Wireless Content Usage Rule Management for Parallel Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional copyright management systems using IC cards lack portability and convenience, leading to difficulties in managing content usage rules across multiple user terminals and restricting simultaneous access by multiple contractors.

Innovation Solution

A content usage rule management system that employs a portable device with wireless communication capabilities to manage and store content usage rules, allowing multiple users to access content simultaneously by inquiring availability and sending permission data to user terminals via wireless communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If IC card is used for content usage rule management, then copyright management is achieved, but portability and convenience are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecopyright managementVSAvoidportability and convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical IC card insertion/removal system with a wireless communication system. The portable device communicates content usage rules and permission data wirelessly with user terminals, eliminating the need for physical card handling while maintaining copyright management functionality. This substitution directly resolves the contradiction by improving portability and convenience without sacrificing reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If IC card is always inserted into user terminal, then content usage rule management is maintained, but portable service cannot be realized

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent usage rule managementVSAvoidportable service

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical IC card insertion system with wireless communication, allowing the portable device to transmit content usage rules and permission data without physical contact. This enables users to access content on multiple devices portably while maintaining secure rule management through wireless authentication and data transfer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The portable device acts as an intermediary between the content distribution system and user terminals. It stores content usage rules and provides permission data to authorized terminals wirelessly, enabling portable access while maintaining management control without requiring constant physical card insertion in terminals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If IC card is used for family plan contract, then content can be used by multiple users, but contractor cannot control permission to specific users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-user accessVSAvoidpermission control

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the permission control system by associating specific content usage rules with individual user identifiers. The portable device stores multiple permission records, each linking content, usage conditions, and authorized user IDs. This allows the contractor to control and track which specific family members can access which content, adding granular control without complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Device complexity

If single IC card is inserted into content user terminal, then copyright management is simplified, but parallel processing by multiple contractors is restricted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecopyright managementVSAvoidparallel processing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The portable device serves as a mediator that can simultaneously provide permission data to multiple user terminals. It stores content usage rules and can authenticate multiple users in parallel, enabling simultaneous content access by multiple contractors without requiring multiple physical IC cards or complex terminal-side management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS7904392B2Content usage rule management system

Publication Date: 2011.03.08 PANASONIC HOLDINGS CORP

AI summary

A content user terminal including a utilization unit that provides a content utilization, and an interface unit 137 that inquires the content utilization availability to the portable content usage rule management device via a wireless communication and obtains a content utilization permission data which is a inquiry result via a wireless communication. The utilization unit provides the content utilization based on the obtained content utilization permission data. The portable content usage rule management device includes a copyright data storage management unit that stores and manages the content usage rule, an interface unit that receives the inquiry result of the content utilization availability from the content user terminal via a wireless communication, and a copyright data processing is unit that responds to the received inquiry result, judges the content utilization availability based on the stored content usage rule and creates a content utilization permission data based on the judge result. The interface unit sends the created content utilization permission data to the content user terminal via a wireless communication.