DRM Rights Object Management Across Distributed Devices

The patent segments the RO management process into distinct functional modules: a detection module that identifies required ROs, a message generation module that requests ROs from slave devices, and a playback module that consumes the collected ROs. This segmentation simplifies the complexity of managing distributed ROs with inheritance structures by dividing the complex task into manageable, specialized components.

The master device acts as an intermediary between slave devices and the content playback system. It detects which ROs are needed, requests them from appropriate slave devices, and coordinates their consumption. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system by centralizing the management logic while maintaining the distributed storage architecture, thus improving security without proportionally increasing complexity.

The patent extracts the heavy computational burden of RO detection, message generation, and consumption logic from the portable slave devices and places it in the master device. The slave devices only need to store ROs and respond to simple requests, significantly reducing their operational load while maintaining the ease of distribution advantage.

The slave devices perform only the minimum necessary action (storing and transmitting ROs when requested) rather than actively managing or processing them. This partial action approach reduces their operational burden while still achieving the distribution goal, as the master device performs the excessive or additional processing work.