Protected content distribution system

• US 20050011947A1
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Lao, Guillermo, Budo-Marek, Andrej, Reddy, Karimireddy Hari
• Granted Patent: US 6,968,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32

Abstract

A rights management system, method and device for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith by enforcement of the usage rights with repositories, including a client device adapted to request an item and receive the item and a usage right associated with the item and specifying a permitted manner of use of the item; and a server device adapted to send the item and the associated usage right to the client device in response to the request. The client device includes means for establishing a communication between the client device and a third party entity associated with the rights management system based on a received item and associated usage right.

Claims

1. A rights management system for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith by enforcement of the usage rights with repositories, the system comprising:

a client device adapted to request an item and receive the item and a usage right associated with the item and specifying a permitted manner of use of the item; and

a server device adapted to send the item and the associated usage right to the client device in response to the request;

wherein the client device includes means for establishing a communication between the client device and a third party entity associated with the rights management system based on a received item and associated usage right.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for establishing a communication includes a button that when clicked establishes a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and an entity comprising a web server associated with the rights management system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the means for establishing passes information to the server device based on activity of the client device at the web server.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein an address for establishing a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system is specified by the associated usage right.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the entity includes one of a service, an on-line store, a user group, and a web server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and members of a trusted community associated with a received item and associated usage right.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication includes a generated electronic message to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the generated electronic message includes a generated electronic note to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the generated electronic note is based on selection of one or more of the members of the trusted community from an access list associated with the with the received item and associated usage right.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the generated electronic note is sent based on selection of a button for sending the generated electronic note to the selected members of the trusted community.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and an author associated with a received item and associated usage right.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes an e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right via the server device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the means for establishing a communication comprises a button that when clicked connects the client device to the server device and presents an e-mail form or web page used to send the e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the e-mail form or web page is provided in a separate window from a window for the received item and associated usage right.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the e-mail form or web page is automatically populated with am identity of the user of the client device and the author based on the received item and associated usage right.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein an address of the author associated with the received item and associated usage right is input to the server device during registration of the received item with the server device.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the server device is further adapted to generate a license for the item and including the associated usage right, and to include a reporting function for reporting statistics.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the statistics include general statistics including at least one of a number of licenses generated by the server device, a number of items that are registered with the server device, a number of requests received for an item, a number of requests granted for an item, a number of requests denied for an item, and a time to process a request for an item.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the time to process a request for an item includes at least one of an average time to process a request for an item, a mean time to process a request for an item, a maximum to process a request for an item, and a minimum time to process a request for an item.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the statistics include specific statistics including at least one of a number of licenses issued for a specific item, a number of licenses issued with a specific content identifier, a number of licenses issued with a specific end user identifier, and a number of licenses issued for each item.

22. A method of rights management for use in a system for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith by enforcement of the usage rights with repositories, the method comprising:

requesting via a client device an item;

receiving the item and a usage right associated with the item and specifying a permitted manner of use of the item;

sending via a server device the item and the associated usage right to the client device in response to the request; and

establishing via means within the client device a communication between the client device and a third party entity associated with the rights management system based on a received item and associated usage right.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the establishing step includes a providing a button that when clicked establishes a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the establishing step includes establishes a communication between the client device and an entity comprising a web server associated with the rights management system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the establishing step includes passing information to the server device based on activity of the client device at the web server.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein an address for establishing a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system is specified by the associated usage right.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the entity includes one of a service, an on-line store, a user group, and a web server.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the establishing step includes establishing a communication between the client device and members of a trusted community associated with a received item and associated usage right.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the communication includes a generated electronic message to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the generated electronic message includes a generated electronic note to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the generated electronic note is based on selection of one or more of the members of the trusted community from an access list associated with the with the received item and associated usage right.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the generated electronic note is sent based on selection of a button for sending the generated electronic note to the selected members of the trusted community.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the establishing step includes establishing a communication between the client device and an author associated with a received item and associated usage right.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the establishing step includes establishing an e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right via the server device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the establishing step includes establishing providing a button that when clicked connects the client device to the server device and presents an e-mail form or web page used to send the e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising providing the e-mail form or web page in a separate window from a window for the received item and associated usage right.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising automatically populating the e-mail form or web page with am identity of the user of the client device and the author based on the received item and associated usage right.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising inputting an address of the author associated with the received item and associated usage right to the server device during registration of the received item with the server device.

39. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating via the server device a license for the item and including the associated usage right, and to include a reporting function for reporting statistics.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the statistics include general statistics including at least one of a number of licenses generated by the server device, a number of items that are registered with the server device, a number of requests received for an item, a number of requests granted for an item, a number of requests denied for an item, and a time to process a request for an item.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the time to process a request for an item includes at least one of an average time to process a request for an item, a mean time to process a request for an item, a maximum to process a request for an item, and a minimum time to process a request for an item.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the statistics include specific statistics including at least one of a number of licenses issued for a specific item, a number of licenses issued with a specific content identifier, a number of licenses issued with a specific end user identifier, and a number of licenses issued for each item.

43. A device for use in a rights management system for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith by enforcement of the usage rights with repositories, the device comprising:

means for requesting an item and receiving the item and a usage right associated with the item and specifying a permitted manner of use of the item, wherein a server device is adapted to send the item and the associated usage right in response to the request; and

means for establishing a communication with a third party entity associated with the rights management system based on a received item and associated usage right.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the means for establishing a communication includes a button that when clicked establishes a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system.

45. The device of claim 43, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and an entity comprising a web server associated with the rights management system.

46. The device of claim 45, wherein the means for establishing passes information to the server device based on activity of the client device at the web server.

47. The device of claim 44, wherein an address for establishing a communication between the client device and an entity associated with the rights management system is specified by the associated usage right.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the entity includes one of a service, an on-line store, a user group, and a web server.

49. The device of claim 43, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and members of a trusted community associated with a received item and associated usage right.

50. The device of claim 49, wherein the communication includes a generated electronic message to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

51. The device of claim 49, wherein the generated electronic message includes a generated electronic note to the members of the trusted community associated with the received item and associated usage right.

52. The device of claim 51, wherein the generated electronic note is based on selection of one or more of the members of the trusted community from an access list associated with the with the received item and associated usage right.

53. The device of claim 52, wherein the generated electronic note is sent based on selection of a button for sending the generated electronic note to the selected members of the trusted community.

54. The device of claim 43, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes a communication between the client device and an author associated with a received item and associated usage right.

55. The device of claim 54, wherein the means for establishing a communication establishes an e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right via the server device.

56. The device of claim 55, wherein the means for establishing a communication comprises a button that when clicked connects the client device to the server device and presents an e-mail form or web page used to send the e-mail communication between the client device and the author associated with the received item and associated usage right.

57. The device of claim 56, wherein the e-mail form or web page is provided in a separate window from a window for the received item and associated usage right.

58. The device of claim 56, wherein the e-mail form or web page is automatically populated with am identity of the user of the client device and the author based on the received item and associated usage right.

59. The device of claim 54, wherein an address of the author associated with the received item and associated usage right is input to the server device during registration of the received item with the server device.

60. The device of claim 43, wherein the server device is further adapted to generate a license for the item and including the associated usage right, and to include a reporting function for reporting statistics.

61. The device of claim 60, wherein the statistics include general statistics including at least one of a number of licenses generated by the server device, a number of items that are registered with the server device, a number of requests received for an item, a number of requests granted for an item, a number of requests denied for an item, and a time to process a request for an item.

62. The device of claim 61, wherein the time to process a request for an item includes at least one of an average time to process a request for an item, a mean time to process a request for an item, a maximum to process a request for an item, and a minimum time to process a request for an item.

63. The device of claim 60, wherein the statistics include specific statistics including at least one of a number of licenses issued for a specific item, a number of licenses issued with a specific content identifier, a number of licenses issued with a specific end user identifier, and a number of licenses issued for each item.