Method, system and apparatus for sharing media content in a private network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9641487-B2
Application number	US-72200305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2005
Priority date	Dec 29, 2004
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for sharing media content securely and reliably among various computing devices in a private network through media streaming technology is provided. According to the invention, a media streaming apparatus is installed on each computing device, said media streaming apparatus comprises: a controller for controlling a media streaming proxy and a trusted media player to render the requested media stream according to a user's request or the request coming from other application component; the trusted media player for securely rendering the requested media stream for the user under the control of said controller; the media streaming proxy for communicating with the trusted media player and other remote media streaming proxies in said private network, forwarding encrypted media stream, controlling encryption/decryption module to encrypt/decrypt the media player and providing the decrypted media stream to the trusted media player; and the encryption/decryption module for encrypting/decrypting the media stream under the control of the media streaming proxy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for sharing secure media content among multiple devices in a private network using media streaming, where at least two computing devices are connected by the private network and a first computing device cannot store an entire media stream, the method comprising:
providing a media streaming apparatus on each computing device, each media streaming apparatus comprising: a controller; an encryption and decryption module; a media streaming proxy; and a trusted media player, wherein the encryption and decryption module in each media streaming apparatus is the same and the media streaming proxy in each media streaming apparatus is the same;
receiving a user request at the first computing device to render a media file on the trusted media player of the first computing device;
receiving a first block of the media file at the second computing device;
decrypting, from a non-network encryption, the first block using the encryption and decryption module on the second computing device;
encrypting, with a network encryption, the first block using the encryption and decryption module on the second computing device;
determining, by the controller of the first computing device, a location of the first block on a second computing device, the controller of the first computing device instructing the media streaming proxy of the first computing device to acquire the block from the media streaming proxy of the second computing device;
receiving at the first computing device, the first block from the second computing device;
decrypting, from the network encryption, the first block using the encryption and decryption module of the first computing device;
sending the decrypted first block to the trusted media player of the first computing device;
repeating processing of subsequent blocks of the media file until the entire media file has been rendered on the trusted media player of the first computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
decrypting, from the non-network encryption, a second block of the media stream with an encryption and decryption module of a media streaming apparatus on a third computing device connected by the private network, the media streaming apparatus comprising: a controller; the encryption and decryption module; a media streaming proxy; and a trusted media player, wherein the encryption and decryption module in each media streaming apparatus is the same and the media streaming proxy in each media streaming apparatus is the same;
encrypting, with the network encryption, the second block of the media stream with the encryption and decryption module on the third computing device;
receiving, at the first computing device, the second block from the third computing device;
decrypting, from the network encryption, the second block using the encryption and decryption module on the first computing device; and
sending the decrypted second block to the trusted media player of the first computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second computing device and the third computing devices are different types of devices.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second computing device is a personal computer and the third computing device is a handheld device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device further comprises a network address mapping table located in a memory of the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second computing device further comprises a network address mapping table located in a memory of the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network is a home-based network.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network does not include a server.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network is a WiFi network.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network uses different encryption keys to communicate different content within the private network.

11. A method of offloading processing from a displaying device using other devices connected by a local, private network, the method comprising:
operating media streaming apparatuses on first, second, and third computing devices connected by the local, private network, wherein the media streaming apparatuses each comprise: a controller; an encryption and decryption module; and a media streaming proxy, and wherein the encryption and decryption module in each media streaming apparatus is the same and the media streaming proxy in each media streaming apparatus is the same;
requesting a media stream, in response to user input to the first computing device, using the media streaming apparatus on the first computing device, wherein the first computing device lacks available memory sufficient to store the entire requested media stream;
receiving at the first computing device, a first portion of the requested media stream from the second computing device, the second computing device having received the first portion of the media stream from a gateway connected to the local, private network;
decrypting, from a network encryption, the first portion of the media stream on the first computing device;
receiving at the first computing device, a second portion of the media stream from the third computing device, the third computing device having received the second portion of the media stream from the gateway connected to the local, private network;
decrypting, from the network encryption, the second portion of the media stream on the first network device;
maintaining a network address mapping table containing locations of portions of the media stream that have been received by the second and third computing devices;
consulting the network address mapping table to locate the first and second portions of the media stream;
requesting portions of the stream from a computing device based on network addresses identified in the network address mapping table;
providing the decrypted portions of the media stream to a trusted media player on the first computing device; and
repeating processing portions of the media stream until the entire media stream has been rendered on the first computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the request for the media stream by the media streaming apparatus on the first computing device is transmitted via the gateway to a processor not on the local, private network.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the request is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the media streaming apparatus on the first computing device accesses the network address mapping table to request portions of the media stream from the second and third computing device as memory becomes available on the first computing device.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the network address mapping table is stored on the first computing device.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the local, private network does not include a server.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the local, private network encrypts different communication within the local, private network using different encryption keys.

18. A method of enhancing performance of displayed media on a computing device with limited processing power, the method comprising:
on a first computing device running an instance of a media streaming apparatus, requesting a media stream via a gateway on a local, private network, wherein the first computing device lacks the processing power to process the media stream while displaying the media stream without deg

Assignees

• Zhou Yu Chen
• Ma Lin
• Ma Lei
• Gan Yi Min
• IBM

Inventors

• Zhou Yu Chen
• Ma Lin
• Ma Lei
• Gan Yi Min

Classifications

• H04N21/4113

  PC · CPC title

• H04N21/4126

  The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones · CPC title

• H04N21/4405

  involving video stream decryption · CPC title

• H04L63/065

  for group communications (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833) · CPC title

• H04N7/162

  Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing · CPC title