Secure distribution of video on-demand

• US 20040091109A1
• Filed: 10/28/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Goode, Christopher, Son, Yong Ho
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23473 by pre-encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive information distribution system for providing secure distribution of video-on-demand content. The interactive information distribution system includes at least one programming source for storing at least one partially encrypted video program, and a distribution center including a remote server. The remote server stores the at least one partially encrypted video program received from the at least one programming source. The remote server also processes the partially encrypted video program corresponding to a subscriber requested video program to produce a fully encrypted video program. A subscriber-side distribution network, coupled to the distribution center, causes transmission of the fully encrypted video program to the requesting subscriber.

Claims

1. An interactive information distribution system, comprising:

at least one programming source for storing at least one partially encrypted video program;

a distribution center comprising a remote server, said remote server storing said at least one partially encrypted video program received from said at least one programming source, and said remote server processing said partially encrypted video program corresponding to a subscriber requested video program to produce a fully encrypted video program; and

a subscriber-side distribution network coupled to the distribution center, for causing transmission of the fully encrypted video program to the requesting subscriber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said remote server causes transmission of a decryption key to said requesting subscriber via said subscriber-side distribution network, said decryption key being necessary to decrypt said fully encrypted video program.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fully encrypted video program is encrypted according to a public key associated with said requesting subscriber, said public key having associated with it a private key necessary to decrypt said fully encrypted video program.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fully encrypted video program is encrypted according to a private key associated with said requesting subscriber, said private key having associated with it a public key necessary to decrypt said fully encrypted video program.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fully encrypted video program is encrypted according to a public key, said public key having associated with it a private key necessary to decrypt said fully encrypted video program, said apparatus further comprising:

said remote server transmitting said private key to said requesting subscriber.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said public key is encrypted prior to transmission to said requesting subscriber.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said fully encrypted video program is transmitted to said requesting subscriber via a first communications channel and said decryption key is transmitted to said requesting subscriber via a second communications channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fully encrypted video program is encrypted according to a Data Encryption Standard (DES).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said remote server multiplexes said fully encrypted video program and other signals to create a multiplexed signal for transmission to said requesting subscriber.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one programming source comprises at least one of a television broadcasting source, a premium broadcast source, and a video-on-demand source.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said distribution center is coupled to said at least one programming source via a provider side distribution network.