Digital content retrieval utilizing dispersed storage

1. A method for execution by one or more processing modules of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:

receiving, from a requester, a request for retrieval of content previously stored within a DSN memory, wherein the request includes at least the identity of sets of encoded data slices representing the content;

determining user time-frame access rights based on comparison of one or more timestamps associated with the user to a timestamp of the requested content;

determining user content access rights based on a comparison of the identity of the sets of encoded data slices and user subscribed content access information;

when the user time-frame and content access rights compare favorably:

determining read operation parameters regarding the sets of encoded data slices;

retrieving a threshold number of encoded data slices for each of the sets of encoded data slices from the DSN memory in accordance with the read operation parameters; and

decoding the sets of the threshold number of encoded data slices utilizing an error coding dispersed storage function of the read operation parameters to produce the content; and

sending the content to the requester; and

when one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights compare unfavorably:

determining whether the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights are modifiable to provide a favorable comparison; and

when the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights are modifiable, modifying the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights to provide a favorable comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the requester includes one or more of:

a set top box; a user device; a dispersed storage (DS) managing unit; a storage integrity processing unit; another DS processing unit; a DS unit; and another source.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises the request including one or more of:

a user ID; a content type indicator; digital rights management (DRM) information; a DRM policy; and read operational parameters.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the determining of user content access rights is based on one or more of:

the user ID; a user access rights table lookup; a content timestamp table lookup; a content type indicator; the DRM information; the DRM policy; user information; system parameters; a vault lookup; and read operational parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining if the user had access rights at the time of storage of the content into the DSN memory and, if so, providing a favorable user access rights comparison.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining if the user has access rights to the content at the time of the request and, if so, providing a favorable user access rights comparison.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the read operational parameters include one or more of:

pillar width; read threshold; pillars allowed to retrieve from; a decode method; a de-slice method; a decryption method; a decryption key; and pillar combinations for the requester.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modifying the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights comprises;

providing any of the following to the requester:

an error message;

capability to purchase the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights; and

capability to pay a premium for unlimited lifetime access to the content.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprises, prior to receiving the request, an ingest dispersed storage (DS) processing unit receiving the content, determining the identity of sets of encoded data slices representing the content, determining a current timestamp and storing in a content ingestion table a content ID in a content ID field and further storing the current timestamp as the content timestamp in a content timestamp field.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprises a retrieval DS processing unit utilizing information from the content ingestion table to determine when the content was ingested into the DSN memory.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the current timestamp determination is based on one or more of:

a system clock; an ingest dispersed storage (DS) processing unit clock; a command; a message; and a query.

12. A dispersed storage (DS) module comprises:

a first DS processing module, when operable within a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive, from a requester, a request for retrieval of a set of encoded content data slices from a dispersed storage network (DSN) memory, wherein the request includes at least the identity of the set of encoded content data slices;

determine user time-frame access rights based on a content timestamp;

determine user content access rights based on a comparison of the identity of the sets of encoded data slices and user subscribed content access information;

when the user time-frame and content access rights compare favorably:

determine read operation parameters regarding the sets of encoded data slices;

retrieve a threshold number of encoded data slices for each of the sets of encoded data slices from the DSN memory in accordance with the read operation parameters; and

decode the sets of the threshold number of encoded data slices utilizing an error coding dispersed storage function of the read operational parameters produce the content;

send the content and/or the encoded data slices to the requester; and

when one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights compare unfavorably:

determine whether the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights are modifiable to provide a favorable comparison; and

when the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights are modifiable, modify the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights to provide a favorable comparison.

13. The dispersed storage (DS) module of claim 12 further comprises the first processing module modifying the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights by:

providing any of the following to the requester:

an error message;

capability to purchase the one or more of the user access time-frame access rights and the user content access rights; and

capability to pay a premium for unlimited lifetime access to the content.