Information encryption device and encryption method

• US 20010009580A1
• Filed: 01/24/2001
• Published: 07/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ikeda, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US09/768,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009580A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

An information processor that receives information that is distributed from an external information source and that stores and uses said distributed information comprises a unique information storage means, an encryption means, and a decoding means. The unique information storage means stores unique information that is not duplicated in devices other than a predesignated information processor. The encryption means encrypts the received distributed information using the unique information as an encryption key. The decoding means decodes data that have been encrypted by the encryption means with unique information that corresponds to the encryption key as the decoding key. The unique information storage means can be constituted as a read-only storage medium that permits only reading of the unique information that has been stored. The encryption key and the decoding key may be identical. The information processor is further provided with a storage device for storing data that have been encrypted. The storage medium that is installed in the storage device may be a storage medium such as a hard disk that cannot be removed, or may be an interchangeable or removable storage medium such as magnetic tape or an optical disk.

Claims

1. An information encryption device that receives information distributed from an external information source, encrypts the information, stores the encrypted information, and, when using the information, decrypts the encrypted information, said information encryption device including an information processor, comprising:

a unique information storage means for storing a first unique information item that specifies exclusively a predesignated information encryption device and a second unique information item that corresponds to said first unique information item;

an encryption means for encrypting said distributed information that has been received with said first unique information item as an encryption key; and

a decoding means for decoding the information that has been encrypted by said encryption means with a second unique information item as a decoding key.

2. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

wherein said unique information storage means is a read-only storage medium that permits only reading of said unique information items that have been stored.

3. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

wherein said encryption key and said decoding key are identical.

4. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

, further comprising a data storage means for storing information that has been encrypted by said encryption means

5. An information encryption device according to

claim 4

wherein said data storage means is constituted such that the storage medium into which encrypted information is written is inexchangeably fixed in the information processor.

6. An information encryption device according to

claim 4

wherein said storage means is constituted such that a storage medium into which encrypted data are written is interchangeably installed in the information processor.

7. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

, further comprising a network interface means for taking in said distributed information.

8. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

wherein said first unique information item includes unique information item that is stored before said information processor reaches a user.

9. An information encryption device according to

claim 1

wherein said unique information storage means is provided with a register.

10. An information encryption device according to

claim 8

wherein said first unique information item is a serial number that is assigned to that information processor.

11. An information encryption method that encrypts, to devices other than a predesignated information processor, distributed information that is distributed from an external information source for the purpose of using said information, comprising the steps of:

defining, as an encryption key, a first unique information item that is not duplicated in devices other than said predesignated information processor;

defining, as a decoding key, a second unique information item that corresponds to said encryption key;

when encrypting said distributed information, encrypting said distributed information with said first unique information item as the encryption key; and

when decoding said encrypted data, decoding said encrypted information with said second unique information as the decoding key.