Video distribution system

• US 20020112243A1
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ochoa Optics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), World Theatre, Inc.
• Original Assignee: World Theatre, Inc.
• Inventors: Sparks, Kelly C., Hunter, Charles E., Hebrank, John H., Ballou, Bernard L Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/781,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112243A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/92
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/21 Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/98 Physical distribution of media, e.g. postcards, CDs or DVDs
• 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 21/2543 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 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/8358 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

Movies are distributed to customer households in a secure format on digital media such as optical disks for playback via proprietary set-top boxes. A system operator produces movie disks in large quantities and delivers the disks to widely geographically dispersed distribution agents. Agents produce copies of the disks with unique agent identification codes embedded therein, and distribute the disks to local customers who have compatible playback devices. When customers view movies, information identifying the movie and a distribution agent who is responsible for the movie being distributed to that customer are communicated to the central computer of the system operator. The content providers are then paid royalties due and responsible distribution agents are compensated.

Claims

1. A method of distributing movies to customer households comprising the steps of:

under authority of content providers who control the distribution rights to movies, delivering digital movie disks to widely geographically dispersed distribution agents;

having distribution agents produce copies of the movie disks, each copy including an identification code that identifies the distribution agent who made the copy;

distributing the movie disk copies from the distribution agents to customer households that have playback devices compatible with the disks;

permitting the customer households to view desired movies through their playback devices;

communicating from the customer households movie playback information that identifies each movie that has been viewed and a distribution agent who is responsible for the movie being distributed to the customer household; and

as dictated by the movie playback information, compensating content providers and responsible distribution agents.