Digital rights management device and method

• US 9,202,210 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Raines, Moshe, Salomon, Tavi, Pomerantz, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERR, MARIA CRISTI OWEN
• Application Number:
  US11/562,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,296 Days
• Field of Search: 472/60, 700/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• 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 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content 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 21/63775 for uploading keys, e.g. for a client to communicate its public key to the server key management H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• 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 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 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

A portable storage device includes a mechanism for receiving a value of an identification parameter from a receiving device, a non-volatile memory for storing digital content, a licensing policy, and a license for viewing the digital content on the receiving device as identified by the identification parameter, and a controller that is operative, in response to the identification parameter and the license, to provide a controlled feeding of at least a portion of the digital content to the receiving device, in accordance with the licensing policy.

Claims

1. A portable storage device for providing a controlled streaming of streaming digital content, the portable storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory comprising a device license and a license policy, the license policy comprising a quality parameter; and

a controller configured to receive encrypted content from a sending device;

wherein the controller is further configured to receive a device identifier from a receiving device over a physical connection

wherein the controller is further configured to compare the device identifier to the device license;

wherein the controller is further configured to decrypt the encrypted content;

wherein the controller is further configured to modify the quality of the decrypted content using the quality parameter; and

wherein the controller is further configured to stream the modified decrypted content to the receiving device.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the device license is for only one receiving device, wherein the one receiving device is the receiving device identified by the device identifier.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the device license is for a plurality of authorized receiving devices.

4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the physical connection includes a USB connector.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the receiving device is a viewing device.

6. The storage device of claim 5, wherein the viewing device is a digital television.

7. The storage device of claim 1, wherein an amount parameter of the licensing policy determines an amount of the modified decrypted content that is streamed to the receiving device.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the quality parameter of the licensing policy determines a quality aspect of the modified decrypted content that is streamed to the receiving device.

9. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the quality parameter of the licensing policy controls at least one aspect, of the modified decrypted content, the at least one aspect comprising color, continuity, display, superimposition of a pre-defined image, frame size, or streaming rate.

10. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to update, upon a streaming of the modified decrypted content to the receiving device, the device license according to the licensing policy.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to repeatedly sample an identification parameter during a streaming of the modified decrypted content to the receiving device and to condition a streaming of the unmodified decrypted content on a comparison of the device identifier to the device license.

12. A storage device for purchasing digital rights for digital content, the storage device comprising:

a non-volatile memory comprising a device license and a license policy comprising a quality parameter; and

a controller configured to;

receive encrypted content from a sending device;

receive a device identifier from a receiving device over a physical connection;

authorize the receiving device based on a comparison of the device identifier to the device license;

decrypt the encrypted content;

modify the decrypted content according to the quality parameter; and

stream the modified decrypted content to the receiving device.

13. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to condition a streaming of unmodified decrypted content to the receiving device on authorization of the receiving device based on the device identifier.

14. A digital rights management method comprising:

storing in a portable memory a device license and a license policy comprising a quality parameter;

receiving, by the portable memory, encrypted content from a sending device;

receiving, by the portable memory, a device identifier from a receiving device over a physical connection;

comparing, by the portable memory, the device identifier to the device license;

decrypting, by the portable memory, the encrypted content;

modifying, by the portable memory, the quality of the decrypted content using the quality parameter; and

streaming, by the portable memory, the modified decrypted content to the receiving device.

15. The digital rights management method of claim 14 further comprising, in response to receipt of the device identifier, obtaining the device license by communicating with a network device.

16. The digital rights management method of claim 14 further comprising updating the device license in accordance with the licensing policy.

17. The digital rights management method of claim 14, wherein the device license is for only one receiving device, the only one receiving device comprising the receiving device identified by the device identifier.

18. The digital rights management method of claim 14, wherein the device license is for a plurality of authorized receiving devices.

19. The digital rights management method of claim 14 wherein the physical connection is a wired communication link.

20. The digital rights management method of claim 19, wherein the wired communication link includes a USB connector.

21. The digital rights management method of claim 14, wherein the receiving device is a viewing device.

22. The digital rights management method of claim 21, wherein the viewing device is a digital television.

23. The digital rights management method of claim 14, wherein an amount parameter of the licensing policy determines an amount of the modified decrypted content that is streamed to the receiving device.

24. The digital rights management method of claim 14, wherein the quality parameter determines a quality of the modified decrypted that is streamed to the receiving device.

25. The digital rights management method of claim 24, wherein the quality parameter controls at least one of:

color, continuity, display, superimposition of a pre-defined image, frame size, and streaming rate.

26. The digital rights management method of claim 14, further comprising repeatedly sampling an identification parameter with a controller of the portable memory during the streaming of the modified decrypted content to the receiving device, the sampling in response to receipt of a value of the identification parameter from the receiving device and verification of the device license for the receiving device identified by the value of the identification parameter, wherein the value of the identification parameter is the device identifier, and wherein continued streaming of the modified decrypted content to the receiving device is conditioned on a validity of the identification parameter sampled during the streaming.