Subscription card for a videotex receiver

• US 4,352,011 A
• Filed: 01/23/1980
• Issued: 09/28/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Etablissement Public de Diffusion DIT "Telediffusion de France", L'Etat Francais Represente PAR Le Ministre Des Postes et Telecommunications
• Original Assignee: Etablissement Public de Diffusion DIT "Telediffusion de France", L'Etat Francais Represente PAR Le Ministre Des Postes et Telecommunications
• Inventors: Guillou, Louis C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US06/114,515
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382, 235/492, 235/487, 358/115, 358/124
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• 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

A subscription card for videotex receivers, comprising:

(a) a support,

(b) means for processing the information, comprising in particular a control unit governing an arithmetical and logical unit and a live memory,

(c) an interface permitting exchanges between the card and the apparatus in which it is inserted (charging station or receiver), further comprising:

(d) a programmable memory comprising a plurality of locations for receiving numerical subscription blocks C_i,

(e) a dead memory containing instructions for proceeding with the recording and selection of said subscription blocks, and for carrying out a calculation,

(f) a calculation circuit receiving, from the receiver in which the card is inserted, numerical messages M_i and receiving from said programmable memory a numerical subscription block C_i, this circuit being adapted to work out an algorithm whose parameters are provided by the subscribers'"'"' keys C_i on instructions obtained from the second dead memory and delivering, after the calculation, a numerical signal representing an operating key K.

Claims

1. A subscription card, comprising:

a central unit constituted by an arithmetical and logical unit and a control unit governing said arithmetical and logical unit,

a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM),

a Random Access Memory (RAM) acting as a working memory,

a Read Only Memory (ROM) containing instructions for;

(i) recording numerical subscription keys C_i in said Programmable Read Only Memory when said card is inserted in a charging station deliverying said subscription keys Ci,

(ii) carrying out, in said arithemetical and logical unit, a calculation, when said card is introduced in a videotex receiver, said receiver delivering to said card messages Mi which are known functions of subscriptions keys Ci recorded in said PROM and of an operating key K, said calculation being the restoration of said operating key K from the received messages Mi and the recorded keys Ci, and

an interface for exchanging signals defining subscription keys Ci, messages Mi and operating key K, between said card and said charging station and between said card and said receiver.