Method and apparatus for providing secured content distribution

• US 20060069645A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Annie, Tang, Lawrence, Okimoto, John
• Application Number:
  US11/216,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069645A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• 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 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing secured content distribution using a media hub is disclosed. In one embodiment, conditional access encrypted content is received at the media hub. The conditional access encrypted content is decrypted. The content is re-encrypted in accordance with a unique tier associated with the media hub and one or more devices in response to a request from at least one device associated with the unique tier. The re-encrypted content is provided to the at least one device in response to the request from the at least one device associated with the unique tier. A method and apparatus for providing secured content distribution is disclosed. In one embodiment, unit addresses (UAs) of all components within a home media architecture are obtained. A unique key is generated for the home media architecture using public information from the UA of each component. A message including the unique key is distributed to each component of the home media architecture. A method and apparatus for providing secured content distribution is disclosed. In one embodiment, UAs of all decoders within a home media architecture are obtained. A unique key is generated for the home media architecture using public information from the UA of each decoder. A message including the unique key is distributed to each decoder of the home media architecture.

Claims

1. A method of providing secured content distribution using a media hub, comprising:

receiving conditional access encrypted content at the media hub;

decrypting the conditional access encrypted content;

re-encrypting the content in accordance with a unique tier associated with the media hub and one or more devices in response to a request from at least one device associated with the unique tier;

in response to said request from at least one device, providing the re-encrypted content to the at least one device associated with the unique tier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more devices comprises one or more media terminals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, storing the decrypted content in a personal video recorder.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein storing the decrypted content comprises:

personal video recorder encrypting the decrypted content; and

storing the content on the personal video recorder.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, retrieving the content from the personal video recorder.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein retrieving the content comprises:

decrypting the personal video recorder encrypted content; and

providing the content to the media hub.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when re-encrypting said content, said media hub creates a program rekey message using said unique tier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said re-encrypted content is re-encrypted using a conditional access encryption technique.

9. An apparatus for providing secured content distribution, comprising:

means for receiving conditional access encrypted content;

means for decrypting the conditional access encrypted content;

means for re-encrypting the content in accordance with a unique tier associated with the apparatus and one or more devices in response to a request from the one or more devices associated with the unique tier;

means for providing the re-encrypted content to the one or more devices in response to said request from the one or more devices associated with the unique tier.

10. A method of providing secured content distribution, comprising:

obtaining a unit address for each component within a home media architecture;

generating a unique key for the home media architecture using public information from the unit address of each component; and

distributing a message including said unique key to each component of said home media architecture.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said unique key is encrypted using a public portion of the UA of said component.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said unique key comprises a digital video recorder key.

13. An apparatus for providing secured content distribution, comprising:

a headend component for obtaining unit addresses of all components within a home media architecture;

said headend component generating a unique key for the home media architecture using public information from the unit address of each component; and

headend component distributing a message including said unique key to each component of said home media architecture.

14. A method of providing secured content distribution, comprising:

obtaining a unit address for each decoder within a home media architecture;

generating a unique key for the home media architecture using public information from the unit address of each decoder; and

distributing a message including said unique key to each decoder of said home media architecture.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said unique key is encrypted using a public portion of the UA of said component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said unique key comprises a digital video recorder key.

17. An apparatus for providing secured content distribution, comprising:

a media hub for obtaining unit addresses of all media terminals within a home media architecture;

said media hub generating a unique key for the home media architecture using public information from the unit address of each media terminal; and

said media hub distributing a message including said unique key to each media terminal of said home media architecture.