Apparatus, system and method for securing digital documents in a digital appliance
View Patent ↗Various embodiments include an apparatus and a method to secure protected digital document content from tampering by their user, such as unauthenticated use or use violating a policy of the digital document. The digital document file can be transferred from a network node such as a web site server to a digital appliance, such as a computer, in encrypted form. The digital document file can be resident already on a device, and/or be transferred into a device that is connected to the digital appliance. The device (hereafter a DRM device) can internally store the digital document or part of the document. The DRM device may decrypt the digital document when requested to do so. The device may further format the content for usage, for example, convert text into its graphic bitmap representation. Device formatting can include sending plain text data to the digital appliance. The device may further process degradation to the resulted file, for example, reduce the resolution of the graphic representation. The digital appliance uploads the result of the processing or sections of the result of the processing for user access via the digital appliance.
1. A digital content management device adapted to be selectively linked with a digital appliance for end use of a digital document, comprising:
a nonvolatile storage section configured to store the digital document, wherein the digital document is stored in a form where content of the digital document is accessible within the digital content management device, wherein the nonvolatile storage section includes a first portion that is accessible by the digital appliance and a second portion that is inaccessible by the digital appliance, the digital document being stored in the second portion;
a controller configured to:
send authentication information to an external server via the digital appliance in order authenticate the digital content management device,
render the stored digital document into a presentation equivalent format for the digital appliance, and
send the digital document only in the presentation equivalent format to the digital appliance, wherein at least a portion of the content of the digital document is not accessible to the digital appliance in said presentation equivalent format; and
an interface configured to:
selectively link with the digital appliance and communicate at least part of the digital document to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format, and
receive the digital document from the digital appliance in response to authentication of the digital content management device to the external server,
wherein the digital document is accessible to the digital appliance only in the presentation equivalent format.
2. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a bitmap image.
3. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a compressed bitmap image.
4. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the digital content management device is a non-volatile memory card.
5. The digital content management device of claim 4 , wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a CompactFlash format.
6. The digital content management device of claim 4 , wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a Secure Digital format.
7. The digital content management device of claim 4 , wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a Multi-Media Card format.
8. The digital content management device of claim 4 , wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible within at least a Memory Stick format.
9. The digital content management device of claim 4 , wherein said non-volatile memory card is compatible with at least a TransFlash format.
10. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the digital content management device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive type device.
11. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the removably and operatively couples the digital management device with the digital appliance.
12. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein said interface uses a wireless communication channel to selectively link with the digital appliance.
13. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein said presentation equivalent format appears in a format of a web page, at least a portion of which is a bitmap image.
14. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the presentation equivalent format comprises a plurality of pages, each of which corresponds to less than all of the digital document.
15. The digital content management device of claim 14 , wherein one or more of said pages are rendered prior to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.
16. The digital content management device of claim 14 , wherein individual ones of said pages are rendered in response to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.
17. The digital content management device of claim 16 , wherein based on said request, one or more additional ones of said pages are also rendered prior to receiving a request therefor.
18. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
in response to a request from the digital appliance, search for the information content of the digital document.
19. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the presentation equivalent format is a degraded version of the digital document.
20. The digital content management device of claim 1 , wherein the digital document comprises video data; and
wherein the controller is configured to decompress the video data and to send the decompressed video data to the digital appliance via the interface.
21. The digital content management device of claim 20 , wherein the controller is configured to send the decompressed video data frame-by-frame.
22. A method of supplying a digital document from a digital content management device adapted to be selectively linked with a digital appliance for end use, comprising:
sending authentication information to an external server via the digital appliance in order authenticate the digital content management device;
in response to authentication of the digital content management device to the external server, receiving the digital document from the digital appliance;
storing in a nonvolatile storage section on the digital content management device the digital document in a form where the content of the digital document is accessible within the digital content management device, wherein the nonvolatile storage section includes a first portion that is accessible by the digital appliance and a second portion that is inaccessible by the digital appliance, the digital document being stored in the second portion;
rendering the stored form of the digital document into a presentation equivalent format for the digital appliance, wherein at least a portion of the information content of the digital document is not accessible to the digital appliance in said presentation equivalent format; and
sending the at least part of the digital document to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format, wherein the digital document is accessible to the digital appliance only in the presentation equivalent format.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a bitmap image.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein at least a portion of said presentation equivalent format is a compressed bitmap image.
25. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Universal Serial Bus (USB) type protocol.
26. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a secure digital (SD) type protocol.
27. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Compact Flash (CF) type protocol.
28. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a TransFlash type protocol.
29. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a Memory Stick type protocol.
30. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a wireless communication channel with the digital appliance.
31. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least an 802.11 based protocol.
32. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using at least a SCSI type protocol.
33. The method of claim 22 , wherein said at least part of the digital document is sent to the digital appliance in the presentation equivalent format using a PCI type protocol.
34. The method of claim 22 , wherein said presentation equivalent format appears in a format of a web page, at least a portion of which is a bitmap image.
35. The method of claim 22 , wherein the presentation equivalent format comprises a plurality of pages, each of which corresponds to less than all of the digital document.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein one or more of said pages are rendered prior to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.
37. The method of claim 35 , wherein individual ones of said pages are rendered in response to receiving a request therefor from the digital appliance.
38. The method of claim 37 , wherein based on said request, one or more additional ones of said pages are also rendered prior to receiving a request therefor.
39. The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
in response to a request from the digital appliance, searching the information content of digital document on the device.
40. The method of claim 22 , wherein the presentation equivalent format is a degraded version of the digital document.
41. The method of claim 22 , wherein the digital document comprises video data;
further comprising decompressing the video data; and
wherein sending the at least part of the digital document includes sending the decompressed video data to the digital appliance via the interface.
42. The method of claim 41 , wherein sending the decompressed video data comprises sending the decompressed video data frame-by-frame.