Method, apparatus, and recording medium for recording multimedia content

• US 9,208,816 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing LLC (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Schmidt-Uhlig, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shibru, Helen
• Application Number:
  US11/801,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20070269185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,135 Days
• Field of Search: 386/238, 386/291, 386/248, 386/261, 386257-259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00702 said measures preventing that data are recorded on the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00724 wherein a prepaid credit balance is registered on the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a recording medium for recording multimedia content, which allow a controlled access to the multimedia content. According to the invention, the recording medium for recording multimedia content has a content limitation indicator for indicating which multimedia content is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium, which specifies an age rating for the multimedia content. A recording apparatus compares the multimedia content to be recorded with the limitations specified by the content limitation indicator prior to recording the multimedia content on the recording medium.

Claims

1. A method for recording a multimedia content item, on a non-transitory, removable recording medium, the method comprising:

retrieving a content limitation indicator specifying an age rating from the non-transitory, removable recording medium;

retrieving an age rating associated with the multimedia content item;

comparing the retrieved age rating associated with the multimedia content item with the retrieved content limitation indicator on the non-transitory, removable recording medium; and

recording the multimedia content item on the non-transitory, removable recording medium if the retrieved age rating associated with the multimedia content item fulfills limitations specified by the content limitation indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising modifying the content limitation indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content limitation indicator is protected by a password.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory removable recording medium comprises different content limitation indicators for different users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory removable recording medium is an optical recording medium.

2. An apparatus for recording a multimedia content item on a non-transitory, removable recording medium, having:

a verification unit configured;

to retrieve a content limitation indicator specifying an age rating from the non-transitory, removable recording medium;

to retrieve an age rating associated with the multimedia content item; and

to compare the retrieved age rating associated with the multimedia content item with the retrieved content limitation indicator; and

a recording device configured to record the multimedia content item on the non-transitory, removable recording medium if the retrieved age rating associated with the multimedia content item fulfills limitations specified by the content limitation indicator.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising a user interface congigured to modify the content limitation indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the content limitation indicator is protected by a password.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the non-transitory removable recording medium comprises different content limitation indicators for different users.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the non-transitory removable recording medium is an optical recording medium.