# US 8,752,195 B2 · Information processing apparatus and method, recording medium, and program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,752,195 B2 - Document ID: US8752195B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/716,595 - Filed: 2012-12-17 - Published: 2013-05-02 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2004-07-27 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Yusuke Sakai; Naoki Saito; Mikio Kamada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8752195B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - H04N 7/1675: {Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence (pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58)} - H04N 21/2347: involving video stream encryption - H04N 21/2541: {Rights Management (protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} - H04N 21/2547: Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser - H04N 21/25875: {involving end-user authentication (restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06)} - H04N 21/26603: {for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques} - H04N 21/26606: {for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] (arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14)} - H04N 21/4405: involving video stream decryption - H04N 21/4627: Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} - H04N 21/47202: {for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand} - H04N 21/8355: involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An information processing apparatus and method make it possible for persons at remote places to enjoy simultaneous playback of contents while promoting copyright and privacy protection. A copyright authentication section decides, based on a copyright restriction added to a content and license information stored in a license storage section, whether utilization of the content is permitted. An accounting processing section, in response to a result of the decision, cooperates with an authentication sever to perform accounting. A privacy authentication section decides, based on the privacy restriction and privacy information, whether utilization of the content is permitted. A permission request processing section, in response to a result of the decision, performs a communication process with a communication apparatus, which has a privacy management right in the content. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing apparatus, comprising: a communication circuit configured to communicate with a plurality of information processing apparatuses via a network; an authentication circuit configured to determine, based on personal restriction information including a privacy level of the information processing apparatus relative to a sharing group included in content data in addition to copyright restriction information, whether use of the content data is permitted; a sharing decision circuit configured to determine whether utilization of the content data is permitted based on at least a comparison between a maximum number of sharing terminals information included in the content data and a number of different information processing apparatuses performing synchronous playback with the information processing apparatus; and a synchronous playback circuit configured to play back the content data in synchronism with the different information processing apparatuses, when use of the content data is permitted based on the personal restriction information and the comparison of the maximum number of sharing terminals information and the number of different information processing apparatuses. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification circuit configured to control notification of use restriction when the circuitry determines at least one of the authentication circuit and the sharing decision circuit determines that use of the content data is not permitted. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a recording control circuit configured to control recording of the content data based on the copyright restriction information and the personal information restriction information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception circuit configured to receive sound and images from the other information processing apparatuses; and a synthesis circuit configured to synthesize a sound and an image of the content data played back in synchronism by said playback circuit and the sound and the image of the user received by said reception section. ### Claim 5 An information processing method, comprising: communicating, via a communication device, with different information processing apparatuses via a network; determining, in an authentication circuit and based on personal restriction information including a privacy level of the information processing apparatus relative to a sharing group which is included in the content data, whether use of the content data is permitted; determining, in a sharing determination circuit, whether use of the content data is permitted based on a comparison between a maximum number of sharing terminals information and a number of the different information processing apparatuses performing synchronous playback with the information processing apparatus; and synchronously playing back the content data with the different information processing apparatuses, when use of the content data is permitted based on the personal restriction information and the comparison of the maximum number of sharing terminals information and the number of different information processing apparatuses. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon that, when executed by a processor of an information processing apparatus, causes the processor to perform a process comprising: communicating with different information processing apparatuses via through a network; determining based on personal restriction information including a privacy level of the information processing apparatus relative to a sharing group which is included in the content data, whether use of the content data is permitted; determining whether use of the content data is permitted based on a comparison between a maximum number of sharing terminals information and a number of the different information processing apparatuses performing synchronous playback with the information processing apparatus; and synchronously playing back the content data with the different information processing apparatuses, when use of the content data is permitted based on the personal restriction information and the comparison of the maximum number of sharing terminals information and the number of different information processing apparatuses. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sharing restriction information includes a sharing terminal number restriction, a sharing group identity restriction, a sharing district restriction, and a sharing time restriction and the apparatus information related to the different information processing apparatuses further includes a group identity of each of the different information processing apparatuses and a geographical district of each of the different information processing apparatuses. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a permission request processing circuit configured to, when personal information related to the information processing apparatus does not satisfy the personal restriction information, request utilization of the content data from a management user of the personal restriction information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an accounting processing circuit configured to, when the number of the different information processing apparatuses communicating with the information processing apparatus is greater than a number permitted by the sharing restriction information, perform an accounting process and update the sharing restriction information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image of the user is superimposed on the image of the content data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is registered in at least two groups and the personal restriction information includes a privacy level for each of the at least two groups. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the privacy level is different for each of the at least two groups. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each privacy level is set to one of a predetermined range of privacy levels. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a broadcast reception circuit configured to receive the content data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the content data includes a television broadcast. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the synthesis circuit cross-fades the image of the user and the image of the content. ### Claim 17 (depends on 4) The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the synthesis circuit synthesizes the image of the user as a picture-in-picture image on the image of the content data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the synthesis circuit synthesizes the image of the user and the image of the content data by wiping the image of the user onto the image of the content data from a predetermined direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sharing decision circuit further determines whether use of the content data is permitted based on at least a location of the information processing apparatus. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the sharing decision circuit further determines whether use of the content data is permitted based on at least a time at which sharing of the content data is initiated.