System and method for transmitting entertainment information to authorized ones of plural receivers

• US 5,091,938 A
• Filed: 08/06/1990
• Issued: 02/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation of America (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Thompson, John R., Rittmueller, Philip H., Phipps, William L., Raynesford, Steven J., Hunting, C. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/563,165
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 380/10, 380/21, 380/28, 380/47, 380/45
• US Class Current: 380/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/02 by adding a second signal to make the desired signal unintelligible
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1716 by inverting the polarity of active picture signal portions

Abstract

An audiovisual subscription system includes means for aperiodically inverting the lines of a transmitted video signal on a frame-by-frame basis and for decrypting encrypted PCM audio information which is transmitted along with the aperiodically inverted video information.

Claims

1. A subscription system decoding unit comprising:

subscription show-key storing means for storing a plurality of subscription show-keys, selection of a proper one of said show-keys being required to decipher certain received enciphered commands;

show-key selecting means for selecting one of said subscription show-keys as an active show-key;

deciphering functions storage means for storing a plurality of deciphering functions;

function selecting means for selecting one of said deciphering functions as an active function;

command receiving means for receiving enciphered commands; and

deciphering means for deciphering said commands according to the active subscription show-key, extracting a deciphering function identification from a deciphered command, and supplying said deciphering function identification to said function selecting means to cause said function selecting means to select an active deciphering function.

2. The decoding unit of claim 1 further comprising a read-only memory (ROM) means within said decoding unit for initially deciphering said enciphered commands to identify said show-key to be selected as an active show-key.

3. The decoding unit of claim 1 wherein scrambled video signals and said enciphered commands are received by said decoding unit, and wherein said active deciphering function is used to descramble said scrambled video signals.

4. The decoding unit of claim 1 wherein contents of said subscription show-key storing means may be modified by a remote transmitter.

5. The decoding unit of claim 1 wherein said subscription show-key storing means also stores a show-ID tag associated with a specific show-key, whereby said enciphered commands identify one of said show-keys as an active show-key by specifying a show-ID value.

6. The decoding unit of claim 1 further comprising a read-only-memory (ROM) means for providing initial deciphering of said enciphered commands and for deciphering an authorization word, said deciphering of said authorization word being based on a deciphering algorithm stored n said ROM and based upon a unique address of said decoding unit, a deciphered authorization word providing information to said decoding unit to manipulate show-key information stored in said subscription show-key storing means for enabling or disabling a decoding unit'"'"'s ability to properly descramble video signals.

7. A method performed by a subscription system for detecting a deciphering algorithm switch-over command comprising:

receiving a plurality of switch-over commands, each containing a countdown value, over a period of time;

detecting whether received countdown values a predetermined sequence;

ignoring a switch-over command when said predetermined sequence is not followed; and

switching over to a new deciphering algorithm at a predetermined point in said predetermined sequence.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

loading a countdown value into a switch-over counter;

loading a received switch-over command identifying a next deciphering algorithm into a memory means;

decrementing said counter in response to a periodically transmitted signal; and

using the contents of said counter to signal a switch-over to a new deciphering algorithm at a predetermined point in a countdown sequence so as to enable switch-over even when one or more switch-over commands received by said decoding unit do not conform to said predetermined sequence.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said switch-over commands identify a next deciphering algorithm to be implemented and identify a countdown value indicating a time when switch-over to said next deciphering algorithm is to take place, and wherein said next deciphering algorithm is for descrambling a scrambled video signal.

10. A subscriber system including a digital data decrypting system comprising:

a microprocessor;

a memory means for storing program instructions for said microprocessor;

a volatile programmable logic device, operatively coupled to said microprocessor, in which a digital data decrypting circuit is defined;

a memory means for storing key values;

wherein said microprocessor selects a specific one of said key values, based upon instructions transmitted to said subscriber system, as an active key to be used by said programmable logic device for directly decrypting encrypted data inputted into said programmable logic device.

11. The decrypting system of claim 10 wherein said programmable logic device is a logic array integrated circuit which is connected within said decryption system such that, if a tamper attempt is detected, the contents of said volatile programmable logic device will be erased, and where said programmable logic device has its volatile memory programmed during manufacture of said decrypting system.