Selective-subscription descrambling
First Claim
1. In a subscriber communication network a system for verifying charge information furnished to a broadcast company by a given subscriber and purported by the subscriber as having been displayed at the subscriber terminal, comprisingmeans at the subscriber terminal for providing a debit signal indicating the charges attributed to the subscriber terminal;
- means at the subscriber terminal for processing the debit signal to provide an authentication signal;
means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the debit signal for providing to the given subscriber a display of information indicating the charges; and
means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the authentication signal for providing to the given subscriber a display of information representative of the authentication signal; and
means at the broadcast company for entering information furnished by the given subscriber that purportedly is the displayed charges information and the authentication information and for converting the same into a received debit signal and a received authentication signal respectively; and
means for processing the received debit signal with the received authentication signal to determine whether the information furnished by the given subscriber was authentic.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system in a subscriber television network for enabling descrambling of a received scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and/or an impulse-purchase basis. A received mask signal uniquely related to the scrambled signal is compared with a received authorization signal indicating whether the subscriber is authorized to receive the scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and a prepaid signal for enabling descrambling is provided when the compared signals match. A not-prepaid signal is provided when they do not match. A received cost signal indicating the charge for descrambling the scrambled signal and a received credit signal indicating only the subscriber'"'"'s accumulated credit are processed with reference to a stored record of the subscriber'"'"'s prior accumulated charges to determine whether the subscriber has sufficient available credit to pay for descrambling of the scrambled signal. If a program is not prepaid and if sufficient credit is available, the subscriber is given the option of causing the signal to be descrambled on an impulse-purchase basis. To prevent a subscriber from obtaining descrambling through such deceit as changing the mask, authorization, cost and/or credit signals, these signals are processed with key signals which are used in scrambling and descrambling the television signal such that descrambling is prevented if any of the mask authorization, cost and/or credit signals is changed.
313 Citations
6 Claims
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1. In a subscriber communication network a system for verifying charge information furnished to a broadcast company by a given subscriber and purported by the subscriber as having been displayed at the subscriber terminal, comprising
means at the subscriber terminal for providing a debit signal indicating the charges attributed to the subscriber terminal; -
means at the subscriber terminal for processing the debit signal to provide an authentication signal; means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the debit signal for providing to the given subscriber a display of information indicating the charges; and means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the authentication signal for providing to the given subscriber a display of information representative of the authentication signal; and means at the broadcast company for entering information furnished by the given subscriber that purportedly is the displayed charges information and the authentication information and for converting the same into a received debit signal and a received authentication signal respectively; and means for processing the received debit signal with the received authentication signal to determine whether the information furnished by the given subscriber was authentic. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. In a subscriber communication network, a system for enabling descrambling of a scrambled signal on an impulse-purchase basis, comprising
means for transmitting to the subscribers a cost signal indicating only the charge for descrambling the scrambled signal; -
means for transmitting to individually addressed subscribers credit signals respectively indicating credit attributed to the individual subscribers; and a system in each subscriber terminal of the network for enabling descrambling of the scrambled signal received by the subscriber terminal on an impulse-purchase basis, said enabling system comprising means for receiving the cost signal and the credit signal; means for processing the received cost signal and the received credit signal to determine whether the subscriber has sufficient available credit to pay for descrambling of said scrambled signal, and for providing a credit-available signal when it is determined that there is sufficient credit available; means responsive to the credit-available signal for indicating that the subscriber has the option of causing the scrambled signal to be descrambled on an impulse-purchase basis; means enabled in response to the credit available signal, for accepting said option, and for providing an accepted signal upon said acceptance; and means responsive to the accepted signal for enabling the scrambled signal to be descrambled; and a system for verifying charge information furnished to a broadcast company by a given subscriber and purported by the subscriber as having been displayed at the subscriber terminal, said verifying system comprising means at the subscriber terminal for providing a debit signal indicating the accumulated charges attributed to the subscriber terminal; means at the subscriber terminal for processing the debit signal to provide an authentication signal; means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the debit signal for providing the given subscriber a display of information indicating the accumulated charges; means at the subscriber terminal responsive to the authentication signal for providing to the given subscriber a display of information representative of the authentication signal; and means at a broadcast company for entering information furnished by the given subscriber that purportedly is the displayed accumulated charges information andthe authentication information and for converting the same into a received debit signal and received authentication signal respectively; and means for processing the received debit signal with the received authentication signal to determine whether the information furnished by the given subscriber was authentic. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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5. In a subscriber communication network in which a transmitted first signal and a second signal are processed by a subscriber terminal upon receipt of the first signal to enable descrambling of a received scrambled signal upon it being determined by such processing that the first and second signals bear a predetermined relationship to one other and in which remote descrambling of the scrambled signal is controlled through the use of a given key signal that is used in a central station from which the scrambled signal is transmitted to encrypt another key signal that is transmitted to the subscriber terminal as an encrypted key signal and decrypted in the subscriber terminal by use of the given key signal to enable the scramble signal to be descrambled
a system for preventing a subscriber from being able to enable descrambling of the scrambled signal through such deceit as substituting another signal for said transmitted first signal in order to obtain said predetermined relationship, wherein the system comprises means in the central station for encoding said given key signal prior to using said given key signal to encrypt said other key signal by processing said given key signal with said first signal; - and
means in each subscriber terminal for encoding said given key signal prior to use thereof for decrypting said encrypted key signal by processing said given key signal with said first signal.
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6. In a subscriber communication network in which a transmitted first signal and a second signal are processed by a subscriber terminal upon receipt of the first signal to enable descrambling of a received scrambled signal upon it being determined by such processing that the first and second signals bear a predetermined relationship to one other, in which remote descrambling of the scrambled signal is controlled through the use of a given key signal that is encrypted in a central station from which the scrambled signal is transmitted, and in which said encrypted given key signal is transmitted to the subscriber terminal and decrypted in the subscriber terminal to enable the scrambled signal to be descrambled.
a system for preventing a subscriber from being able to enable descrambling of the scrambled signal through such deceit as substituting another signal for said transmitted first signal in order to obtain said predetermined relationship, wherein the system comprises means in the central station for encoding said given key signal prior to encrypting said given key signal for transmission by processing said given key signal with said first signal; - and
means in each subscriber terminal for decoding said given key signal following decryption thereof by processing said given key signal with said first signal.
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Specification