Patent ID: 8640219

Claim:
A method for accessing digital rights managed (DRM) content from a server using a portable playback device, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection with a multifunction computing device capable of operating as a gateway device for passing data between the portable playback device and the server; requesting that the multifunction computing device establish a connection with the server and operate as a proxy for operating as a pass through device for enabling direct end to end data exchange, without interpreting the data, between the portable playback device and the server, wherein the multifunction computing device operates as a proxy without maintaining a secure relationship with the portable playback device; sending to the server, upon establishing the connection with the server via the multifunction computing device operating as a proxy, a listing of the DRM solutions supported by the portable playback device, and a list comprising requested DRM content to be downloaded to the portable playback device; receiving from the server, via the multifunction computing device operating as a proxy, the requested DRM content and DRM rules associated with the received content; and playing back the received DRM content in accordance with the received DRM rules.