METHODS, INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, AND RECEPTION APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING CONTENT

• US 20150007215A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: FAY, Luke, CANDELORE, Brant, ZUSTAK, Frederick J., SHINTANI, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,980,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• 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 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10

Abstract

An information providing system, reception apparatus, and methods thereof are provided for protected content data. The method for providing the protected content data includes generating or receiving the protected content data, and generating a digital television broadcast signal including at least one data field sync segment and the protected content data. The digital television broadcast signal is provided to a reception apparatus. The at least one data field sync segment carries information necessary to identify a framing structure of the digital television broadcast signal and includes one of security information for accessing the protected content data and a location of the security information.

Claims

1. A method of an information providing system for providing protected content data to a reception apparatus, the method comprising:

generating or receiving the protected content data;

generating, by a signal generator of the information providing system, a digital television broadcast signal including at least one data field sync segment and the protected content data; and

providing the digital television broadcast signal to the reception apparatus, wherein

the at least one data field sync segment carries information necessary to identify a framing structure of the digital television broadcast signal and includes one of security information for accessing the protected content data and a location of the security information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

each of the at least one data field sync segment is defined by 832 symbols and includes a reserved portion corresponding to symbols 729 to 820, and

at least a portion of the security information or location of the security information is included in the reserved portion of one of the at least one data field sync segment.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the security information or location of the security information is included within symbols 729 to 810 of the at least one data field sync segment.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein

symbols 1 to 4 define a data segment sync that identifies the beginning of each of the at least one data field sync segment,

symbols 5 to 515 define a 511-symbol pseudo-random sequence,

symbols 516 to 704 define three 63-symbol pseudo-random sequences, and

symbols 705 to 728 define identify a vestigial sideband modulation (VSB) mode of the digital television broadcast signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the entire security information or location of the security information is included in one data field sync segment.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital television broadcast signal includes a plurality of data field sync segments and the protected content data, each of the plurality of data field sync segments including a different portion of the security information or location of the security information.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing error correction encoding on the protected content data prior to performing the step of generating the digital television broadcast signal.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to claim 1.

9. An information providing system, comprising:

a content subsystem configured to generate or receive protected content data;

a signal generator configured to generate a digital television broadcast signal including at least one data field sync segment and the protected content data; and

a transmission subsystem configured to provide the digital television broadcast signal to a reception apparatus, wherein

the at least one data field sync segment carries information necessary to identify a framing structure of the digital television broadcast signal and includes one of security information for accessing the protected content data and a location of the security information.

10. The information providing system according to claim 9, wherein

each of the at least one data field sync segment is defined by 832 symbols and includes a reserved portion corresponding to symbols 729 to 820, and

at least a portion of the security information or location of the security information is included in the reserved portion of one of the at least one data field sync segment.

11. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the security information or location of the security information is included within symbols 728 to 810 of the at least one data field sync segment.

12. The information providing system according to claim 10, wherein

symbols 1 to 4 define a data segment sync that identifies the beginning of each of the at least one data field sync segment,

symbols 5 to 515 define a 511-symbol pseudo-random sequence,

symbols 516 to 704 define three 63-symbol pseudo-random sequences, and

symbols 705 to 728 define identify a vestigial sideband modulation (VSB) mode of the digital television broadcast signal.

13. The information providing system according to claim 9, wherein the entire security information or location of the security information is included in one data field sync segment.

14. The information providing system according to claim 9, wherein the digital television broadcast signal includes a plurality of data field sync segments and the protected content data, each of the plurality of data field sync segments including a different portion of the security information or location of the security information.

15. The information providing system according to claim 9, further comprising:

an error correction encoder configured to perform error correction encoding on the protected content data prior to the digital television broadcast signal being generated by the signal generator.

16. A method of a reception apparatus for receiving protected content data, the method comprising:

receiving, by the reception apparatus, a digital television broadcast signal including the protected content data and at least one data field sync segment;

extracting the at least one data field sync segment, which carries information necessary to identify a framing structure of the digital television broadcast signal and includes one of security information for accessing the protected content data and a location of the security information,

retrieving the security information from the location of the security information, when the security information is not included in the at least one data field sync, and

accessing the protected content data using the security information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein

each of the at least one data field sync segment is defined by 832 symbols and includes a reserved portion corresponding to symbols 729 to 820, and

at least a portion of the security information or location of the security information is included in the reserved portion of one of the at least one data field sync segment.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to claim 16.

19. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a tuner configured to receive, a digital television broadcast signal including protected content data and at least one data field sync segment;

a demodulator configured to extract the at least one data field sync segment, which carries information necessary to identify a framing structure of the digital television broadcast signal and includes one of security information for accessing the protected content data and a location of the security information; and

processing circuitry configured to

retrieve the security information from the location of the security information, when the security information is not included in the data field sync, and

access the protected content data using the security information.

20. The reception apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

each of the at least one data field sync segment is defined by 832 symbols and includes a reserved portion corresponding to symbols 729 to 820, and

at least a portion of the decryption key or location of the decrypted content is included in the reserved portion of one of the at least one data field sync segment.