Secret information service system and method

• US 5,117,458 A
• Filed: 10/31/1990
• Issued: 05/26/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukuzawa, Yasuko, Kataoka, Kenji, Nakamura, Tsutomu, Koizumi, Minoru, Takaragi, Kazuo, Sasaki, Ryoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Application Number:
  US07/606,898
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 380/4, 380/23, 380/25, 380/48, 380/49, 380/50, 364/242.95, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 380/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/601 Broadcast encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065

Abstract

An information service system including a plurality of receiving stations and information service facilities. The information service facilities include a memory circuit which stores beforehand a distribution destination information set of receiving station identifiers allocated to the receiving stations, distribution destination information set being disposed in a predetermined order within the memory circuit, a memory circuit for storing a plurality of information to be supplied to receiving stations, an enciphering circuit for generating an enciphering key for optical receiving stations within a group which performs broadcast communications, and enciphering the service information with the enciphering key, and a circuit for transmitting the enciphered service information and service destination codes of service destination receiving stations encoded from the distribution destination information set, through broadcast communications. Each receiving station includes a memory circuit for storing beforehand its own identifier and the distribution destination information set of the group which performs broadcast communications, a receiver unit for receiving the enciphered service information and the service destination codes from the information service facilities, and a deciphering circuit for generating a deciphering key corresponding to the distribution destination information set in accordance with the received service destination codes and the corresponding, and previously stored distribution destination information, only when the own identifier of the receiving station is contained in the service destination codes, and the deciphering the enciphered service information with the deciphering key.

Claims

1. An information service system comprising a plurality of information user groups each group having a plurality of receiving stations, and information service facilities for providing desired service information through broadcast communications to desired receiving stations of each of said plurality of information user groups;

said information service facilities comprising means for storing ID name information composed of receiving station identifiers assigned beforehand to all receiving stations of said information service system, said receiving station identifiers being disposed in a predetermined order;

means for storing a plurality of information to be supplied to said plurality of receiving stations;

enciphering means for generating an enciphering key for said desired receiving stations performing said broadcast communications within said information user group, and enciphering said service information by using said enciphering key; and

means for transmitting through said broadcast communications said enciphered service information and service destination codes of service receiving destination stations encoded from said ID information; and

said each receiving station comprising means for storing its own receiving station identifier and said ID information composed of receiving station identifiers of all receiving stations within one information group performing said broadcast communications;

a receiving unit for receiving said enciphered service information service and said service destination codes from said information service facilities; and

deciphering means for generating a deciphering key for said ID information corresponding to said service destination codes, in accordance with said received service destination codes and corresponding said ID name information stored beforehand, only when said own receiving station identifier is contained in said service destination codes.

2. An information service system according to claim 1, wherein said storing means for storing said own receiving station identifier and said deciphering means are implemented within a circuit unit removable relative to said each receiving station.

3. An information service system according to claim 1, wherein said storing means of said information service facilities has a table which stores a distribution destination information deriving code for deriving a service destination code of a service receiving destination station, said distribution destination information deriving code being registered beforehand for each particular service information, said enciphering means sends said enciphered particular service information and corresponding said distribution destination information deriving code for each of said broadcast communications of said particular service information, and said deciphering means of said each receiving station performs said deciphering process only when said own receiving station identifier is contained within said distribution destination information deriving code.

4. An information service system according to claim 3, wherein said storing means for storing said own receiving station identifier and said deciphering means are implemented within a circuit unit removable relative to said each receiving station.

5. An information service system according to claim 1, wherein said enciphering means of said information service facilities generates an enciphering key by calculating a hash total value of a random number and said service receiving destination station identifiers, and transmits said service information after enciphering said service information with said enciphering key.

6. An information service system according to claim 1, wherein said deciphering means of said receiving station generates a deciphering key by calculating a hash total value of a random number and said received service receiving destination station identifiers, and deciphers said enciphered and received service information with said deciphering key.

7. An information service system having information service facilities for providing through broadcast communications desired service information to a plurality of information user groups each having a plurality of receiving stations;

said information service facilities comprising means for storing ID name information of receiving station identifiers disposed in a predetermined order;

enciphering means for generating a secret key common to all said information user groups, enciphering said service information with said secret key, generating a common key to said information user groups corresponding to said ID name information, and enciphering said common secret key with said common key; and

means for transmitting to all said information user groups through broadcast communications said service information and secret key enciphered by said enciphering means and each group identifier, and destination information for each group; and

said each receiving station comprising means for storing said ID name information of subscriber identifiers of each information user group belonging to said each receiving station;

means for receiving through broadcast communications information from said information service facilities;

means for storing an own subscriber identifier of said each receiving station; and

deciphering means for generating a common key from said ID information of said each information user group only when said own subscriber identifier is contained in said destination information of said each information user group received by said receiving means, deciphering said enciphered secret key with said common key, and deciphering said enciphered service information with said deciphered secret key.

8. An information service system according to claim 7, wherein said storing means of said receiving station and said deciphering means are implemented within a circuit unit removable relative to said each receiving station.

9. An information service system according to claim 7, wherein said information service facilities have a table which stores distribution destination information set deriving codes for deriving a set of service information distribution destination information of a set of said identifier information for each group, and transmits said distribution destination information deriving code at the time of broadcast communications, and said deciphering means of said receiving station performs said deciphering process only when said own subscriber identifier is contained within said distribution destination information deriving codes.

10. An information service station according to claim 7, wherein said information service facilities generate said secret key common to all said information user groups by using a random number, and said common key for each information user group is generated from a hash total of identifiers of all receiving stations of each information user group.

11. An information service system according to claim 9, wherein said information service facilities logically allocate said receiving stations to said information user groups by forming said table on the basis of each predetermined information user group.

12. An information service method for an information service system comprising a plurality of information user groups each group having a plurality of receiving stations, and information service facilities for providing desired service information through broadcast communications to desired receiving stations of each of said plurality of information user groups;

said each receiving station storing beforehand its own receiving station identifier, and being provided with a circuit unit removable relative to said each receiving station, said each receiving station and said information service facilities storing ID name information of all receiving station identifiers disposed in a predetermined order;

said information service facilities generating an enciphering key for said ID name information basing upon said ID name information, enciphering said service information with said enciphering key, and transmitting through broadcast communications said ciphered service information and said ID name information for service destinations to a particular information user group; and

said removable circuit unit of said receiving station generating a deciphering key only when said own receiving station identifier is contained in said ID name information for said service destinations, and deciphering said service information with said deciphering key.

13. An information service method according to claim 12, wherein said information service facilities store distribution destination information set deriving codes for deriving a distribution destination information set of a plurality of subscriber identifiers for service of particular information, and transmit said distribution destination information set deriving codes and said enciphered service information through broadcast communications, and

said receiving station performs said deciphering process only when said own subscriber identifier stored in said circuit unit is contained within said distribution destination information deriving codes.

14. An information service system comprising a plurality of information user groups each group having a plurality of receiving stations, and information service facilities for providing desired service information through broadcast communications to desired receiving stations of each of said plurality of information user groups;

said information service facilities comprising enciphering means for enciphering said service information by using a distribution destination information set composed of identifiers of receiving station subscribers to which said service information is supplied, and means for transmitting said enciphered service information and said distribution destination information set; and

said receiving station comprising deciphering means for deciphering said enciphered service information by using said transmitted distribution destination information set, means for storing an own subscriber identifier of said receiving station, and identifier means for performing said deciphering process only when said own subscriber identifier is contained in said distribution destination information set.

15. An information service system according to claim 14, wherein said identifier means and storing means are implemented within a circuit unit removable with respect to said receiving station.

16. An information service method for an information service system comprising a plurality of information user groups each group having a plurality of receiving stations, and information service facilities for providing desired service information through broadcast communications to desired receiving stations of each of said plurality of information user groups;

said information service facilities generating an enciphering key in accordance with a subscriber identifier set of service destination subscriber identifiers, enciphering a program with said enciphering key, and transmitting said subscriber identifier set and said enciphered program, and

said receiving station comprising an IC card for storing an own identifier of said receiving station and means for inputting/outputting data relative to said IC card, a deciphering key being generated from said subscriber identifier set when said own subscriber identifier stored in said IC card is contained within said subscriber identifier set, a first process is being carried out in said IC card, by said first process a deciphered program being generated from said enciphered program by using said deciphering key, said enciphered program being saved in a first memory and written in a second memory to execute said deciphered program when said deciphered program is outputted from said IC card, and said deciphered program being changed to said enciphered program to terminate the program execution.

17. An information service method according to claim 16, wherein a predetermined area of said program is written with a hash total associated with said program before transmission from said information service facilities, said receiving station generates a hash total of said received program, said hash total written in said program and said hash total generated by said receiving station are enciphered and sent to said IC card to compare both said hash total values, and only when both said hash total values are coincident with each other, said program is deciphered within said IC card.

18. An information service method for an information service system having information service facilities for providing through broadcast communications desired service information to a plurality of information user groups each having a plurality of receiving stations, comprising the following steps to be executed by said information service facilities:

generating a secret key common to all said information user groups;

enciphering said service information with said common secret key;

generating a common key for an information user group from the identifiers of service receiving destination stations of said information user group;

generating a secret key enciphered data by enciphering said common secret key with said common key; and

editing, as a distribution data, a service destination data of said identifiers of service receiving destination stations of said information user group, said secret key enciphered data and said service information, and transmitted said distribution data.

19. An information service method according to claim 18, wherein said method comprises the following steps to be executed by said receiving station:

generating a common key of said information user group to which said receiving station belongs, in accordance with the identifiers of service receiving destination stations of said information user group;

generating a secret key by deciphering said enciphered secret key with said common key; and

deciphering said enciphered service information with said secret key.