Client distribution system, content distribution method, and client terminal

• US 9,686,260 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Ryosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Sher A
• Application Number:
  US14/339,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The user of any one portable terminal sends a content information request including a user ID to a distribution server. In response, the distribution server distributes a stream data of content that can be used on the user'"'"'s terminal. If the user of first portable terminal intends to let a second portable terminal try out a certain content, the user sends to the distribution server the trial permission information including the user'"'"'s own user ID, a content ID of the content of interest, and a digital signature. The distribution server authenticates the received information before distributing a streaming data of a trial-oriented content with the content ID and user ID attached to it as search keys. This allows the content that can be used on a given user terminal to be tried out on another user terminal without the latter user having recourse to the steps of searching for the content in question.

Claims

1. A first terminal for distributing content over a network, comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to obtain biometric information from a user of the first terminal;

authentication circuitry configured to compare the obtained biometric information with stored biometric information for a first user to verify the user of the first terminal is the first user;

a transmitter configured to establish a communication with a second terminal; and

a control circuitry configured;

to control transmission of authentication information from the first terminal to a content distribution server after the authentication circuitry has verified the user of the first terminal is the first user;

to receive an input command from the user of the first terminal that identifies the second terminal as a preferred user'"'"'s terminal with which the content is to be shared on a limited trial basis; and

to control reception of streaming data representing the content from the content distribution server and transmission of the received streaming data from the transmitter of the first terminal to the identified second terminal on the limited trial basis to allow the preferred user of the identified second terminal to determine whether to purchase the content, after the content distribution server has verified the user of the first terminal is authorized to access the content based upon the authentication information, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control transmission of the streaming data from the transmitter to the second terminal so that the first user and the preferred user of the second terminal can view the same content at the same time on the first and second terminals, respectively.

2. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the biometric information includes at least one of the first user'"'"'s finger print, iris pattern, iris code, venous pattern, voice pattern, facial pattern, or handwriting.

3. The first terminal according to claim 1, further comprising signature generation circuitry configured to use an encryption key to generate a digital signature as the authentication information after the authentication circuitry has verified the user of the first terminal is the first user.

4. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to lift limitation of functions of the first terminal when the authentication circuitry verifies the user of the first terminal is the first user.

5. The first terminal according to claim 1, wherein the streaming data comprises streaming video.

6. A computer-implemented method for distributing content over a network, comprising:

obtaining biometric information from a user of a first terminal;

comparing the obtained biometric information with stored biometric information for a first user to verify the user of the first terminal is the first user;

establishing a communication between the first terminal and a second terminal;

controlling transmission of authentication information from the first terminal to a content distribution server after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user;

receiving an input command from the user of the first terminal that identifies the second terminal as a preferred user'"'"'s terminal with which the content is to be shared on a limited trial basis; and

reception of streaming data representing the content from the content distribution server and transmission of the received streaming data content from the content distribution server from the first terminal to the identified second terminal on the limited trial basis to allow the preferred user of the identified second terminal to determine whether to purchase the content, after the content distribution server has verified the user of the first terminal is authorized to access the content based upon the authentication information, wherein a control circuitry is further configured to control transmission of the streaming data from the transmitter to the second terminal so that the first user and the preferred user of the second terminal can view the same content at the same time on the first and second terminals, respectively.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the biometric information includes at least one of the first user'"'"'s finger print, iris pattern, iris code, venous pattern, voice pattern, facial pattern, or handwriting.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising using an encryption key to generate a digital signature as the authentication information after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising lifting limitation of functions of the first terminal after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the streaming data comprises streaming video.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed in a system, causes the system to perform a method for distributing content over a network, the method comprising:

obtaining biometric information from a user of a first terminal;

comparing the obtained biometric information with stored biometric information for a first user to verify the user of the first terminal is the first user;

establishing a communication between the first terminal and a second terminal;

controlling transmission of authentication information from the first terminal to a content distribution server after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user;

receiving an input command from the user of the first terminal that identifies the second terminal as a preferred user'"'"'s terminal with which the content is to be shared on a limited trial basis; and

controlling reception of streaming data representing the content from the content distribution server and transmission of the received streaming data content from the content distribution server from the first terminal to the identified second terminal on the limited trial basis to allow the preferred user of the identified second terminal to determine whether to purchase the content, after the content distribution server has verified the user of the first terminal is authorized to access the content based upon the authentication information, wherein a control circuitry is further configured to control transmission of the streaming data from the transmitter to the second terminal so that the first user and the preferred user of the second terminal can view the same content at the same time on the first and second terminals, respectively.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the biometric information includes at least one of the first user'"'"'s finger print, iris pattern, iris code, venous pattern, voice pattern, facial pattern, or handwriting.

13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, further comprising using an encryption key to generate a digital signature as the authentication information after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises lifting limitation of functions of the first terminal after the user of the first terminal has been verified to be the first user.

15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the streaming data comprises streaming video.