Media storage structures for storing content, devices for using such structures, systems for distributing such structures

• US 10,574,458 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2016
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Farrugia, Augustin J., Fasoli, Gianpaolo, Mollinier Toublet, Bertrand, Ciet, Mathieu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Minh
• Application Number:
  US15/074,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20160204939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• 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: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a content-distribution system for distributing content under a variety of different basis. For instance, in some embodiments, the content-distribution system distributes device-restricted content and device-unrestricted content. Device-restricted content is content that can only be played on devices that the system associates with the particular user. Device-unrestricted content is content that can be played on any device without any restrictions. However, for at least one operation or service other than playback, device-unrestricted content has to be authenticated before this operation or service can be performed on the content. In some embodiments, the system facilitates this authentication by specifying a verification parameter for a piece of device-unrestricted content. The content-distribution system of some embodiments has a set of servers that supply (1) media storage structures that store content, (2) cryptographic keys that are needed to decrypt device-restricted content, and (3) verification parameters that are needed to verify device-unrestricted content. In some embodiments, the device that receives the media storage structure inserts the received cryptographic key or verification parameter in the received media storage structure. In some embodiments, the set of servers also supply cryptographic content keys for the device-unrestricted content. These keys are used to decrypt the content upon arrival, upon first playback, or at some other time. However, some embodiments do not store these cryptographic keys in the media storage structures for the device-unrestricted content.

Claims

1. A method for distributing different types of content, the method comprising:

from a set of servers, distributing, over a network, a first media file with a first type of content to a device, the first media file being associated with a content key, wherein the device accesses the first type of content with an associated content key for decrypting the first type of content, the content key stored in the first media file at the device;

from the set of servers, distributing, over the network, a second media file with a second type of content to the device, the second media file being associated with a verification parameter that verifies that the second media file originated from the set of servers and that is separately signed by a server of the set of servers, wherein the device accesses the second type of content with an associated verification parameter that stores an identity of a distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter for authenticating the second type of content by verifying the identity of the distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter stored in the second media file at the device in a similar manner to storage of the content key in the first media file, thereby flexibly distributing, from the set of servers and over the network, the first media file associated with the content key and the second media file associated with the verification parameter; and

from the set of servers, distributing, over the network, the content key for decrypting the first type of content and the verification parameter for verifying that the second media file originated from the set of servers separately from the first media file and the second media file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of servers is a first set of servers, wherein a second set of servers distributes to the device (i) the content key for decrypting the first type of content and (ii) the verification parameter for authenticating the second type of content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device inserts the content key into the first media file and the verification parameter into the second media file.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second set of servers further distributes a second content key for decrypting the second type of content, wherein the device discards the second content key after using the second content key to decrypt the second type of content.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the second set of servers distributes the content key and the verification parameter only after having received a notification from the device that the device has received the media files from the first set of servers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device stores the content key in the first media file in order to decrypt the first type of content each time the device accesses said content and stores the verification parameter in the second media file in order to perform a particular operation with the second type of content.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising signing the verification parameter prior to distributing the second media file to the device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media file additionally stores at least one other piece of content and a second verification parameter for verifying a distribution source of the other piece of content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device performs a playback operation on the second type of content without authenticating the second type of content with the verification parameter.

10. A system comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

distribute, over a network, a first media file with a first type of content to a device, the first media file being associated with a content key, wherein the device accesses the first type of content with an associated content key for decrypting the first type of content, the content key stored in the first media file at the device;

distribute, over the network, a second media file with a second type of content to the device, the second media file being associated with a verification parameter that verifies that the second media file originated from the system and that is separately signed by the system, wherein the device accesses the second type of content with an associated verification parameter that stores an identity of a distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter for authenticating the second type of content by verifying the identity of the distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter stored in the second media file at the device in a similar manner to storage of the content key in the first media file; and

distribute the content key for decrypting the first type of content and the verification parameter for verifying that the second media file originated from the system separately from the first media file and the second media file.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

sign the verification parameter prior to distributing the second media file to the device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second media file additionally stores at least one other piece of content and a second verification parameter for verifying a distribution source of the other piece of content.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the device is configured to insert the content key into the first media file and the verification parameter into the second media file.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

distribute a second content key for decrypting the second type of content, wherein the device discards the second content key after using the second content key to decrypt the second type of content.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

distribute the content key and the verification parameter only after having received a notification from the device that the device has received the first and second media files.

16. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processor, the program comprising code for:

from a set of servers, distributing, over a network, a first media file with a first type of content to a device, the first media file being associated with a content key, wherein the device accesses the first type of content with an associated content key for decrypting the first type of content, the content key stored in the first media file at the device;

from the set of servers, distributing, over the network, a second media file with a second type of content to the device, the second media file being associated with a verification parameter that verifies that the second media file originated from the set of servers and that is separately signed by a server of the set of servers, wherein the device accesses the second type of content with an associated verification parameter that stores an identity of a distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter for authenticating the second type of content by verifying the identity of the distribution source of the second type of content, the verification parameter stored in the second media file at the device in a similar manner to storage of the content key in the first media file; and

distributing the content key for decrypting the first type of content and the verification parameter for verifying that the second media file originated from the set of servers separately from the first media file and the second media file.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of servers is a first set of servers, wherein a second set of servers distributes to the device (i) the content key for decrypting the first type of content and (ii) the verification parameter for authenticating the second type of content.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the device inserts the content key into the first media file and the verification parameter into the second media file.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second set of servers further distributes a second content key for decrypting the second type of content, wherein the device discards the second content key after using the second content key to decrypt the second type of content.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second set of servers distributes the content key and the verification parameter only after having received a notification from the device that the device has received the media files from the first set of servers.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the device stores the content key in the first media file in order to decrypt the first type of content each time the device accesses said content and stores the verification parameter in the second media file in order to perform a particular operation with the second type of content.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the code is further for signing the verification parameter prior to distributing the second media file to the device.

23. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second media file additionally stores at least one other piece of content and a second verification parameter for verifying a distribution source of the other piece of content.

24. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the device performs a playback operation on the second type of content without authenticating the second type of content with the verification parameter.