Methods, systems, and devices for securing content

• US 8,225,410 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zimler, Randy, Whitfield, Lloyd T. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US11/178,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 713/187, 726 2- 6, 726 26- 29, 726 31- 33, 455/26.1, 380200-201
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 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 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8045 using predictive coding

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices secure content in memory. When the content is received, the content includes a lock that prohibits reading the content from memory. Prior to expiration of the lock the content cannot be read from memory. At expiration, however, the content is then readable.

Claims

1. A method of securing content, comprising:

receiving the content at an end user'"'"'s device, the content having a lock that prohibits an end user from reading the content from memory until expiration of the lock;

storing the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory;

upon selection of a preview option, reading the content from the memory prior to the expiration of the lock; and

releasing the lock at a network broadcast time to permit reading the content from the memory.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a flag defined by a date and a time at which the content is readable from the memory, and further comprising prohibiting the user from reading the content from the memory prior to the date and time of the flag.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending payment information for the preview option.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising comparing a system date and a system time to the flag.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein when the system date and the system time equal the flag, then changing a status of the flag to permit reading the content from the memory.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising automatically deleting the content from the memory after a predetermined time.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising setting a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.

8. A device, comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

code stored in the memory that when executed causes the processor to;

receive content prior to a network broadcast time, the content having a lock that prohibits reading the content from the memory until expiration of the lock at the network broadcast time;

store the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory;

execute a preview option that permits reading the content prior to the expiration of the lock; and

release the lock at the network broadcast time to permit reading the content from the memory.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the lock comprises a flag, the flag defined by a date and a time at which content is readable from the memory, and prior to the date and time of the flag the processor is unable to read the content from the memory.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the code further causes the processor to send payment information for the preview option.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the code further causes the processor to compare a system date and a system time to the date and time of the flag.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the code further causes the processor to change a status of the flag when the system date and the system time equal the date and time of the flag.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the code further causes the processor to automatically delete the content from the memory after a predetermined time.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein the code further causes the processor to set a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving content at a device prior to a network broadcast time, the content having a lock that prohibits a user from reading the content from memory until expiration of the lock;

storing the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory;

accessing a preview option that permits reading the content prior to the expiration of the lock; and

releasing the lock at the network broadcast time to permit reading the content from the memory.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for defining the lock as a flag, the flag defined by a date and a time when the content may be read from the memory at the network broadcast time, and prior to the network broadcast time the content is unreadable from the memory.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for comparing a system date and a system time to the flag, and when the system date and the system time equal the flag, then changing a status of the flag to permit reading the content from the memory.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for disabling a copy command to prevent the content from being copied from the memory.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for setting a file attribute of the content to disable copying the content from the memory.

20. A method of securing content, comprising:

receiving the content at an end user'"'"'s device prior to a network broadcast time, the content having a lock that prohibits a user from reading the content from memory until expiration of the lock at the network broadcast time;

storing the content in the memory, thereby securing the content in the memory;

accessing a preview option that permits reading the content prior to the expiration of the lock; and

expiring the lock at the network broadcast time to permit reading the content from the memory.