Patent ID: 8359654

Claim:
A method of acquiring and consuming protected digital content that is protected by a DRM scheme, the method comprising: acquiring from a remote device, with a local storage device coupled to a host device, the protected digital content, wherein the protected digital content is acquired after a successful conclusion of a mutual authentication of the local storage device and the remote device, wherein the remote device is external to the host device and the local storage device and is included in a network, wherein the host device comprises a network interface providing the host device access to the network, and wherein acquiring the protected digital content comprises: prompting the host device, with the remote device, to use the network interface to establish a communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path, or prompting the host device, with the local storage device, to use the network interface to establish the communication path between the local storage device and the remote device, wherein once the communication path is established by the host device there is no further intervention by the host device except to maintain the communication path; and logically interacting, with the local storage device, over the communication path with the remote device, wherein the logical interaction is invisible to the host device; securely storing, with the local storage device, the acquired protected digital content in a memory array of the local storage device, wherein the acquiring and the securely storing are each in accordance with the DRM scheme and neither are initiated by a host device file system of the host device; and consuming the protected digital content by, converting at least some of the securely stored protected digital content into a digital data stream, and streaming the digital data stream with the local storage device, wherein if the digital data stream is protected by the DRM scheme, the local storage device enforces a usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme; wherein the local storage device streams the digital data stream to an agent external to the local storage device, and wherein when the usage restriction associated with the DRM scheme includes an access restriction, the external agent can process the digital data stream only if the external agent is an authenticated external agent having access credentials acceptable to the DRM scheme.