METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURE TRANSFER AND PLAYBACK OF MULTIMEDIA CONTENT

• US 20140237514A1
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Solutions Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TiVo Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: van Hoff, Arthur, Barton, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• 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 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• 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 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 : Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 : Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 : Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 : Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 : Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 : by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 : involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• 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 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 : using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7755 : the recorder being connected to, or coupled with, the antenna of the television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/95 : Time-base error compensation H04N5/932 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/83 : the recorded chrominance signal occupying a frequency band under the frequency band of the recorded brightness signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for secure transfer and playback of multimedia content enables the secure transfer of multimedia content from a digital video recorder (DVR) to a personal computer (PC) and further to a handheld device. A DVR determines which devices on a Local Area Network (LAN) are authorized to share and/or retrieve content from the DVR. The DVR receives a connection request from a PC on the LAN, authorizes the connection request and establishes a secure connection between the DVR and the PC. Once the secure connection is established, the DVR receives a request for multimedia content from the PC, prepares the multimedia content for transfer and transfers the multimedia content to the PC.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to receive, over one or more networks, listings of multimedia content accessible at first devices;

a second component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to send, over the one or more networks, to remote devices, at least portions of the listings of the multimedia content received by the first component;

a third component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to receive, from the remote devices, over the one or more networks, input indicating selections of specific items of multimedia content from the portions of the listings of multimedia content;

a fourth component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to, based on the selections, send instructions to second devices over the one or more networks, the instructions instructing the second devices to send requests to the first devices to transfer the specific items of multimedia content from the first devices to the second devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first devices are video recording devices and the second devices are computing devices on which are loaded media applications configured to communicate over the network with the system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first devices and the second devices are members of local area networks, and wherein the system and the remote devices operate outside of the local area networks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a particular item of multimedia content is not stored at a particular first device at the time the fourth component sends an instruction to a particular second device to request the particular item of multimedia content from the particular first device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the first devices are configured to transcode at least some of the specific items of multimedia content into one or more formats suitable for playback at the second devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to determine when particular items of multimedia content are available for transfer from particular first devices to particular second devices;

wherein the fourth component is configured to instruct the particular second device to request that a particular first device transfer a particular item of multimedia content specified by a particular selection in response to the fifth component determining that the particular item of multimedia content is available for transfer from the particular first device to the particular second device.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth component configured send, over the one or more networks, instructions instructing particular first devices to record or download particular items of multimedia content specified by particular selections when the particular items of multimedia content are not available for transfer from the particular first devices to particular second devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions sent by the fourth component further instruct certain second devices to, upon receiving the certain items of multimedia content from certain first devices, transfer the certain items of multimedia content to third devices.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database storing key information for the first devices and the second devices;

a fifth component configured to distribute key information from the database to the second devices, wherein the second devices are configured to use the key information to receive the specific items of multimedia content from the first devices.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web server, wherein the second component and third component interface with the remote device via the web server.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote devices include at least one portable device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the instructions specify scheduled times for requesting transfer of certain of the specific items of multimedia content.

13. A system comprising:

a first component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to receive, over one or more networks, listings of multimedia content accessible at first devices;

a second component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to send, over the one or more networks, to remote devices, at least portions of the listings of the multimedia content received by the first component;

a third component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to receive, from the remote devices, over the one or more networks, input indicating selections of specific items of multimedia content from the portions of the listings of multimedia content;

a fourth component, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to, based on the selections, send instructions to first devices over the one or more networks, the instructions instructing the first devices to transfer the specific items of multimedia content to the second devices.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first devices are video recording devices and the second devices are computing devices on which are loaded media applications configured to communicate over the network with the system.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first devices and the second devices are members of local area networks, and wherein the system and the remote devices operate outside of the local area networks.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the specific items of multimedia content were recorded or downloaded by the first devices.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least a particular item of multimedia content is not stored at a particular first device at the time the fourth component sends an instruction to the particular first device to transfer the particular item of multimedia content to a particular second device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the first devices are configured to transcode at least some of the specific items of multimedia content into one or more formats suitable for playback at the second devices.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising a web server, wherein the second component and third component interface with the remote device via the web server.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote devices include at least one portable device.