Secured system of remote participation in interactive games with verification of the chronology of events

• US 5,850,447 A
• Filed: 07/25/1994
• Issued: 12/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gemplus International SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus International SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Peyret, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US08/280,012
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 380/23-25, 273/432, 273/439, 463/29, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/80 Special adaptations for executing a specific game genre or game mode
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/64 used for radio or television, e.g. television shows; used in front of an audience
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric

Abstract

A secured system of remote participation in interactive games with verification of the chronology of events relies on the counting, by a secured microprocessor (for example a microcircuit card), of consecutive periods of time of which the first one (Tr12) is initialized by a cryptographically secured message sent by the transmitter and the last one (Tr25) is ended by a connection of the games machine to the central computer of the transmitter for the forwarding thereto of the answer.

Claims

1. A secured system of remote participation in interactive games, the system comprising a transmission central computer sending out cryptographic messages received by television receivers during a television program, and a games machine available to a televiewer of the television program capable of reading the cryptographic messages and of sending back the televiewer'"'"'s answer to questions asked in the messages, wherein:

a) the games machine further comprises;

means for counting consecutive periods of time including

a period of time Tr12 defined by the instant t1 of reception of the message and the instant t2 of the televiewer'"'"'s answer, and

a period of time Tr25 defined by the instant t2 of the televiewer'"'"'s answer and the instant t5 of the forwarding of the televiewer'"'"'s answer to the central computer;

means for transmitting the televiewer'"'"'s answer and the values Tr12 and Tr25 to the transmission central computer; and

wherein

b) the central computer further comprises;

means for counting periods of time including

a period of time Ta35 defined by the answering deadline t3 and by the answer forwarding instant t5, and

a period of time Ta15 defined by the instant t1 of transmission of the message and the answer forwarding instant t5,

computation and checking means, the computation and checking means including

means for verifying the relationship (1) Tr25>

Ta35, and

means for verifying the relationship (2) Tr12+Tr25=Ta15±

tolerance values, the verifying means (2) defining means for verifying that an oscillation frequency used by the games machine counting means has not been decelerated and subsequently accelerated during the period of time Ta15,

and the computation and checking means rejecting the answers when the relationships (1) and (2) are not verified.

2. A secured system of remote participation in interactive games according to claim 1, wherein the counting means of the games machine are formed by a secured microprocessor controlled by a clock implementing a clock pulse counting program.

3. A secured system of remote participation in interactive games according to claim 1, wherein the counting means of the games machine are formed by computation means controlled by an internal clock implementing a clock pulse counting program.

4. A central computer for managing the participation of a televiewer in broadcast scenarios, the televiewer interacting with the central computer via an electronic participation machine, the central computer comprising

means for verifying that an oscillation frequency of a time counting means of the electronic participation machine has not been decelerated and subsequently accelerated,

a central computer time-counting means,

means for broadcasting digital messages to the electronic participation machine,

means for establishing a connection with the electronic participation machine,

storage processing means wherein:

at an instant T1, when a new broadcast scenario is initialized, the means for broadcasting broadcasts a digital message to the electronic participation machine and initializes and activates the electronic participation machine time-counting means,

at an instant T2, when the electronic participation machine receives the televiewer'"'"'s answer to the question asked, the electronic participation machine time-counting means memorizes the time-counting value T2 and continues counting,

at a predetermined instant T3, when the audience is no longer permitted to participate in the scenario, the central computer memorizes the time-counting value T3 and continues counting,

at an instant T5, when the machines get connected to the central computer, the central computer memorizes the time-counting values obtained by the electronic participation machine and verifies the following relationships;

Tr25>

Ta35 and

Tr12+Tr25=Ta15±

tolerance values wherein;

Tr25 is the period of time counted by the electronic participation machine between T2 and T5,

Tr12 is the period of time counted by the electronic participation machine between T1 and T2,

Ta35 is the period of time counted by the central computer between T3 and T5,

Ta15 is the period of time counted by the central computer between T1 and T5,

and the relationship Tr12+Tr25=Ta15±

tolerance values is verified by the means for verifying.

5. A method of conducting an interactive television program, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a question from a central computer to a games machine and receiving the question at the games machine;

receiving an answer to the question at the games machine, the answer being provided by a participant of the interactive television program;

transmitting the answer from the games machine to the central computer and receiving the answer at the central computer;

verifying (1) that the answer was provided to the games machine prior to the expiration of a deadline t3 for answering the question, the verifying step (1) including the step of verifying (2) that an oscillation frequency used by the counter of the games machine was not altered during an interval Ta15 by testing the relationship Tr12+Tr25=Ta15±

tolerance values, wherein

Tr12 represents the amount of time, as measured by the counter of the games machine, between the instant t1 of reception of the message and the instant t2 of the televiewer'"'"'s answer as measured by the games machine,

Tr25 represents the amount of time, as measured by the counter of the games machine, between the instant t2 of the participant'"'"'s answer and the instant t5 of the forwarding of the participant'"'"'s answer to the central computer, and wherein

Ta15 represents the amount of time, as measured by the central computer, between the instant t1 of the transmission of the message and the instant t5 of the forwarding of the participant'"'"'s answer to the central computer;

and, if the above conditions (1) and (2) are not verified, then rejecting the participant'"'"'s answer.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein verifying (1) step further includes the step of verifying the relationship Tr25>

Ta35, the period of time Ta35 representing the amount of time, as measured by the central computer, between the deadline for answering the question and the instant of the forwarding of the participant'"'"'s answer to the central computer.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of

repeating the transmitting, receiving, and verifying steps a plurality of times;

and

varying, during each repetition, the amount of time between the instant t1 the question is transmitted and the deadline t3 for answering the question.

8. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of

encrypting the question prior to the transmission of the question to the games machine;

and

decrypting the question after the reception of the question at the games machine.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of providing the games machine with a smart card having a microprocessor, and wherein the decrypting step is performed by the microprocessor of the smart card.

10. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of

providing a clock pulse to a secured microprocessor of the games machine, the secured microprocessor implementing the counter of the games machine with a clock pulse counting program;

measuring the time periods Tr12 and Tr25 with the secured microprocessor.

11. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of transmitting the values Tr12 and Tr25 to the central computer and receiving the values Tr12 and Tr25 at the central computer.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of

enciphering the values Tr12 and Tr25 prior to transmitting the values Tr12 and Tr25 to the central computer;

and

deciphering the values Tr12 and Tr25 after receiving the values Tr12 and Tr25 at the central computer.

13. A system for participation in a broadcast program and for certification of participation, the system comprising (1) a games machine and (2) a remote central computer,

(1) the games machine further comprising:

a clock signal generation circuit;

means for receiving digital information elements coming from the central computer at an instant T1;

a secured electronic component comprising a secured microprocessor and a memory, the secured microprocessor being coupled to the clock signal generation circuit, to the receiving means and to the memory, the secured microprocessor receiving the information elements from tie receiving means and recording the information elements in the memory, the secured microprocessor counting time units proportional to the period of a clock signal from the clock signal generation circuit and thereby forming a games machine time counter, said games machine time counter measuring an interval Tr12 which is the time between the instants T1 and T2 and an interval Tr25 which is the time between instants T2 and T5;

a user interface, the interface receiving at the instant T2 an answer from the participant, and the interface transmitting the participant'"'"'s answer to the secured microprocessor;

means for establishing a connection with the central computer at the instant T5, the means for establishing permitting transmission of the participant'"'"'s answer and counting information from the secured microprocessor to the central computer; and

(2) the central computer farther comprising;

a central computer time counter, said central computer time counter measuring an interval Ta15 which is the time between the instant T1 and T5;

means for verifying that the oscillation frequency of the clock signal generation circuit was not altered between the instants T1 and T5, said verifying means verifying the relationship Tr12+Tr25=Ta15±

tolerance values;

and wherein the central computer rejects the answer if the oscillation frequency was altered.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the games machine comprises a chip card reading means and a chip card, the card comprising the secured component in the form of an integrated chip card including a microprocessor and working and program memories.