Interconnect device to enable compliance with rights management restrictions

• US 8,245,046 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Qurio Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Adams, Cheryl, Evans, Gregory Morgan, Roberts, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIN HON
• Application Number:
  US13/029,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• 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 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

To help ensure that only authorized media content that is associated with rights management (RM) restrictions is delivered from a compliant RM interface of a source device to a non-compliant RM interface of a destination device, an interconnect device provides a compliant RM interface to connect to the source device and monitors media content received from the source device to detect an embedded digital watermark. The interconnect device takes the necessary steps to determine if the watermark is authentic and control delivery of the media content to the destination device accordingly. The interconnect device may go back to the source device or to a remote service to authenticate the watermark. If the watermark is authentic, the media content is passed by the interconnect device to the non-compliant interface of the destination device outside of normal RM restrictions. Otherwise, the delivery of the media content is restricted by the interconnect device.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a watermark comprising:

receiving, at a source device, a watermark authentication request comprising watermark information corresponding to a digital watermark detected in media content by an interconnect device, wherein the interconnect device sends the watermark authentication request;

determining, at the source device, whether the digital watermark is authentic based on the watermark information; and

sending, from the source device, an authentication response indicative of whether the digital watermark is authentic.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the watermark authentication request is directly received from the interconnect device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the authentication occurs remotely from the interconnect device.

4. A source device comprising:

a communication interface; and

a processor associated with the communication interface and configured to;

receive a watermark authentication request comprising watermark information corresponding to a digital watermark detected in media content by an interconnect device, wherein the interconnect device sends the watermark authentication request;

determine whether the digital watermark is authentic based on the watermark information; and

send an authentication response indicative of whether the digital watermark is authentic.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium having software comprising instructions for a processor of a source device to:

receive a watermark authentication request comprising watermark information corresponding to a digital watermark detected in media content by an interconnect device, wherein the interconnect device sends the watermark authentication request;

determine whether the digital watermark is authentic based on the watermark information; and

send an authentication response indicative of whether the digital watermark is authentic.