Digital video receiver, a conditional access module and a method of transmitting data therebetween

• US 6,516,465 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1998
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Paskins, Adrian Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/206,610
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 348/12, 348/13, 348/10, 348/7, 348/6, 348/460-468, 348/473, 348/553, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 709/217, 725/68-73, 725/131-142, 725/151-153, 725/25-31, 380/210-242
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• 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

Abstract

A digital video receiver, a conditional access module and method of transmitting data therebetween, the digital video receiver having a multi line socket for connection to the conditional access module, the socket having a pre-determined plurality of lines for transmitting and receiving transport stream data and a pre-determined plurality of lines for transmitting and receiving control data and resource/application data, the method comprising selectively transmitting resource/application data over the plurality of transport stream lines.

Claims

1. A digital video receiver including:

a multi line socket for connection to a conditional access module, the socket having a predetermined plurality of lines for transmitting and receiving transport stream data and a predetermined plurality of command lines for transmitting and receiving control data and resource/application data; and

means for selectively transmitting and receiving resource/application data over the plurality of transport stream lines when the data rate of the resource/application data exceeds the capacity of the command lines;

whereby data received by the digital video receiver over said transport stream lines is examined to determine whether it is transport stream data or resource/application data and is routed based on the examination results.

2. A receiver according to claim 1 further comprising at least one resource and a resource manager, the resource/application data being for use by the resource and the resource manager being for routing the resource/application data to/from the resource as required.

3. A receiver according to claim 2 further comprising means to route resource/application data received over the transport stream lines direct to the appropriate resource without intervention by the resource manager.

4. A receiver according to claim 1, further comprising means for re-routing transport stream data past the conditional access module when resource/application data is being transmitted over the transport stream lines.

5. A receiver according to claim 4 wherein the re-routing means is controlled on the basis of one or more of a user selection, operation of the receiver and timing and usage of multiplexed virtual channels of the transport stream.

6. A receiver according to claim 1 having means to selectively transmit and receive resource/application data over the transport stream lines when the conditional access module is not required to process transport stream data.

7. A receiver according to claim 1 having means to selectively transmit and receive resource/application data in virtual channels of the transport stream which are not being processed by the conditional access module.

8. A conditional access module for connection to a multi line socket of a digital video receiver, the module including:

a predetermined plurality of lines for transmitting and receiving transport stream data to and from corresponding lines of the socket;

a predetermined plurality of command lines for transmitting and receiving control data and resource/application data to and from corresponding lines of the socket; and

means for selectively transmitting and receiving resource/application data over the plurality of transport stream lines when the data rate of the resource/application data exceeds the capacity of the command lines;

whereby data received by the digital video receiver over said transport stream lines is examined to determine whether it is transport stream data or resource/application data and is routed based on the examination results.

9. A module according to claim 8 having means to selectively transmit and receive resource/application data over the transport stream lines when the conditional access module is not required to process transport stream data.

10. A module according to claim 8 having means to selectively transmit and receive resource/application data in virtual channels of the transport stream which are not being processed by the conditional access module.

11. A method of operating a digital video receiver having a multi line socket for connection to a conditional access module, the socket having a predetermined plurality of lines for transmitting and receiving transport stream data and a predetermined plurality of command lines for transmitting and receiving control data and resource/application data, the method comprising the step of:

selectively transmitting resource/application data over the plurality of transport stream lines when the data rate of the resource/application data exceeds the capacity of the command lines;

whereby data received by the digital video receiver over said transport stream lines is examined to determine whether it is transport stream data or resource/application data and is routed based on the examination results.