SYSTEMS, METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING UNAUTHORIZED USE IN A TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

• US 20090300773A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: PAL, Rajiv Singh Cullen
• Granted Patent: US 8,272,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44236 Monitoring of piracy processes or activities protecting computer platforms against harmful, malicious or unexpected behaviour or activities using intrusion detection and counter measures G06F21/566; computer virus detection and handling G06F21/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• 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

Systems, method and apparatus are described for reducing unauthorized usage in a television distribution system. A television receiver communicates with base stations of a wireless communication network. Based on the communications with the base station, the television receiver identifies its location and transmits the location information to a data collection system through the wireless communication network. The data collection system utilizes the location information to identify unauthorized uses of the television receiver.

Claims

1. A method for reducing unauthorized usage in a television distribution system, the method comprising:

exchanging communications between a television receiver of a television distribution system and a plurality of base stations of a wireless communication network;

identifying a location of the television receiver based on the communications;

transmitting location information regarding the location of the television receiver through the wireless communication network to a data collection system; and

detecting unauthorized usage of the television receiver based on the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unauthorized usage further comprises:

determining that the television receiver is not authorized to receive audio/video content from the television distribution system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting unauthorized usage further comprises:

determining that the television receiver is not authorized to receive audio/video content at the location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a disablement command to the television receiver responsive to detecting the unauthorized usage, the disablement command instructing the television receiver to disable the output of audio/video content.

5. A television receiver comprising:

an input module that receives audio/video content from a content source;

a processor communicatively coupled to the input module that outputs the audio/video content for presentation on a presentation device and that aggregates data regarding the output of the audio/video content; and

a wireless interface module communicatively coupled to the processor that communicates with a plurality of base stations of a wireless communication network to determine a location of the television receiver and that further transmits location information regarding the television receiver and the data to a data collection system through the wireless communication network.

6. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the location information indicates that the television receiver is not authorized to receive the audio/video content, and wherein the input module receives a command from the content source requesting disablement of output of the audio/video content by the television receiver.

7. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the information regarding the location of the television receiver indicates that the television receiver is not authorized for use at the location, and wherein the wireless interface module receives a command through the wireless communication network requesting disablement of output of the audio/video content by the television receiver.

8. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the input module receives a command identifying the audio/video content that the processor is authorized to output for presentation, the command generated based on the location information.

9. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the input module receives multiple advertisements, and wherein the input module selects at least one of the advertisements for output based on the location information.

10. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the processor detects that the wireless interface module has been disabled and responsively disables the output of the audio/video content.

11. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the wireless interface module is communicatively coupled to a wireless antenna integrated with a satellite antenna, and wherein the wireless interface module receives the first data through the wireless antenna.

12. A communication system comprising:

a data collection system; and

a television receiver including;

an input module that receives audio/video content from a content source;

a conditional access module communicatively coupled to the input module that determines whether the television receiver is authorized to output the audio/video content, and that further decrypts the audio/video content responsive to determining that the television receiver is authorized to output the audio/video content;

a processor communicatively coupled to the conditional access module that receives the decrypted audio/video content and that outputs the decrypted audio/video content for presentation on a presentation device and that aggregates data regarding the output of the decrypted audio/video content; and

a wireless interface module communicatively coupled to the processor that communicates with a plurality of base stations of a wireless communication network to determine a location of the television receiver and that further transmits location information regarding the television receiver and the data to a data collection system through the wireless communication network;

the data collection system processing the location information to determine whether the television receiver is authorized for use at the location, and that further generates a disablement command for transmission to the television receiver requesting disablement of the conditional access module responsive to determining that the television receiver is not authorized for use at the location.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the television receiver receives the disablement command through the input module.

14. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the television receiver receives the disablement command through the wireless interface module.

15. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the data collection system processes the location information to identify programming that the processor is authorized to output for presentation based on the location information, and that generates an entitlement command for transmission to the television receiver responsive to identifying the programming.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the television receiver receives the entitlement command through the input module.

17. The communication system of claim 12, further comprising:

a content source that transmits a plurality of advertisements to the input module;

the processor utilizing the location information to select at least one of the advertisements for output in association with the audio/video content.

18. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the processor detects that the wireless interface module has been disabled and responsively disables the output of the audio/video content.

19. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the data transmitted from the wireless interface module to the data collection system includes health information regarding the television receiver, and wherein the data collection system processes the health information to identify operational problems of the television receiver.

20. The communication network of claim 12, wherein the wireless communication network comprises a wireless telephone network.