Secure content enabled drive digital rights management system and method

• US 8,359,332 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Diamond, Michael B., White, Jonathan B., Daniell, Piers J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOFMAN, ALEX N
• Application Number:
  US10/910,452
• Time in Patent Office: 3,095 Days
• Field of Search: 707/781, 707/785, 713/156, 705/901, 705/50
• US Class Current: 707/781
• 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 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• 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

Abstract

The present invention facilitates convenient and secure distribution of proprietary content. A present secure content enabled drive system and method permits flexible use of storage medium for both protected distribution of information and user definable storage use. In one embodiment a digital right management method includes creating a secure content enabled drive with protected storage locations and unprotected storage locations. Initial digital rights authorization is established to access secure content stored in said protected storage locations. The initial digital rights authorization to access secure content stored in said protected storage locations can be revised.

Claims

1. A digital rights management method comprising:

creating a secure content enabled drive with protected storage locations and unprotected storage locations, wherein said secure content enabled drive is loaded with protected content locally and said secure content enabled drive shipped to a remote user establishing initial digital rights authorization to access secure content stored in said protected storage locations;

wherein content in said protected storage locations is restricted to access by trusted devices and is designated as having one of a plurality of states including locked forever, wherein trusted devices are identified by participating in a trusted device protocol wherein a machine capable of interacting with said secure content enabled drive includes an identifying designation and said identifying designation corresponds to information associated with said trusted machines; and

revising said initial digital rights authorization to access secure content stored in said protected storage locations wherein said revising is enabled by the completion of a digital rights purchase transaction;

wherein said creating a secure content enabled drive includes performing a content protected storage medium method comprising;

partitioning a storage medium into a protected portion and an unprotected portion including loading a protection interface onto said storage medium, wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and prevents unauthorized read and write access to said content stored in said protected portion; and

storing content in said protected portion.

2. The digital rights management method of claim 1 wherein said establishing initial digital rights authorization includes storing a digital rights indicator on said secure content enabled drive and said digital rights indicator indicates digital rights to access information stored in said protected storage locations.

3. The digital rights management method of claim 1 wherein said content protected storage medium comprises:

an unprotected portion for storage of unprotected information;

a protected content portion for storing protected information; and

a protection interface for protecting access to authorized information in said protected content portion.

4. The digital rights management method of claim 3 wherein said secure content includes movies, songs and video games, and said protection interface verifies a device corresponds to information associated with trusted devices, including secure content enabled device information.

5. The digital rights management method of claim 1 wherein said revising said initial digital rights authorization includes performing a secure content enabled drive digital rights establishment process.

6. The digital rights management method of claim 1 wherein said digital rights indicator is a registry key associated with a secure content enabled drive.

7. The digital rights management method of claim 6 wherein said registry key is also stored in a centralized system remote from said secure content enabled drive.

8. A digital rights management system comprising:

a digital rights server system comprising a processor for executing instructions, including instructions for tracking and modifying digital rights to protected content on a remote secure content enabled drive with a protected storage portion and an unprotected storage portion, wherein said secure content enabled drive is loaded with protected content locally and said secure content enabled drive shipped to a remote user, wherein said protected content is designated as having one of a plurality of states including locked forever,

wherein said protected storage portion is protected by a protection interface, wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and prevents unauthorized read and write access to content stored in said protected storage portion and content in said protected storage portion is restricted to access by trusted devices,

wherein trusted devices are identified by participating in a trusted device protocol wherein a machine capable of interacting with said secure content enabled drive includes an identifying designation and said identifying designation corresponds to information associated with said trusted machines; and

a digital rights tracking system that stores instructions and data, including instructions for tracking and modifying digital rights to protected content on a remote secure content enabled drive with a protected storage portion and an unprotected storage portion wherein said modifying digital rights is enabled by the completion of a digital rights purchase transaction.

9. A digital rights management system of claim 8 wherein said digital rights server system is utilized to establish initial digital rights authorization to access secure content stored in said protected storage locations.

10. A digital rights management system of claim 8 wherein said digital rights server system creates an initial registry key for indicating digital rights to protected content on a removable secure content enabled drive and utilizes a centralized memory included in said digital rights tracking system to track said initial registry key information.

11. A digital rights management system of claim 8 wherein said digital rights server system is utilized to perform a secure content enabled drive digital rights establishment process.

12. A digital rights management system of claim 8 wherein said digital rights server system:

alters an initial registry key for indicating digital rights to protected content on a remote secure content enabled drive;

forwards an altered registry key to said remote secure content enabled drive; and

utilizes a centralized memory to track said altered registry key information.

13. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process comprising:

participating in establishing a communication link for communicating a digital rights indicator to a remote device;

engaging in a digital rights indicator revision authorization process for revising digital rights to a secure content enabled drive including a protected storage portion and a protection interface, wherein said secure content enabled drive is loaded with protected content locally and said secure content enabled drive shipped to a remote user wherein said protected content is designated as having one of a plurality of states including locked forever, wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and prevents unauthorized read and write access to content stored in said protected storage portion and content in said protected storage portion is restricted to access by trusted devices, wherein trusted devices are identified by participating in a trusted device protocol wherein a machine capable of interacting with said secure content enabled drive includes an identifying designation and said identifying designation corresponds to information associated with said trusted machines; and

forwarding a revised digital rights indicator for said secure content enabled drive device if said digital rights indicator revision authorization process is successful wherein said digital rights indicator revision authorization process comprises a digital rights purchase transaction.

14. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process of claim 13 wherein said communication link is established on the Internet.

15. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process of claim 13 wherein said participating in establishing a communication link includes receiving a request for a revised digital rights indicator.

16. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process of claim 13 wherein said digital rights indicator revision authorization process comprises:

verifying a request for a revised digital rights indicator is from a valid requester;

determining if said valid requester has successfully completed a digital rights purchase process; and

creating a registry key corresponding to purchased digital access rights if said valid requester has successfully completed a digital rights purchase process.

17. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process of claim 16 wherein said a digital rights purchase process comprises:

receiving an indication of requested protected content access;

forwarding a price for said requested protected content access; and

determining if said price is paid.

18. A secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process of claim 13 wherein said valid requester is one of said trusted devices.