Use of media storage structure with multiple pieces of content in a content-distribution system

• US 8,306,918 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Farrugia, Augustin J., Dowdy, Thomas, Fasoli, Gianpaolo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, NANCY LOAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/249,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20070083473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,583 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51, 705/64, 705/71, 705/57, 705/58, 380/201
• US Class Current: 705/57
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/12 Usage or charge determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for distributing content over a network. The method distributes a single media storage structure to a device (e.g., a computer, portable player, etc.) that connects to the network. The media storage structure includes first and second pieces of encrypted content. Based on whether the device is allowed to access the first piece of content, the second piece of content, or both, the method provides the device with a set of keys for decrypting the pieces of the content that the device is able to access. The provided set of keys might include one or more keys for decrypting only one of the two encrypted pieces of content. Alternatively, it might include one or more keys for decrypting both encrypted pieces of content. For instance, the selected set of keys might include a first key for decrypting the first encrypted piece and a second key for decrypting the second encrypted piece. Based on the provided set of keys, the device can then decrypt and access either one of the two pieces of content in the media storage structure or both pieces of encrypted content in the media storage structure.

Claims

1. A method of accessing media content on a first device associated with a particular user, the method comprising:

receiving a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining whether a second device of the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure, wherein the protected media portion that is removed is a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access; and

from the first device, providing to the second device a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure except the at least one protected media portion that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure,

wherein the receiving the first unitary media storage structure and keys, storing, determining, removing, and providing are performed by the first device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing at least one key associated with the at least one protected media portion that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure, wherein the second unitary media storage structure does not include the at least one key that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer, wherein the second device is a player that synchronizes with the computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a computer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of servers comprises a first server from which the first unitary media storage structure is received and a second server from which the keys are received.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first server is a content caching server and the second server is a DRM server.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of servers comprises a single server from which the first unitary media storage structure and the keys are received.

5. A method of accessing media content on a first device associated with a particular user, the method comprising:

receiving a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining whether a second device of the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one key associated with at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure, wherein the key that is removed is a particular key associated with a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access; and

from the first device, providing to the second device a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions and at least one stored key from the first unitary media storage structure without the at least one key that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure,

wherein the receiving the first unitary media storage structure and keys, storing, determining, removing, and providing are performed by the first device.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising, at the first device, accessing a particular one of the plurality of protected media portions using the received key for the particular protected media portion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing the particular protected media portion comprises decrypting the particular media portion with the received key for the particular media portion.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of servers comprises a first set of servers and a second set of servers, the method further comprising, prior to receiving the first unitary media storage structure with the plurality of protected media portions, sending a request to the first set of servers for the plurality of media portions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the keys are received from the first set of servers and the first unitary media storage structure is received from the second set of servers.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of servers comprises a first server from which the first unitary media storage structure is received and a second server from which the keys are received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first server is a content caching server and the second server is a DRM server.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of servers comprises a single server from which the first unitary media storage structure and the keys are received.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium of a first device associated with a particular user, said computer readable medium storing a computer program for accessing media content on the first device, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving, at the first device, a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving, at the first device, a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining, at the first device, whether a second device associated with the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure at the first device, wherein the protected media portion that is removed is a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access;

removing a key associated with the removed protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure at the first device; and

providing, from the first device to the second device, a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions and stores at least one key from the first unitary media storage structure but does not include the at least one protected media portion and the key that were removed from the first unitary media storage structure.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the first device is a computer, wherein the second device is a player that synchronizes with the computer.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the second unitary media storage structure is identical to the first unitary media storage structure.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the set of servers comprises a first server from which the first unitary media storage structure is received and a second server from which the keys are received.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first server is a content caching server and the second server is a DRM server.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the set of servers comprises a single server from which the first unitary media storage structure and the keys are received.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium of a first device associated with a particular user, said computer readable medium storing a computer program for accessing media content on the first device, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving, at the first device, a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving, at the first device, a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining, at the first device, whether a second device associated with the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure at the first device, wherein the protected media portion that is removed is a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access; and

providing, from the first device to the second device, a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure except the at least one protected media portion that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the set of servers comprises a first server from which the first unitary media storage structure is received and a second server from which the keys are received.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first server is a content caching server and the second server is a DRM server.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is a player that synchronizes with the computer.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium of a first device associated with a particular user, said computer readable medium storing a computer program for accessing media content on the first device, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving, at the first device, a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving, at the first device, a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining, at the first device, whether a second device associated with the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one key associated with at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure at the first device, wherein the key that is removed is a particular key associated with a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access; and

providing, from the first device to the second device, a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions and at least one stored key from the first unitary media storage structure without the at least one key that was removed from the first unitary media storage structure.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for accessing a particular one of the plurality of protected media portions at the first device using the received key for the particular protected media portion.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the keys are received from a first set of servers and the first unitary media storage structure is received from a second set of servers.

29. A method for accessing media content on a first device associated with a particular user, the method comprising:

receiving a first unitary media storage structure with a plurality of protected media portions from a set of servers;

receiving a key for each of the plurality of protected media portions that the first device has permission to access from the set of servers, wherein at least one key for at least one protected media portion is received separately from the first unitary media storage structure;

storing at least one received key in said first unitary media storage structure at the first device, said at least one received key for accessing a protected media portion that the first device has permission to access;

determining whether a second device associated with the particular user has permission to access the plurality of protected media portions from the first unitary media storage structure stored on the first device;

removing at least one protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure, wherein the protected media portion that is removed is a particular protected media portion that the second device does not have permission to access;

removing a key associated with the removed protected media portion from the first unitary media storage structure; and

providing, from the first device to the second device, a second unitary media storage structure that includes the plurality of protected media portions and stores at least one key from the first unitary media storage structure but does not include the at least one protected media portion and the key that were removed from the first unitary media storage structure,

wherein the receiving the first unitary media storage structure and keys, storing, determining, removing the protected media portion, removing the key, and providing are performed by the first device.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising accessing a particular one of the plurality of protected media portions using the received key for the particular protected media portion.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the set of servers comprises a first server from which the first unitary media storage structure is received and a second server from which the keys are received.