Process and streaming server for encrypting a data stream with bandwidth based variation

• US 8,386,771 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Brian A., Morten, Glenn A., MacLean, Charles Duncan, Tinker, Jeffrey Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/292,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 713/151
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• 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 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

There is disclosed a process for encrypting a data stream to secure the data stream for single viewing and to protect copyrights of the data stream. Specifically, there is disclosed a process for protecting streaming multimedia, entertainment and communications in an Internet-type transmission. There is further disclosed a streaming server component operably connected with a streaming server that interacts with a client system to affect the inventive process.

Claims

1. A method for streaming data over a network, comprising;

receiving a URI that is a location of a data stream on a server device, and a token associated with the URI with a request for the data stream from a client device; and

if the URI and the token are valid, enabling the server device to perform actions, including;

negotiating an encryption key with the client device,

providing an encrypted data stream to the client device, wherein the data stream is encrypted with the negotiated encryption key; and

controlling a rate of a flow of the encrypted data stream to the client device over the network to maintain a substantially full client buffer while dynamically adapting a compression quality of data within the data stream based on a determined bandwidth.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the token enables at least one play of the data stream by the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for dynamically adapting a compression quality of the data further comprises selecting different portions of pre-compressed data streams.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for dynamically adapting a compression quality of the data further comprises varying the compression quality of different portions of the data stream virtually in real-time as the data is streamed to the client device.

5. The method, of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for controlling the rate of flow further comprises transmitting the encrypted data stream to the client device at substantially the same rate as the encrypted data stream is received by the client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for dynamically adapting the compression quality further comprises:

if the determined bandwidth is above a first value, compressing at least a portion of the data in the data stream at a high definition (HD) rate; and

if the determined bandwidth is at or below the first value, compressing at least another portion of the data in the data stream at a standard definition (SD) rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is configurable to play the data stream for a predetermined number of times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for controlling over the network the rate of the flow further comprises transmitting the encrypted data stream to the client device at substantially the same rate as the encrypted data stream is received by the client device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions by the server device for controlling over the network the rate of the flow further comprises receiving a network statistic from the client device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server device performs further actions including modifying s quality of the data within the data stream by selecting different portions of data from a plurality of data streams, each data stream within the plurality being pre-compressed at a different compression bit rate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device performs actions comprising:

sending user information and the request for the data stream to the server device; and

if the user information is valid and a fee is associated with the requested data stream, debiting a valid user account and generating the token.

12. A system for streaming data over a network, comprising:

a client device that is operable to receive a data stream from a server device over the network;

a server device that performs actions, including;

receiving a URI that is a location of a data stream on the server device, and a token associated with the URI with a request for the data stream from the client device; and

if the URI and the token are valid, performing further actions, comprising;

negotiating an encryption key with the client device,

providing an encrypted data stream to the client device, wherein the data stream is encrypted with the negotiated encryption key; and

controlling a rate of a flow of the encrypted data stream to the client device over the network to maintain a substantially full client buffer while dynamically adapting a compression quality of data within the data stream based on a determined bandwidth.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the token enables at least one playing of the data stream by the client device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein dynamically adapting a compression quality of the data comprises selecting different portions of pre-compressed data streams.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein dynamically adapting a compression quality of the data further comprises varying the compression quality of different portions of the data stream virtually in real-time;

as the data is streamed to the client device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein controlling the rate of the flow further comprises transmitting the encrypted data stream to the client device at substantially the same rate as the encrypted data stream is received by the client device.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein dynamically adapting the compression quality further comprises:

if the determined bandwidth is above a first value, compressing at least a portion of the data in the data stream at a high definition (HD) rate; and

if the determined bandwidth is at or below the first value, compressing at least another portion of the data in the data stream at a standard definition (SD) rate.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the client device is configurable for playing the data stream for a predetermined number of times.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein controlling the rate of the flow further comprises transmitting the encrypted data stream to the client device at substantially the same rate as the encrypted data stream is received by the client device.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein controlling the rate of the flow further comprises receiving a network statistic from the client device.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the actions of the server device further comprise modifying a quality of the data within the data stream by selecting different portions of data from a plurality of data streams, each data stream within the plurality being pre-compressed at a different compression bit rate.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the client device performs further actions comprising

sending user information and the request for the data stream to the server device;

and

if the user information is valid and a fee is associated with the requested data stream, debiting a valid user account and generating the token.