System and methodology for validating anti-piracy security compliance and reporting thereupon, for one to a plurality of movie theaters

• US 20090021372A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DigiMedia Tech, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Korishma Holdings LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H., Fancher, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91392 using means for preventing making copies of projected video images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• 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 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A movie anti-piracy system with sensing and reporting is provided. An anti-piracy subsystem is utilized to preclude, interfere with and/or prevent copying of the movie. Anti-piracy compliance sensing selectively provides compliance violation signals respectively to a sensor response controller. The controller is responsive to the compliance violation signals to provide a violation status (and other data) signal output to a control center. The control center responds to the violation status and other data signals, from one or a plurality of theaters, and provides for reporting of information (such as security compliance, attendance, etc.) to one or multiple reporting sites (such as movie distribution studios, etc.). In a preferred embodiment, the control center determines whether there are violations of providing of anti-piracy protection within a theater (or theaters) and provides reporting on the anti-piracy compliance status and data. If a violation is indicated, then the control center sends a violation signal such as to the sensor response controller which can trigger an alarm and/or activate a violation inhibit output to shut down the movie projector and/or communicate to the control center for reporting purposes.

Claims

1. A method of providing anti-piracy protection for use with a movie prior to, during or after projecting of said movie onto a projection screen for viewing by an audience, the method comprising:

selectively providing anti-piracy protection prior to, during or after projecting onto a projection screen for viewing by an audience to preclude copying of the movie;

sensing an absence of the anti-piracy protection; and

generating a violation signal responsive to the sensing an absence.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating security compliance information as an output communication responsive to one of sensing a presence of the anti-piracy protection and the sensing an absence of the anti-piracy protection.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

receiving the output communication at a remote receiving entity.

4. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

shutting-down the projecting of the visible light images responsive to the violation signal.

5. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

providing specific data associated with a respective theater, along with the violation signal as an output for communication to a remote receiving entity.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the specific data is theater data comprised of one or more of:

identification of theater, global positioning system (GPS) location data, identification of at least one of date and time of a movie being shown, identification of the movie being shown, identification of an operator of movie equipment, attendance data for a respective showing of the movie, and an identification code.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

providing an output communication for a plurality of showings of a particular movie;

providing identification information for said movie; and

providing identification information related to any presence of the violation signal occurring during the plurality of showings.

8. An anti-piracy method for use in preventing copying of a movie prior to, during or after projecting of a projected visible light image for said movie, the method comprising:

implementing protection for preventing the copying of said movie;

sensing an absence of the means for preventing the copying; and

generating a violation signal responsive to the sensing an absence of the means for preventing.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

providing an output communication responsive to the violation signal.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

coupling the output communication to at least one remote receiving entity.

11. The method as in claim 9, wherein there is a plurality of movie theaters, and each using the anti-piracy method, each providing a separate respective output communication.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

accumulating and storing at least one separate respective output communication from the plurality of the movie theaters by at least one remote receiving entity; and

generating a summary report responsive to the accumulating and storing.

13. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

reporting the violation signal to a remote reporting entity.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the reporting is via at least one of:

mail, electronic mail, facsimile, telephone, and data network connection.

15. The method as in claim 12, further comprising:

communicating the summary report to at least one reporting site on a regular periodic basis.

16. An anti-piracy system to prevent copying of a movie prior to, during or after projecting of said movie as a light image, the system comprising:

an anti-piracy subsystem comprising;

means for interfering with the copying of the movie;

means for providing a status signal output responsive to sensing an absence of operation of the means for interfering; and

a control system for generating a violation signal responsive to the sensing of an absence of operation of the means for interfering.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the control system provides for communicating the violation signal as a communicated signal to a reporting subsystem.

18. The system as in claim 17, wherein there is a plurality of the anti-piracy subsystems, each providing a respective one of a plurality of communicated signals;

and

wherein the reporting subsystem provides for respectively storing a plurality of the communicated signals from the plurality of anti-piracy subsystems, and for accumulating a history of the violation signals responsive to the plurality of communicated signals.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the reporting subsystem provides for generating a report responsive to the history.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of anti-piracy subsystems is located in a respective one of a plurality of respective theaters;

and

wherein the report is communicated to at least one of the plurality of respective theaters.