Hybrid media distribution with enhanced security

• US 8,752,199 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mallinson, Dominic Saul
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughan, Michael R
• Application Number:
  US11/558,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,769 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 707/1, 713/154, 713/180, 715/241
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1083 Partial license transfers

Abstract

A method for use in playing content that is made up of data includes establishing in a device a physical media storing a first portion of the data making up the content, receiving a streamed second portion of the data making up the content, wherein the second portion of the data includes essential information for reconstructing the content from the first portion of the data, and playing the content by combining the first portion of the data with the second portion of the data to correctly reconstruct the content. A method for use in enhancing security of content that is made up of data includes removing information from the data making up the content that is essential for playing the content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a device for playing content, the content being constituted of a set of data, the set of data being partitioned into a first portion of the data and a second portion of the data;

receiving the first portion of the data by a user inserting a physical removable storage media into the device, wherein the first portion of the data is stored on the physical removable storage media without the second portion of the data being stored on the physical removable storage media before being distributed to the user;

receiving the second portion of the data, wherein the second portion of the data is streamed and wherein the second portion of the data includes essential information for reconstructing the content, and wherein the first portion of the data is not streamed with the second portion of the data; and

playing the content by combining the first portion of the data with the second portion of the data to correctly reconstruct the content;

wherein the playing the content comprises playing the content in a streaming manner such that the content is played as the second portion of the data is being received;

wherein the second portion of the data comprises a portion of an intra-coded picture, wherein the portion of the intra-coded picture is less than an entirety of the intra-coded picture, and the entirety of the intra-coded picture is not included in the second portion of the data; and

wherein, in response to the physical removable storage media being inserted into the device, the device automatically connects to a server, authenticates the user, and starts streaming the second portion of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the data comprises encrypted information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the data comprises less information than the first portion of the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the data comprises unsecured data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein only a fraction of the second portion of the data necessary for seamless playback is stored at any given time, wherein the fraction is less than all of the second portion of the data.

6. A system comprising:

one or more processor-based devices configured to perform the steps comprising;

removing information from a set of data constituting content, wherein the information is essential for playing the content, wherein the step of removing information from the set of data comprises removing a portion of an intra-coded picture, wherein the portion of the intra-coded picture is less than an entirety of the intra-coded picture;

establishing a remainder of the data after the removing step as a first portion of the data;

establishing the removed essential information as a second portion of the data;

establishing a streaming system for streaming the second portion of the data to client devices, wherein the streaming system is configured so that the client devices play the content in a streaming manner such that the content is played as the second portion of the data is being received, and wherein the first portion of the data is not streamed with the second portion of the data; and

storing the first portion of the data on a physical removable storage media without the second portion of the data being stored on the physical removable storage media before being distributed to a user;

wherein, at least one of the client devices receives the first portion of the data by the user inserting the physical removable storage media into the at least one client device; and

wherein, in response to the physical removable storage media being inserted into the at least one client device, the at least one client device automatically connects to a server, authenticates the user, and starts streaming the second portion of the data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second portion of the data comprises encrypted information.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second portion of the data comprises less information than the first portion of the data.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first portion of the data comprises unsecured data.

10. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program executable by a processor based system, the computer program causing the processor based system to execute steps comprising:

removing information from a set of data constituting content, wherein the information is essential for playing the content, wherein the step of removing information from the set of data comprises removing a portion of an intra-coded picture, wherein the portion of the intra-coded picture is less than an entirety of the intra-coded picture;

establishing a remainder of the data after the removing step as a first portion of the data;

establishing the removed essential information as a second portion of the data;

establishing a system for streaming the second portion of the data to client devices, wherein the system for streaming is configured so that the client devices play the content in a streaming manner such that the content is played as the second portion of the data is being received, and wherein the first portion of the data is not streamed with the second portion of the data; and

storing the first portion of the data on a physical removable storage media without the second portion of the data being stored on the physical removable storage media before being distributed to a user;

wherein, at least one of the client devices receives the first portion of the data by the user inserting the physical removable storage media into the at least one client device; and

wherein, in response to the physical removable storage media being inserted into the at least one client device, the at least one client device automatically connects to a server, authenticates the user, and starts streaming the second portion of the data.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second portion of the data comprises encrypted information.

12. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second portion of the data comprises less information than the first portion of the data.

13. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first portion of the data comprises unsecured data.

14. A method for use in enhancing security of content, comprising:

removing information from a set of data constituting the content, wherein the information is essential for playing the content, wherein the step of removing information from the set of data comprises removing a portion of an intra-coded picture, wherein the portion of the intra-coded picture is less than an entirety of the intra-coded picture;

establishing a remainder of the data after the removing step as a first portion of the data;

establishing the removed essential information as a second portion of the data;

establishing a system for streaming the second portion of the data to client devices, wherein the system for streaming is configured so that the client devices play the content in a streaming manner such that the content is played as the second portion of the data is being received, and wherein the first portion of the data is not streamed with the second portion of the data; and

storing the first portion of the data on a physical removable storage media without the second portion of the data being stored on the physical removable storage media before being distributed to a user;

wherein, at least one of the client devices receives the first portion of the data by the user inserting the physical removable storage media into the at least one client device; and

wherein, in response to the physical removable storage media being inserted into the at least one client device, the at least one client device automatically connects to a server, authenticates the user, and starts streaming the second portion of the data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second portion of the data comprises less information than the first portion of the data.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

encrypting the second portion of the data.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the data comprises unsecured data.