Method and apparatus for on demand video and other content rental

Abstract

A video on demand system in the context of the Internet, for video rentals. A user accesses an on-line store to rent a video program or movie. The rental is for a limited time (such as 30 days) and within that thirty days, the video program or movie can only be viewed for a 24 hour time window. The time limits are enforced by the on-line store which maintains a database of each rental transaction and allows supply of the needed keys for decrypting the (encrypted) video or movie only if within the time limits.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 transmitting a request for content to a server;   receiving at least a portion of the content from the server in an encrypted form;   receiving a rental key from the server, the rental key being valid for a first period of time during which play back of the content can be initiated;   upon transmitting, to the server, a request to initiate play back of the content within the first period of time, receiving, from the server, a decryption key that enables play back of the content over a second period of time; and   receiving, based at least in part on the first period of time associated with the rental key and the second period of time associated with the decryption key, at least another portion of the content in encrypted form during the second period of time.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 decrypting the at least the portion of the content using the decryption key; and   presenting, the decrypted at least the portion of the content.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first period of time is thirty days and the second period of time is twenty-four hours. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the decryption key is transmitted in a key bag data structure. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the key bag data structure stores a plurality of decryption keys for decrypting a plurality of portions of the content in the encrypted form. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the decryption key is not received when the request to initiate play back of the content is transmitted after the first period of time has expired. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 receiving a security policy along with the decryption key, wherein the security policy specifies at least one of: a maximum number of times the decryption key may be used to decrypt the at least the portion of the content over the second period of time, or a maximum number of client devices on which the decryption key may be used to decrypt the at least the portion of the content.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the content comprises video content. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the second period of time is different than the first period of time. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein, during the second period of time, the decryption key enables play back of the content without communication with the server. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein, during the second period of time, the decryption key enables play back of the content only when in communication with the server while play back occurs. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein receiving the at least the other portion of the content comprises receiving a content stream that includes the at least the other portion of the content. 
     
     
         29 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations, the code comprising:
 code to transmit a request associated with accessing content to a server;   code to receive, from the server in response to the request, a rental key that is valid for a first period of time during which play back of the content can be initiated;   code to, upon transmitting, to the server, a request to initiate play back of the content within the first period of time, receive, from the server, a decryption key that enables play back of the content over a second period of time; and   code to receive at least a portion of the content in an encrypted form; and   code to decrypt the at least the portion of the content during the second period of time using the decryption key.   
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the code further comprises:
 code to display the decrypted at least the portion of the content during the second period of time.   
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the code further comprises:
 code to receive a security policy along with the decryption key, wherein the security policy specifies at least one of: a maximum number of times the decryption key may be used to decrypt the at least the portion of the content over the second period of time, or a maximum number of client devices on which the decryption key may be used to decrypt the at least the portion of the content.   
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the content comprises video content. 
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the second period of time is different than the first period of time. 
     
     
         34 . A device comprising:
 a memory; and   at least one processor configured to:
 transmit a request for time-limited access to content; 
 receive, responsive to the request, the time-limited access to the content, wherein the time-limited access comprises a first time period for initiating access to the content and a second time period for accessing the content after initiating access within the first time period; 
 initiate access to the content within the first time period; and 
 access at least a portion of the content within the second time period. 
   
     
     
         35 . The device of  claim 34 , wherein the content is encrypted and the at least one processor is further configured to:
 receive a decryption key for accessing the content; and   decrypt the at least the portion of the content using the decryption key to access the at least the portion of the content within the second time period.   
     
     
         36 . The device of  claim 34 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 access the at least the portion of the content within the second time period by receiving the at least the portion of the content streaming from a server.