METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MUTUALLY AUTHENTICATING A USER DEVICE OF A PRIMARY SERVICE PROVIDER

• US 20090158414A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chaudhry, Kapil
• Granted Patent: US 9,692,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

A system and method for communicating between a secondary content provider and a user device includes a primary service provider having an authentication server of a primary service provider authenticating the user device. The primary service provider provides primary content to the user device. The system also includes a supplemental service provider. The authentication server authenticates the service provider. The user device and the supplemental service provider mutually authenticate each other. Thereafter, the supplemental service provider communicates supplemental content to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

authenticating a user device with an authentication server of a primary service provider;

authenticating a supplemental service provider with an authentication server of a primary service provider;

mutually authenticating the user device with the supplemental service provider; and

after mutually authenticating, communicating directly between the supplemental service provider and the user device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating primary content from the primary service provider to the user device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating directly between the supplemental service provider and the user device comprises communicating supplemental content from the supplemental service provider and the user device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a user device with an authentication server comprises authenticating the user device with an authentication server by providing a certificate from the authentication server to the user device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a user device with an authentication server comprises authenticating the user device with an authentication server by providing a root certificate from the authentication server to the user device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a supplemental service provider with an authentication server comprises signing a supplemental service provider certificate provided from the supplemental service provider at the authentication server.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein prior to signing a supplemental service provider certificate provided from the supplemental service provider at the authentication server, signing the service provider certificate at an intermediate authentication authority.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a user device with an authentication server comprises authenticating a satellite television receiving unit with an authentication server.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a user device with an authentication server comprises authenticating a mobile user device with an authentication server.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein authenticating a user device with an authentication server comprises authenticating a mobile satellite television receiving device with an authentication server.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein mutually authenticating the user device with the supplemental service provider comprises mutually authenticating the user device with the supplemental service provider using a transmission control protocol.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein mutually authenticating the user device with the supplemental service provider comprises mutually authenticating the user device with the supplemental service provider using secure sockets layer protocol on the transmission control protocol.

13. A method comprising:

communicating a root certificate request from a user device to an authentication server;

communicating a root certificate from an authentication server to the user device;

storing the root certificate in the user device;

communicating a request to sign a supplemental service provider certificate from a supplemental service provider to the authentication receiver,

signing the supplemental service provider certificate at the authentication server to form a signed supplemental service provider certificate;

communicating a request for authentication and the supplemental service provider certificate between the supplemental service provider and the user device; and

communicating the root certificate from the user device to the supplemental service provider.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein communicating a request for authentication and communicating the root certificate comprises communicating using a transmission control protocol.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein communicating a request for authentication and communicating the root certificate comprises communicating using secure sockets layer protocol on the transmission control protocol.

16. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein communicating a root certificate request from a user device comprises communicating the root certificate request from a satellite television receiver.

17. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein communicating a root certificate request from a user device to an authentication server comprises communicating the root certificate request from the user device to the authentication server at a primary service provider.

18. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein obtaining a root certificate comprises obtaining the root certificate from a root certificate database.

19. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein obtaining a root certificate comprises obtaining the root certificate from a root certificate database at a primary service provider.

20. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein prior to communicating a request to sign a supplemental service provider certificate, communicating a request for an intermediate signature from an intermediary certification authority.

21. A system comprising:

a user device;

a primary service provider having an authentication server authenticating the user device, said primary service provider providing primary content to the user device;

a supplemental service provider;

said authentication server authenticating the service provider;

said user device and said supplemental service provider mutually authenticating each other; and

said supplemental service provider communicating supplemental content to the user device through a network.

22. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the supplemental service provider directly communicates supplemental content to the user device.

23. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the authentication server communicates a certificate from the authentication server to the user device.

24. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the authentication server communicates a root certificate from the authentication server to the user device.

25. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein the authentication server authenticates the supplemental service provider by signing a supplemental service provider certificate and communicating the signed supplemental service provider certificate to the supplemental service provider.

26. A system as recited in claim 25 further comprising an intermediate authentication authority signing the supplemental service provider certificate.

27. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the network comprises a telephone network.

28. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the network comprises a broadband network.

29. A system as recited in claim 21 further comprising a satellite communicating primary content to the user device from the primary service provider.

30. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the user device comprises a satellite television set top box.

31. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the user device comprises a mobile user device.