Method and system for copyright protection of digital images transmitted over networks

• US 6,298,446 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1999
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kioba Processing, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alchemedia Ltd.
• Inventors: Schreiber, Daniel, Goldman, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce P.
• Application Number:
  US09/397,331
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for protecting digital images distributed over a network, including the steps of receiving a request from a client computer running a network browser, for an original layout page containing references to digital images therein, parsing the original layout page for the references to digital images, generating a modified layout page from the original layout page by replacing at least one of the references to digital images in the original layout page with references to substitute data, and sending the modified layout page to the client computer. A system is also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

displaying a digital image by a web browser, the digital image comprising pixel data;

requesting access to pixel data of the digital image, by invoking a Macintosh ToolBox function for accessing pixel data; and

blocking access to the pixel data of the digital image, by causing program logic of the Macintosh ToolBox function to jump to logic for substitute instructions that modify the pixel data of the digital image.

2. A method for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

displaying a digital image by a web browser, the digital image comprising pixel data;

requesting access to pixel data of the digital image, by invoking an operating system function for accessing pixel data; and

blocking access to the pixel data of the digital image, by changing a pointer pointing to the operating system function to point to a substitute function.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the pointer is an entry within a Macintosh Trap Dispatch Table.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the substitute function is a patched Macintosh ToolBox function.

5. A method for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

displaying a digital image by a web browser, the digital image comprising pixel data;

requesting access to pixel data of the digital image, by invoking a Windows BitBlt function for accessing pixel data; and

blocking access to the pixel data of the digital image, by executing a substitute function with the same name as that of the Windows BitBlt function.

6. A method for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

displaying a digital image by a web browser, the digital image comprising pixel data;

requesting access to pixel data of the digital image, by invoking an operating system function for accessing pixel data; and

blocking access to the pixel data of the digital image, by executing a function with the same name as that of the operating system function.

7. A system for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

a web browser displaying a digital image, the digital image comprising pixel data;

a command processor requesting access to pixel data of the digital image by invoking a Macintosh ToolBox function for accessing pixel data;

a pixel data modifier modifying pixel data of the digital image; and

a request blocker, blocking access to pixel data of the digital image requested by said command processor by causing program logic of the Macintosh ToolBox function to jump to logic for substitute instructions that invoke said pixel data modifier.

8. A system for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

a web browser displaying a digital image, the digital image comprising pixel data;

a command processor requesting access to pixel data of the digital image by invoking an operating system function for accessing pixel data;

a pixel data modifier modifying pixel data of the digital image; and

a request blocker, blocking access to pixel data of the digital image requested by said command processor by changing a pointer pointing to the operating system function to point to a substitute function.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the pointer is an entry within a Macintosh Trap Dispatch Table.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the substitute function is a patched Macintosh ToolBox function.

11. A system for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

a web browser displaying a digital image, the digital image comprising pixel data;

a command processor requesting access to pixel data of the digital image by invoking a Windows BitBlt function for accessing pixel data;

a pixel data modifier modifying pixel data of the digital image; and

a request blocker, blocking access to pixel data of the digital image requested by said command processor by executing a substitute function with the same name as that of the Windows BitBlt function.

12. A system for protecting digital images displayed in a web browser, comprising:

a web browser displaying a digital image, the digital image comprising pixel data;

a command processor requesting access to pixel data of the digital image by invoking an operating system function for accessing pixel data;

a pixel data modifier modifying pixel data of the digital image; and

a request blocker, blocking access to pixel data of the digital image requested by said command processor by executing a function with the same name as that of the operating system function.