Digital content cryptograph and process

Abstract

A digital cryptograph and encryption process encrypts and transmits in a digital format specific items of information requested by a user of a digital content transmission system by using key information, a user's key and a temporary validation key, to decrypt and replay the encrypted digital information at the user's terminal by using the key information and the user's authorization information. Each registered subscribing user is provided with unique key information. The user key is generated by applying the key information to a key generation algorithm. The temporary validation key that is created when the registered user accesses the server, is encrypted with the user key. The digital information is encrypted by using the temporary validation key in an encryption algorithm. The decryption algorithm allows the user to decrypt and replay the encrypted digital information upon receipt of the key information that has a one-to-one correspondence to the identity characters of the registered subscribing user.

1 . An apparatus for providing digital information while preserving transmission security in a transmission system having a terminal unit for conditionally accessing the digital information using key information, comprising a service server having an encryption algorithm, said service server producing the key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, encrypting the digital information using the key information and the encryption algorithm, and outputting the key information and the encrypted digital information receivable by the terminal unit.  
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the service server further includes a key generation algorithm responsive to the key information for generating a user key, said user key being used for encrypting a temporary validation key, and said temporary validation key being used for encrypting the digital information.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the service server outputs a protocol comprising a header which comprises the encrypted digital information and user authorization information including the temporary validation key, said user authorization information being generated using the user key.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the protocol is a copyright protection protocol.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said service server further comprises: 
 an interface for receiving the identity characters output from the terminal unit;    a key information generator for producing the key information corresponding to the identity characters;    a user key generator responding to the key information for generating the user key to encrypt the temporary validation key;    a temporary validation key generator for generating the temporary validation key in response to a digital content request signal that is input through the interface;    a user authorization information generator responding to the user key to generate the user authorization information;    a header generator responding to the user authorization information for generating the header; and    a protocol format generator for adding the encrypted digital information to the header to generate the protocol.    
   
   
       6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said service server further comprises a database for storing a plurality of identity characters corresponding to registered users, said database being used by the key information generator for comparison with the identity characters of the user to determine whether the user is a registered user.  
   
   
       7 . An apparatus for providing digital information while preserving transmission security in a transmission system having a terminal unit for conditionally accessing the digital information using key information, comprising: 
 a host server responsive to identity characters of a user for producing the key information corresponding to the identity characters of the user; and    a service server having an encryption algorithm, said service server encrypting the digital information using the key information and the encryption algorithm, and outputting the key information and the encrypted digital information receivable by the terminal unit.    
   
   
       8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the host server comprises: 
 a database for storing a plurality of identity characters of users and corresponding key information; and    a key information generator for determining whether the identity characters of the user is stored in the database, said key information generator generating the key information in response to the database not including the identity characters of the user, and/or producing the key information from the database in response to the database including the identity characters of the user.    
   
   
       9 . An apparatus for receiving digital information while preserving transmission security in a transmission system having a service server for encrypting the digital information using key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, and outputting the key information and the encrypted digital information, comprising a terminal unit having a decryption algorithm, said terminal unit outputting the identity characters of the user receivable by the service server, receiving the key information corresponding to the identity characters of the user and the encrypted digital information, and decrypting the encrypted digital information using the decryption algorithm and the key information.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the terminal unit further includes a key generation algorithm responsive to the key information for generating a user key, said user key being used for decrypting a temporary validation key, said temporary validation key being used for decrypting the encrypted digital information.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the terminal unit further comprises: 
 an interface for receiving the key information and the encrypted digital information;    a user authority identifier for reading a header of a protocol, the header comprising the encrypted digital information and user authorization information including the temporary validation key, said user authority identifier utilizing the key information for obtaining the user key and identifying whether the user is authorized to receive the digital information by analyzing the user authorization information with the user key;    a temporary validation key decryptor for decrypting the temporary validation key by using the user key; and    a digital content decryptor for decrypting the encrypted digital information by using the temporary validation key decrypted by the temporary validation key decryptor.    
   
   
       12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the protocol is a copyright protection protocol.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the terminal unit includes a network access program and is connected to a network, public switched telephone network, or a wireless network.  
   
   
       14 . An apparatus for encoding a protocol for a service server used to transmit digital information while preserving transmission security in a transmission system having a terminal unit for conditionally accessing the digital information, comprising a protocol generator for generating a copyright protection protocol by utilizing key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, said copyright protection protocol including encrypted digital information and a header having information for decrypting the encrypted digital information.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein: 
 the protocol format generator generates a user key by applying the key information to a key generation algorithm, calculates a hash value by applying the user key to a hash algorithm, and utilizes the user key to encrypt a temporary validation key used to encrypt the digital information, and    the header further includes user authorization information with the hash value and the encrypted temporary validation key.    
   
   
       16 . An apparatus for decoding a protocol for a terminal unit used to receive digital information while preserving transmission security in a transmission system having a service server including a protocol format generator for generating a copyright protection protocol by utilizing key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, said copyright protection protocol including encrypted digital information and a header having information for decrypting the encrypted digital information, the apparatus comprising a protocol format decoder for decrypting the encrypted digital information by using the key information corresponding to the identity characters of the user and the information of the header.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein the protocol format decoder generates a user key by applying the key information to a key generation algorithm, decrypts a temporary validation key transmitted within the copyright protection protocol, by using the user key, and decrypts the encrypted digital information with the temporary validation key.  
   
   
       18 . An apparatus for encrypting digital information to preserve transmission security in a transmission system having a service server for providing the encrypted digital information and a terminal unit for conditionally accessing the encrypted digital information, comprising a processing unit encrypting the digital information using an encryption algorithm and key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, said key information made available to the terminal unit to decrypt the encrypted digital information.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the processing unit generates a user key and a temporary validation key using the key information, encrypts the digital information using the temporary validation key, and encrypts the temporary validation key using the user key.  
   
   
       20 . An apparatus for decrypting encrypted digital information in a transmission system having a service server for providing the encrypted digital information and a terminal unit for conditionally accessing the encrypted digital information, comprising a processing unit decrypting the encrypted digital information using a decryption algorithm and key information corresponding to identity characters of a user, said encrypted digital information being digital information requested and/or authorized by the user that is encrypted by using the key information.  
   
   
       21 . The apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein: 
 the digital information is encrypted using a temporary validation key generated by using the key information and is included in a protocol for the terminal unit,    the temporary validation key is encrypted using a user key generated by using the key information and is included in the protocol, and    the processing unit generates the user key using the key information, decrypts the encrypted temporary validation key using the user key, and decrypts the encrypted digital information using the decrypted temporary validation key.