Secure personal content server

• US 9,231,980 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wistaria Trading Inc.
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Scott A., Berry, Mike W.
• Primary Examiner(s): AVERY, JEREMIAH L
• Application Number:
  US14/256,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1012 to domains
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• 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 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A local content server system (LCS) for creating a secure environment for digital content is disclosed, which system comprises: a communications port in communication for connecting the LCS via a network to at least one Secure Electronic Content Distributor (SECD), which SECD is capable of storing a plurality of data sets, is capable of receiving a request to transfer at least one content data set, and is capable of transmitting the at least one content data set in a secured transmission; a rewritable storage medium whereby content received from outside the LCS may be stored and retrieved; a domain processor that imposes rules and procedures for content being transferred between the LCS and devices outside the LCS; and a programmable address module which can be programmed with an identification code uniquely associated with the LCS. The LCS is provided with rules and procedures for accepting and transmitting content data.

Claims

1. A system for protecting digital content against unauthorized copying and distribution, comprising:

a Satellite Unit (SU) having an SU unique identification, an SU storage unit for storing digital data, and said SU capable of receiving and transmitting digital content;

a local content server system (LCS);

an interface to permit the LCS to communicate with said SU;

said LCS comprising;

a) a communications port in communication for connecting the system via a network to at least one Secure Electronic Content Distributor (SECD), said SECD capable of storing a plurality of data sets, capable of receiving a request to transfer at least one content data set, and capable of transmitting said at least one content data set in a secured transmission,

b) a non-transient LCS rewritable storage medium whereby content received from outside the LCS may be stored and retrieved,

c) a domain processor that imposes rules and procedures for content being transferred between the LCS and devices outside the LCS, thereby defining a first LCS domain, and

d) an LCS identification code, and said domain processor permitting the LCS to receive digital content from outside the LCS provided the LCS first determines that the digital content being delivered to the LCS is authorized for use by the LCS;

wherein said LCS determines that the digital content being delivered to the LCS is authorized for use by the LCS by comparing a watermark present in said digital content with an LCS watermark associated with said LCS, thereby making a watermark match determination, and only if said watermark match determination indicates a match then said LCS storing said digital content in said first LCS domain in said non-transient LCS rewritable storage medium in encrypted form, and only if said watermark match determination indicates a mismatch then said LCS rejecting said digital content from said first LCS domain so that said digital content is not stored in said first LCS domain;

said LCS determining if a watermark is present in said digital content, thereby making a watermark determination;

only if said watermark determination indicates no watermark is present in said digital content, said LCS degrading said digital content resulting in degraded digital content and then storing said degraded digital content in encrypted form in said first LCS domain in said non-transient LCS rewritable storage media; and

only if said watermark determination indicates a watermark is present in said digital content, said LCS making said watermark match determination;

wherein said LCS is designed to transmit either said digital content stored in said first LCS domain or said degraded digital content stored in said first LCS domain via said interface to said SU;

wherein said SU is designed to watermark the digital content that the SU receives from said LCS with an SU watermark, wherein said SU watermark is unique to said SU;

wherein the SU is designed to play the digital content;

transmit the digital content to a player other than the SU;

or both.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said SU generates said SU watermark based in part upon a hash received from said LCS.

3. A method for protecting digital content against unauthorized copying and distribution, using a local content server system (LCS) and a satellite unit (SU), wherein said LCS comprises;

a) a communications port in communication for connecting the system via a network to at least one Secure Electronic Content Distributor (SECD), said SECD capable of storing a plurality of data sets, capable of receiving a request to transfer at least one content data set, and capable of transmitting said at least one content data set in a secured transmission,

b) a non-transient LCS rewritable storage medium whereby content received from outside the LCS may be stored and retrieved,

c) a domain processor that imposes rules and procedures for content being transferred between the LCS and devices outside the LCS, thereby defining a first LCS domain, and

d) an LCS identification code uniquely associated with the LCS, and wherein

said domain processor permitting the LCS to receive digital content from outside the LCS provided the LCS first determines that the digital content being delivered to the LCS is authorized for use by the LCS, comprising;

said LCS determining that the digital content being delivered to the LCS is authorized for use by the LCS by comparing a watermark present in said digital content with an LCS watermark associated with said LCS, thereby making a watermark match determination, and only if said watermark match determination indicates a match then said LCS storing said digital content in said first LCS domain in said non-transient LCS rewritable storage medium in encrypted form, and only if said watermark match determination indicates a mismatch then said LCS rejecting said digital content from said first LCS domain so that said digital content is not stored in said first LCS domain;

said LCS determining if a watermark is present in said digital content, thereby making a watermark determination;

only if said watermark determination indicates no watermark is present in said digital content, said LCS degrading said digital content resulting in degraded digital content and then storing said degraded digital content in encrypted form in said first LCS domain in said non-transient LCS rewritable storage media;

only if said watermark determination indicates a watermark is present in said digital content, said LCS making said watermark match determination;

wherein said Satellite Unit (SU) has an SU unique identification, an SU storage unit for storing digital data, and said SU is capable of receiving and transmitting digital content;

said LCS transmits either said digital content stored in said first LCS domain or said degraded digital content stored in said first LCS domain via an interface to said SU;

said SU watermarking the digital content that the SU receives from said LCS with an SU watermark, wherein said SU watermark is unique to said SU; and

wherein the SU is designed to play the digital content;

transmit the digital content to a player other than the SU;

or both.

4. A system comprising a local content server system (LCS) and a satellite unit (SU), wherein:

said SU comprises an SU unique identification, an SU storage unit for storing digital data, and wherein said SU is capable of receiving and transmitting digital content;

said LCS comprises an LCS communications port, an LCS storage unit for storing digital data in non-transient form, an LCS domain processor for processing digital data; and

an LCS identification code;

wherein said LCS is configured to use said LCS domain processor to impose rules and procedures to control transfer of first content from outside said LCS into a first LCS domain of said LCS, thereby defining said first LCS domain;

wherein said rules and procedures comprise said LCS determining if said first content is verified as authentic or not authentic, and wherein only if said LCS determines that said first content is verified as authentic then said LCS stores said first content in said LCS domain in said LCS storage unit in encrypted form;

wherein only if said LCS finds no indicia indicating either authenticity or lack of authenticity then said LCS degrades said first content resulting in degraded first content and stores said degraded first content in said LCS domain in said LCS storage unit

wherein said LCS is designed to transmit either said first content stored in said first LCS domain or said degraded first content stored in said first LCS domain via an interface to said SU;

wherein said SU is designed to watermark the first content that the SU receives from said LCS with an SU watermark, wherein said SU watermark is unique to said SU; and

wherein the SU is designed to play the first content;

transmit the first content to a player other than the SU;

or both.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said SU generates said SU watermark based in part upon said SU unique identification.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said SU generates said SU watermark based in part upon a hash received from said LCS.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein said LCS comprises a watermark extractor for extracting a watermark indicating either authenticity or lack of authenticity.

8. The device system of claim 4 wherein said LCS is configured to generate the watermark it embeds into data it transmits, based upon (1) information received by said LCS from said satellite unit (SU) and (2) information about said LCS.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein said LCS is configured to use said LCS domain processor to apply a decode algorithm to said first content, and to determine if encoding is present in said first content based upon results of applying said decode algorithm.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein if said LCS determines that no encoding is present said LCS is configured to degrade said first content prior to storing said first content in said LCS storage.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein if said LCS determines that no encoding is present then said LCS is configured to set a status value to legacy, and apply said rules and procedures associated with a legacy status, to said first content, wherein legacy status means that said LCS did not detect encoding in said first content as a result of application of said decode algorithm.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein if said LCS determines that encoding is present based upon said results of applying said decode algorithm, said LCS is configured to not set a status value to legacy, and to not apply said rules and procedures associated with legacy status, to said first content.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein if said LCS determines that encoding is present, said LCS is configured to set a status value to one of authorized and denied based upon said results of applying said decode algorithm, and to apply said rules and procedures associated with the corresponding one of authorized and denied status.