Content management program, method and device

• US 8,527,424 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamashima, Masaki, Kawai, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US13/309,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/57, 705/59, 705/902
• 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: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00543 wherein external data is encrypted, e.g. for secure communication with an external device or for encrypting content on a separate record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00789 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of functional copies, which can be accessed at a time, e.g. electronic bookshelf concept, virtual library, video rentals or check-in/check out
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91328 the copy protection signal being a copy management signal, e.g. a copy generation management signal [CGMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• 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 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• 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 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/908 : Software or content usage protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/911 : Copy protection or prevention

Abstract

An encrypted content and its encryption key under a copy right use condition of prohibiting a copy by the device having received a content are stored, and the encrypted content is copy-transferred with another device through the network, and at the same time, the encryption key is transferred through the network, so that it is stored in either one of the devices.

Even when a high definition television broadcast signal received with a copy-once taken as a copy right use condition is recorded, an access flag that controls the presence or absence of the reproduction of the broadcast content for each broadcast content is provided. When an original broadcast content is transcoded into a low resolution, and is transfer to another device, its access flag is turned on, thereby making the reproduction possible.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium which stores a content management program causing a computer to execute:

setting an access information that controls whether or not a reproduction of a content should be made for each content stored in a content storage unit;

reproducing the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibiting the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

converting a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit and transferring a converted content to another device; and

setting the access information to be reproducible when the content is stored in the content storage unit, and

setting the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content after the conversion is transferred to another device; and

moreover, setting the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when the converted content, which is transferred to another device, becomes not reproducible, thereby maintaining a constraint of copy once in which copying is permitted once;

converting the contents stored in the content storage unit into contents of a low resolution corresponding to a device of a transfer destination, and transferring the converted content;

providing a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state to set the access information to be not reproducible; and

prohibiting the transfer to another device when a value of the dummy content number reaches a predetermined threshold value,

wherein a dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

2. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium which stores a content management program, characterized by causing a computer to execute:

setting an access information that controls the presence or absence of a reproduction of a content for each content stored in a content storage unit;

reproducing the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibiting the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

converting a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit and transferring the content after a conversion to another device; and

setting the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when a content transferred from another device is stored in the content storage unit, and setting the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content transferred from another device is transferred to another separate device;

converting a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit into a content of a low resolution corresponding to a device of a transfer destination;

transferring the content of a low resolution when the content of a low resolution is transferred to a device of a transfer destination storing a content of a low resolution but holding onto the original; and

executing a transfer not including the content of a low resolution when the content of a low resolution stored in the content storage unit of the device of a transfer destination is returned to a device of a transfer source storing a content of a high resolution;

leaving the content, which is transferred from another device and stored in the content storage unit, alone as it is or deleting it when the content transferred from another device and stored in the content storage unit is returned to a device of a transfer source storing the content of a high resolution; and

when the value of a dummy content counter reaches a predetermined threshold value,

limiting a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state that sets the access information to be not reproducible, and

prohibiting a transfer of the content to another device

wherein the dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 2, characterized by transferring the content to another device through a network connection or a detachably attachable storage medium.

4. A content management method, characterized by comprising:

setting an access information that controls whether or not a reproduction of a content should be made for each content stored in a content storage unit;

reproducing the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibiting the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

converting a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit and transferring a converted content to another device; and

setting the access information to be reproducible when the content is stored in the content storage unit, and

setting the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content after the conversion is transferred to another device; and

moreover, setting the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when the converted content, which is transferred to another device, becomes not reproducible, thereby maintaining a constraint of copy once in which copying is permitted once;

converting the contents stored in the content storage unit into contents of a low resolution corresponding to a device of a transfer destination, and transferring the converted content;

providing a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state to set the access information to be not reproducible; and

prohibiting the transfer to another device when a value of the dummy content number reaches a predetermined threshold value,

wherein a dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

5. A content management method, characterized by comprising:

setting an access information that control controls the presence or absence of a reproduction of a content for each content stored in a content storage unit;

reproducing the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibiting the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

converting a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit and transferring the content after a conversion to another device;

setting the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when a content transferred from another device is stored in the content storage unit; and

setting the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content transferred from another device is transferred to another separate device;

converting the resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit into a content of a low resolution corresponding to the device of the transfer destination; and

transferring the content of a low resolution when the content of a low resolution is transferred to a device of a transfer destination storing a content of a low resolution but holding onto the original;

executing a transfer not including the content of a low resolution when the content of a low resolution stored in the content storage unit of the device of a transfer destination is returned to the device of a transfer source storing a content of a high resolution;

leaving the content, which is transferred from another device and stored in the content storage unit, alone as it is or deleting it when the content transferred from another device and stored in the content storage unit is returned to a device of a transfer source storing the content of a high resolution; and

limiting a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state that sets the access information to be not reproducible; and

prohibiting a transfer of the content to another device when the value of dummy content counter reaches a predetermined threshold value,

wherein the dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

6. The content management method according to claim 5, characterized by transferring the content to another device through a network connection or a detachably attachable storage medium.

7. A content management device, characterized by comprising:

a processer and a memory;

the memory is accessible by the processer;

an access information setting unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that sets an access information that controls whether or not a reproduction of a content should be made for each content stored in a content storage unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer;

a content reproducing unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that reproduces the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibiting the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

a resolution conversion unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that converts a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit and a content transfer unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer transfers a converted content to another device; and

an access flag control unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that sets the access information to be reproducible when the content is stored in the content storage unit, and sets the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content after the conversion is transferred to another device, and

moreover, sets the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when the converted content, which is transferred to another device, becomes not reproducible, thereby maintaining the constraint of copy once to which copy of limit is permitted once,

wherein the resolution conversion unit that converts the contents stored in the content storage unit into contents of a low resolution corresponding to a device of a transfer destination, and the content transfer unit transfers a converted content; and

a dummy content limiting unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that provides a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state to set the access information to be not reproducible, and

prohibits the transfer to another device when a value of the dummy content number reaches a predetermined threshold value,

wherein the dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

8. A content management device, characterized by comprising:

a processer and a memory;

the memory is accessible by the processer;

an access flag setting unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that sets an access information that controls the presence or absence of a reproduction of a content stored in a content storage unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer;

a content reproducing unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that reproduces the content when the access information is shown as reproducible and prohibits the reproduction of the content when the access information is shown as not reproducible;

a resolution conversion unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that converts a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer and a content transfer unit transfers the converted content to another device; and

an access flag control unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that sets the access information to be reproducible to make the reproduction possible when a content transferred from another device is stored in the content storage unit, and

sets the access information to be not reproducible to prohibit the reproduction when the content transferred from another device is transferred to another separate device,

wherein the resolution conversion unit converts a resolution of the content stored in the content storage unit into a content of a low resolution corresponding to a device of a transfer destination;

the content transfer unit transfers the content of a low resolution when the content of a low resolution is transferred to a device of a transfer destination storing a content of a low resolution but holds onto the original, and

executes a transfer not including the content of a low resolution when the content of the device of a transfer destination stored in the content storage unit of the device of a transfer destination is returned to a device of a transfer source storing a content of a high resolution,

when a value of a dummy content counter reaches a predetermined threshold value,

a dummy content limiting unit stored in the memory and executed by the processer that provides a dummy content number showing a number of contents stored in another device in a reproduction prohibiting state sets the access information to be not reproducible, and

prohibits a transfer to another device,

wherein the dummy content is defined as a reproduction prohibiting content which sets the access information to be not reproducible.

9. The content management device according to claim 8,

characterized in that the content transfer unit transfers the content to another device through a network connection or a detachably attachable medium.