Technique for registering a device with a rights issuer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10637866-B2
Application number	US-71858504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2004
Priority date	Nov 8, 2004
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

A technique for registering a device (10) with a rights issuer system (12) in a digital rights management (DRM) context is described. The device (10) is provided with DRM registration information that is required to use protected content. The DRM registration information is generated from rights issuer information on the one hand and device information on the other hand. The DRM registration technique described herein does not require an interactive registration protocol between a rights issuer server (12) and the device (10). Rather, the DRM registration information may be generated and transferred to the device (10) even if the device (10) is offline, inactive or switched-off.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of registering a device with a rights issuer system in a digital rights management context, the method comprising the steps of:
generating registration information, comprising acquiring rights issuer information;
receiving device information, the device being in at least one of an offline state, an inactive state and a switched-off state;
generating the registration information from the rights issuer information and the device information, wherein the registration information includes information required by the device to use protected content; and
transferring the registration information towards the device while the device is in the at least one of an offline state, an inactive state and a switched-off state, wherein the transferring the registration information towards the device is performed before deliverance of the device to an end user, and wherein the registration Information is transferred towards the device during device manufacture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the registration information is transferred towards the device via a removable storage medium on which the registration information is stored.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device information is received on a removable storage medium.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps are performed by an intermediate network component that is arranged between a rights issuer server and the device and wherein acquiring the rights issuer information includes receiving the rights issuer information from the rights issuer server.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of generating the registration information is performed by the intermediate network component based on the device information and the rights issuer information.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the registration information is transferred from the intermediate network component to the device using a removable storage medium.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising the step of receiving, by the intermediate network component, the device information via a removable storage medium from the device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps are performed by a rights issuer server.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of transferring the registration information towards the device comprises transmitting the registration information or at least the rights issuer information to an intermediate network component to enable the intermediate network component to transfer the registration information towards the device.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring the registration Information to the device comprises:
storing the registration information on a removable storage medium; and
providing the device with access to the removable storage medium.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the device information required to generate the registration information is stored on and read from the removable storage medium.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the steps of:
transferring the device information from the removable storage medium to a network component for generating the registration information;
receiving the registration information from the network component; and
writing the received registration information on the removable storage medium.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring the registration information towards the device comprises flashing the registration information into the device.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of at least one of signing and encrypting the registration Information.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the registration information is signed with a private key of the rights issuer and/or encrypted with a public key associated with the device.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving digital rights management timing information from a network server; and
transferring the received digital rights management timing information to the device.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in a digital rights management context that comprises the broadcast of encrypted content.

18. A system comprising a device and an apparatus for registering the device with a rights Issuer system in a digital rights management context, the apparatus comprising:
a registration information generator, comprising a storage component for at least temporarily storing rights issuer information;
an Interface for receiving device information;
processor for generating the registration information from the rights issuer information and the device information, wherein the registration information includes information required by the device to use protected content; and
an interface for transferring the registration information towards the device, the device being configured to be in at least one of an offline state, an inactive state and a switched-off state during reception of the device information by the apparatus and during reception of the registration information by the device from the apparatus, wherein transferring the registration information towards the device is performed before deliverance of the device to an end user, and wherein the registration Information is transferred towards the device during device manufacture.

19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising means for flashing the registration information to the device.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the system is a manufacturing system.

21. The system of claim 18 , further comprising a removable storage medium including the registration information, the device having access to the removable storage medium.

Assignees

• Hartung Frank
• Horn Uwe
• Kampmann Markus
• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Hartung Frank
• Horn Uwe
• Kampmann Markus

Classifications

• H04N21/436

  Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB {or one or more peripheral devices} inside the home · CPC title

• H04N21/4627

  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 title

• H04N21/2541

  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 title

• H04L2463/101

  applying security measures for digital rights management · CPC title

• H04L63/102 Primary

  Entity profiles · CPC title