Granted Patent B2

US 7,367,061 · App. 10/812,432 · Granted Apr 29, 2008

Abstract

Claims (54)

1. A method for storing and securely transmitting digital media data in a networked system, comprising:

determining an amount of memory for storing the digital media data;

at a content selection computer querying first and second network computers to determine an amount of available memory in first and second memory storage devices associated with the first and second network computers;

the content selection computer sending the amount of available memory in the first and second memory storage devices to a data distribution computer;

at the data distribution computer querying third and fourth network computers to determine an amount of available memory in third and fourth memory storage devices associated with the third and fourth network computers;

receiving the digital media data from a content service provider computer and partitioning the digital media data into a plurality of digital media data sets;

encrypting the plurality of digital media data sets into a plurality of encrypted digital media data sets using at least one encryption key value;

storing the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets in at least two of the first, second, third and fourth memory storage devices;

retrieving the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and transmitting the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets to a decryption device; and,

decrypting the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets in the decryption device using at least one encryption key value to obtain the digital media data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an amount of memory for storing the digital media data includes querying the content service provider computer for a memory storage value associated with the digital media data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein encrypting the digital media data includes:

receiving at least one encryption key value from the decryption device; and,

encrypting the digital media data using the encryption key value and an encryption algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets includes:

sending a first encrypted digital media data set to the first network computer;

storing the first encrypted digital media data set in the first memory storage device associated with the first network computer;

sending a second encrypted digital media data set to the second network computer; and,

storing the second encrypted digital media data set in the second memory storage device associated with the second network computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and transmitting the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets to the decryption device includes:

determining when a user has selected to receive the digital media data;

sending a first digital media data request message to the first network computer to retrieve a first encrypted digital media data set from the first network computer;

sending a second digital media data request message to the second network computer to retrieve a second encrypted digital media data set from the second network computer; and,

transmitting the first and second encrypted digital media data sets to the decryption device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein decrypting the plurality of digital media data sets includes:

receiving the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets; and,

decrypting the plurality of digital media data sets using at least one encryption key value and a decryption algorithm.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the digital media data on a television.

8. A system for storing and securely transmitting digital media data, comprising:

a content selection computer;

first and second network computers;

the content selection computer querying the first and second network computers to determine an amount of available memory in first and second memory storage devices associated with the first and second network computers;

a data distribution computer;

the content selection computer sending the amount of available memory in the first and second memory storage devices to a data distribution computer;

the data distribution computer querying third and fourth network computers to determine an amount of available memory in third and fourth memory storage devices associated with the third and fourth network computers;

a content service provider computer receiving a query for the digital media data from the data distribution computer;

the data distribution computer further configured to receive the digital media data and to partition the digital media data into a plurality of digital media data sets, the data distribution computer further configured to encrypt the plurality of digital media data sets into a plurality of encrypted digital media data sets using at least one encryption key value and to store the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets in at least two of the first, second, third and fourth memory storage devices, the data distribution computer further configured to retrieve the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and to transmit the encrypted digital media data sets to a decryption device; and,

the decryption device configured to receive the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and to decrypt the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets using the at least one encryption key value.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the decryption device is further configured to receive at least a portion of the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and to store the portion of the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets in at least two of the first, second, third and fourth memory storage devices associated.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the decryption device is further configured to retrieve the portion of the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets when a user selects to receive the digital media data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the decryption device is further configured to query the first computer to send the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets stored in the first memory storage devices when the user selects to receive the digital media data.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the decryption device is further configured to send the digital media data to a television operably coupled to the decryption device.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein at least a portion of the available memory in the first plurality of memory storage devices comprises non-volatile memory.

14. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer storage medium having a computer program encoded therein for storing and securely transmitting digital media data in a networked system, the computer storage medium including code for implementing:

determining an amount of memory for storing the digital media data;

at a content selection computer querying first and second network computers to determine an amount of available memory in first and second memory storage devices associated with the first and second network computers;

the content selection computer sending the amount of available memory in first and second memory storage devices to a data distribution computer;

at the data distribution computer querying third and fourth network computers to determine an amount of available memory in third and fourth memory storage devices associated with the third and fourth network computers;

receiving the digital media data from a content service provider computer and partitioning the digital media data into a plurality of digital media data sets;

encrypting the plurality of digital media data sets into a plurality of encrypted digital media data sets using at least one encryption key value;

storing the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets in at least two of the first, second, third and fourth memory storage devices;

retrieving the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets and transmitting the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets to a decryption device; and,

decrypting the plurality of encrypted digital media data sets at the decryption device using the at least one encryption key value to obtain the digital media data.

Assignments (6)