Electronic Book Viewer Content Protection via Removable Display Panels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic book viewers lack effective methods for managing and enforcing content protection policies, particularly in scenarios involving removable display panels and user-authored content, leading to challenges in controlling access and distribution of protected content across different devices.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a system that allows for the creation, storage, and enforcement of content protection policies using removable attachable display panels, which can be interchanged between electronic book viewers, enabling conditional presentation and transmission of content based on attachment status, user permissions, and predefined or user-created rules, ensuring secure access and distribution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If removable display panels are used to enable content sharing between devices, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but content protection and security are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent sharing capabilityVSAvoidcontent protection
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A digital rights management (DRM) engine is introduced as an intermediary component that mediates between the removable display panel and the content storage system. The DRM engine evaluates licenses and control programs to determine whether content can be legally accessed and displayed on a particular device, thereby maintaining content protection while enabling legitimate content sharing across multiple devices through the removable panel

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts content protection based on the attachment status of removable display panels and the identity of the host device. Content accessibility changes dynamically depending on whether a panel is attached, which device it is attached to, and the license status, allowing flexible content sharing while maintaining security through conditional access control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If removable display panels are allowed to detach and attach to different devices, then ease of operation and adaptability are improved, but control over content access and distribution is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepanel interchangeabilityVSAvoidcontent access control
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements continuous feedback mechanisms where the DRM engine constantly monitors the attachment status of display panels, identifies the host device, and evaluates license conditions in real-time. This feedback loop enables automatic enforcement of content protection policies without requiring complex manual control mechanisms, simplifying user operation while maintaining sophisticated access control

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

Content protection policies and license evaluations are performed in advance before content is made accessible on removable panels. The system pre-establishes rules and conditions for content distribution, so that when panels are detached and reattached to different devices, the control logic is already in place to automatically enforce access restrictions without requiring complex real-time decision-making

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2426596B1Methods and apparatus to implement electronic book viewers
Publication Date: 2016.11.30 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2426596B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2426596B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2426596B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Example methods and apparatus to implement electronic book viewers are disclosed. A disclosed example method involves receiving a request at a processor system to provide content for display on an electronic book viewer device. The processor system is a host of the electronic book viewer device to store content and corresponding content protection policies. The example method also involves determining, based on a content protection policy of the content, whether the content is protected from display on the electronic book viewer device. In addition, the example method involves providing the content when the content is not protected from display on the electronic book viewer device.