Digital content distribution and consumption
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of acquiring and consuming protected digital content that is protected by a DRM scheme, the method comprising:
- acquiring from a remote device, with a local storage device coupled to a host device, the protected digital content, wherein the protected digital content is acquired after a successful conclusion of a mutual authentication of the local storage device and the remote device, wherein the remote device is external to the host device and the local storage device and is included in a network, wherein the host device comprises a network interface providing the host device access to the network, and wherein acquiring the protected digital content comprises;
prompting the host device, with the remote device, to use the network interface to establish a communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path, orprompting the host device, with the local storage device, to use the network interface to establish the communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path; and
logically interacting, with the local storage device, over the communication path with the remote device, wherein the logical interaction is invisible to the host device;
securely storing, with the local storage device, the acquired protected digital content in a memory array of the local storage device, wherein the acquiring and the securely storing are each in accordance with the DRM scheme and neither are initiated by a host device file system of the host device; and
consuming the protected digital content by,converting at least some of the securely stored protected digital content into a digital data stream, andstreaming the digital data stream with the local storage device, wherein if the digital data stream is protected by the DRM scheme, the local storage device enforces a usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme;
wherein the local storage device streams the digital data stream to an agent external to the local storage device, and wherein when the usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme includes an access restriction, the external agent can process the digital data stream only if the external agent is an authenticated external agent having access credentials acceptable to the DRM scheme.
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Abstract
Digital content distribution and consumption that provides the advantages of digital content being locally stored under user control while concurrently having the widest acceptance by legacy players/platforms (i.e., no need to perform complex software integration) while still remaining compatible with state of the art security in order to satisfy content provider requirements.
54 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of acquiring and consuming protected digital content that is protected by a DRM scheme, the method comprising:
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acquiring from a remote device, with a local storage device coupled to a host device, the protected digital content, wherein the protected digital content is acquired after a successful conclusion of a mutual authentication of the local storage device and the remote device, wherein the remote device is external to the host device and the local storage device and is included in a network, wherein the host device comprises a network interface providing the host device access to the network, and wherein acquiring the protected digital content comprises; prompting the host device, with the remote device, to use the network interface to establish a communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path, or prompting the host device, with the local storage device, to use the network interface to establish the communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path; and logically interacting, with the local storage device, over the communication path with the remote device, wherein the logical interaction is invisible to the host device; securely storing, with the local storage device, the acquired protected digital content in a memory array of the local storage device, wherein the acquiring and the securely storing are each in accordance with the DRM scheme and neither are initiated by a host device file system of the host device; and consuming the protected digital content by, converting at least some of the securely stored protected digital content into a digital data stream, and streaming the digital data stream with the local storage device, wherein if the digital data stream is protected by the DRM scheme, the local storage device enforces a usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme; wherein the local storage device streams the digital data stream to an agent external to the local storage device, and wherein when the usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme includes an access restriction, the external agent can process the digital data stream only if the external agent is an authenticated external agent having access credentials acceptable to the DRM scheme. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A local storage device for acquiring and consuming protected digital content that is protected by a DRM scheme, the local storage device comprising:
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a host device/local storage device interface providing a communication path between the host device and the local storage device, the host device comprising a host device file system and a network interface providing the host device access to a network; a memory array at least a portion of which is managed by the host device file system; a controller in communication with the host device/local storage device interface and the memory array, the controller configured to; acquire the protected digital content from a remote device that is external to the host device and the local storage device and is included in the network, wherein the controller acquires the protected digital content after a successful conclusion of a mutual authentication of the local storage device and the remote device, and wherein to acquire the protected digital content, the controller is further configured to logically interact over a communication path with the remote device after one of; the remote device prompting the host device to use the network interface to establish a communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path, and the local storage device prompting the host device to use the network interface to establish the communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path wherein the logical interaction is invisible to the host device; securely store the protected digital content in the memory array, wherein the acquiring and the securely storing are each in accordance with the DRM scheme and neither are initiated by the HDFS; and consume the protected digital content by; converting at least some of the securely stored protected digital content into a digital data stream, and streaming the digital data stream, wherein if the digital data stream is protected by the DRM scheme, the local storage device enforces a usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification