The USPTO issues new patents on Tuesdays. This week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Disney, the first patent addresses techniques related to a digital receipt for use with an interoperable keychest. Assigned to Broadcom, the second patent addresses techniques for the automatic conversion of multimedia information from a first format to a second format in a broadband access gateway and/or network-based server.
9,305,144, "Digital receipt for use with an interoperable keychest," assigned to Disney.
Abstract
There is provided a system and method for a digital receipt for use with an interoperable keychest. There is provided a method for online registration of a digital receipt associated with a content, comprising performing a transaction to obtain from a first distributor the content encrypted by a title key and a first digital rights management (DRM) license usable with the first distributor to access the title key, receiving from the first distributor the digital receipt associated with the content including information relevant to the transaction, and transmitting the digital receipt to the interoperable keychest acting as a central key repository (CKR) for an online registration of the digital receipt associated with the content. Authorized media distributors may then generate new DRM licenses using the CKR, enabling interoperable content playback of the same universal file across different media distributors and clients.9,307,379, "Providing automatic format conversion via an access gateway," assigned to Broadcom.
Abstract
A system and method supporting the automatic conversion of multimedia information from a first format to a second format in a broadband access gateway and/or network-based server are disclosed. The broadband access gateway and/or network-based server may convert multimedia information that is in a format that an access device is not capable of processing. The gateway and/or server may automatically detect the format incompatibility, and may automatically convert or arrange for conversion of the multimedia information to a format that is compatible with the access device, based upon compatibility information associated with the access device. The conversion may be based upon a set of user-defined quality of service criteria, and may be subject to the control of digital rights management parameters associated with the requested multimedia information. The user of the access device may be prompted when the conversion is expected to impact the quality of the multimedia information being played, and the user may be offered options that permit the user to minimize the impact upon the user.
