Method and device for imposing usage constraints of digital content

• US 9,226,041 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Bjrkengren, Ulf, Hartung, Frank, Catrein, Daniel, Cheng, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wright, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US13/509,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 726/30
• 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: 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 21/43853 involving multiplex stream decryption arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Imposing one or more usage constraints on digital content involves communicating a digital content data item to a digital content receiver system. The digital content data item includes the digital content and a usage constraint data item different from a digital license data item, or a reference to the usage constraint data item, the use case item being indicative of the one or more usage constraints.

Claims

1. A method for processing digital content, the method comprising:

receiving a digital content data item, the digital content data item including the digital content and a zone map data item, the zone map data item including a zone content ID and a usage constraint data item, the usage constraint data item being indicative of one or more usage constraints to be observed by a player when playing a corresponding zone, wherein the usage constraint data item further comprises a reference to a digital rights object, the digital rights object being indicative of at least one of a permission to use the digital content and whether one or more constraints apply to the use of the digital content;

forwarding the zone content ID to a digital rights control entity and requesting the digital rights control entity to verify a digital rights object associated with the zone content ID;

receiving a response from the digital rights control entity indicative of whether a valid digital rights object has been found; and

conditioned on the received response, processing the digital content included in the received digital content data item;

wherein processing includes evaluating the digital rights object and, conditioned on a result of the evaluation of the digital rights object, enforcing the one or more usage constraints indicated by the usage constraint data item as applicable to the digital content,

wherein the zone map data item further includes;

a URL indicative of a location from which an external media zone can be downloaded; and

an external media zone content ID that points to a license that is always valid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether the corresponding zone must be played as an integral part of the presentation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether playback of the corresponding zone must begin at a predefined point of the zone if the player attempts to seek inside the corresponding zone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether one or more of fast-forward and zone skipping are disabled when the corresponding zone is being played.

2. A processing device comprising a communications interface for receiving digital content data items and a processing unit for processing the received digital content data items, wherein the processing device is configured to perform the steps of a method for processing digital content, the method comprising:

receiving a digital content data item, the digital content data item including the digital content and a zone map data item, the zone map data item including a zone content ID and a usage constraint data item, the usage constraint data item being indicative of one or more usage constraints to be observed by a player when playing a corresponding zone, wherein the usage constraint data item further comprises a reference to a digital rights object, the digital rights object being indicative of at least one of a permission to use the digital content and whether one or more constraints apply to the use of the digital content;

forwarding the zone content ID to a digital rights control entity and requesting the digital rights control entity to verify a digital rights object associated with the zone content ID;

receiving a response from the digital rights control entity indicative of whether a valid digital rights object has been found; and

conditioned on the received response, processing the digital content included in the received digital content data item;

wherein processing includes evaluating the digital rights object and, conditioned on a result of the evaluation of the digital rights object, enforcing the one or more usage constraints indicated by the usage constraint data item as applicable to the digital content,

wherein the zone map data item further includes;

a URL indicative of a location from which an external media zone can be downloaded; and

an external media zone content ID that points to a license that is always valid.

3. A processing device according to claim 2, wherein the digital rights control entity comprises a digital rights management system, and wherein the processing device comprises a digital rights management agent and is configured to execute the digital rights management agent.

6. The processing device of claim 2, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether the corresponding zone must be played as an integral part of the presentation.

9. The processing device of claim 2, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether playback of the corresponding zone must begin at a predefined point of the zone if the player attempts to seek inside the corresponding zone.

12. The processing device of claim 2, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether one or more of fast-forward and zone skipping are disabled when the corresponding zone is being played.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein program code adapted to perform a method when said program code is executed on a data processing device, wherein the method is for processing digital content, the method comprising:

receiving a digital content data item, the digital content data item including the digital content and a zone map data item, the zone map data item including a zone content ID and a usage constraint data item, the usage constraint data item being indicative of one or more usage constraints to be observed by a player when playing a corresponding zone, wherein the usage constraint data item further comprises a reference to a digital rights object, the digital rights object being indicative of at least one of a permission to use the digital content and whether one or more constraints apply to the use of the digital content;

forwarding the zone content ID to a digital rights control entity and requesting the digital rights control entity to verify a digital rights object associated with the zone content ID;

receiving a response from the digital rights control entity indicative of whether a valid digital rights object has been found; and

conditioned on the received response, processing the digital content included in the received digital content data item;

wherein processing includes evaluating the digital rights object and, conditioned on a result of the evaluation of the digital rights object, enforcing the one or more usage constraints indicated by the usage constraint data item as applicable to the digital content,

wherein the zone map data item further includes;

a URL indicative of a location from which an external media zone can be downloaded; and

an external media zone content ID that points to a license that is always valid.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether the corresponding zone must be played as an integral part of the presentation.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether playback of the corresponding zone must begin at a predefined point of the zone if the player attempts to seek inside the corresponding zone.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the usage constraint indicates whether one or more of fast-forward and zone skipping are disabled when the corresponding zone is being played.