Content server and method of storing content

• US 8,751,825 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Diamond, Michael B., White, Jonathan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US11/013,745
• Time in Patent Office: 3,464 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 713/189, 380/201, 380/228, 380/230, 380/232, 705/2
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method of storing content, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, includes receiving an item of content in a protected format and a key corresponding to the item of content. The item of content in its protected format may be stored on a mass storage device. The key may also be stored in a safeguarded format on the mass storage device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing plurality of instructions which when executed cause a system to implement a method of storing content comprising:

receiving, at said system, an instance of an item of content;

receiving, at said system, a first key and a second key corresponding to said item of content, wherein said first key uniquely identifies said instance of said item of content, is used, at said system, to verify ownership of said instance of said item of content and is used, at said system, to unprotect said instance of said item of content, and wherein said second key is unique to said system;

storing said item of content in a protected format of an original form of said item of content and not another format on a mass storage device of said system, when said content is in said protected format; and

storing said first key and said second key in a safeguarded format on said mass storage device, when said content is in said protected format.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said item of content is digital information and is selected from the group consisting of text, graphics, audio, sound, image, video, movie, music, application, and game.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein said protected format comprises a content scrambling system encrypted format.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 3, wherein said second key is dynamically generated in response to said receiving said item of content.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 4, wherein said safeguarded format results from:

encrypting said first key and said second key; and

hiding said encrypted first key and said second key on said mass storage device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein receiving said instance of said item of content comprises receiving said instance of said item of content from a physical medium.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein receiving said instance of said item of content comprises receiving said item of content across a communication channel.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein receiving said instance of said item of content comprises receiving a signal encoding said instance of said item of content.

9. A system for storing, content comprising:

a content input device;

a mass storage device; and

a processing unit communicatively coupled to said content input device and said mass storage device, wherein said processing unit comprises a content storage module for receiving an instance of an item of content in a encrypted format of an original physical medium from said content input device, for receiving a first key and a second key corresponding to said instance of said item of content, for storing said instance of said item of content in said protected format and not another format on said mass storage device and for storing said first key and said second key in a safeguarded format on said mass storage device, wherein said first key uniquely identifies said instance of said item of content, is used, at said system, to verify ownership of said instance of said item of content and is used, at said system, to decrypt said instance of said item of content, and said second key is unique to said receiving said instance of said item of content on said content input device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said mass storage device comprises a preloaded instance of an item of content and a third key that uniquely identifies said preloaded instance of said item of content.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said content input device receives a physical medium containing instance of said item of content and said first key.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said content input device dynamically generates said second key unique to said receiving said physical medium on said content input device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said first key comprises a field for identifying a content type selected from a group consisting of purchased content, rented content, preloaded content and offered content.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said safeguarded format comprises an encrypted format.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said protected format comprises a content scrambling system encrypted format.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein said first key is a disk key.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein said second key is a bus key.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein said content input device comprises one or more devices selected from the group consisting of a compact disk drive, a digital versatile disk drive, a memory card reader, a communication port and a network interface card.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein said mass storage drive comprises a disk drive.

20. The system of claim 9, wherein said content storage module further receives an instance of an other item of content in a protected format from a communication channel, receives a third key and a fourth key corresponding to said other item of content, stores said other item of content in said protected format on said mass storage device and stores said third key and said fourth key in a safeguarded format on said mass storage device, wherein said third key uniquely identities said instance of said other item of content and said fourth key is unique to receiving said instance of said other item of content by content storage module.