Conditional access via secure logging with simplified key...

Details Conditional access via secure logging with simplified key... Conditional access via secure logging with simplified key...

1999-04-14

2004-05-18

Peeso, Thomas R. (Department: 2132)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support

Data processing protection using cryptography

Tamper resistant

C713S193000, C380S201000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06738905

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for allowing a subscriber to access information from several information providers, usually for a fee. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for allowing a subscriber to obtain access to individual programs where the subscriber is only charged for the programs which have been accessed. The present invention also pertains to a method and apparatus for allowing a subscriber to obtain access to a package of programs in a uni-directional communication with the program service provider.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some types of information broadcast systems are commonly known. One type is an over the air broadcast by use of UHF and VHF signals which can be freely obtained by anyone who can pick up such signals with an appropriate antenna. These systems generate revenue by selling airtime for commercial broadcasts. A second type of system is subscription system where a subscriber subscribes to the broadcast system which is provided, for example, through a cable line or a satellite dish.
The subscription systems protect the content of the information in the broadcast from being read by non subscribing cable or satellite dish users by complex encryption schemes. Such schemes often use a new encryption method for every discrete period of time within the broadcast, i.e. every 3 seconds. These schemes also commonly require the subscriber to have a conditional access module (CAM) which receives and decrypts the encrypted content data. In order for the CAM to decrypt the information, ECMs (Entitlement Control Messages) are interleaved with data packets containing the content information which instruct the CAM how to decrypt the content information. However, in typical subscription broadcast systems, the subscriber is only able to subscribe to one information provider, i.e. they are single subscription systems. Generally, the CAM of one information provider will not be able to interpret the ECMs of another information provider. This limits the subscriber's ability to freely choose programs since the subscriber is only able to receive the programs offered by one particular information provider.
One solution is for the subscriber to subscribe to several different information providers. This would require the subscriber to have a CAM for each provider and to be charged separately by each provider. Additionally, a subscriber may have access to several information providers in his/her geographic region, such as, several local broadcast service providers and cable service providers. Clearly, this is an expensive and highly undesirable choice.
Another solution is known as SIMULCRYPT, in which the ECMs of a plurality of information providers are interleaved throughout the content of the broadcast. This allows different service providers to use the same content information, thus sharing their resources. However, SIMULCRYPT does not provide the subscribers any more flexibility since the CAM of the subscriber can only interpret one of the ECMs, i.e. only the ECM of their information provider. Another problem of SIMULCRYPT is that it involves a high degree of cooperation between competing broadcasters, such as requiring competing broadcasters to provide confidential ECM information to be broadcast on the broadcast mechanisms.
Furthermore, the advent of HDTV (high definition TV) will likely enable traditional air broadcast information providers to provide subscription air broadcasts, since digital data in the broadcast could easily be encrypted using known techniques. A single broadcaster is expected to be able to allocate their HDTV broadcast channel (provided to the broadcasters by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)) into as many as four, or more, air broadcast channels. Additionally, many of those channels may be encrypted for subscription channels, i.e. up to three of the HDTV channels. Since there are often at least four television networks which broadcast in single geographic area, the number of subscription information providers available to a single subscriber will greatly increase if each of the networks provides a plurality of subscription channels. This is even a greater problem for a subscriber who lives on a border between two geographic broadcast areas, such as between Baltimore and Washington D.C., and thus would potentially have to deal with twice as many subscription channels from twice as many information providers. It would be very inconvenient for a subscriber to subscribe to each of these subscription channels since the subscriber would need to have several different CAMs to decrypt the several different channels, and the subscriber would have to pay each of the several. different information providers.
One possible solution is for the networks to closely cooperate with each other, trading ECMs and encryption equipment. Thus, the CAM provided by one network, for example ABC, would be able to decrypt the content information provided by other networks, and ABC could collect the subscription fee from the subscriber and redistribute the appropriate amounts to the other networks. However, such a solution appears to require a very high degree of cooperation and trust, neither of which are likely to exist in the competitive broadcast industry. For example, if the security of another network, such as NBC, was compromised, ABC would have little incentive to repair any ABC CAMs to correct the security breach affecting NBC. Additionally, the degree of cooperation would multiply to provide subscribers on a border of adjacent broadcast areas with the same service.
A proposed solution for obtaining access to encrypted broadcast data is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,571 to Katznelson. Katznelson disclose a process for obtaining access to encrypted information stored on a disc by using an authorization and key distribution terminal (service provider) to send the decryption keys to the customer, after the customer has requested such keys in a customer initiated communication. However, in this proposed solution, the customer must contact the service provider prior to accessing any discs (information), thus offline operations and/or a unidirectional operations are not possible. Additionally, it may be a great inconvenience to the customer to request access every time it is desired, since such request would take additional time and effort by the customer, both of which may be significant depending on the speed and availability of connection to the service provider.
Another approach to obtaining access to encrypted broadcasted information is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,951 to Dolphin. Dolphin discloses a procedure wherein a disc (CD-ROM) containing a plurality of encrypted magazines is distributed to customers, who are able to access the individual magazines to which they have a corresponding key stored on a PCMCIA card. If the customer does not have the corresponding key on their PCMCIA card, then they can contact a service provider for such key. However, this proposal is per publisher based; that is, there is no procedure for providing the customer access to magazines published by several different publishers. In fact, the only way that the user could get magazines from other publishers is to have competing publishers share confidential encryption information, and share billing receipts with each other. This is an undesirable business procedure, since a publisher will not be able to truly compete with its competitors. Another related drawback of this proposal is that the customer has very limited flexibility in choosing which magazines to access, since the customer is limited to the particular magazines which happen to be stored on the CD-ROM distributed by the publisher.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide subscribers with a cost effective method for providing a plurality of subscription services in a geographic area.
It is another object of the invention to provide subscribers at the borders of adjacent broadcast area

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