Data exchange system with conditional access on a data transfer network

• US 20050223094A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Bouvet, Bertrand
• Application Number:
  US10/510,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20050223094A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A data exchange system on a data transfer network (2) between a receiver station (6) and a data (I*) server (4) with conditional access, wherein data exchanges over the network (2) are managed and authorized by a control server (20). The control server (20) is associated with: automatic elements (7, 22, 24) forming a catalogue of useable access instruments, accessible to a user of the receiver station (6) for selection, by the user, of one of the access instruments; automatic elements (26) for determining corresponding control parameters of data exchange control over the network (2); and automatic elements (28) for controlling data exchanges over the network (2) based on the thus determined parameters.

Claims

1. A data exchange system over a data transfer network (2) between a receiver station (6) and a data (I*) server (4) with conditional access, in which the data exchanges over the network (2) are managed and authorized by a control server (20), characterized in that said control server (20) is associated with:

automatic means (7, 22, 24) forming a catalog of usable access instruments accessible by a user of said receiver station (6) for the selection, by this user, of one of these access instruments;

automatic means (26) for determining corresponding parameters for control of the data exchanges over said network (2); and

automatic means (28) of data exchange control over this network (2) according to the parameters thus determined.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said means forming a catalog of usable access instruments comprise:

storage means (22) comprising a predetermined list of access instruments (10) authorized for access to said conditional access data (I*);

data acquisition means (7, 9) relating to the constitution and operation of the system and of the elements composing it; and

means (24) of establishment of the catalog of usable access instruments from at least said list of authorized instruments and of said acquired data relating to the system.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said acquisition means comprise means of analysis (7) of the receiver station, suitable for delivering:

data relating to the nature of the receiver station (6); and

/or

data relating to the exchange capabilities of the receiver station (6).

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said acquisition means comprise means of connection (9) between the receiver station (6) and the network, suitable for delivering:

data relating to the means of connection between the receiver station (6) and the network (2); and

/or

data relating to the time of the exchanges.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said control server (20) is associated with means (36) of remote interrogation of said connection means (9) to obtain said data.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said means (26) of determining the exchange control parameters are connected to means (22) of storing data concerning conditions of access to said data with conditional access (I*) and to means (16) of storing exchange authorization data (18) associated with the selected access instrument to establish said exchange control parameters.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said means (26) of determination of the exchange control parameters are also connected to means (8) of supervision of the operation of the receiver station (6), in order to receive, from said means, data relating to the state of activity and/or to the operation of said receiver station (6).

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said means (8) of supervision are formed by software means initially stored in the system and transmitted to said receiver station (6) on which they reside throughout the data exchanges.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said exchange authorization data associated with the selected access instrument (10) correspond to one of the elements in the group consisting:

of temporal credit data;

of monetary credit data;

of fixed charge credit data;

of data volume credit data; and

of billing data.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a user management server (14) comprising at least one database (16) containing said exchange authorization data associated with the access instruments (10).

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that said user management server is a server of a provider of access to said data transfer network (2) connecting said receiver station (6) to said network (2).

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that said user management server (14) is a server controlling the physical means of connection of the receiver station (6) to the data transfer network (2).

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that it comprises means of determining a user identifier (12) associated with said access instruments (10) in order to allow the identification by said user management server (14) of a corresponding user account.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that said means of determining a user identifier (12) are automatic means of identification of the receiver station (6).

15. The system as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that said means of determining a user identifier (12) are means of manually inputting an identifier.

16. The system as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that it comprises means (19) of debiting said exchange authorization data (18), associated, thanks to said user identifiers (12), with said used access instrument (10), in order to debit these data (18) according to the data exchanges.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that said debiting means comprise a telephone debiting server (32) connected to another network (30) of the telephone type, said server (32) being accessible by said control server (20), through a programmable call controller (34) and the user management server (14).

18. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said data exchange control means (28) are suitable for being interposed between said data server (4) and said receiver station (6) in order directly to control all the data exchanges between them.

19. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said data exchange control means (28) are interrogated periodically by said receiver station (6) in order to transmit to it or not an authorization for access to the data of said data server (4).