Methods and apparatus to protect content in home networks

• US 20070265973A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kahn, Raynold
• Application Number:
  US11/433,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/57
• 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]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to protect content in home networks are disclosed. An example system includes a media server, a broadcast system and a client. An example media server includes a security device to determine a copy protection code word based on a first encrypted version of a key, an encrypter to encrypt content data based on the copy protection code word, an interface to send a second encrypted version of the key and at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data to the client, wherein the client is to decrypt the at least one of the content data or the encrypted content data based on the second encrypted version of the key. An example broadcast system includes a conditional access system to provide the first and the second encrypted versions of the key to the media server and a transmitter to send the content data to the media server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media server, wherein the media server comprises;

a security device to determine a copy protection code word based on a first encrypted version of a key;

an encrypter to encrypt content data based on the copy protection code word; and

an interface to send a second encrypted version of the key and at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data to a client, wherein the client is to decrypt the at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data based on the second encrypted version of the key; and

a broadcast system comprising;

a conditional access system to provide the first and the second encrypted versions of the key to the media server; and

a transmitter to send the content data to the media server.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the content data sent by the transmitter is at least one of broadcast encrypted or super-encrypted.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a broadcast transmitter and the content data sent by the broadcast transmitter is broadcast encrypted.

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a point-to-point communication signal transmitter and the content data sent by the point-to-point communication signal transmitter is broadcast encrypted and super-encrypted.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first encrypted version of the key, a value provided by the conditional access system, a value received from the transmitter, a constant, a random number or a content identifier determines a seed, the seed used to determine the copy protection code word.

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the media server and the client are geographically co-located.

7. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the media server and the client are connected via an Internet-based public network.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the broadcast transmitter is at least one of a satellite broadcast transmitter, a wireless broadcast transmitter, a wired broadcast transmitter, a cable television broadcast transmitter, an Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) radio frequency broadcast transmitter, a Multi-channel Multi-point Distribution System (MMDS) broadcast transmitter, a Local Multi-point Distribution System (LMDS) broadcast transmitter, an Internet-based broadcast transmitter, a cellular broadcast transmitter, a power-line broadcast signal, a fiber optic broadcast transmitter, or any point-to-point or multicast Internet Protocol (IP) delivery mechanism.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the media server and the client are communicatively coupled via at least one of a home network, an Ethernet connection, a universal serial bus connection, a serial connection, a Firewire connection or a parallel connection.

10. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the conditional access system provides an encrypted version of a second key to the media server, wherein the media server sends the encrypted version of the second key to the client, and wherein the client additionally decrypts the at least one of the encrypted content data, the content data or a decrypted version of the at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data based on the encrypted version of second key.

11. A system as defined in claim 10, wherein the client comprises:

a second security device at the client to determine a code word based on the encrypted version of the second key; and

a decrypter at the client to additionally decrypt the at least one of the encrypted content data, the content data or a decrypted version of the at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data using the code word.

12. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the media server further comprises a computer readable media to store the received first and second encrypted versions of the key.

13. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the client comprises:

a second security device at the client to determine a second copy protection code word based on the second encrypted version of the key; and

a decrypter at the client to decrypt the at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data using the second copy protection code word.

14. A system as defined in claim 13, wherein the second copy protection code word is the copy protection code word.

15. A system as defined in claim 13, wherein the client further comprises an interface to receive the second encrypted version of the key and the at least one of the encrypted content data or the content data.

16. A system as defined in claim 13, wherein the client further comprising an interface to receive a seed from the media server, the seed used by the client to determine at least one of the copy protection control word or the second copy protection code word.

17. A method comprising:

receiving from a broadcast system headend a first encrypted version of a key and a second encrypted version of the key;

determining an encryption secret based on the key;

encrypting content data with the encryption secret; and

providing the second encrypted version of the key to a client, wherein the client is configured to decrypt the encrypted content data with a second encryption secret based on the second encrypted version of the key.

18. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein the second encryption secret is the encryption secret.

19. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first encrypted version of the key, a value provided by the conditional access system, a value received from the transmitter, a constant, a random number or a content identifier determines the encryption secret based on the key.

20. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein determining the encryption secret based on the key comprises:

decrypting the first encrypted version of the key; and

scrambling a seed number with the decrypted first encrypted version of the key.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein scrambling is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or cryptographically hashing.

22. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the seed number is at least one of a content identifier, a value provided by the conditional access system, a value received from the transmitter, a constant or a random number.

23. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the seed number is unknown to the broadcast system headend.

24. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising receiving the content data, wherein the content data is encrypted by the broadcast system headend based on the key.

25. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising storing the first and second encrypted versions of the key.

26. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein the first encrypted version of the key is not decryptable by the client.

27. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein decrypting the encrypted content data based on the second encrypted version of the key comprises:

decrypting the second encrypted version of the key;

scrambling a seed number with the decrypted second encrypted version of the key; and

decrypting the encrypted content data with the scrambled seed number.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein scrambling is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or a cryptographically hashing.

29. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the client receives the seed number from the media server, and wherein the scrambled seed number is the encryption secret.

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

receiving from the broadcast system headend an encrypted second key; and

providing the encrypted second key to the client, wherein the client is configured to additionally decrypt a decrypted version of the encrypted content data based on the second key.

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

receiving from the broadcast system headend a second encryption secret, wherein the second encryption secret is used by the broadcast system headend to encrypt the content data; and

providing an encrypted version of the second encryption secret to the client, wherein the client is configured to additionally decrypt a decrypted version of the encrypted content data based on the second encrypted version of the key and the encrypted version of the second encryption secret.

32. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein providing the encrypted second encryption secret to the client comprises:

receiving from the broadcast system headend an encrypted version of a second key;

encrypting the second encryption secret with the second key; and

sending a result of the encryption to the client.

33. A method as defined in claim 17, further comprising storing the encrypted content data on a computer readable storage device.

34. A method comprising:

receiving from a broadcast system headend an encrypted version of a first key;

receiving super-encrypted content data; and

decrypting the super-encrypted content data based on the encrypted version of the first key.

35. A method as defined in claim 34, wherein decrypting the super-encrypted content data based on the encrypted version of the first key comprises:

decrypting the encrypted version of the first key;

scrambling a seed number with the decrypted version of the first key, wherein scrambling is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or a cryptographically hashing; and

decrypting the super-encrypted content data with the scrambled seed number.

36. A method as defined in claim 35, further comprising:

receiving the seed number from the broadcast system headend; and

decrypting the super-encrypted content data with the scrambled seed number.

37. A method as defined in claim 36, wherein the seed number received from the broadcast system headend comprises a first secret encrypted using the first key;

wherein scrambling the seed number comprises decrypting the encrypted first secret with a decrypted version of the first key; and

wherein decrypting the super-encrypted content data comprises decrypting the super-encrypted content data using the decrypted version of the first secret.

38. A method as defined in claim 34, further comprising:

receiving from the broadcast system headend an encrypted version of a second key; and

additionally decrypting a decrypted version of the super-encrypted content data based on the second key.

39. A method as defined in claim 38, further comprising:

receiving from the broadcast system headend a second secret, wherein the second secret is used by the broadcast system headend to broadcast encrypt content data; and

additionally decrypting the decrypted version of the super-encrypted content data based on the second key and the second secret.

40. A method as defined in claim 39 wherein a media server:

receives the encrypted version of the first key, the super-encrypted content data, the encrypted version of the second key and the second secret; and

provides the encrypted version of the first key, the super-encrypted content data, the encrypted version of the second key and the second secret to a client, the client to additionally decrypt a decrypted version of the super-encrypted content data based on the second key and the second secret.

41. A method as defined in claim 34, wherein a media server receives the encrypted version of the first key and the super-encrypted content data, and provides the encrypted version of the first key and the super-encrypted content data to a client, the client to decrypt the super-encrypted content data based on the encrypted version of the first key.

42. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein the media server receives a seed number from the broadcast system headend, and provides the received seed number to the client, the client to scramble the seed number and decrypt the super-encrypted content data with the scrambled seed number, wherein the scrambling of the seed number is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or a cryptographically hashing of the seed number using a decrypted version of the first key.

43. A method as defined in claim 42, wherein the seed number received from the broadcast system headend comprises a first secret encrypted using the first key;

wherein scrambling the seed number comprises decrypting the encrypted first secret with a decrypted version of the first key; and

wherein decrypting the super-encrypted content data comprises decrypting the super-encrypted content data using the decrypted version of the first secret.

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

receive from a broadcast system headend a first encrypted version of a key and a second encrypted version of the key;

determine an encryption secret based on the key;

encrypt content data with the encryption secret; and

provide the second encrypted version of the key to a client, wherein the client is configured to decrypt the encrypted content data based on the second encrypted version of the key.

45. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 44, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine an encryption secret based on the key by:

decrypting the first encrypted version of the key; and

scrambling a seed with the decrypted key, wherein scrambling is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or a cryptographically hashing.

46. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 44, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to decrypt the encrypted content data based on the second encrypted version of the key by:

decrypting the second encrypted version of the key;

scrambling a seed number with the decrypted key, wherein scrambling is at least one of encrypting, decrypting or a cryptographically hashing; and

decrypting the encrypted content data with the scrambled seed number;

47. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 46, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to provide the seed to the client.

48. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 44, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive from the broadcast system headend a second encryption secret, wherein the second encryption secret is used by the broadcast system headend to broadcast encrypt the content data; and

provide an encrypted version of the second encryption secret to the client, wherein the client is configured to decrypt the encrypted content data based on the key and the second encryption secret.