Signature and entitlement of three-dimensional printable models

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10628905-B2
Application number	US-201815997583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2018
Priority date	Nov 9, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques for signatures and entitlements of entertainment printables are provided. A method might include receiving, at a three-dimensional (“3-D”) printer, a request from a user to print a 3-D model and determining, with the 3-D printer, whether the user is authorized to print the 3-D model. The method might further include printing, with the 3-D printer, the 3-D model based on a determination that the user is authorized to print the 3-D model and embedding, with the 3-D printer, within the 3-D model, a unique identifier. The unique identifier may indicate that the user was authorized to print the 3-D model and identify at least one of an original creator of the 3-D model, the 3-D model itself, a limited edition of the 3-D model, or an owner of the 3-D model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a three-dimensional (“3-D”) printer, a request from a user to print a 3-D model, wherein the request comprises a security token;
receiving, with the 3-D printer, a file that describes the 3-D model to be printed, wherein the file comprises encrypted code associated with a unique identifier to embed into the 3-D model;
decrypting, with the 3-D printer, the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier with the security token contained in the request;
determining, with the 3-D printer, whether the user is authorized to print the 3-D model;
based on the file that describes the 3-D model to be printed and a determination that the user is authorized to print the 3-D model, printing, with the 3-D printer, the 3-D model; and
based on a determination that the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier has been decrypted, embedding, with the 3-D printer, within the 3-D model, the unique identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier indicates that the user was authorized to print the 3-D model.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier identifies at least one of an original creator of the 3-D model, the 3-D model itself, a limited edition of the 3-D model, or an owner of the 3-D model.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a serial number, a barcode, a QR code, a microdot, an alphanumeric string, a signature, a pattern, a 3-D pattern, a textured pattern, or a watermark.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is embedded on a surface of the 3-D model.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is embedded in a sub-surface of the 3-D model.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the unique identifier is covered by a transparent layer.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the unique identifier is covered by an opaque layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a different color or a different material than the 3-D model.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is electrically conductive.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is an electronic identifier.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier is decrypted and embedded on the 3-D model based on the determination that the user is authorized to print the 3-D model.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the 3-D printer receives the request from the user to print the 3-D model via a media player communicatively coupled to the 3-D printer.

14. An apparatus comprising:
a three-dimensional (“3-D”) printer comprising:
at least one processor; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the 3-D printer to:
receive a request from a user to print a 3-D model, wherein the request comprises a security token;
receive a file that describes the 3-D model to be printed, wherein the file comprises encrypted code associated with a unique identifier to embed into the 3-D model;
decrypt the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier with the security token contained in the request;
determine whether the user is authorized to print the 3-D model;
based on the file that describes the 3-D model to be printed and a determination that the user is authorized to print the 3-D model, print the 3-D model; and
based on a determination that the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier has been decrypted, embed, within the 3-D model, the unique identifier.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the unique identifier identifies at least one of an original creator of the 3-D model, the 3-D model itself, a limited edition of the 3-D model, or an owner of the 3-D model.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a serial number, a barcode, a QR code, a microdot, an alphanumeric string, a signature, a pattern, a 3-D pattern, a textured pattern, or a watermark.

17. A system comprising:
a media player comprising:
at least one first processor; and
a first non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one first processor, the first non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one first processor, causes the media player to:
receive a request from a user to print a 3-D model; and
send the request from the user to a three-dimensional printer, wherein the request comprises a security token; and

the 3-D printer comprising:
at least one second processor; and
a second non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one second processor, the second non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one second processor, causes the 3-D printer to:
receive the request from the media player to print the 3-D model, wherein the request comprises security token;
receive a file that describes the 3-D model to be printed, wherein the file comprises encrypted code associated with a unique identifier to embed into the 3-D model;
decrypt the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier with the security token contained in the request;
determine whether the user is authorized to print the 3-D model;
based on the file that describes the 3-D model to be printed and a determination that the user is authorized to print the 3-D model, print the 3-D model; and
based on a determination that the encrypted code associated with the unique identifier has been decrypted, embed, within the 3-D model, the unique identifier.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the unique identifier is at least one of a serial number, a barcode, a QR code, a microdot, an alphanumeric string, a signature, a pattern, a 3-D pattern, a textured pattern, or a watermark.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the security token comprises one or more geographic restrictions associated with the 3-D model.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prompting, with a media player, the user to print the 3-D model based on a determination that a media stream has reached a timestamp associated with the 3-D model.

Assignees

• Centurylink Ip Llc

Inventors

• Cook Charles I
• Casey Steven M
• Morrill Robert J

Classifications

• G06F3/1238

  Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs · CPC title

• G06F21/608

  Secure printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1268

  Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself · CPC title

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1222

  Increasing security of the print job · CPC title