WO2008053084A1

WO2008053084A1 - System for managing rented access by a user to an audiophonic or audiovisual work

Info

Publication number: WO2008053084A1
Application number: PCT/FR2006/002531
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Leblanc
Original assignee: Cpfk Holding
Priority date: 2006-11-02
Filing date: 2006-11-16
Publication date: 2008-05-08
Also published as: FR2908215B1; EP2087473A1; FR2908215A1

Abstract

This system for managing rented access by a user to an audiophonic or audiovisual work is characterized in that it comprises means (7, 8, 9) for writing on a user digital storage medium (10), a copy of the work in the form of a computer file and of traceability information for the latter; - means (7) for recovering this traceability information and for erasing the copy of the work on the medium (10) after entering means (11) for access thereto by the user; and - means (14) for the comparative analysis of the traceability information written and recovered so as to control rented access to the work.

Description

Rental access management system by a user with audiophonic or audiovisual equipment

The present invention relates to a rental access management system by a user to an audiophonic or audiovisual work. Rental services for audio or audiovisual works are now implemented from rental shops or rental terminals, in which users can select and rent a movie for example.

The user then selects the movie he wants to rent and in return, for example, a cassette or a DVD containing this film.

After viewing the film, the user must then bring the cassette or DVD back to the store or terminal.

However, it is conceivable that these rental services have a number of disadvantages, particularly in terms of their implementation.

Indeed, it is first necessary to ensure the maintenance of stores and / or distribution terminals. In addition, the supply of these magazines or terminals in sufficient number of cassettes or DVDs also poses a certain number of problems and a user is not certain of obtaining the work he wishes to rent because of the limited number of media available in such a store or terminal.

The object of the invention is therefore to solve these problems. For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a system for managing rental access by a user to an audio-visual or audiovisual work, characterized in that it comprises:

means for writing to a digital user storage medium, a copy of the work in the form of a computer file and traceability information thereof;

means for retrieving this traceability and erasure information from the copy of the work on the medium after passing through means of access to it by the user; and

- means of comparative analysis of written and retrieved traceability information to control rental access to the work. According to other features of the invention:

the writing means and the retrieval and erasing means are associated with means forming a rental server for works integrated in a rental center and comprising means for storing a catalog of works and means for selection of one or more works by the user;

the center is integrated into a network of rental centers connected to means for broadcasting works through an information transmission network; the means for broadcasting the works include a database for storing a catalog of works, means for encrypting these works by means of an encryption / decryption key provided at least in part by a server of keys, and the means of access to the work by the user include means for decrypting the works using at least a portion of encryption key / decryption of the work delivered by a key server;

the access means to the work comprise means for storing at least one other part of the encryption / decryption key;

the center is adapted to write at least another part of the encryption / decryption key on the digital storage medium;

the digital user storage medium is in the form of a rewritable digital disk;

the digital storage medium is in the form of a rewritable semiconductor memory; and - the digital user storage medium and the access means to the work are combined in a single device.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a block diagram illustrating the structure and operation of a management system according to the invention; - Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the structure and operation of a storage medium used in the constitution of such a system.

Indeed, FIG. 1 illustrates a system for managing rental access by a user to an audiophonic or audiovisual work.

In fact, in the remainder of the description, an exemplary embodiment more specifically related to an audiovisual work, such as for example a film, will be described.

In the embodiment illustrated in this figure 1, various audiovisual works, such as for example films, are stored in a database containing a catalog of works.

This database is designated by the general reference 1 in this figure.

These works are for example provided by studios or others. In fact, this database is integrated into means of dissemination of this catalog of works, designated by the general reference 2 in this figure, which also include means 3 of encryption works using for example keys of encryption / decryption delivered by a key server designated by the general reference 4. The works thus encrypted are then transmitted to a broadcast server of this catalog of works designated by the general reference 5.

In fact, this broadcast server 5 is for example connected to an information transmission network, designated by the general reference 6, for distributing this catalog of works to different rental centers designated by the general references 7, 8 and 9 in this figure.

Different embodiments of this network can be envisaged in a conventional manner.

These rental centers are for example in the form of rental terminals or rental points integrated in stores or other, distributed for example in a given territory.

In fact, each rental center includes storage means of the catalog distributed in order to put the corresponding works in lease for the public. This rental is then through a nomadic digital storage support user, designated by the general reference 10 in this Figure 1.

This digital user storage medium may for example be in the form of a rewritable digital disk or a rewritable semiconductor memory or any other digital storage medium, on which information can be written and then deleted.

For example, a USB flash drive may be considered. A user who wishes to rent for example a film, then connects the user digital storage medium for example 10, in the center for example 7.

In a conventional manner, he selects the one or more works he wishes to rent and triggers the writing on the storage medium 10 of a copy of the selected work or works, in the form of a computer file, and traceability information thereof and which may contain, for example, digital rights management (DRM) information of the license type, etc., in a conventional manner, for example making it possible to control the conditions of access to the work and in particular the time during which the copy of the work is "made available" by the user.

Thus, for example, this information makes it possible to define, in a conventional manner, a limited time of "making available" the copy of the work to the user.

This traceability information can have any appropriate format to ensure the traceability of the operation of rental and reading of the work.

According to a particular embodiment, part of the encryption / decryption key may also be written by the center 7 in the digital storage medium 10. The user then has a digital storage medium on which is stored a file of the work he has rented.

He can then transport this storage medium at home and connect it to means of access to this work, constituted for example by an appropriate reader designated by the general reference 11, connected to reproduction means of the work such as for example a TV or a monitor designated by the general reference 12.

The reader 11 is in fact based on the use of an information processing unit making it possible to decrypt the computer file of the work stored on the storage medium 10.

To this end, it will be noted that this reader may be required to use, in order to decrypt this file, a portion of the key directly stored in this reader, associated or not with another portion of the key stored on the user's digital storage medium. the center 7 and possibly another part of key again, recovered through for example an information transmission network 13 from the key server 4 described above.

Of course other embodiments can be envisaged. Thus for example an apparatus combining the functions of storage, reading and / or reproduction can be envisaged.

Once the film has been read and possibly after modification of information stored on the digital storage medium 10 by the reader 11, to indicate that the user has read this medium, the user can then use this support to go rent another film from the center 7.

For this purpose, during a new passage in the center, it connects again the user digital storage medium 10 to the host 7. The host 7 is then adapted to detect that the film has been read and to retrieve the corresponding traceability information written on the medium 10 during the first pass of the user and to erase the copy of the work on this medium.

The support is then ready for a new lease operation. Each center, such as, for example, the center 7, is also associated with means for analyzing the rental access to the works.

These means are designated by the general reference 14 in this figure and in fact comprise an information processing unit which collects the traceability information written on the digital user medium during the first passage of the user in the center during the selection of the film and which retrieves this traceability information during the second passage of the user in the center, after the user has accessed the work, to establish comparative analysis information of the written and retrieved traceability information.

This then makes it possible to control the rental access to the work by allowing a comparison of the traceability information written during the loading of the film on the support and retrieved before the deletion of the work thereof, indicating that the copy of the work has been restored or "returned".

This secure management system enables the operator implementing the rental network to guarantee to the managers of the works that they have been distributed and retrieved from the public as part of a rental operation to the extent where the rental center is adapted to write and erase on the medium, a copy of the work in the form of a computer file and to ensure that these write and erase operations have been done, thanks to the information traceability written and retrieved. FIG. 2 illustrates the various exchanges between a rental center such as the center 7 and a digital user storage medium such as the support 10.

In fact, the center is equipped for example with an information processing unit designated by the general reference 15 in this figure, associated for example with storage means of the catalog of works put on lease, designated by the general reference 16, and storage means or generation 17 for example traceability information of the work and possibly at least a portion of the encryption / decryption key of the corresponding file. When connecting the support 10 to the information processing unit 15, man / machine interface means designated by the general reference 18 allow the user to select from the catalog 16, the work or works he wish to rent. Once this operation is completed, the information processing unit

15 triggers the writing on the digital storage medium 10, a copy of the selected work in the form of a computer file for example encrypted and traceability information thereof, as illustrated by the arrows 19 and 20 in this figure.

Part of the encryption / decryption key may also be written on the medium for example as illustrated in 21.

The user can then recover the support 10 to bring it home and watch for example the film. During a subsequent passage of the user in the center, when he reconnects the support 10 to the information processing unit 15, the latter retrieves the traceability information written during the previous passage, as is illustrated by the arrow 22, and triggers the deletion of the file of the work, as illustrated by the arrow 23. Thus, it is possible to retrieve from the information processing unit 15, the information of written traceability and traceability information retrieved, which makes it possible by comparison to guarantee the rental operation and that the file of the work has been deleted.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram illustrating the operation of the means of access to the work by the user.

In this figure, the reader 11 and the storage medium 10 are recognized.

The reader may be associated with storage means for a part of the encryption / decryption key, these storage means being designated by the general reference 24 in this figure.

The reader can also be connected to the information transmission network 13 to retrieve another part of the key from the key server 4, as described above.

In addition, the reader 11 is adapted to recover if necessary another portion of encryption / decryption key written by the center 7 in the storage medium 10, as illustrated by the arrow 25 in this figure. With the help of this information, the reader is then able to decrypt the computer file of the work, as illustrated by the arrow 26.

After the operation of access by the user to this work, the reader can also be adapted to write in the medium 10 read confirmation information or to modify information already stored in it, which allows indicate that the work has been read.

This operation is indicated by the arrow 27 in this FIG.

This information will then be used by the center 7 to find that the work has been read, to trigger its erasure and to establish the corresponding comparative information.

Of course, other embodiments may be envisaged.

It is then conceivable that this system makes it possible to solve the maintenance and supply problems mentioned in connection with the state of the art.

Claims

1.- Management system for rental access by a user to an audio or audiovisual work, characterized in that it comprises:

means (7, 8, 9) for writing to a digital user storage medium (10), a copy of the work in the form of a computer file and traceability information thereof; this ;

means (7) for retrieving this traceability and erasure information from the copy of the work on the medium (10) after passing through means (11) for access to it by the user; and - means (14) for comparative analysis of the written and retrieved traceability information in order to control the rental access to the work.

2. Management system according to claim 1, characterized in that the writing means and the recovery and erasing means are associated with rental server means works (15,16) integrated into a center. (7) rental and comprising storage means (16) of a catalog of works and means (18) for selecting one or more works by the user.

3. Management system according to claim 2, characterized in that the center (7) is integrated in a network of rental centers (7,8,9) connected to means (2) for broadcasting works through a network. information transmission network (6).

4. Management system according to claim 3, characterized in that the means (2) for broadcasting the works comprise a database (1) for storing a catalog of works, means (3) for encrypting these works using a key provided at least in part by a key server (4), and in that the access means (11) at work by the user comprise decryption means ( 11) works using at least part of the encryption / decryption key of the work delivered by a key server (4).

5. Management system according to claim 4, characterized in that the access means to the work (11) comprise means (24) for storing at least one other part of the encryption / decryption key.

6. Management system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the center (7) is adapted to write at least another part of the encryption / decryption key on the digital storage medium (10).

7. Management system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user digital storage medium (10) is in the form of a rewritable digital disk.

8. Management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the digital storage medium (10) is in the form of a rewritable semiconductor memory.

9. Management system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the user digital storage medium (10) and the access means to the work (11, 12) are combined in a single and even device.