System and method for signaling and verifying URL signatures for both URL authentication and URL-based content access authorization in adaptive streaming

A system for signaling and verifying uniform resource locator (URL) signatures for accessing URL addressable content in adaptive streaming, the system comprising:

• a network;
• a streaming client;
• and
• a hardware processor of a signature storage server configured to:
• provide over the network a plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors for a plurality of URLs, wherein each URL authentication descriptor comprises a URL signature identifier, a next URL signature identifier, and information for verification key acquisition and for accessing an authentication tag for authenticating a given URL in the plurality of URLs according to an associated URL authentication scheme, and wherein each URL authorization descriptor is for verification key acquisition and for accessing an authorization tag for authorizing access to content addressable by a given URL in the plurality of URLs according to an associated URL authentication scheme;
• communicate the plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors for the plurality of URLs over the network to the streaming client;
• and
• wherein the streaming client is configured to:
• compare the URL signature identifier with a stored URL signature identifier;
• store, when the URL signature identifier matches the stored URL signature identifier, the next URL signature identifier as the stored URL signature identifier;
• and
• verify each descriptor in the communicated plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors for the given URL in the plurality of URLs according to the associated URL authentication scheme.

A client for verifying uniform resource locator (URL) signatures for accessing URL addressable content in adaptive streaming, the client comprising:

• a receiver configured to:
• receive a plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors for a plurality of URLs within a Media Presentation Description (MPD), wherein each URL authentication descriptor comprises a URL signature identifier, a next URL signature identifier, and information for verification key acquisition and for accessing an authentication tag for authenticating a given URL the plurality of URLs according to an associated URL authentication scheme, and wherein each URL authorization descriptor is for verification key acquisition and for accessing an authorization tag for authorizing access to content addressable by the given URL in the plurality of URLs according to the associated URL authentication scheme;
• a transmitter configured to transmit a request for the content addressable by the given URL, together with information comprised by the URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors within the received plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors that are related to the given URL addressing the content;
• and
• a hardware processor coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, and configured to:
• compare the URL signature identifier with a stored URL signature identifier;
• store, when the URL signature identifier matches the stored URL signature identifier, the next URL signature identifier as the stored URL signature identifier;
• and
• verify each description in the communicated plurality of URL authentication and URL authorization descriptors for the given URL in the plurality of URLs according to the associated URL authentication scheme.