DATA TRANSMITTING APPARATUS AND DATA TRANSMITTING METHOD

• US 20020044654A1
• Filed: 08/05/1998
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: FUJIIE, KAZUHIKO, MAEDA, YASUAKI
• Application Number:
  US09/129,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20020044654A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/19 on transmission of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication

Abstract

The present invention is a data transmitting apparatus and a method thereof. According to the present invention, with a compatibility to a conventional digital audio interface, a digital audio signal is bidirectionally transmitted. By encrypting data to be transmitted, the security of digital audio data can be improved.

Claims

1. A data transmitting apparatus having a first digital unit and a second digital unit, a connector of the first digital unit and a connector of the second digital unit being connected with a cable,

wherein the first digital unit has:

bidirectional interface means for transmitting/receiving data through the cable;

encoding means for encoding a message transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit into a predetermined data sequence;

decoding means for decoding a data sequence received through said bidirectional interface means into a message transmitted from the second digital unit to the first digital unit; and

encrypting means for encrypting a digital signal transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit,

wherein the second digital unit has;

bidirectional interface means for transmitting/receiving data through the cable;

encoding means for encoding a message transmitted from the second digital unit to the first digital unit into a predetermined data sequence;

decoding means for decoding a data sequence received through said bidirectional interface means into a message transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit; and

decrypting means for decrypting an encrypted digital signal received from the first digital unit, and

wherein when a digital signal is transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit, a message including encryption information is bidirectionally exchanged between the first digital unit and the second digital unit.

2. The data transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a message including encryption information is exchanged between the first digital unit and the second digital unit in such a manner that the first digital unit transmits a public key to the second digital unit, the second digital unit transmits a common key encrypted with the public key to the first digital unit, the first digital unit decrypts the common key encrypted with the public key and encrypts the digital signal with the common key.

3. The data transmitting apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the predetermined data sequence corresponds to one sector of CD-ROM format.

4. A data transmitting method of a first digital unit and a second digital unit, a connector of the first digital unit and a connector of the second digital unit being connected with a cable, comprising the steps of:

(a) encoding a message transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit into a predetermined data sequence;

(b) decoding a received data sequence into a message transmitted from the second digital unit to the first digital unit;

(c) encrypting a digital signal transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit;

(d) encoding a message transmitted from the second digital unit to the first digital unit into a predetermined data sequence;

(e) decoding the received data sequence into a message transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit; and

(f) decrypting an encrypted digital signal received from the first digital unit,

wherein the steps (a) to (c) are performed by the first digital unit and the step (d) to (f) are performed by the second digital unit, and

wherein when a digital signal is transmitted from the first digital unit to the second digital unit, a message including encryption information is bidirectionally exchanged between the first digital unit and the second digital unit.

5. The data transmitting method as set forth in claim 4,

wherein a message including encryption information is exchanged between the first digital unit and the second digital unit in such a manner that the first digital unit transmits a public key to the second digital unit, the second digital unit transmits a common key encrypted with the public key to the first digital unit, the first digital unit decrypts the common key encrypted with the public key and encrypts the digital signal with the common key.

6. The data transmitting method as set forth in claim 4,

wherein the predetermined data sequence corresponds to one sector of CD-ROM format.