Apparatus and method for access control
First Claim
1. A method of controlling access to information included in a signal having an entitlement component including entitlement data indicating an access entitlement status of a user, said method comprising the steps of:
- receiving said signal in a decoder for decoding a portion of said information in said signal other than said entitlement component in response to an access authorization signal, and for separating said entitlement component from said signal;
transmitting said separated entitlement component front said decoder to a device for establishing access entitlement status of a user in response to said entitlement data;
checking in said device to determine if said entitlement data evolves in a predetermined manner between two occurrences of said entitlement data, wherein said entitlement data includes a copy of a portion of scrambling data included in said signal for establishing said predetermined manner of evolution;
generating in said device said access authorization signal to enable decoding of said portion of said signal only if said entitlement data evolves in said predetermined manner.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a system for controlling access to signals such as pay-TV signals, the signals include data packets that are received and by a decoder and forwarded to a smart card for access authorization processing. The data packets contain information that updates entitlement or access authorization data inside the smart card. Time-related data is added to the data packets. The smart card checks to determine if the time-related data evolves between two successive packets. If not, the smart card inhibits the delivering of descrambling parameters to the decoder.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of controlling access to information included in a signal having an entitlement component including entitlement data indicating an access entitlement status of a user, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving said signal in a decoder for decoding a portion of said information in said signal other than said entitlement component in response to an access authorization signal, and for separating said entitlement component from said signal; transmitting said separated entitlement component front said decoder to a device for establishing access entitlement status of a user in response to said entitlement data; checking in said device to determine if said entitlement data evolves in a predetermined manner between two occurrences of said entitlement data, wherein said entitlement data includes a copy of a portion of scrambling data included in said signal for establishing said predetermined manner of evolution; generating in said device said access authorization signal to enable decoding of said portion of said signal only if said entitlement data evolves in said predetermined manner. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of controlling access to information included in a signal having an entitlement component including entitlement data indicating an access entitlement status of a user, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving said signal in a decoder for decoding a portion of said information in said signal other than said entitlement component in response to an access authorization signal, and for separating said entitlement component from said signal; transmitting said separated entitlement component from said decoder to a device for establishing access entitlement status of a user in response to said entitlement data; checking in said device to determine if said entitlement data evolves in a predetermined manner between two occurrences of said entitlement data, wherein said predetermined manner of evolution comprises time information during a particular occurrence of said entitlement data being not less than said time information during a previous occurrence of said entitlement data; generating in said device said access authorization signal to enable decoding of said portion of said signal only if said entitlement data evolves in said predetermined manner. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for controlling access to information included in a signal having an entitlement component including entitlement data indicating an access entitlement status of a user, said apparatus comprising:
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a decoder for receiving said signal, for decoding a portion of said information in said signal other than said entitlement component in response to an access authorization signal, and for separating said entitlement component from said signal; and means coupled to said decoder for receiving said entitlement component and for evaluating said entitlement data to establishing said access entitlement status of said user;
whereinsaid evaluating means generates said access authorization signal only if said entitlement data evolves in a predetermined manner between two occurrences of said entitlement data, and wherein said entitlement data includes a copy of a portion of scrambling data included in said signal for establishing said predetermined manner of evolution. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 20)
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16. Apparatus for controlling access to information included in a signal having an entitlement component including entitlement data indicating an access entitlement status of a user, said apparatus comprising:
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a decoder for receiving said signal, for decoding a portion of said information in said signal other than said entitlement component in response to an access authorization signal, and for separating said entitlement component from said signal; and means coupled to said decoder for receiving said entitlement component and for evaluating said entitlement data to establishing said access entitlement status of said user;
whereinsaid evaluating means generates said access authorization signal only if said entitlement data evolves in a predetermined manner between two occurrences of said entitlement data, and wherein said predetermined manner of evolution comprises time information during a particular occurrence of said entitlement data being not less than said time information during a previous occurrence of said entitlement data. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification