Terminal apparatus and system thereof

• US 8,260,714 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Ryuichi, Nakahara, Tohru, Tanaka, Akihiro, Kemi, Shinya, Miura, Koji, Sakurai, Atsunori, Wakabayashi, Tohru, Murakami, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Coppola, Jacob C.
• Application Number:
  US12/444,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A terminal apparatus is provided which guarantees operation of a use condition bytecode while securing a degree of freedom for a service provider generating the use condition bytecode. A terminal apparatus (300), in which a license (1200) includes a use condition determining logic code (1204) and a version number (1202), includes a license obtainment unit (304) obtaining the license (1200), a use condition verification unit (302) determining, based on the version number (1202), whether or not an operation of the use condition determining logic code (1204) has been confirmed, a use condition bytecode execution unit (303) executing the use condition determining logic code (1204) when the operation of the use condition determining logic code (1204) has been determined to have been confirmed, and a content playback unit (306) playing back content based on the use condition determining logic code (1204).

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus which uses, based on a license, content that is a digital copyrighted work, the terminal apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a license obtainment program, an operation confirmation determination program, a use condition determining code execution program, a content playback program, and an operable version management program; and

a processor,

wherein the license obtainment program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of obtaining the license which includes (i) a use condition determining code that is a program for determining whether or not use of the content is permitted, (ii) determination information for determining whether or not operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, and (iii) an operation verification status flag indicating whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed,

wherein the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining, based on the determination information included in the obtained license, whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed,

wherein the use condition determining code execution program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of executing the use condition determining code when the operation of the use condition determining code has been determined to have been confirmed,

wherein the content playback program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining whether or not the use of the content is permitted based on the executed use condition determining code and of playing back the content when the use of the content has been determined to be permitted,

wherein the determination information includes version information indicating a version number of the use condition determining code included in the obtained license,

wherein the operable version management program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to execute a method of managing operable version information indicating the version number of the use condition determining code that is operable in the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the method of determining whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, as performed by the terminal apparatus, determines, based on the operation verification status flag included in the obtained license, that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed and when it is determined that the terminal apparatus has updated the operable version information, the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the processor, further causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of (i) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is equal to or less than a version number indicated by the updated operable version information, and (ii) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is greater than the version number indicated by the updated operable version information.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination information includes profile information indicating a profile of the use condition determining code included in the obtained license,

wherein the memory further stores an operable profile management program,

wherein the operable profile management program, when executed by the processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of managing operable profile information indicating a profile of the use condition determining code that is operable in the terminal apparatus, and

wherein the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the processor, further causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed by comparing the profile information and the operable profile information.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determination information includes information of at least one of the terminal apparatus and another terminal apparatus in which the use condition determining code is operable, and

wherein the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the processor, further causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining, using the information of at least one of the terminal apparatus and the other terminal apparatus included in the determination information, whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code in the terminal apparatus which uses the content has been confirmed.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the license obtainment program, when executed by the processor, further causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of obtaining, from a server, the license that includes the determination information generated by the server.

5. A system comprising a server and a terminal apparatus, the server distributing a license in response to a license distribution request from the terminal apparatus, and the terminal apparatus using, based on the distributed license, content that is a digital copyrighted work,

wherein the server includes:

a server memory storing a use condition determining code operation verification program, a determination information generation program, and a license distribution program; and

a server processor,

wherein the use condition determining code operation verification program, when executed by the server processor, causes the server to perform a method of verifying whether or not a use condition determining code operates, the use condition determining code being a program for determining whether or not use of content, which is a digital copyrighted work, is permitted,

wherein the determination information generation program, when executed by the server processor, causes the server to perform a method of generating, based on a result of the verification performed by the use condition determining code operation verification program, determination information used by the terminal apparatus for determining whether or not operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed in the terminal apparatus, and

wherein the license distribution program, when executed by the server processor, causes the server to perform a method of distributing the license to the terminal apparatus, the license including (i) the use condition determining code, (ii) the generated determination information, and (iii) an operation verification status flag indicating whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed,

wherein the terminal apparatus includes;

a terminal memory storing a license obtainment program, an operation confirmation determination program, a use condition determining code execution program, a content playback program, and an operable version management program; and

a terminal processor,

wherein the license obtainment program, when executed by the terminal processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of obtaining the license,

wherein the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the terminal processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining, based on the determination information included in the obtained license, whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed,

wherein the use condition determining code execution program, when executed by the terminal processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of executing the use condition determining code when the operation of the use condition determining code has been determined to have been confirmed, and

wherein the content playback program, when executed by the terminal processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of determining whether or not the use of the content is permitted based on the executed use condition determining code and of playing back the content when the use of the content has been determined to be permitted,

wherein the determination information includes version information indicating a version number of the use condition determining code included in the obtained license,

wherein the operable version management program, when executed by the terminal processor, causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of managing operable version information indicating the version number of the use condition determining code that is operable in the terminal apparatus, and

wherein, when the method of determining whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, as performed by the terminal apparatus, determines, based on the operation verification status flag included in the obtained license, that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed and when it is determined that the terminal apparatus has updated the operable version information, the operation confirmation determination program, when executed by the terminal processor, further causes the terminal apparatus to perform a method of (i) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is equal to or less than a version number indicated by the updated operable version information, and (ii) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is greater than the version number indicated by the updated operable version information.

6. A content use method in which content that is a digital copyrighted work is used based on a license, the content use method comprising:

obtaining the license which includes (i) a use condition determining code that is a program for determining whether or not use of the content is permitted, (ii) determination information for determining whether or not operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, and (iii) an operation verification status flag indicating whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed;

determining, based on the determination information included in the obtained license, whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed;

executing the use condition determining code when the operation of the use condition determining code has been determined to have been confirmed; and

determining whether or not the use of the content is permitted based on the executed use condition determining code, and playing back the content when the use of the content has been determined to be permitted,

wherein the determination information includes version information indicating a version number of the use condition determining code included in the obtained license, and

wherein, when the determining of whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed determines, based on the operation verification status flag included in the obtained license, that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed and when it is determined that the terminal apparatus has updated the operable version information, the determining of whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, further includes (i) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is equal to or less than a version number indicated by the updated operable version information indicating the version number of the use condition determining code that is operable by a terminal apparatus, and (ii) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is greater than the version number indicated by the updated operable version information.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program for using, based on a license, content that is a digital copyrighted work, and the program, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

obtaining the license which includes (i) a use condition determining code that is a program for determining whether or not use of the content is permitted, (ii) determination information for determining whether or not operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, and (iii) an operation verification status flag indicating whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed;

determining, based on the determination information included in the obtained license, whether or not operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed;

executing the use condition determining code when the operation of the use condition determining code has been determined to have been confirmed; and

determining whether or not the use of the content is permitted based on the executed use condition determining code, and playing back the content when the use of the content has been determined to be permitted,

wherein the determination information includes version information indicating a version number of the use condition determining code included in the obtained license, and

wherein, when the determining of whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed determines, based on the operation verification status flag included in the obtained license, that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed and when it is determined that the terminal apparatus has updated the operable version information, the determining of whether or not the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed, further includes (i) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is equal to or less than a version number indicated by the updated operable version information indicating the version number of the use condition determining code that is operable by a terminal apparatus, and (ii) determining that the operation of the use condition determining code has not been confirmed when the version number indicated by the version information is greater than the version number indicated by the updated operable version information.