Router DVR with Encrypted Content File System

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current digital video recorders (DVRs) face challenges in efficiently managing and securing digital content, particularly in encoding, decoding, and distributing encrypted media files across various devices within a network, while ensuring digital rights management and seamless playback.

Innovation Solution

A routing device is integrated with a storage device to act as a hub, enabling the acquisition, recording, and playback of digital content by adapting requests from user devices, storing encrypted content, and using metadata for resume playback, while ensuring digital rights management through encryption and decryption processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital content is encoded and encrypted for DRM protection, then digital rights management is enforced and unauthorized access is deterred, but the complexity of managing encoding and decoding processes increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedigital rights management enforcementVSAvoidencoding and decoding process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a file system as an intermediary layer between the storage device and user devices. This file system handles the complex encoding and decoding operations transparently, managing encrypted content without requiring users to understand the cryptographic processes. The file system acts as a mediator that enforces DRM rules while simplifying the user interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the DRM management functionality into distinct components: encryption/decryption modules, file system management layers, and user interface components. This segmentation allows each component to handle specific aspects of DRM enforcement independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If multiple user devices are enabled to access stored digital content, then user accessibility and convenience are improved, but the difficulty of managing and securing content across devices increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent accessibility across devicesVSAvoidcontent management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal file system that can be accessed by multiple user devices simultaneously. This file system provides multi-functional capabilities including authentication, encryption, content delivery, and usage tracking in a single integrated system. The same file system structure serves all user devices, eliminating the need for separate management systems for each device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that track content access across multiple devices. When content is accessed by one device, the system automatically updates access rights, logs usage, and enforces DRM policies for other devices. This real-time feedback loop simplifies multi-device management by automatically coordinating content security and access rights across the entire device ecosystem.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If digital content is stored in proprietary file systems for copy protection, then copy protection is enhanced, but the ease of accessing and playing back content on different devices is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecopy protectionVSAvoidcontent playback accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The proprietary file system acts as an intermediary that provides copy protection while maintaining playback accessibility. It translates between the protected storage format and device-compatible formats transparently, allowing users to play content on various devices without directly exposing the proprietary file structure. The file system mediates between security requirements and device compatibility needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9438942B2Configurable digital content storage
Publication Date: 2016.09.06 VERIZON PATENT & LICENSING INC
  • US9438942B2 patent drawing
  • US9438942B2 patent drawing
  • US9438942B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A routing device is coupled to a storage device to function as a digital video recorder (DVR) to store digital content. The routing device may include a client function to receive and store the digital content, and a server function to provide the stored digital content to a user device. Digital content directed to the client function may be recorded by the storage device, while other digital content may be passed by server function to the user device. The digital content may be received by the routing device in an encoded and/or encrypted format, and the digital content may be recorded by the storage device in the encoded and/or encrypted format.