Method and apparatus for content protection in a personal digital network environment

• US 20070220279A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optimum Content Protection LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Image, Inc. (Lattice Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Seung, Northcutt, J., Lyle, James, Hanko, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,702,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03356 Baseband transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03522 Frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03159 operating in the frequency domain H04L25/03165, H04L25/03178 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer

Abstract

In some embodiments, the invention is a personal digital network (“PDN”) including hardware (sometimes referred to as Ingress circuitry) configured to transcrypt encrypted content that enters the PDN. Typically, the transcryption (decryption followed by re-encryption) is performed in hardware within the Ingress circuitry and the re-encryption occurs before the decrypted content is accessible by hardware or software external to the Ingress circuitry. Typically, transcrypted content that leaves the Ingress circuitry remains in re-encrypted form within the PDN whenever it is transferred between integrated circuits or is otherwise easily accessible by software, until it is decrypted within hardware (sometimes referred to as Egress circuitry) for display or playback or output from the PDN. Typically, the PDN is implemented so that no secret in Ingress or Egress circuitry (for use or transfer by the Ingress or Egress circuitry) is accessible in unencrypted form to software or firmware within the PDN or to any entity external to the PDN. Other aspects of the invention are methods for protecting content in a PDN (e.g., an open computing system) and devices (e.g., multimedia graphics cards, set top boxes, or video processors) for use in a PDN.

Claims

1-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A device configured for use in a personal digital network, said device including:

lockbox circuitry; and

egress hardware configured to decrypt controlled content, thereby generating a plaintext version of the content, and to output at least one of the plaintext version of the content and a processed version of said plaintext version of the content, wherein the device is configured to store data indicating that the device is an authorized element of the personal digital network, and the lockbox circuitry is configured to perform an exchange with external lockbox circuitry in which said lockbox circuitry obtains said data from the external lockbox circuitry.

60. (canceled)

61. A device configured for use in a personal digital network, said device including:

lockbox circuitry; and

ingress hardware configured to transcrypt content that enters the device, thereby generating controlled content, wherein the device is configured to store data indicating that the device is an authorized element of the personal digital network, and the lockbox circuitry is configured to perform an exchange with external lockbox circuitry in which said lockbox circuitry obtains said data from the lockbox circuitry.

62-117. -117. (canceled)