Method and apparatus for implementing revocation in broadcast networks

• US 20060271492A1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brant L. Candelore, Mark Eyer
• Original Assignee: Brant L. Candelore, Mark Eyer
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Eyer, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1076 Revocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• 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 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2585 Generation of a revocation list, e.g. of client devices involved in piracy acts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A method of revoking a descrambling privilege for copy controlled content to a host device is provided. The method includes receiving copy controlled content at a conditional access module. A revocation list is also received at the module. The method includes determining whether the host device associated with the module is on the list. If so, the conditional access module will not descramble the content.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A method comprising:

receiving copy controlled content;

receiving a revocation list corresponding to a given range of host identifiers;

verifying that an identifier of a digital device within the range of host identifiers;

determining whether the digital device is on the revocation list; and

if the digital device is determined to be on the revocation list, denying the copy controlled content to the digital device.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the revocation list is received in band as part of a digital bitstream including the copy controlled content after the identifier of the device is verified to be within the range of the identifiers for the revocation list

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the revocation list is received out of band from the copy controlled content.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein determining whether the digital device is on the revocation list list is received in band as part of a digital bitstream including the copy controlled content.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the receiving of the revocation list comprises receiving a plurality of revocation lists, each of the plurality of lists corresponds to a predetermined range of host identifiers.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the verifying that the identifier of the host device is within the range of host identifiers comprises determining which revocation list of the plurality of revocation lists comprises a range of host identifiers within which the identifier of the host device is bound.

45. The method of claim 39 further comprising allowing access to the copy controlled content if the digital device is not listed on the revocation list.

46. The method of claim 39, wherein prior to verifying that the identifier of the digital device is within the range of host identifiers, the method further comprises authenticating the revocation list as having a larger revocation list version number than a stored version number of a prior revocation list.

47. The method of claim 39, wherein the copy controlled content is denied to the digital device by not descrambling the copy controlled content.

48. The method of claim 39, wherein the digital device is selected from the group including of a set top box, television, video player, video recorder, hard disk player, hard disk recorder, personal computer, memory stick recorder, minidisk player, minidisk recorder, digital video disk (DVD) player, DVD Recorder, compact disk (CD) player and CD recorder.

49. The method of claim 39, further comprising conditionally descrambling the copy controlled content if the host identifier of the digital device is not on the revocation list.

50. A device for controlling access to copy controlled content, comprising:

a tuner to tune to selected frequency for receipt of the copy controlled content;

a demodulator unit coupled to the tuner, the demodulator unit to demodulate the copy controlled content; and

a unit configured to receive a plurality of revocation lists each corresponding to a different range of host identifiers and to determine whether an identifier of the device is within a range of any of the plurality of revocation lists, and if so, to (i) determine whether the identifier of the device on one of the plurality of revocation lists and (ii) deny the copy controlled content to the device if the identifier is listed on one of the plurality of revocations lists.

51. The device of claim 50, wherein the unit is a conditional access unit.

52. The device of claim 50, wherein the unit receives the plurality of revocation lists in band as part of a digital bitstream having the copy controlled content.

53. The device of claim 50, wherein unit receives the plurality of revocation lists out of band with the plurality of revocation lists being transmitted through a separate medium than the copy controlled content.

54. The device of claim 50, wherein the unit receives the plurality of revocation lists over a telephone line and the copy controlled content over either a cable or a wireless satellite transmission.

55. The device of claim 50 further comprising a processor coupled to the access unit.

56. The device of claim 55, wherein the processor to receive an enhancement control message, the enhancement control message including a key to descramble the copy controlled content.

57. The device of claim 56, wherein the unit receives the enhancement control message along with the copy controlled information and the processor transmits information to the unit to enable the unit to locate the enhancement control message.

58. The device of claim 50 further comprising:

a de-multiplexer unit coupled to the unit, the de-multiplexer unit to descramble the copy controlled content based on information provided by the unit.

59. The device of claim 58 further comprising:

a de-multiplexer unit coupled to the unit, the de-multiplexer unit to (i) separate system information within incoming program data received by the tuner where the program data includes the copy controlled content, and (ii) transmit audio and video information of the copy controlled content to a decoder unit.

60. The device of claim 50 further comprising:

a digital interface unit coupled to the unit, the digital interface unit to enable communications with digital components of an entertainment system including the device.

61. A method comprising:

verifying that an identifier of a device is within a range of identifiers associated with a revocation list;

performing an initial analysis by determining whether the device can be on the revocation list upon verification that the identifier of the device is within the range of the identifiers covered by the revocation list;

performing a secondary analysis and refraining from decoding encoded content received by the device if the identifier of the device is within the range of the identifiers and the device is determined to be on the revocation list.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the revocation list is received in band as part of a digital bitstream including encoded content.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the identifier is a host identifier being a numeric value.

64. The method of claim 61 further comprising performing the secondary analysis and allowing decoding of the encoded content if the identifier of the digital device is within the range of the identifiers and the digital device is determined to be on the revocation list.

65. The method of claim 61, wherein the encoded content is scrambled.