JP2001243707A - Information transmission and reception system and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain diversity concerning restrictions on operations for the copyright protection in a system. SOLUTION: In an information transmission and reception system in which a personal computer and a portable audio player are connected with a USB cable, data whose copyrights should be protected, such as audio data, are transmitted and received by copying or transferring them and power is supplied from the personal computer to the portable audio player, mutual authentication is performed between two pieces of equipment. According to an authentication result, the power supplied through the USB cable is controlled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information transmission / reception system composed of electronic devices for transmitting and receiving content information such as audio data, and to an electronic device constituting the information transmission / reception system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers have been used, for example, by storing audio data reproduced from a CD (Compact Disc) or another recording medium as a file on a storage medium such as a hard disk, or from an Internet site. Downloading audio data and saving it as a file on a hard disk is performed.

In addition, as described above, as an audio player capable of utilizing the audio data file stored on the hard disk of the personal computer, for example, by providing a recording medium such as a flash memory therein, a great reduction in size can be achieved. Designed portable audio players have also become widespread.

In using the portable audio player described above, for example, a user connects a personal computer and a portable audio player via a predetermined data bus, and connects an audio file stored on a hard disk of the personal computer. Is transferred and written and recorded in the flash memory of the portable audio player. Then, the portable audio player reproduces the audio data recorded in the flash memory and listens to it by connecting, for example, headphones.

[0005]

In a system including a personal computer and a portable audio player as described above, for example, data transfer such as copying (copying) or moving data between recording media is performed. Become. Therefore, from the viewpoint of copyright protection, it is necessary to limit the transfer of data to some extent. That is, if data transfer is allowed without restriction, there is a possibility that copyright is infringed.
On the other hand, it is not appropriate to completely prohibit data transfer so that ordinary users can enjoy the above-mentioned usage patterns. Accordingly, data transfer management with a certain degree of flexibility is performed so that data can be copied to the extent permitted within the user's private use while protecting copyright. It is sought to be.

[0006]

Therefore, the present invention is configured as follows in consideration of the above-mentioned problems. First, as an information transmission / reception system, a first storage unit capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information, transmission / reception of information to / from a connected external electronic device, and power supply to the connected external electronic device are performed. A first electronic device including a first connection device capable of storing the content information; a second storage device capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information; and a first electronic device connected to the first electronic device. And a second electronic device comprising: a second connection unit capable of transmitting and receiving information including content information to and from the first electronic device and supplying power supplied from the first electronic device to an internal circuit. And And the first connection means and the second
Mutual authentication processing means for performing mutual authentication processing on the first electronic device and the second electronic device connected by the connection means, and a second electronic device from the first electronic device in accordance with the authentication result of the mutual authentication processing. Power supply control means for controlling power supply to an internal circuit of the electronic device;

[0007] Further, storage means capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information, connection means capable of transmitting / receiving information to / from a connected external electronic device, and supplying power to the connected external electronic device; Mutual authentication processing means for performing mutual authentication processing with the external electronic device connected by the connection means, and power supply control means for controlling power supply to the external electronic device in accordance with the authentication result of the mutual authentication processing. It was decided to constitute an electronic device.

[0008] Further, storage means capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information, transmission and reception of information with a connected external electronic device, input of power supplied from the connected external electronic device and input to an internal circuit. A supply unit that can be supplied, a mutual authentication processing unit that performs a mutual authentication process on an external electronic device connected by the connection unit, and an inside of a power supply that is supplied from the external electronic device according to an authentication result of the mutual authentication process. The electronic device is configured to include a power supply control unit that controls supply to the circuit.

According to each of the above configurations, by connecting two electronic devices with each other by means of mutual connection, transmission / reception of content information and information transmission / reception that power supply from one electronic device to the other electronic device is performed. The system is configured,
In transmitting and receiving information, for example, mutual authentication is performed to determine whether or not each electronic device complies with the transmission and reception standard for content information. Then, according to the authentication result, the power supply from one electronic device to the other electronic device is configured to be controlled. By this, for example, the operation of the non-authenticated electronic device is controlled by the power control. It is possible to limit.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The following description will be made in the following order. 1. Information transmission / reception system 1-1. Overall configuration 1-2. Usage form of system 1-3. Internal configuration Data transfer processing 5-1. Checkout process 5-2. Check-in processing 6. Mutual authentication processing and power control processing

1. Information transmission / reception system 1-1. 1. Overall Configuration FIG. 1 schematically shows an overall configuration of an information transmitting / receiving system as an embodiment of the present invention. As the information transmitting and receiving system of the present embodiment, for example,
It comprises a personal computer 10 and a portable audio player (hereinafter simply referred to as a player) 20.

In this case, the personal computer 10
Is used as a device for acquiring content data as music to be transferred to the player 20 and storing the content data as a file in a storage device such as a hard disk. In obtaining the content data, there are roughly the following two methods.

Although not shown here, audio data captured through a voice input / output interface provided in the personal computer 10 or
The audio data reproduced from a CD-format disk medium by a CD-ROM drive or the like is acquired as content data.

[0014] One method is to download and acquire content data as music distributed via a network. Personal computer 10
Can communicate with an EMD (Electrical Music Distribution) server 1 via a network such as the Internet, for example. In the EMD server 1, a large number of content data for distribution are stored. The content data here is audio data as music. Then, for example, the user of the personal computer 10 selects content data as music to be purchased by operating the personal computer 10. When the content data to be purchased is determined, the personal computer 10 requests the EMD server 1 to distribute the content data. The EMD server 1 transmits and outputs the music content data corresponding to the request to the personal computer 10. The personal computer 10 receives and stores the content data.

The personal computer 10 of the present embodiment has a function of acquiring content data as described above and saving a file, and a method of storing content data between the personal computer 10 and the player as described later. It has a copyright protection function to protect the copyright when giving and receiving. As the copyright protection function, for example, an encryption function and an authentication processing function at the time of transmitting and receiving content data are provided. Such a function is obtained by, for example, installing application software (hereinafter, referred to as “content management application”) for managing content data provided by the manufacturer of the player 20 on the personal computer 10. The content management application and the content data supported by the player 20 of the present embodiment are ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Ac
oustic Coding), which is audio data compressed by a method called ATRAC3, which is an improvement of the method.
The embodiment need not be limited to this compression method. Also, the personal computer 10 has a US interface as one of data interfaces with peripheral devices.
B (Universal Serial Bus) is provided, and is communicably connected to the player 20 described below by USB.

The player 20 has a portable size and shape, and is an audio player that allows a user to reproduce and listen to content data while being carried, and has a built-in flash memory as a medium for recording and reproducing content data as music. are doing.

A headphone jack 22 is provided on the upper flat surface of the main body 21 of the player 20.
By inserting the ear driver 42 into the ear
The user can listen to the reproduced content data as audio. Also, on the upper flat portion of the same main body 21,
A columnar operation button 23 is provided. The operation buttons 23 can perform operations such as reproduction / pause, cueing, fast forward / fast rewind, etc. of the content data by performing a predetermined pressing operation and a rotating operation. A volume key 24, a bass / volume restriction key 25, and a hold key 26 are provided on a side surface of the main body 21. The volume key 24 adjusts the volume level of the sound that can be listened to by the headphones 40, and the bass / volume restriction key 25 is used to perform a predetermined operation to adjust the level of the bass range and to set the maximum volume to a certain predetermined level. ON / OFF setting of the function restricted to The hold key 26 is used when it is desired to invalidate an operation on an operator provided on the player 20. The volume limit key 25 is used, for example, in a public place such as in a train, when it is desired to prevent the sound from leaking to the surroundings to cause annoyance.
Used to prevent careless operation of the operation keys on the main unit.

A display unit 30, a play mode key 27, and a display key 28 are provided on a front surface of the side surface of the main body 21. The display unit 30 performs a predetermined display according to the operation status of the player 20. For example, during playback, the current operation state, song number, elapsed time, and the like are displayed. By operating the display key 28, the display content on the display unit 30 can be changed. For example, when the display key 28 is operated, the state of displaying the song number and the elapsed time is changed from Song name,
It is possible to switch to a state in which an artist name or the like is displayed, or to a state in which a bar display indicating a reproduction signal level in a spectrum analyzer and a bit rate of content data are displayed. The play mode key 27 is provided to set a special playback mode such as, for example, one-track repeat playback, all-track repeat playback, and shuffle playback. Is displayed in a predetermined display mode.

A USB connector 32 is provided below the side surface of the main body 21 provided with the volume key 24 and the like.
Is provided. The USB connector 32 is provided to be communicably connected to the personal computer 10 by a USB cable 50. For example, as shown in the figure, one USB plug 52 of the USB cable 50 is connected to the USB connector 32 of the player 20. And the other US
The B plug 51 is connected to a USB connector (not shown) provided on the personal computer 10 side. By being connected in this manner, data transmission and reception can be performed between the personal computer 10 and the player 20, and content data can be exchanged with each other. Note that the USB connector 32
When the plug 52 is not connected, the USB connector 32 is covered and protected by the connector cover 33.

1-2. Usage of System Here, an example of usage of the above-described system will be described. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the personal computer 10, certain content data CT is purchased from the EMD server 1, downloaded, and loaded. The content data CT thus obtained
Is compressed in the personal computer 10 as described above, is converted into an encrypted file, and is stored in, for example, an internal hard disk. Although not shown here, as described above, audio data obtained from a medium such as a CD or an audio input / output interface can also be acquired and stored as content data.

The content data CT stored in the personal computer 10 as described above is
As shown in FIG. 2B, it is possible to upload to the player 20 connected via the USB interface. The player 20 writes and stores the uploaded content data in a built-in flash memory. Then, the user can reproduce and listen to the audio data as music stored as content stored in the flash memory by the player 20.

The system according to the present embodiment is an SDM
It is based on the copyright protection standard I (Secure Digital Music Initiative). That is, the content management application installed on the personal computer 10 and the player 20
It is configured to obtain an operation conforming to I.

FIG. 3 shows a typical data transfer restriction based on the SDMI. Here, the copying of the content data from the personal computer 10 to the player 20 is performed as follows.
"Checkout". The data transfer in this case is copying, and in the personal computer 10,
The copy source content data remains without being deleted. On the other hand, transferring data from the player 20 to the personal computer 10 is called check-in. However, in the case of check-in, data is moved.
The content data stored on the 0 side is deleted.

Here, it is determined that check-out is limited to three times, and that check-out cannot be performed more than four times. In other words, the personal computer 10 is restricted so that copying can be performed only up to three times with respect to other devices including the player 20 of the present embodiment. However, for example, if the content data that has already been checked out three times is checked in, the checked-in content data can be checked out again. It should be noted that, for confirmation, download of the content data from the EMD server 1 and compression processing for the download data described with reference to FIGS.
The content management application installed in the personal computer 10 performs the encryption process, uploads to the player 20, and manages the check-in / check-out described above.

By the way, as for data distribution in the EMD server 1, for example, for the purpose of giving variety to the distribution service or reflecting the intention of the copyright holder, a limit on a reproducible period and the number of reproducible times are provided. Content data with "reproduction restriction" is also provided. These reproducible periods and reproducible times are stored as reproduction condition data in, for example, the header of the content data.

According to the present embodiment, such content data with the playback restriction can be played back only by activating a content management application on the personal computer 10, and the checkout to the player 20 can be performed. It will be managed as something that can not be done.

However, it is needless to say that the content data CT with the reproduction restriction can be checked out to the player 20 so that the player 20 can reproduce the content data with the reproduction restriction. As a matter of course, the reproducing operation in the player 20 should be restricted according to the reproducible period and the reproducible number specified by the content data CT with the restricted reproduction.

Next, the internal configuration of the personal computer 10 and the player 20 constituting the system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the personal computer 10, a network connection interface 101 for connecting to the network 2 is provided.
Is communicably connected to the EMD server 1 via the
The content data provided by the server 1 can be downloaded.

Also, here, the CD-ROM drive 10
6 is provided, and the CD-ROM drive 106
Thus, data recorded on a loaded CD-format disc can be reproduced and read. In addition, for example, a disk drive capable of reproducing a disk such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) in addition to a CD-format disk may be provided. For example, as the content data, this CD-R
Audio data obtained by playing a disk loaded in the OM drive 106 can be used.

The audio input / output interface 108
Is an interface for input and output of digital audio signals or analog audio signals with external devices. Personal computer 1 of the present embodiment
At 0, digital audio signals and analog audio signals input via the audio input / output interface 108 can be converted into content data.

The hard disk 107 has a CPU 102
In this case, various application software and various files to be executed are stored. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, a content management application and a file of content data handled by the content management application are stored here.

The RTC 105 measures the current time and outputs the time information. In the present embodiment, the current time information obtained by the RTC 105 can be used for, for example, managing the reproduction time limit of the content data.

The interface 10 has a user interface function for transmitting operation information input from an operation input unit 112 such as a mouse and a keyboard to the CPU 102 and displaying an image on the display 113. are doing. It also has a data interface function with external peripheral devices. In this embodiment, at least US
The B interface enables communication with external peripheral devices.
, A USB driver 110 is provided to realize data communication by a USB interface.
The USB driver 110 is connected to, for example, a USB connector 111 that is actually exposed on the main body of the personal computer 10. In the case of this embodiment,
When connected to the player 20 via the USB interface, content data as music can be transferred to the player 20 according to a program of a content management application. That is, CP
Under the control of U102, the content data is transferred to the USB driver 110, and the USB driver 110
The content data is transmitted and output via the USB connector 111.

Here, as shown as a USB cable 50 for connecting the USB connector 111 of the personal computer 10 and the USB connector 32 of the player 20, the USB interface includes signal lines D + and D- One cable (transmission path) is formed by the four lines of the line Vbus and the GND line.
The signal lines D + and D− are data lines for performing data transmission by differential transmission, and the power supply line Vbus is a positive line for supplying power from the personal computer 10. That is, as is well known, US
In the B interface, for example, DC power can be supplied from the personal computer 10 to peripheral devices.

CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102
Is, for example, O
A required control process is executed according to a program as an S (Operation System) or a program of various activated application software. The ROM 113 is a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, for example, and can appropriately store various setting information and data such as a file having a small data capacity. The RAM 104 stores, for example, program data of the activated application software, C
Various data obtained by the processing of the PU 12 are held.

The power supply section 114 receives, for example, a commercial AC power supply and obtains a DC power supply voltage of a predetermined level. Then, the power supply PW obtained in this way is supplied to each internal functional circuit unit. In addition, as described above, in order to supply power from the personal computer 10 to external peripheral devices via the USB interface, the power supply unit 114 supplies the USB power PW.
u is branched and supplied to the USB driver 110.

Next, a function as a content management application started in the personal computer 10 having the above configuration is schematically shown in FIG. The content management application 300 mainly includes a content management program 311, a display operation instruction program 3,
12, a recording program 313, and a purchase application program 315. A content database 314 is created and prepared. The content database 314 is stored, for example, on the hard disk 107.

For example, the content management program 311 is actually described as a shuffled instruction or an encrypted instruction, so that the processing content is hidden from the outside, and it is difficult to read the processing content. It is to be.

In the content management program 311, the EMD selection program 131 is a program provided from the EMD server 1 via the network 2 by an EMD registration process performed by a predetermined operation of the user, for example. Then, the EMD selection program 131 is stored and held in, for example, the RAM 104. Then, the EMD selection program 331 makes a selection as to which of the plurality of EMD servers 1 is actually connected, for example, and connects the selected EMD server 1 to the purchase application program. 315 or the purchase driver 342.

The check-in / check-out management program 332 manages the check-in / check-out operation of the content data. If the check-out is permitted for the designated content data, the check-out is performed. If permission is given to the content for which check-in has been requested, processing is performed so that check-in is performed. The determination as to whether or not check-in and check-out is permitted is made, for example, in the check-in / check-out rule and the content database 314 described in FIG. This is performed by checking the data content corresponding to the content data. The check-in / check-out management program 332 updates the content of the content database 314 in response to the check-in or check-out process. The structure of the content database 314 will be described later.

The content data received from the EMD server 1 by the purchase application program 315 via the network 2 is encrypted by a method different from the data encryption method executed by the content management application 300, for example. May be. The encryption method conversion program 333 converts the encryption method of the content data received and acquired from the EMD server 1 as described above into a data format encrypted by an encryption method compatible with the content management application 300. . As an encryption method for the content data in this case, for example, DES (Data
Encryption Standard method or FEAL (Fast Encriphe)
rment Algorithm) can be adopted.

Further, as the content data received and obtained from the EMD server 1, audio data is compressed by a compression method (for example, MP3: MPEG Audio Layer-3 or the like) different from the ATRAC3 method supported by the content management application 300. In such a case, audio data as content data compressed by a method other than the ATRAC3 method is converted by the compression method conversion program 334 into audio data compressed by the ATRAC3 method. To be converted to The compression format conversion program 334 also has a function as an encoder that compresses audio data that has not been subjected to compression processing. For example, audio data reproduced from a disc by the CD-ROM drive 106 and audio input The audio data input and acquired by the output interface 108 is also subjected to ATRAC3 compression processing.

The encryption program 335 is, for example, a CD-
The audio data reproduced from the disk by the ROM drive 106 and the audio input / output interface 108
When the audio data input and acquired by the content management application 300 is created as content data, the content management application 300 encrypts the audio data using a suitable encryption method.

Here, the encryption system and the audio data compression system that are compatible with the content management application 300 described above are assumed to be compatible with the regular player 20. That is, in the player 20,
With respect to the content data properly compressed and encrypted by the content management application 300, the audio data is restored by executing the decompression process and the encryption / decryption process, and can be reproduced properly.

The use condition conversion program 336 uses the EMD
Usage rule data (Usage Rul) indicating playback conditions, copy conditions, etc. of content data received and
The format of e) is converted into a format that can be processed by the content management application 300.
This usage rule data is used to create a content database.

The hash value management program 337 first executes a process of calculating a hash value for a content database 314 having a data structure described later and storing the calculated hash value in, for example, the ROM 105. Further, by referring to the hash value at a stage before executing the check-in or check-out processing, tampering of the usage rule data in the content database is detected. Further, for example, if no tampering is performed, and if a check-in or check-out process is performed on certain content data thereafter, the hash value is updated. The hash value is obtained by performing an operation by applying a hash function to data. A hash function is known as a one-way function that converts variable-length long data into a fixed-length short value and converts the data, and it is assumed that collisions between hash values that are operation results are unlikely to occur. .

Also, the personal computer 10 is actually
When the player and the player 20 are connected by a USB interface, for example, in a stage before transmitting and receiving the content data, it is determined whether or not the content management application installed in the personal computer 10 is an authorized one. A mutual authentication process is performed between the personal computer 10 and the player 20 to confirm whether or not the player 20 is legitimate. The authentication program 338 is a program that executes an authentication process to be executed by the personal computer 10 in the mutual authentication process. In addition, a mutual authentication process between the content management program 311 and the purchase application program 315 and a mutual authentication process between the content management program 311 and the purchase driver 342 are executed. Further, the EMD server 1 and the purchase application program 315 or the purchase driver 34
2 is executed, and the authentication key used at this time is stored in, for example, the ROM 103. It should be noted that this authentication key is not stored in the authentication program 338 when the content management program 311 is installed in the personal computer 1. Then, when the registration processing is normally executed by the display operation instruction program 312, it is supplied from the EMD server 1.

When the content data is reproduced on the content management application 300, the decryption program 339 performs a required decryption process on the content file to restore the content file to audio data. For example, if the content data has already been subjected to compression processing and encryption, the audio data is obtained by decrypting the data and performing expansion processing. The audio data thus obtained is output, for example, via the audio input / output interface 108.

The power control program 340 is provided for executing power control in the USB driver 110 as described later.

The device driver 341 is driver software corresponding to, for example, a device as the player 20, and is connected to the player 2 via the USB driver 110.
Controls data transmission / reception with 0.

The purchase driver 342 is, for example, driver software corresponding to a specific EMD server, and is installed in the main body of the content management application 300 as so-called plug-in software. Thus, the purchase driver 342 can exchange data with the content management program 311. Then, the purchase driver 342 requests transmission of predetermined content data to a specific EMD server 1 via the network 2 and receives content data from the EMD server 1. Further, when receiving the content data from the EMD server 1, the purchasing driver 342 also executes a billing process.

The GUI (Graphical User Interface) program 312 is used for the content management application 30.
A program for realizing a GUI as 0,
For example, a GUI image is displayed on the display 113 in response to an operation of a mouse, a keyboard, or the like as the operation input unit 112.

The recording program 313 is, for example, the currently selected CD-RO under the condition that the recording window is displayed by the GUI program 312, for example.
The program is a program for executing processing for storing audio data of a CD loaded in the M drive 106 or audio data obtained via the audio input / output interface 108 as a sound source on the hard disk 107 as content data. For example, when a recording start operation is performed on the recording window, the recording program 313 stores the audio data as the currently selected sound source on the hard disk in the form of content data, for example.

The content database 314 is composed of, for example, a set of required management information files corresponding to each content data managed as a file and stored in the hard disk 107. The content database 314 is also stored on the hard disk 107 as, for example, a file.

Here, examples of the data structure of the content data and the content database 314 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively. FIG. 8 shows the structure of the content data. As content data,
As shown in the figure, first, a header area A1 is arranged, followed by a data area A in which audio data is stored.
2 are arranged. As can be understood from the above description, the audio data stored in the data area A2 has been subjected to the ATRAC3 compression processing.
Also, it is encrypted by a predetermined method such as DES.

In the header area A1, the file ID, header size, content key, file size, codec ID, file name, file information, reproduction restriction data, reproduction start date, reproduction end date, reproducible number of times,
Information on the actual number of times of reproduction is stored.

The file ID is an ID unique to each file, and the header size indicates the size of the header area A1. The content key is data for decrypting the encrypted audio data in the data area A2.
When content data is exchanged between 0 and the player 20, the content data is further encrypted with a common session key.

The file size indicates, for example, a size of the content data itself as a file, and the file information indicates, for example, a title of the content data as a song or an artist name.

The codec ID is an ID indicating an audio compression method applied to audio data as content data.

The reproduction restriction data, the reproduction start date, the reproduction end date, the reproducible number of times, and the actual number of reproductions are reproduction restriction management information for appropriately restricting the reproduction of the content data. The reproduction restriction data is, for example, SDMI
In accordance with the rules described above, the information indicates the reproduction restriction set according to the data transfer and the reproduction history so far, and reflects, for example, the copy condition of the content database and the value of the copy number counter, which will be described later. Further, the reproduction start date and time and the reproduction end date and time indicate the start date and time and the end date and time at which the reproduction can be performed in the case of the content data with the restriction on the reproduction period. Similarly,
The number of reproducible times indicates the value of the number of reproducible times for content data with a restricted reproduction number. The actual number of times of reproduction indicates the number of times of reproduction by the personal computer 10 or the player 20. here,
For example, when the value indicated by the actual number of times of reproduction becomes the same as the value of the number of times of reproduction, the personal computer 10 and the player 20 prohibit the reproduction of the content data.

FIG. 9 shows the structure of the content database. Here, it is assumed that this corresponds to a case where three contents 1 to 3 are stored in the hard disk 107 as the content data.

As shown in this figure, for each content, first, information of a file ID, a content key, a title, and a file size is provided, and further, usage condition data is provided. File ID, content key,
The title and the file size indicate the same contents as those stored in the header area A1 of the content data shown in FIG.

In the usage condition data, “reproduction condition:
The “start date and time”, “reproduction condition: end date and time”, and “reproduction condition: reproducible number” are also the reproduction start date and time, the reproduction end date and time, and the reproducible number stored in the header area A1 of the content data shown in FIG. Indicates the same content. The “reproduction number counter” indicates the same content as the actual number of reproductions stored in the header area A1 of the content data shown in FIG. The “playback charging condition” indicates a charging setting condition for the content data. The “copy condition: number of times” indicates the number of times that the content data is permitted to be copied. In the case of the present embodiment, the number of check-outs = 3. The “copy number counter” indicates the number of times the content data has been copied. For example, if the value indicated by the “copy condition: number of times” is equal to the value of the “number of times of copy counter”, further copying of the content data is prohibited. That is, for example, the personal computer 10 does not respond to a request for copying the content data. When the check-in is performed, the value of the copy number counter is changed so that the copy number is reduced by one. “Copy conditions: SCMS” includes SCMS (Serial Copy
Management system) is shown. In the SCMS, for example, for digital copying of audio data or the like from a certain copy source medium to a copy destination medium, only one generation copy is permitted. The hash value is a data string composed of a predetermined number of bytes. The hash value management program 337 (see FIG. 5) calculates and holds the hash value based on the content of the content database. It is referred to when determining whether or not tampering has been performed.

Next, returning to FIG.
0 will be described. The player 20 is provided with the USB connector 32 also shown in FIG.
The B connector 32 is connected to the internal USB driver 215. In the case of the present embodiment, the content data transmitted from the personal computer 10
The data is input from the B connector 32 to the USB driver 215 and received here.

Data is written to and read from the flash memory 206 by the flash memory driver 205. Then, in this case, the content data received by the USB driver 215 is written and stored in the flash memory 206.

Here, the content data stored in the flash memory 206 is a so-called FAT (File Alloca
Table). That is, the recording position of the content data on the flash memory 206 is managed by the FAT. The data as the FAT may be stored in the flash memory 206 together with the content data.
The information may be stored in the external ROM 210 such as an EPROM. For example, if the FAT is written in the external ROM 210, the structure of the flash memory 206 is limited in the number of rewrites.
Can be reduced. The external ROM 210 can also be used to store, for example, various setting information.

When reproducing the content data stored in the flash memory 206 as audio data, first, the designated content data is read out from the flash memory 205, and the DSP 2 is read via the internal bus.
07. In the DSP 207, audio data stored in the data area A2 is extracted from the content data. The audio data is subjected to encryption decryption processing and data decompression processing to obtain digital audio data in a predetermined format. Further, for example, adjustment of sound quality, volume, and the like according to a predetermined operation performed on the operation unit 212 can also be performed by the signal processing in the DSP 207. Note that DS
When the signal processing is performed by the P207, for example, the buffer memory 211 is used as a work area if necessary. The digital audio data thus obtained is output to the D / A converter 208. The D / A converter 208 converts the input digital audio data into an analog audio signal and outputs the analog audio signal to the amplifier 209. The amplifier 209 amplifies the input analog audio signal, and the headphone jack 22 serving as an audio signal output terminal.
Output to Then, when the headphones 40 are connected to the headphone jack 22, the ear driver 42 of the headphones 40 outputs, for example, a sound as a music.

When the content data stored in the flash memory 206 is checked in, that is, when the content data is transferred to the personal computer 10, the content data to be checked in by the flash memory driver 205. Is read from the flash memory 205 and transferred to the USB driver 215. The USB driver 215 transmits and outputs the content data to the USB driver 110 of the personal computer 10 connected via the USB connector 32 to the USB cable 50.

Further, as described above, when the personal computer 10 and the player 20 are connected by the USB interface, mutual authentication is performed between the personal computer 10 and the player 20. On the player 20 side, an authentication processing block 204 is provided. The authentication processing block 204 executes processing to be performed by the player 20 as mutual authentication processing under the control of the CPU 201, for example.

The operation section 212 is composed of, for example, various operators provided on the main body 21 of the player 20 shown in FIG. 1, and outputs an operation information signal corresponding to an operation performed on the operators. The CPU 201 executes control processing for various functional circuit units based on the operation information signal. Thereby, a required operation according to the operation is obtained. For example, if an operation related to reproduction has been performed, the DSP 20 performs a necessary reproduction-related operation in accordance with the operation.
7 and read control for the flash memory 205 and the like. Further, the display driver 213 includes:
The display device 30 is driven according to the display data output from the CPU 201. Thereby, various displays are performed on the display unit 30.

The CPU 216 performs various types of reproduction processing, display control, and U
Various control processes for realizing required operations, such as communication control via the SB interface, are executed. R
The OM 202 stores data of a program to be executed by the CPU 201, initial setting information to be referred to by the CPU 202, and the like. Also, the RAM 203 stores the CPU 20
A program to be executed by the CPU 201 is activated and held, and data used by the CPU 201 for various processes and calculations is held.

The player 20 of the present embodiment converts the DC power obtained from the battery 217 into a voltage of a predetermined level by the power supply circuit 216, and supplies the power PW · B of the internal circuit.
It is intended to be used as. As described above, the personal computer 10 can supply a DC power supply voltage to the outside via the USB cable 50. For this reason, the player 20
When connected to the personal computer 10 via the B cable 50, the power supply voltage supplied via the USB cable 50 is supplied to the internal circuit. To this end, the USB driver 21 of the present embodiment
As 5, a power supply PW · U of a predetermined level is obtained from a power supply voltage supplied via the USB cable 50 and supplied to an internal circuit. At this time, the power supply from the power supply circuit 216 using the battery 217 as a power source is stopped. The configuration of the power source switching will be described in the following description.

In the system according to the present embodiment, the personal computer 10 and the player 20
The power supply (USB power supply) via the USB interface is controlled in accordance with the result of the mutual authentication performed between the printer and the server. That is, the personal computer 10
As a result of the mutual authentication between the player 20 and the
If is not authenticated as a device that is not a legitimate system-compatible device, as one penalty measure, for example, the supply of USB power from the personal computer 10 to the player 20 is stopped.

Therefore, an example of the configuration of the power supply circuit system of the personal computer 10 and the player 20 shown in FIG. 2 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows a USB as a power supply circuit system in the personal computer 10.
1 shows a configuration of a power supply circuit system. For the USB driver 110, a power supply P for USB
Wu is supplied to the USB driver 110. Here, it is assumed that the switch 110a is provided in the power supply path in the USB driver 110,
The SB power supply PWu is connected to the USB connector 111 from the switch 110a via the line Vbus. Here, a switch element such as an FET is used as the switch 110a, and the ON / OFF state is controlled by the control of the CPU 102.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration of a power supply circuit system provided on the player 20 side. The player 20 can operate using either the battery 217 or a USB power supply as a power source. First, when not connected to an external device such as the personal computer 10 via the USB connector 32, the battery 217 is used as a power source. In this case, the power as the DC power supply voltage supplied from the battery 216 is supplied to the power supply circuit 215, and the DC / DC converter 21 in the power supply circuit 215
At 5a, the DC voltage is converted to a stabilized DC voltage at a predetermined level and supplied as power PW / B to required circuit elements such as the CPU 201 and the like. At this time, the USB connector 32 → the regulator 216a
There is no power supply from the USB power supply side via.

Then, for example, it is assumed that the connection with the external power supply device such as the personal computer 10 is performed from the above-described state via the USB connector 32 of the player 20. At this time, via the USB connector 32, the data signal on the signal lines D + and D- and the power line V
Although a USB power supply via a bus is input, only a power supply line Vbus for supplying a USB power supply is shown here for convenience of explanation.

U input through the USB connector 32
The SB power is supplied to the USB detection signal generation unit 220 and the regulator 216a provided inside the USB driver 216. The USB detection signal generation unit 220 divides the input voltage of the USB power supply to generate a detection signal that can indicate that USB connection has been performed, and outputs the detection signal to the DC / DC converter 21 in the power supply circuit 215.
Output to 5a. DC / DC converter 215a
Is configured to stop its operation when this detection signal is input. That is, when the USB connection is performed, the power supply using the battery 216 as a power source is not performed by controlling the operation of the DC / DC converter 215a to be stopped. And, instead of this, the US input by the regulator 216a
A power supply PW obtained by converting the B power supply to a predetermined level voltage
U is supplied to an internal circuit.

Here, for example, if the USB connection is disconnected from the above state, the regulator 21
Instead of stopping the supply of the power PW · U via 6a, the DC / DC converter 215a is started to operate, and is again switched to a battery-driven state.

5. Data transfer processing 5-1. Checkout Process As described above, the present embodiment has a feature in USB power control according to the result of the mutual authentication process.
When data is transferred between the player and the player 20, the data transfer is executed to confirm whether or not the data is authentic. Therefore, next, the processing operation at the time of data transfer including the mutual authentication processing will be described. As described above, data transfer according to the present embodiment includes copying data from the personal computer 10 to the player 20 called “check out” and moving data from the player 20 to the personal computer 10 called “check in” as described above. ), The check-out process and the check-in process will be sequentially described.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show the processing operation for checkout. The flowchart shown in this figure shows the processing when viewed from the personal computer 10 side, and is to be executed by the CPU 102 according to the program of the content management application.

At the time of check-out, first, in step S101 in FIG. 10, a hash value corresponding to the current content of the entire content database is calculated. Then, in the next step S102, the above step S1
A comparison is made between the hash value obtained at 01 and the hash value calculated last time and stored in, for example, the ROM 103, and it is determined whether or not the values match. Here, if a negative result is obtained that the hash values of the two do not match, step S
Proceeding to 103, a message indicating that checkout is not to be performed because there is a possibility that the content database has been tampered with is displayed, and this routine ends. On the other hand, if an affirmative result is obtained in step S103 that the two hash values match, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, information of each content registered therein is read from, for example, a content database stored in the hard disk 107. Then, based on the read information, a control process for displaying a GUI image for selecting content data (that is, music) on the display 113 is executed. The user can select the content to be checked out by operating the GUI image for selecting the content using the operation input unit 12, for example.

Here, assuming that the content data to be checked out is determined by a user operation performed in step S105, for example, the selected content data is stored in the content database in step S105. Check usage condition data corresponding to. That is, various reproduction conditions, copy conditions, and charging conditions for reproduction of the selected content data are checked. Then, in the next step S106, it is determined whether or not the selected content can be checked out, for example, based on the check result of each of the use condition data described above. Here, if it is determined that the check-out should be prohibited, this routine is ended. If the check-out is possible, the process proceeds to step S107.

In the following step S107, a mutual authentication process is performed between the personal computer 10 and the player 20.

The details of this mutual authentication processing will be described later. However, to briefly explain here, for example, the master key KM is stored in advance in the external ROM 210 of the player 20 and the individual key is stored in the ROM 103 of the personal computer 10. It is assumed that a key KI and an ID for specifying a device as the personal computer 10 are stored in advance. On the player 20 side, the personal computer 10
Receiving the ID transmitted from the player, the ID and the player 2
By applying a hash function to the master key KM held on the 0 side, the same key as the individual key held on the ROM 103 of the personal computer 10 is generated. By doing so, a common individual key is shared by both the personal computer 10 and the player 20. Using this individual key, a temporary communication key can be further generated.

As another authentication process, for example, the ID and the master key KM1 are stored in the ROM 103 of the personal computer 10 in advance, and the player 2
The ID of the player 20 and the master key KM2 are also stored in the external ROM 210 of the player 0. Then, by transmitting each ID and master key to each other, the other applies a hash function to the ID and master key transmitted from one to generate the other individual key. Then, a temporary communication key may be further generated from the individual key.

Then, in the above step S107,
For example, when mutual authentication is obtained, the temporary communication key (temporary key Ks) is finally shared with the player 20 of the personal computer 10 and the process proceeds to step S108. I do. The processing when mutual authentication is not obtained will be described later.

In step S108, the file I
Information such as D that can specify a file as content data is read from the content database. Then, in the next step S109, if necessary, a process of converting the compression encoding system, the encryption system, the format, and the like of the audio data included in the content data acquired in the above step S108 into a system corresponding to the player 20 is performed. Execute. However, hard disk 1
If the compression encoding method, the encryption method, and the format corresponding to the player 20 have been set at the stage stored in the storage unit 07, this processing is skipped. When the processing in step S109 is completed, step S1 in FIG.
Move to the process of 10.

In step S110, the content data read and obtained from the hard disk 107 is encrypted with the communication key (temporary key) shared by the mutual authentication process in step S107. Then, the data is transferred to the player 20 via the USB interface. The player 20 receives the content data transferred as described above and sends it to the flash memory 20.
6 to be stored.

In the next step S111, if necessary, each reproduction condition (start date and time, end date and time,
Is converted into a format that can be managed by the player 20. In the following step S112, the SCMS information in the copy condition of the content database corresponding to the selected content data is converted into a format managed by the player 20. Then, the next step S113
In step 2, the reproduction conditions and the SCMS information converted by the processing in steps S111 and S112 are stored in the player 2.
Transfer to 0. The player 20 stores the received reproduction condition and SCMS information in the flash memory 206 or the external ROM 210.

In the next step S114,
Various playback conditions, charging conditions for playback, copy conditions, and the like, which are usage condition data registered in the content database of the selected content, are transferred to the player 20 in the format handled by the CPU 102. The player 20 stores the transferred usage condition data in, for example, the flash memory 206 or the external ROM 210.

In the next step S115, an encryption key for encrypting the selected content data, that is, a content key is read from the content database.
In step S116, the content key is
Decryption is performed using the storage key stored in M103, and encryption is performed using the communication key. Then, the content key encrypted with the communication key is transferred to the player 20. Player 20
On the side, the authentication processing block 20 controlled by the CPU 201
In the process 4, the encryption key transferred from the personal computer 10 is decrypted using the communication key shared in the mutual authentication process, and is encrypted using the own storage key. Then, the data is stored in the flash memory 206 or the external ROM 210 in association with the already stored data. In this way, header information such as content data and usage condition data is sequentially transferred from the personal computer 10 to the player 20, and is received and stored by the player 20, whereby data as a check-out is obtained. The transfer is performed.

In the next step S117, the personal computer 10 increments the copy number counter of the content database corresponding to the transferred content data by one. Due to the processing in step S117, the content of the content database is different from the one before. Therefore, in the next step S118, an operation is performed on the hash value of the entire content database, and the newly obtained hash value is stored in the ROM 103. That is,
The hash value is updated.

5-2. Check-in processing Next, the processing operation for check-in is described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this figure, the processing on the personal computer 10 side and the processing on the player 20 side are shown by one flow. The processing on the side of the personal computer 10 is executed by the CPU 1 in accordance with the program of the content management application.
02 is executed by the CPU 201.
Runs.

In the process shown in this figure, first, in step S201, the personal computer 10 requests the player 20 to read management information on content data stored in the flash memory 206 of the player 20. The management information referred to here includes, for example, information stored in the header of the content data, FAT, and the like, and is information used for recording and reproduction management of the content data stored in the flash memory 206. . This management information is stored in, for example, the external ROM 210 or the flash memory 206. In response to this request, the CPU 201 of the player 20 reads out the stored management information and transmits the control information to the personal computer 10. Execute Further, the personal computer 10 determines whether the player 2
The display 113 displays a GUI image for selecting content data as music stored on the 0 side. By operating the GUI image, the user can select content data to be checked in.

Then, assuming that the content data to be checked-in is determined in step S201, mutual authentication processing is performed between the personal computer 10 and the player 20 by the processing in step S202. This processing is first performed in FIG.
Is the same as the processing in step S107 shown in FIG.

In the following step S203, of the content data stored in the flash memory 206, the content data selected and designated for check-in is read out and transferred to the personal computer 10. Personal computer 1
On the 0 side, a file name is given to the content data transferred from the player 20 by the processing of the subsequent step S204, and
Save to 7.

Next, on the player 20 side, step S20
By the process of 5, the encryption key for encrypting the content data to be checked in this time is read. The encryption key is, for example, the one stored by the player 20 in the flash memory 206 in accordance with the processing in step S116 shown in FIG. Then, the player 20 decrypts the read encryption key using its own storage key, encrypts the read encryption key with the communication key, and outputs the encrypted encryption key to the personal computer 10.

In the process of step S206, the personal computer 10 receives the encryption key transmitted from the player 20 in step S205, decrypts the received encryption key with the communication key, and further stores the stored encryption key. Encrypt with a key. Then, in the next step S207, the personal computer 10 obtains, in addition to the file name of the content data saved in the previous step S204, file information such as the title and artist name that the user has input through the GUI operation, and the above-mentioned step S206. Register the encryption key and the like encrypted in the current content database. Then, in the subsequent step S208, the hash value of the entire content database is updated. That is, a hash value corresponding to the content database whose contents have been rewritten by the process of step S207 is calculated and stored in, for example, the ROM 103.

In the next step S209, the personal computer 10 notifies the player 20 that the encryption key has been saved, and requests the player 20 to delete the content data checked in this time. Then, in the player 20, the above-described step S209 is performed.
In response to the communication from the personal computer 10 as above, the content data checked in this time is deleted from the content data stored in the flash memory 206 by the processing in step S210. This means that the content data has been moved from the player 20 to the personal computer 10. That is, an operation as check-in is obtained.

6. Mutual Authentication Processing and Power Control Processing Next, the mutual authentication processing previously shown as step S107 in FIG. 10 and step S202 in FIG. 12 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS.
In the present embodiment, when the authentication is not obtained as a result of the mutual authentication processing, the supply control of the USB power is performed. Here, the processing for the power supply control is also included. . Here, the processing on both the personal computer 10 side and the player side is shown, and the personal computer 10 executes steps S301 to S301.
The process of S311 is executed, and the player 20 proceeds to step S3
The processing of 21 to S332 (or S333) is executed. Further, as the processing shown in this figure, the processing on the personal computer 10 side is executed by the CPU 1 according to the authentication program 338.
02 is executed by the CPU 201.
Is executed by controlling the authentication processing block 204. USB power supply control in the personal computer 10 according to the authentication processing result is executed according to the power supply control program 340.

In the mutual authentication process, first, a random number Na is generated on the personal computer 10 side by the process of step S301 in FIG.
At 302, the ID of the personal computer 10,
The key category number G and the random number Na are stored in the player 20
Execute the process for sending to.

On the other hand, the player 20 determines in step S321
Generates a random number Nb. In the next step S322, the ID of the personal computer 10 transmitted from the personal computer 10, the category number G of the key,
And the random number Na. Then, the next step S3
At 23, from the key category number G, the master key K
The key number j of Ma is obtained.

Further, on the player 20 side, the j-th master key KMa
[J], and in the next step S325, the master key KM
A key Kab is calculated by applying a hash function based on a [j]. Further, the following step S326
, A random number R1 is calculated by applying a hash function based on the key Kab to the random number Na, the random number Nb, and the ID of the personal computer 10. Further, a random number Sb is generated in the next step S327.

Then, in the next step S328, the random number Na and the random number N
A control process for transmitting b, the key number j, and the random number Sb to the personal computer 10 is executed. After the process in step S328, the player 20 returns to FIG.
The process proceeds to step S329.

In the personal computer 10, the processing in step S32 is performed by the processing in step S303.
8, the random number N transmitted from the player 20
a, a random number Nb, a key number j, and a random number Sb.
Thereafter, the personal computer 10 proceeds to step S304 in FIG.

In the next step S304, the personal computer 10 receives and obtains the key number j
On the basis of the above, a process for obtaining the key Kab included in the individual key KIa is executed. In the next step S305,
The random number R2 is calculated by applying a hash function based on the key Kab to the currently held random number Na, random number Nb, and the ID of the personal computer 10 itself.

Then, in the next step S306,
In the personal computer 10, the received random number R1
And whether the random number R2 generated in step S305 is equal to or not. Here, if a positive result is obtained, the player who is the opponent of the mutual authentication is determined to be the regular player 20. In this case, the process proceeds to step S307 and subsequent steps. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained, the player on the other side of the mutual authentication is not authenticated as the authorized player 20. In this case, the process proceeds to step S311. The processing in step S311 will be described later.

[0109] In step S307, the personal computer 10 generates a random number Sa.
A random number R3 is calculated by applying a hash function based on the key Kab. Further, in the next step S309,
The random number R3 and the random number Sa are transmitted and output to the player 20. In step S310, a temporary key Ks is obtained by applying a hash function based on the key Kab to the random numbers Sa and Sb.

On the other hand, on the player 20 side, step S3
By the process at 29, the random number R3 and the random number Sa transmitted from the personal computer 10 in the process at step S309 are received, and at the next step S330,
A random number R4 is calculated by applying a hash function based on the key Kab to the random number Nb and the random number Na.

Then, in a succeeding step S331, it is determined whether or not the received random number R3 is equal to the random number R4 generated in the step S330.
Here, when it is determined that the random number R3 is not equal to the random number R4, the partner personal computer 10 does not perform authentication as a device in which, for example, a legitimate content management application is installed. Then, for example, by ending the subsequent processing here, for example, check-in and check-out with the unauthorized personal computer 10 currently connected are not performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S331 that the random number R3 is equal to the random number R4, the personal computer 10 is authenticated as a device in which a legitimate content management application is installed, and the process of step S332 is performed. It is made to advance to. Note that when authentication is not performed in step S331, it is possible to perform calibration so as to proceed to step S333, which will be described later.

In step S332, a temporary key Ks is obtained by applying a hash function based on the key Kab to the random numbers Sa and Sb. In this manner, when the mutual authentication process is performed and both are authenticated, the temporary key Ks, which is a common communication key, can be obtained between the personal computer 10 and the player 20 as described above. .

As a process on the personal computer 10 side, the process proceeds to step S311 executed when the player 20 is not authenticated, and a process for controlling the supply of USB power on the personal computer 10 side is executed.

Various controls can be considered for the supply control of the USB power in step S311 according to the present embodiment. Therefore, some practical examples of power supply control that can be considered in the system of the present embodiment will be described below.

For one, as the processing in step S311, the CPU 102 turns off the switch 110a (see FIG. 6) in the USB driver 110, for example. That is,
The operation of supplying USB power to the player via Vbus is stopped. Then, for example, the subsequent processing is not executed. That is, transmission and reception of content data performed after the mutual authentication process are not performed.

When the processing as step S311 is performed, for example, in addition to the fact that data communication is not performed by software with the non-authorized player on the other side, the USB power supply The supply will also be stopped. As a result, for example, an illegal player can be more firmly excluded than when data communication is simply prohibited by software control, and copyright protection is accordingly enhanced.

[0117] Firstly, after stopping the operation of supplying USB power to the player via Vbus in the same manner as described above in step S311, as shown by the broken line in FIG. , The process returns from step S311 to step S407. In other words, by continuing the subsequent processing, even if the opponent player is unauthorized, if the data communication processing is possible, the processing is executed.

In this case, for example, if the unauthorized player can be driven by a battery,
Data communication will be enabled. That is, the content data can be checked out only during a certain period while the remaining battery power remains. In other words, in this case, contrary to the above, protection against unauthorized players is loosened,
Accordingly, convenience for the user is intended.

The following USB power control is also conceivable. Although illustration of the specific configuration of the power supply circuit system for this purpose is omitted, for example, the processing in step S311
USB supplied via V bus of B interface
The power supply voltage of the power supply is reduced to a predetermined level lower than a prescribed level. For example, on the player side, when writing out the checked out content data to a medium such as a flash memory, and when reading out and playing back the content data from the medium, writing requires more power. Is common.
Therefore, if the voltage level supplied as the USB power supply is controlled to be reduced as described above, the player can only play back the content data and cannot write to the medium. You. That is, it is possible to obtain a limiting operation in which only the recording operation on the player side is prohibited. In this manner, in the present embodiment, it is possible to realize various forms of copyright protection by controlling the USB power supply.

Further, for example, on the player 20 side,
It is possible to perform USB power control. That is, as shown in step S333 as the processing on the player 20 side in FIG. 14, if the personal computer 10 is not authenticated as being authentic in step S331, for example, the USB power supply supplied to the player 20 side Is not supplied to the internal circuit. For this, for example, C
By controlling the PU 201, the operation of the regulator 216a may be stopped. Alternatively, the power supply PW ·
The voltage level of U may be reduced until reproduction is possible but recording is not possible. Also USB
When the supply of power to the internal circuit is stopped, whether or not the power supply PW / B using the battery 216 as a power source is supplied to the internal circuit is determined, for example, to what extent copyright protection is actually performed. It may be determined in consideration of circumstances. In any case, if you do the above, you will be able to check in using an unauthorized personal computer,
It is possible to give a restriction to the user who is going to check out, thereby protecting the copyright.

The present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the above embodiment, but may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the embodiment, the personal computer and the portable audio player transmit and receive data as check-in / check-out, but the plurality of devices that transmit and receive data are not limited to these. For example, instead of a personal computer, a dedicated EMD-compatible device set with a portable audio player may be used. In addition, the media supported by the portable audio player is not limited to the built-in flash memory. For example, in addition to a memory element that can be inserted into and removed from the main body, various types of disk media may be used. It is. Further, the audio player is not limited to a portable type, for example, and may be a stationary audio player. Also, as an interface for transmitting and receiving data between these devices, USB
The present invention can be applied to any interface that can supply power together with data. Furthermore, the checkout processing, the checkin processing, and the mutual authentication processing illustrated in each drawing may be appropriately changed.

[0122]

As described above, according to the present invention, for example, a personal computer and a portable audio player are connected by a data interface capable of supplying power such as a USB, and the copyright of audio data and the like should be protected. In an information transmitting and receiving system in which data is transmitted and received by copying or moving, and power is supplied from a personal computer to a portable audio player, mutual authentication is performed between the two devices. Is done. In accordance with the result of the authentication, the power supplied through the data interface is controlled. That is, according to the present invention, by controlling the power supply according to the authentication result, the data transmission / reception operation and the like are limited. This allows
For example, a data transmission / reception restriction operation having a certain degree of flexibility can be obtained as compared with a case where data transmission / reception control or function restriction control is performed only by software processing according to an authentication result. In other words, copyright protection with various levels can be easily realized by a hardware method of power supply control. Further, according to the present invention, since data transmission / reception is restricted by hardware, it is possible to reduce, for example, a processing load of software.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a data transmission / reception system as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a use form of the data transmission / reception system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating check-in / check-out rules in the data transmission / reception system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a personal computer and a player which are data transmission / reception systems of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating functions of a content management application installed on a personal computer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply circuit system of the personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power supply circuit system of the player.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of content data.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a content database.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation for checkout.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing operation for checkout.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing operation for check-in.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a mutual authentication process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a mutual authentication process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 EMD server, 2 networks, 10 personal computers, 20 portable audio players,
32 USB connector, 102 CPU, 107 hard disk, 110 USB driver, 111 USB
Connector, 114 Power supply unit, 201 CPU, 204
Authentication processing block, 206 flash memory, 207
DSP, 216 power supply circuit, 217 battery, 31
4 Content database, 338 authentication program, 340 power control program

Claims (3)

[Claims] A first storage unit capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information; a first storage unit capable of transmitting / receiving information to / from a connected external electronic device; and capable of supplying power to the connected external electronic device. A first electronic device comprising: a first electronic device, a first electronic device including: a first electronic device; a second storage device capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information; A second connection unit capable of transmitting and receiving information including the content information to and from a device, and inputting power supplied from the first electronic device and supplying the power to an internal circuit; And a mutual authentication processing means for performing mutual authentication processing on the first electronic equipment and the second electronic equipment connected by the first connection means and the second connection means. According to the authentication result of the above mutual authentication process. Te, information transmission and reception system, characterized in that it comprises a power supply control means for controlling the power supply from the first electronic device to the internal circuit of the second electronic device. 2. A storage unit capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information, a connection unit capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from a connected external electronic device, and supplying power to the connected external electronic device; Mutual authentication processing means for performing mutual authentication processing with respect to the external electronic device connected by the connection means, and power control means for controlling power supply to the external electronic device according to an authentication result of the mutual authentication processing, An electronic device comprising: 3. A storage means capable of storing a plurality of pieces of content information, transmitting and receiving information to and from a connected external electronic device, and inputting power supplied from the connected external electronic device to an internal circuit. A supply unit that can be supplied, a mutual authentication processing unit that performs a mutual authentication process on the external electronic device connected by the connection unit, and a supply from the external electronic device according to the authentication result of the mutual authentication process An electronic apparatus, comprising: a power control unit configured to control supply of power to an internal circuit.