Digital data cryptographic system

• US 5,406,627 A
• Filed: 12/28/1992
• Issued: 04/11/1995
• 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: Phipps, William L., Raynesford, Steven J., Hunting, C. J., Thompson, John R., Rittmueller, Philip H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/999,757
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 380/44, 380/47, 380/20
• US Class Current: 380/237
• 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 system comprising:

a receiving means for receiving a transmitted signal, said transmitted signal including encrypted digital data and including commands for designating one of a plurality of decryption keys stored in said receiving means, said receiving means comprising;

decryption key storage means for storing a plurality of decryption keys;

decryption key selection means for selecting one of said plurality of decryption keys as an active key based upon said commands received by said receiving means;

decryption function storage means for storing one or more decryption functions; and

digital data decryption means for decrypting said encrypted digital data based upon one of said functions and said active key.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said commands are transmitted to said receiving means in an encrypted format and decrypted by a command decryption means within said receiving means.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said command decryption means uses a decryption key contained in a ROM for decrypting said commands to identify said active key.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said decryption function storage means stores a plurality of functions, and wherein said commands identify one of said functions as well as an active key to decrypt said encrypted digital data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said digital data decryption means is a programmable logic device (PLD) which is programmed with said functions and said active key in order to decrypt said encrypted digital data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said encrypted digital data is inputted into said PLD and is directly decrypted by said PLD.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said decryption key storage means is said PLD.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said decryption function storage means is said PLD.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein said commands control a microprocessor to select an active key and program said PLD to use said active key to decrypt said encrypted digital data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said encrypted digital data is audio information.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said system is a subscriber system.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a transmitting means for encrypting digital data using a selected one of a plurality of encryption keys and a selected enciphering function and for transmitting said encrypted digital data along with said commands designating said active key selected from one of said plurality of decryption keys.

13. A system, including a digital data decrypting system, comprising:

a microprocessor;

a programmable logic device (PLD), operatively coupled to said microprocessor, in which a digital data decryption circuit is defined; and

a memory means for storing a plurality of decryption key values,

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

wherein said PLD stores a plurality of decryption functions, and said instructions designate one of said decryption functions as well as an active key to be used by said PLD to decrypt said encrypted data.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said encrypted data contains audio information.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said instructions are transmitted in encrypted form and are decrypted by a decrypting means within said decrypting system.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising a digital data encrypting system for encrypting data and transmitting said encrypted data and said instructions to said digital data decrypting system, said instructions identifying a decryption key within said memory means to be used as an active key to decrypt said encrypted data.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein said memory means is said PLD.

18. A system, including a digital data decrypting system, comprising:

a programmable logic device (PLD) in which a digital data decryption circuit is defined, said PLD storing a plurality of decryption functions;

memory means for storing a plurality of decryption key values; and

means for selecting a specific one of said key values as an active key, based upon instructions transmitted to said system, and for selecting a specific one of said decryption functions as an active function to be used by said PLD for directly decrypting encrypted data inputted into said PLD.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said encrypted data contains audio information.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said instructions are transmitted in encrypted form and are decrypted by a decrypting means within said decrypting system.

21. The system of claim 18 further comprising a digital data encrypting system for encrypting data and transmitting said encrypted data and said instructions to said digital data decrypting system, said instructions identifying a decryption key within said memory means to be used as an active key to decrypt said encrypted data.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein said memory means is said PLD.