-period until the reception of said response is conducted by said contents transmitter apparatus, and equipment information unique to said contents receiver apparatus is registered into said contents transmitter apparatus in the case where the result of said measurement does not exceed a predetermined value.

5. A contents transmitting method in a contents transmitter apparatus for transmitting contents to a contents receiver apparatus which is connected through a network to the contents transmitter apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an authentication request from said contents receiver apparatus;

executing an authentication process upon said authentication request;

transmitting a time authentication request for a time authentication to said contents receiver apparatus;

measuring a first time-period until a response to said time authentication request is received;

registering equipment information of said contents receiver apparatus, the registering step including registering said equipment information unique to said contents receiver apparatus when a result of the measuring step does not exceed a predetermined value;

producing key information upon the basis of information obtained through execution of said authentication process;

encrypting said contents by using said key information; and

transmitting the encrypted contents to said contents receiver apparatus though the network, wherein;

the contents transmitter apparatus does not transmit said time authentication request for said time authentication in the case where said equipment information unique to said contents receiver apparatus is registered in the registering step, and

the contents transmitter apparatus executes a measurement of a second time-period which is an accumulated time-period for contents transmission after said equipment information of said contents receiver apparatus is registered in the registering step, and deletes said equipment information depending upon a result of said measurement of said second time-period.