Methods and apparatus to conditionally authorize content delivery at broadcast headends in pay delivery systems

• US 20070265967A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Basse, Hanno, Kahn, Raynold, Klauss, Peter, Popoli, Maria, Kidd, Deanna, Dulac, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64715 Protecting content from unauthorized alteration within the network verifying the information received for network security in communication control or processing H04L63/12; integrity in wireless network security H04W12/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to conditionally authorize content delivery at broadcast headends in pay delivery systems are disclosed. An example method includes generating a broadcast signal, receiving an authorization request to download a program from a receiver station, determining an authorization for the download and sending the authorization to a point-to-point content delivery server.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a broadcast system to transmit a broadcast signal;

an interface to receive an authorization request and to send an authorization result to an Internet-based content server; and

a conditional access system to determine the authorization result based on the authorization request message.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization request contains information identifying a receiver station, and wherein the authorization result is determined based on the identifying information.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is transmitted to the Internet-based content server.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the conditional access system is configured to determine an encryption code, wherein the encryption code is included in the authorization result message.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional access system is configured to determine at least one of an encryption code or a seed, and wherein the interface is configured to send the least one of the encryption code or the seed to a receiver station.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is signed.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the signature is based on at least one of a secret key or a private signing key.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is sent via a receiver station.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional access system is configured to determine a client private key and a certified public key, wherein the authorization request is a client registration, and wherein the authorization result includes at least one of the client private key or the certified public key.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a billing system to receive a download report from at least one of a receiver station or the Internet-based content server.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the conditional access system or the interface is geographically separate from the broadcast transmitter.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional access system, the interface and the broadcast transmitter are co-located.

13. A method comprising:

generating a broadcast signal;

receiving an authorization request to download a program from a receiver station;

determining an authorization for the download; and

sending the authorization to a point-to-point content delivery server.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the authorization request contains information identifying the receiver station, and wherein the authorization is determined based on the identifying information.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the authorization is transmitted to the point-to-point content delivery server.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

determining an encryption secret; and

sending the encryption secret to the point-to-point content delivery server.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

determining a seed, wherein the encryption secret is determined from the seed; and

sending the seed the receiver station.

18. A method as defined in claim 16, further comprising sending the encryption secret to the receiver station.

19. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the authorization is signed.

20. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the authorization is sent via the receiver station.

21. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

determining a client private key;

determining a certified public key, wherein the authorization request is a client registration, and wherein the authorization includes at least one of the client private key or the certified public key.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, further comprising receiving a download report from at least one of the receiver station or the point-to-point content delivery server.

23. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting a content request to the point-to-point content delivery server; and

receiving the program from the point-to-point content delivery server.

24. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising storing the program on a computer readable storage device in the receiver station

25. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the authorization;

receiving a request to download the program from the receiver station; and

transmitting the program to the receiver station via an Internet-based network.

26. A method as defined in claim 25, further comprising:

receiving an encryption code; and

encrypting the program with the encryption code.

27. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to:

generate at least one of a satellite broadcast signal or a cable television broadcast signal;

receive an authorization request to download a program from a receiver station;

determine an authorization for the download; and

send the authorization to a point-to-point content delivery server.

28. An article of manufacture in claim 27, wherein the authorization is transmitted to the point-to-point content delivery server.

29. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, further comprising:

determining an encryption secret; and

sending the encryption secret to the point-to-point content delivery server.

30. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 29, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to send the encryption secret to the receiver station.

31. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 29, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

determine a seed, wherein the encryption secret is determined from the seed; and

send the seed to the receiver station

32. An article of manufacture in claim 27, wherein the authorization is signed.

33. An article of manufacture in claim 27, wherein the authorization sent via the receiver station.

34. An article of manufacture in claim 27, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

determine a client private key;

determine a certified public key, wherein the authorization request is a client registration, and wherein the authorization includes at least one of the client private key or the certified public key.