KR20020013241A - Data encription system and method thereof and portable data-carring device for use in the system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a content encryption system and method that prevents unauthorized editing or copying of content by encrypting and providing copyrighted content appropriately for a client's usage environment, based on a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card. An encryption application 20 for encrypting a copyrighted content based on a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card 100, a plurality of copyrighted content, and a playback program required to play these contents. And a database 30 storing a series of unique number information uniquely assigned to each content card, and a web server connected to the communication network 300 to control the encryption application 20 and the database 30 ( 10). In addition, the content card 100 for recording / reproducing content includes a first memory 2 for storing encrypted content supplied from the content encryption system through the client computer 200, and a second memory 5 for storing a unique number. ), A decryption section 3 for decrypting the encrypted content stored in the first memory 2 based on the unique number.

Description

DATA ENCRIPTION SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF AND PORTABLE DATA-CARRING DEVICE FOR USE IN THE SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a system for copyright protection, and more particularly, to a system and method for preventing unauthorized editing or copying of copyrighted content using a memory card or a content card.

In general, digital content refers to a material such as a digital still picture, a moving picture, or digital audio necessary for creating a multimedia application. Most of these digital contents are copyrighted and are distributed for a fee or free on a communication network such as the Internet.

The copyrighted content on the Internet can be provided by inputting an ID code granted by the subscriber, and the provided content can be played using a dedicated player. However, such a dedicated player has a disadvantage in that it is expensive in terms of a display and an audio reproduction device. In addition, when the copyrighted content is to be purchased on a recording medium such as a compact disk (CD) or a floppy disk (FDD) on the Internet, there is a fear that the content is copied and shipped without permission.

In addition, if the user wants to secure the data file created by the user, the user has to purchase hardware or software for separate encryption / compression and decryption / revocation to encrypt the data file created by the user, which is cumbersome and expensive. There is a disadvantage. In addition, since it is possible to decrypt the data file only through the hardware or software that is purchased, there is a disadvantage that the versatility decreases.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a content card for recording and playing back content having an encrypted copyright based on a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent unauthorized use or data to prevent unauthorized editing or copying of a data file by encrypting and providing a client's data file according to a unique number uniquely assigned to a content card. A system and method are provided.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a content card according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram illustrating a content encryption system for providing encrypted content over a communication network in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flow chart illustrating a process of providing an encrypted content file according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of playing an encrypted content file from a content card according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of encrypting and providing a data file created by a client on a network according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: Interface

2: first memory

3: decoder

4: micro control unit

5: second memory

10: web server

20: encryption application

30: Database

100: Content Card

400: content encryption system

In order to achieve the above object, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a system for preventing unauthorized editing or copying of copyrighted content provided on a communication network by using a content card mounted outside a client computer,

An encryption application for encrypting the copyrighted content based on a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card,

A database storing the contents, a viewer program necessary for playing the contents, and a series of unique number information uniquely assigned to each content card;

A system for preventing unauthorized use of data is provided that is connected to the communication network and includes a web server controlling the encryption application and the database.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a content card according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The content card 100 according to the present invention is an optimal peripheral device that can be used in a desktop or portable computer, and may be PCMCIA, an international memory card standard that expands the functions of a computer by being detachable in the form of a card outside the computer. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the content card 100 of the present invention is connected to a client computer 200 to perform data exchange with an interface 1 and to interface with the data from the client computer 200. A first memory 2 for receiving and storing (content), a decoding unit 3 for decoding the content stored in the first memory 2, and a micro control unit (MCU) 4 for controlling each of these functional units. do. In the present invention, the content means a material such as a still picture, a moving picture, or audio necessary for creating a multimedia application.

In addition, the content card 100 of the present invention is connected to the micro control unit 4, the second memory 5 for storing a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card 100, that is, the serial number of the product. Include. The assigned unique number is used at the time of decrypting the content in the decryption section 3.

In detail, when a user wants to play an encrypted content file downloaded to a content card through a client computer 200 from a communication network, the client may use a player or viewer program (not shown) required for playing the encrypted content file. Drive. When the client selects a content file to be played on the driven program, the micro control unit 4 controls the first memory 2 to supply the corresponding content file stored therein to the decryption unit 3, and 2 The unique number of the content card is extracted from the memory 5 and transmitted to the decryption unit 3. The decryption unit 3 decodes the encrypted content supplied from the first memory 2 based on the unique number input from the second memory 5, and displays the display of the client computer 200 via the interface 1 ( (Not shown). The unique number input from the second memory 5 is the same as the unique number used at the time of encryption. The client computer 200 may be any one of a fixed or portable computer, an electronic book, and a communication terminal device capable of multimedia service.

According to the present invention, in order to prevent the content file stored in the content card 100 from being erased, a lock unit (not shown) for preventing erasure may be provided outside the content card 100.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a content encryption system for providing encrypted content through a communication network according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The content encryption system 400 of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is connected to a communication network 300 such as the Internet, and the web server 10 and the web server controlling the respective functional units of the content encryption system 400 of the present invention. 10) an encryption application 20 connected to the encryption application 20 to execute encryption on selected or input content, and a variety of multimedia contents, various operating systems (OS) required for encryption of the multimedia content, and each content It includes a database 30 for storing a reproducing program and member (client) information necessary for reproducing.

In detail, when the client wants to encrypt a data file (that is, content) held by the client, the client connects his computer 200 to the content encryption system 400 of the present invention through the network 300, The unique number of the content card, content to be encrypted, and environment information (i.e., OS, viewer program, etc.) to reproduce the encrypted content are transmitted.

In the content encryption system 400, the content provided from the client is encrypted based on the unique number and environment information input from the client, and the encrypted content is transmitted to the client computer 200 through the network 300. A detailed method of encrypting a content file and providing an encrypted content file will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The encrypted content transmitted to the client computer 200 is downloaded and stored in a content card mounted in an external slot of the computer 200. As described above, decryption of the encrypted content stored in the content card is possible only by the content card having a unique number used at the time of encryption.

Therefore, according to the content encryption system 400 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the client can not only encrypt the content that requires security without having any hardware or software, but also can assign the unique number used at the time of encryption. Can be decoded only to prevent unauthorized use.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing an encrypted content file from a content encryption system 400 to a client according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In step S30, the client accesses the web site that operates the content encryption system 400 of the present invention by the computer 200 to log in. The information input at log in in step S30 corresponds to the member information as a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card. This member information is stored in the database 30 in advance. If the unique number input in step S30 is not a registered number, a new member is registered through a normal member registration procedure, and the registered information is newly stored in the database 30.

If it is determined that the inputted unique number is valid through judging the validity of the inputted unique number in step S31, the control process of the present invention proceeds to step S32. Ask to enter environment information. When user environment information is input from the client, the content encryption system 400 of the present invention provides the client computer 200 with a list of various content files stored in the database 30 (step S33).

In step S34, if the desired content file exists by searching for the content file in the content file list provided from the content encryption system 400, the client designates the corresponding content file (step S36). On the other hand, if the desired content file does not exist in the provided content file list, the client searches for another desired content file list (step S35) and designates the desired file as described above. Thereafter, the designated content file information is transmitted to the content encryption system 400 through the network 300.

In step S37, upon receiving the content file designation information from the client, the control process encrypts the content file specified by the client based on the unique number entered at login. Thereafter, the encrypted content file is downloaded to the client computer 200 via the network 300 and stored in the content card 100 (step S38).

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of playing an encrypted content file from the content card 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In step S40, the control process extracts and executes, from the main memory of the client computer 200, a playback program necessary for playing back the encrypted content file stored in the first memory 2 of the content card 100, thereby executing the first process. A list of content files stored in the memory 2 is provided (step S40).

In step S41, when the client selects a desired content file from the list of content files provided by the client computer 200 to request playback, the control process extracts the corresponding content file from the first memory 2 and decrypts the decryption unit 3. (Step S42). At the same time, the control process extracts the unique number data assigned to the content card 100 from the second memory 5 and transmits it to the decryption section 3.

In step S43, the decryption unit 3 decrypts the extracted encrypted content file based on the inputted unique number. The decrypted content file is loaded into the main memory of the client computer 200 via the interface 1 (step S44) and reproduced on the display of the client computer (step S45). That is, since the encrypted content file stored in the content card 100 is decoded only by a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card 100, it can be seen that unauthorized editing or duplication by another person is impossible.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of encrypting and providing a data file created by a client on a network according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In step S50, the client accesses a web site that operates the content encryption system 400 of the present invention and performs a login. As described above, the information input at the log-in in step S50 corresponds to the member information as a unique number uniquely assigned to the content card. If the unique number input in step S51 is not a registered number, it is registered as a new member through a normal member registration procedure, and the registered information is newly stored in the database 30.

If it is determined that the inputted unique number is valid through the validity determination of the inputted unique number in step S51, the control process proceeds to step S52 to inform the client of user environment information such as an operating system, a player, a viewer program, etc., in which the content file is to be played. Ask for input. If user environment information has been input, the control process determines whether a content file stored in the database 30 has been requested (step S53).

If a content file has been requested, the control process executes the process of FIG. 3 as described above via tab A, and a description thereof will be omitted.

If no content file is requested in step S53, the control process proceeds to step S54 to determine whether the upload file has been input from the client. In this case, the upload file is a data file created by the client and represents a file to be encrypted by the system of the present invention.

If the upload file is input in step S54, the control process proceeds to step S55 to store the upload file in the database 30. In step S56, the control process determines whether there is a download request for the upload file stored in the database 30. If there is a download request for the stored upload file, the control process executes encryption on the stored upload file in step S57. Encryption for the stored upload file in step S57 is performed based on the unique number initially entered by the client as described above. Thereafter, the encrypted file is downloaded to the client computer 200 via the network 300 and stored in the content card 100 (step S58). On the other hand, if there is no download request for the stored upload file, the control process ends.

When the content file retained by the client is encrypted through a web site operating the content encryption system 400 of the present invention, the reproduction of the encrypted content is the same as that of FIG.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, those skilled in the art can change variously, without deviating from the claim of this invention.

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

1. Based on the unique number uniquely assigned to the content card, since copyrighted content distributed on the communication network is encrypted and downloaded, it is possible to prevent unauthorized editing or copying of the copyrighted content.

2. Since the content card of the present invention can be attached or detached outside of a general-purpose computer or communication terminal device, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated player or an audio playback device for playing various content files downloaded from a communication network. And easy to carry.

3. The digital files to be secured are encrypted by using the content card's unique number on the web site operating the content encryption system, so there is no need to purchase hardware or software for separate encryption / compression and decryption / revocation. Efficient and versatile

4. It is possible to provide convenience to the client by encrypting the content file appropriately for the operating system and playback program of the client computer.

Claims (22)

A system for preventing unauthorized use of copyrighted data files provided on a communication network, Encryption means for encrypting the copyrighted data file based on a unique number uniquely assigned to a portable data storage device mounted outside a client computer; Storing a series of unique number information uniquely assigned to the copyrighted data file, the playback software necessary to reproduce the copyrighted data file, the portable data storage device and a plurality of other portable data storage devices. With one data source, A control unit connected to the encryption means and the data source to control the encryption means and the data source Data unauthorized use prevention system comprising a. The method of claim 1, The portable data storage device is a data unauthorized use prevention system detachable in the form of a card on the outside of the client computer. The method of claim 1, And said unique number is a product serial number uniquely assigned to said portable data storage device. The method of claim 1, And the encrypting means encrypts the copyrighted data file using software corresponding to a usage environment of the client computer among the playback software stored in the data source. The method of claim 4, wherein The client computer is any one of a fixed or portable computer, an electronic book and a communication terminal device capable of multimedia services. The method according to claim 1 or 4, And the data file comprises at least one of text, still picture, moving picture, and audio. A data encryption system for encrypting a data file generated by a client and transmitting the encrypted file to a portable data storage device mounted outside the client computer. A data source for storing software corresponding to environmental information of the client computer; A receiving unit for receiving a data file generated by the client transmitted through a communication network, environment information of the client computer, and unique number data uniquely assigned to the portable data storage device; Encryption means for extracting software corresponding to environmental information of the client computer from the data source, and encrypting the data file generated by the client based on the extracted software and the unique number data; Transmission unit for transmitting the encrypted data file to the portable data storage device Data encryption system comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein And the software corresponding to the environment information is a program necessary for playing the encrypted data file. A portable data storage device detachable from a communication terminal device and recording / reproducing an encrypted data file based on a unique number, comprising: A first memory unit for storing the encrypted data file provided through the terminal device; A second memory for storing the unique number; A reproduction unit for reproducing an encrypted data file stored in the first memory based on the unique number stored in the second memory Portable data storage device comprising a. The method of claim 9, And a lock unit for preventing the data file stored in the first memory from being erased by an external operation. The method of claim 9, The portable data storage device is a portable data storage device that is a memory card detachable in the form of a card on the outside of the terminal device. The method of claim 9, And the unique number is a product serial number uniquely assigned to the portable data storage device. A method of operating a system that prevents unauthorized use of copyrighted data files provided on a communications network using a portable data storage device external to a client computer, the method comprising: (a) accessing the system via the network and entering a unique number uniquely assigned to the portable data storage device; (b) if the inputted unique number is valid, providing a list of copyrighted data files; (c) selecting a desired file from the data file list; (d) encrypting the selected file based on the unique number; (e) transferring the encrypted file to the portable data storage device of the client computer. How to prevent unauthorized use of data, including. The method of claim 13, After step (c), inputting environmental information necessary for playing the encrypted data file on the client computer, And the environment information is information about an operating system, a dedicated player, or a viewer program of the client computer. The method of claim 13, And wherein said unique number is a product serial number uniquely assigned to said portable data storage device. The method according to claim 13 or 14, And the data file comprises at least one of text, still picture, moving picture, and audio. A method of operating a system that prevents unauthorized use of data files generated by a client using a portable data storage device external to the client computer, the method comprising: The system is A data source storing software corresponding to environmental information about an operating system and playback software of said client computer, a series of unique number information assigned to each portable data storage device, and encryption means for encrypting said data file, (a) accessing the system through the client computer and the network and inputting the unique number; (b) inputting a data file generated by the client and the environment information if the inputted unique number is valid; (c) encrypting the data file generated by the client based on the unique number and the environment information; (e) transmitting the encrypted file to the portable data storage device. How to prevent unauthorized use of data, including. The method of claim 17, And said step (b) comprises storing said data file based on said unique number. The method of claim 17 or 18, And wherein said unique number is a product serial number uniquely assigned to said portable data storage device. The method of claim 17 or 18, And the data file comprises at least one of text, still picture, moving picture, and audio. A portable data storage device detachable from a communication terminal device and having a storage means for storing a unique number and a reproducing means, the method of recording / reproducing a data file encrypted based on the unique number, (a) recording the encrypted data file provided by the user from the terminal device to the storage means; (b) extracting an encrypted data file stored in the storage means in response to the reproduction request of the user, and reproducing the encrypted data file based on the unique number stored in the storage means. Encrypted data recording / reproducing method comprising a. The method of claim 21, And the encrypted data file is a copyrighted content or a data file generated by the user.