Patent ID: 7269577
Filing Date: 2007-09-11
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L,H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A data structure of a digital ticket for use with a system for controlling digital content, the digital content having usage rights persistently associated with the digital content, the usage rights specifying one or more manners of use of the digital content and specifying a digital ticket, possession of the digital ticket being a condition that must be satisfied in order to exercise at least one of the manners of use, the system including an end user repository for enforcing the usage rights, said data structure comprising: a ticket identification portion referenced by a license including a usage right and used to associate the digital ticket with the usage right, wherein the usage right is assigned by a creator or subsequent distributor of the digital content and is persistently associated with the digital content; an agent type specification portion including addressing information for locating a ticket agent for punching the digital ticket based on the license; and a punch portion including information that is modified by the ticket agent to punch the digital ticket based on the license; wherein an end user in possession of the digital ticket is granted access to the digital content by an end user repository serving as the ticket agent having a ticket punching function and in accordance with at least one of the manners of use of the usage right in the license and specifying the digital ticket, the end user repository modifies the punch portion of the digital ticket based on the granted access to the digital content, if the end user repository confirms said ticket identification portion referenced by the usage right, and the end user repository enforces use of the digital content based on the usage right persistently associated with the digital content.