Optical jukebox with copy protection caching and methods of caching copy protected data

• US 7,600,266 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomas, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise; Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pearson; David J
• Application Number:
  US10/609,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,290 Days
• Field of Search: 726/31
• US Class Current: 726/31
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00804 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of users or devices that are allowed to access a given content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22

Abstract

A copy protection comprehending cache catalog with a media jukebox tracks not only the titles of the media themselves, but also the number of copies of each media title, and the copy protection status of each media. When a particular media is not limited to a set number of licensed users, then this media alone is permitted to be used to support multiple users with the hard drive cache in the media jukebox. If, however, a particular media title is limited to one licensed use at a time, per copy of that title, then the hard drive cache is capable of sending data to match the number of copies of media in the jukebox.

Claims

1. A multimedia jukebox system comprising:

a plurality of media having media titles;

at least one media reading drive;

means for caching and storing contents of the plurality of media;

means for selecting one of said plurality of media and placing said one of plurality of media into one of said at least one media reading drive;

means for cataloging said plurality of media such that the number of copies M of the same media title is counted, said means for cataloging said plurality of media including means for determining if the media and media title are copy protected and means for determining if the media and media title are not copy protected; and

means for transferring content of said plurality of media to a plurality of receiving devices including user machines comprising computers;

said means for cataloging limits the number X of said receiving devices that are permitted access to any portion of any one title of said plurality of media, so that M is greater than or equal to X if the media and media title are copy protected;

said means for cataloging comprises, for each media title, means for recording the copy protection status of each media title of said plurality of media;

at least one of said plurality of media is rewritable;

said media of the plurality of media is removable and replaceable in the at least one media reading drive to permit reading of content on the media in the media reading drive; and

said means for cataloging said plurality of media permits unlimited number of user machines access to that media title if the requested media title is not copy protected so that multiple copies of the media title can be stored in the means for caching and storing contents of the plurality of media and accessed by the user machines.

2. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for transferring data comprises means for transferring contents of the plurality of media in the means for caching and storing contents of the plurality of media.

3. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a first portion of said plurality of media is physically located with said means for caching contents, and a second portion of said plurality of media is physically separated from said means for caching, and further comprising means for transferring content from said second portion to said means for caching.

4. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for caching is physically co-located with said at least one media reading drive.

5. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for caching is physically located separately from said at least one media reading drive;

and further comprising;

means for transferring content from said at least one media reading drive to said means for caching.

6. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

means for steaming at least one stream of contents from at least one of said plurality of media.

7. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the means for streaming comprises means for streaming from the means for caching.

8. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

means for encrypting data in the means for caching.

9. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for caching comprises means for caching at least two different portions of said contents for use by at least two different receiving devices.

10. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

means for streaming at least one stream of contents from at least one of said plurality of media.

11. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the means for streaming comprises means for streaming directly from at least one of the plurality of media.

12. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising:

means for encrypting data in the means for streaming.

13. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the means for streaming comprises means for streaming at least two different portions of said contents for use by at least two different receiving devices.

14. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for recording copy protection status for each media title is configured to record that a media title is a copy protected or that a media title is not copy protected.

15. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of media is located separate from the at least one media reading drive, and

wherein the means for selecting and placing moves media from the separate location to the at least one media reading drive to read content on the media.

16. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for selecting and placing physically moves the media of the plurality of media into and out of the at least one media reading drive.

17. A multimedia jukebox system comprising:

a plurality of media, said media being computer-readable storage media for storing content, each of said media comprising a media title;

at least one media reading drive;

a mechanism configured and arranged to select one of said plurality of media and place said one of said plurality of media into one of said at least one media reading drive;

a cache in communication with said at least one media reading drive for storing portions of the content of at least one of said plurality of media;

a catalog configured to store a number of copies M of each of the same media that are available in said plurality of media; and

a communication link for transferring the content of the at least one of said plurality of media from said cache to a plurality of receiving devices including user machines comprising computers;

said catalog limits the number X of said receiving devices that are permitted simultaneous access to any one portion of the content of said plurality of media if the media is copy protected, so that X is less than or equal to M for each portion of content;

said cache is configured to cache at least two different portions of the content of at least one of the plurality of media for simultaneous access by at least two different receiving devices;

said media of the plurality of media is removable and replaceable in the at least one media reading drive to permit reading of content on the media in the media reading drive; and

said catalog is further configured to

support multiple users with the cache when the media is not copy protected for a set number of users;

permit multiple copies of the media title to be stored in and accessed from the cache as requested by user machines when the media title is not copy protected; and

allow an unlimited number of user machines to access a requested media title from the cache if the requested media title is not copy protected.

18. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said catalog comprises, for each media title, a data element representative of the copy protection status of each media title of said plurality of media.

19. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said cache is physically co-located with said at least one media reading drive.

20. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said cache is physically located separately from said at least one media reading drive, and further comprising:

a communication link for transferring content from said at least one media reading drive to said cache.

21. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

logic configured to stream at least one stream of contents from at least one of said plurality of media.

22. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 21, wherein the logic configured to stream comprises logic configured to stream from the cache.

23. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

logic configured to encrypt data in the cache.

24. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

logic configured to stream at least one stream of contents from at least one of said plurality of media.

25. A multimedia jukebox system in accordance with claim 24, wherein the logic configured to stream comprises logic configured to stream directly from at least one of the plurality of media.

26. A method of caching data, comprising:

identifying different data by title;

providing user machines comprising user computers;

counting a number M of available copies of said data and titles;

storing the number M of available copies of said data and titles in a cache;

determining and storing a copy protection status of said data and titles, wherein the copy protection status of said data and titles includes an indication that said data and titles are copy protected and therefore a number of copies to be made of said data and titles are restricted to the number of M of available copies or an indication that said data and titles are not copy protected and therefore a number of copies to be made of said data and titles are not restricted to the number M of available copies;

if the copy protection status of said data and titles are copy protected, caching at most M copies of at least a portion of said data and titles irrespective of a number of copies requested by a user;

if the copy protection status of said data and titles of said data and titles are not copy protected, caching as many copies of the data and titles as is requested by the user computer; and

if the requested title is not copy protected any number of user machines are permitted access to that title and multiple copies of the title can be stored in and accessed from the cache as requested by user computers.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26, further comprising:

forming a catalog; and

wherein storing the number M and storing the copy protection status comprise storing in said catalog.

28. A method in accordance with claim 26, further comprising:

denying access to a copy of at least a portion of said data in said cache when a request for said data has been made, X copies of any portion of said data are in said cache, and M is less than or equal to X.

29. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein said data is contained on a data storage device selected from the group consisting of a CD, a DVD, a semiconductor memory device, a holographic memory device, and a magneto-optical device.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein said data storage device is contained in a jukebox, the jukebox comprising:

a plurality of data storage media;

at least one media reading drive;

a mechanism configured and arranged to select one of said plurality of media and place said one of said plurality of media into one of said at least one media reading drive.

31. A method of streaming data, comprising:

providing user machines comprising user computers;

counting and storing a number M of copies of said data;

determining and storing a copy protection status of said data in a cache, wherein the copy protection status of said data includes an indication that said data is copy protected or an indication that said data is not copy protected;

if the data is copy protected, streaming at most M available copies of at least a portion of said data;

if the data is not copy protected, streaming as many copies of the data as requested; and

if the requested data is not copy protected any number of user computers are permitted access to that data and multiple copies of the data can be stored in and accessed from the cache by user computers.

32. A method in accordance with claim 31, further comprising:

forming a catalog; and

wherein storing the number M and storing the copy protection status comprise storing in said catalog.

33. A method in accordance with claim 31, further comprising:

denying access to a stream of said data when a request for said data has been made, X copies of at least a portion of said data are being streamed, and M is less than or equal to X.

34. A method in accordance with claim 31, wherein said data is contained on a data storage device selected from the group consisting of a CD, a DVD, a semiconductor memory device, a holographic memory device, and a magneto-optical device.

35. A method in accordance with claim 34, wherein said data storage device is contained in a jukebox, the jukebox comprising:

a plurality of data storage media;

at least one media reading drive;

a mechanism configured and arranged to select one of said plurality of media and place said one of said plurality of media into one of said at least one media reading drive.