System and method for providing digital communications between a head end and a set top terminal

• US 5,734,720 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 03/31/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pinpoint Incorporated (Altitude Capital Partners)
• Original Assignee: Marcos Salganicoff
• Inventors: Salganicoff, Marcos
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US08/477,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 380/20, 380/30, 380/44, 380/47, 380/21
• US Class Current: 380/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/306 using TV related infrastructures external card used for payment with client device H04N21/4185
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/00 Contacts liquid contacts H01H29/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2223 being a public access point, e.g. for downloading to or uploading from clients arrangements specially adapted to plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 : Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 : involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/466 : Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4665 : involving classification methods, e.g. Decision trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 : Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• 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 7/173 : with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 : Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 : Privileged access

Abstract

A system and method for scheduling the receipt of desired movies and other forms of data from a network. Feedback paths are provided so that customer'"'"'s profiles and/or the profiles of the video programs or other data may be modified to reflect actual usage. Secure digital communications between a video head end and a customer'"'"'s set top terminal in the feedback path is provided by generating, at the video head end, a seed random number N for seeding a random number generator of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal, encrypting seed random number N using a public key algorithm using a public key P of the video head end to yield encrypted seed random number E(N,P), sending the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal, decrypting the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal using a private key of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to yield seed random number N, generating a first number for each number i in a sequence K_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and logically exclusive-ORing the first number in the sequence K_i with a first data word in the decrypted data stream P_i from the video head end, thereby forming a data stream C_i, sending the result C_i from the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to the video head end, and decrypting C_i to yield a decrypted P_i by logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with C_i.

Claims

1. A method of providing secure digital communications between a customer'"'"'s set top terminal and a video head end, comprising the steps of:

generating a seed random number N at either the video head end or the customer'"'"'s set top terminal for seeding a pseudo random number generator of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and a pseudo random number generator of the video head end;

encrypting seed random number N using a public key algorithm and a public key P known to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end to yield encrypted seed random number E(N,P);

providing the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) to the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated;

decrypting the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) at the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated using a private key of the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated to yield seed random number N;

initializing the pseudo random number generator of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the pseudo random number generator of the video head end with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end; and

for each number i in random sequence K_i, logically exclusive-ORing K_i with a data stream P_i to be transmitted to the video head end, thereby forming a data stream C_i, sending the data stream C_i from the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to the video head end, and decrypting data stream C_i at the video head end to yield a decrypted data stream P_i by logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream C_i.

2. A system for providing secure digital communications between a customer'"'"'s set top terminal and a video head end, wherein said customer'"'"'s set top terminal, comprises:

means for receiving encrypted seed random number E(N,P), where N is an unencrypted seed random number and P is a public key known to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end;

means for decrypting the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) using a private key of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to yield seed random number N;

a pseudo random number generator initialized with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal;

means for logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream P_i to be transmitted to the video head end, thereby forming a data stream C_i ; and

means for sending the data stream C_i from the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to the video head end; and

wherein said video head end comprises;

a pseudo random number generator initialized with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the video head end;

means for receiving data stream C_i from the customer'"'"'s set top terminal; and

means for decrypting data stream C_i to yield a decrypted data stream P_i by logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream C_i.

3. A method of providing secure digital communications between a video head end and a customer'"'"'s set top terminal, comprising the steps of:

generating a seed random number N at either the video head end or the customer'"'"'s set top terminal for seeding a pseudo random number generator of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and a pseudo random number generator of the video head end;

encrypting seed random number N using a public key algorithm and a public key P known to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end to yield encrypted seed random number E(N,P);

providing the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) to the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated;

decrypting the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) at the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated using a private key of the other of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end at which the seed random number N was not generated to yield seed random number N;

initializing the pseudo random number generator of the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the pseudo random number generator of the video head end with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end; and

for each number i in random sequence K_i, logically exclusive-ORing K_i with a data stream P_i to be transmitted to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal, thereby forming a data stream C_i, sending the data stream C_i from the video head end to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal, and decrypting data stream C_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal to yield a decrypted data stream P_i by logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream C_i.

4. A system for providing secure digital communications between a video head end and a customer'"'"'s set top terminal, wherein said video head end, comprises:

means for receiving encrypted seed random number E(N,P), where N is an unencrypted seed random number and P is a public key known to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal and the video head end;

means for decrypting the encrypted seed random number E(N,P) using a private key of the video head end to yield seed random number N; and

a pseudo random number generator initialized with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the video head end;

means for logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream P_i to be transmitted to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal, thereby forming a data stream C_i ; and

means for sending the data stream C_i from the video head end to the customer'"'"'s set top terminal; and

wherein said customer'"'"'s set top terminal comprises;

a pseudo random number generator initialized with seed random number N to generate pseudo random sequence K_i at the customer'"'"'s set top terminal;

means for receiving data stream C_i from the video head end; and

means for decrypting data stream C_i to yield a decrypted data stream P_i by logically exclusive-ORing sequence K_i with data stream C_i.