Secure content enabled hard drive system and method

Abstract

The present invention facilitates convenient and secure distribution of proprietary content. A present secure content enabled drive system and method permits flexible use of storage medium for both protected distribution of information and user definable storage use. In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium includes an unprotected information portion, a protected information portion and a protection interface. The unprotected portion stores unprotected information. The protected content portion stores protected information. The protection interface protects information in the protected content portion from unauthorized access.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A reprogrammable non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising:
 an unprotected portion for storage of unprotected information; 
 a protected information portion for storing protected information, wherein said protected information portion resides on a host protection area which is restricted to access by a trusted device, wherein said computer readable storage medium is an Advanced Technology Attachment-5 (ATA-5) hard disk drive and each file on said protected information portion of said ATA-5 hard disk drive is encrypted in a special a two pass two-pass encryption comprising: 
 a first pass encryption using a real-time decryptable algorithm so content can be played back in real time; and 
 a second pass encryption which locks files while access is unauthorized; and 
 a protection interface for protecting information in said protected information portion, wherein said protection interface engages in a trusted device verification protocol that verifies identification information is associated with said trusted device and marks unlocked protected information to prevent access by an untrusted machine, wherein said mark is forwarded with said unlocked protected information to said trusted device. 
 
     
     
       2. A computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection interface permits seamless and intuitive interaction between said authorized information in said protected content and said unprotected information. 
     
     
       3. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and participates in a process to unlock said protected information. 
     
     
       4. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection interface includes instructions that direct a unified look and feel graphical user interface with content indicators corresponding to permissible content stored in said protected content portion. 
     
     
       5. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection interface includes a digital rights registry key that is utilized to track digital rights to said protected content. 
     
     
       6. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection portion includes its own partition and encrypted file system. 
     
     
       7. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 1  wherein said protection interface includes instructions for participating in said trusted device verification protocol. 
     
     
       8. A content protected storage medium method comprising:
 partitioning a reprogrammable non-transitory storage medium into a protected portion and an unprotected portion; 
 storing content in said protected portion wherein said protected portion resides on a host protection area which is restricted to access by a trusted device, wherein said computer readable storage medium is an Advanced Technology Attachment-5 (ATA-5) hard disk drive and each file on said protected portion of said ATA-5 hard disk drive is encrypted in a special a two pass two-pass encryption comprising: 
 a first pass encryption using a real-time decryptable algorithm so content can be played back in real time; and 
 a second pass encryption which locks files while access is unauthorized; and 
 loading a protection interface onto said storage medium, wherein said protection interface prevents unauthorized access to said content stored in said protected portion and marks an unlocked file with an indicator to prevent access by an untrusted machine, wherein said indicator is forwarded with said unlocked protected information to said trusted device. 
 
     
     
       9. A content protected storage medium method of  claim 8  further comprising encrypting said content in said protected portion. 
     
     
       10. A content protected storage medium method of  claim 8  further comprising decrypting said content in said protected portion. 
     
     
       11. A content protected storage medium method of  claim 8  wherein said protection interface provides operating system functions including memory management functions, hardware interaction functions, and user interface functions. 
     
     
       12. A content protected storage medium method of  claim 8  wherein said protection interface includes instructions for unlocking and decrypting said content in said protected portion. 
     
     
       13. A content protected storage medium method of  claim 8  wherein said protected portion interface includes instructions that direct a unified look and feel graphical user interface with content indicators corresponding to permissible content stored in said protected content portion. 
     
     
       14. A secure content enabled disk access system comprising:
 a secure content enabled disk, wherein said secure content enabled disk is partitioned into a protected portion and unprotected portion and said secure content enabled disk includes a protection interface for limiting access to proprietary content stored in said protected portion, wherein said secure content enabled disk is an Advanced Technology Attachment-5 (ATA-5) hard disk drive, wherein said protected portion stores secure content including protected information, wherein said protected portion resides on a host protection area which is restricted to access by a trusted device, wherein each file on a protected portion of said secure content enabled disk drive is encrypted in a special a two pass two-pass encryption comprising: 
 a first pass encryption using a real-time decryptable algorithm so content can be played back in real time; and 
 a second pass encryption which locks files while access is unauthorized, 
 wherein said protection interface permits authorized access to said protected content via a unified look and feel graphical user interface with content indicators corresponding to permissible content stored in said protected content portion; and 
 a processor for executing instructions, including instructions associated with interacting with said protection interface and accessing said proprietary content. 
 
     
     
       15. A secure content enabled disk access system of  claim 14  wherein access to said protected content is limited to a trusted device. 
     
     
       16. A secure content enabled disk access system of  claim 14  wherein said protected protection interface includes instructions for performing operating system functions, including memory management functions, hardware interaction functions, and user interface functions. 
     
     
       17. A secure content enabled disk access system of  claim 14  wherein said processor is graphics processing unit. 
     
     
       18. A computer readable storage medium comprising:
 an unprotected portion for storage of unprotected information;   a protected information portion for storing protected information, wherein said protected information portion resides on a host protection area which is restricted to access by a trusted device in accordance with a digital rights indicator; and   a protection interface for protecting information in said protected information portion, wherein said protection interface is operable to engage in a trusted device verification protocol that verifies identification information is associated with said trusted device and said protection interface is also operable to engage in a secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process, wherein said secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process comprises:   participating in establishing a communication link for communicating a digital rights indicator to a remote device;   engaging in a digital rights indicator revision authorization process for revising digital rights to a secure content enabled drive including a protected storage portion and a protection interface, wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and prevents unauthorized read and write access to content stored in said protected storage portion; and   forwarding a revised digital rights indicator for said secure content enabled drive device if said digital rights indicator revision authorization process is successful.   
     
     
       19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said protection interface is a micro kernel and participates in a process to unlock said protected information. 
     
     
       20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said protection interface provides operating system functions including memory management functions, hardware interaction functions, and user interface functions. 
     
     
       21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said protection interface includes a digital rights registry key that is utilized to track digital rights to said protected content. 
     
     
       22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein protection interface includes instructions for participating in trusted device verification protocol. 
     
     
       23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein each file on a protected portion of a drive is encrypted in a two-pass encryption comprising:
 a first pass encryption using a real-time decrypt able algorithm so content can be played back in real time; and   a second pass encryption which locks files while access is unauthorized.   
     
     
       24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said protection interface includes instructions for unlocking and decrypting said content in said protected portion. 
     
     
       25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, including said secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process, wherein said participating in establishing said communication link includes receiving a request for said revised digital rights indicator. 
     
     
       26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, including said secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process, wherein said digital rights indicator revision authorization process comprises:
 verifying a request for said revised digital rights indicator is from a valid requester;   determining if said valid requester has successfully completed a digital rights purchase process; and   creating a registry key corresponding to purchased digital access rights if said valid requester has successfully completed a digital rights purchase process.   
     
     
       27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, including said secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process, wherein said valid requester is a trusted machine. 
     
     
       28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, including said secure content enabled drive digital rights revision process, wherein said communication link is establish on the Internet.