Use of media storage structure with multiple pieces of content in a content-distribution system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11727376-B2
Application number	US-201916417470-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2019
Priority date	Oct 11, 2005
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A method for distributing content. The method distributes a single media storage structure to a device (e.g., a computer, portable player, etc.). The media storage structure includes first and second pieces of encrypted content. Based on whether the device is allowed to access the first piece of content, the second piece of content, or both, the method provides the device with a set of keys for decrypting the pieces of the content that the device is able to access. The provided set of keys might include one or more keys for decrypting only one of the two encrypted pieces of content. Alternatively, it might include one or more keys for decrypting both encrypted pieces of content. For instance, the selected set of keys might include a first key for decrypting the first encrypted piece and a second key for decrypting the second encrypted piece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A digital rights management server device comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor configured to:
determining that a media storage structure has been transferred to a first device, the media storage structure storing a set of encrypted content pieces relating to a particular presentation, the set of encrypted content pieces comprising a first content piece of a first content type and second and third content pieces of a second content type that differs from the first content type;
determining that the media storage structure has been transferred to a second device;
providing to the first device a first key for decrypting the first content piece and a second key for decrypting the second content piece; and
providing to the second device the first key for decrypting the first content piece and a third key for decrypting the third content piece.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first content type comprises audio content and the second content type comprises video content.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the particular presentation comprises a video program.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first content piece comprises an audio track for the video program.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second and third content pieces comprise two different video clips from different angles of the video program.

6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first device is configured to present the video program using the first content piece and the second content piece and the second device is configured to present the program using the first content piece and the third content piece.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein the second and third content pieces comprise two different videos corresponding to the first content piece.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the digital rights management server device is part of a DRM management system that further includes a content distribution server.

9. A method comprising:
determining, by a digital rights management server device, that a media storage structure has been transferred to a first device, the media storage structure storing a set of encrypted content pieces relating to a particular presentation, the set of encrypted content pieces comprising a first content piece of a first content type and second and third content pieces of a second content type that differs from the first content type;
determining, by a digital rights management server device, that the media storage structure has been transferred to a second device;
providing, by a digital rights management server device, to the first device a first key for decrypting the first content piece and a second key for decrypting the second content piece; and
providing, by a digital rights management server device, to the second device the first key for decrypting the first content piece and a third key for decrypting the third content piece.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first content type comprises video content and the second content type comprises audio content.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the particular presentation comprises a video program.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second content piece comprises an audio track for the video program in a first language and the third content piece comprises an audio track for the video program in a second language.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transferring, by a first content distribution server, the media storage structure to the first device and transferring, by a second content distribution server, the media storage structure to the second device.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: receiving, by the first device, the media storage structure from the first content distribution server; and presenting, by the first device, the video program using the first content piece and the second content piece.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: receiving, by the second device, the media storage structure from the second content distribution server; and presenting, by the second device, the video program using the first content piece and the third content piece.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors of a digital rights management server device, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining that a media storage structure has been transferred to a first device, the media storage structure storing a set of encrypted content pieces relating to a particular presentation, the set of encrypted content pieces comprising a first content piece of a first content type and second and third content pieces of a second content type that differs from the first content type;
determining that the media storage structure has been transferred to a second device;
providing to the first device a first key for decrypting the first content piece and a second key for decrypting the second content piece; and
providing to the second device the first key for decrypting the first content piece and a third key for decrypting the third content piece.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the first content type comprises audio content and the second content type comprises video content.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the first content type comprises video content and the second content type comprises audio content.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Farrugia Augustin J
• Dowdy Thomas
• Fasoli Gianpaolo

Classifications

• G06Q2220/12

  Usage or charge determination · CPC title

• H04N21/00

  Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] (real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 {; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18}) · CPC title

• G06Q20/1235 Primary

  with control of digital rights management [DRM] · CPC title

• G06F21/6218

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title

• G06F21/107 Primary

  License processing; Key processing · CPC title