High speed signal processing smart card

• US 6,594,361 B1
• Filed: 01/30/1997
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Deiss, Michael S., Chaney, John William, Beyers, Billy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US08/792,816
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 380/10, 380/20
• US Class Current: 380/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42623 involving specific decryption arrangements
• 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

An access control system for signal processing applications includes an integrated circuit (IC) card, or “smart” card, that provides both security control and data descrambling functions. A security control processor in the smart card IC performs functions such as entitlement management and key generation. The smart card IC also includes a descrambler for processing data, such as video data, at high data rates. Mechanical characteristics of the smart card satisfy the ISO standard 7816-1. In addition, the interface to the smart card is via eight-terminals arranged on the surface of the card in accordance with ISO standard 7816-2. The eight terminal interface provides both high speed data I/O (input and output) required for data descrambling and ISO standard low speed serial data I/O.

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing a signal comprising:

(a) a card body;

(b) means for receiving a digital input stream from a location external to said card body, said input stream having a control component and a scrambled data component identified by respective header portions, said scrambled data component comprising at least one of audio and video data;

(c) means for generating, within said card body, a key code in response to said control component;

(d) means for descrambling, within said card body, said data component in response to said key code to produce an output stream having a descrambled data component;

(e) transport means, within said card body, for detecting said header portions of said components, separating said input stream into said components and routing, within said card body, said control component to said generating means and said scrambled data component to said descrambling means in accordance with said header portions;

(f) means, within said card body, for coupling said key code between said generating means and said descrambling means; and

(g) means for providing said output stream to a location external to said card body.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said control component is encrypted and said card body further comprises a means for storing a second key code;

said second key code being coupled, within said card body, to said generating means;

said generating means decrypts said encrypted control component in response to said second key code to generate a decrypted control component and generates said first mentioned key code in response to said decrypted control component.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a high speed data interface for transferring digital data between said card body and a location external to said card body.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein:

said card body has a plurality of terminals arranged on a surface of said card body in accordance with ISO standard 7816-2.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a frequency divider for providing a first timing signal to said descrambling means and a second timing signal to said generating means, wherein the data rate of said first timing signal exceeds the data rate of said second timing signal.

6. A method for processing a signal comprising:

(a) receiving, in a card body, a digital input stream having a control component and a scrambled data component identified by respective header portions from a location external to said card body, said scrambled data component comprising at least one of audio and video data;

(b) generating a key code, within said card body, in response to said control component;

(c) descrambling said data component, within said card body, in response to said key code to produce an output stream having a descrambled data component;

(d) processing, within said card body, said input stream by detecting said header portions of said components, separating said input stream into said components and routing said control component to said generating means and said scrambled data component to said descrambling means in accordance with said header portions;

(e) coupling, within said card body, said key code between said generating means and said descrambling means; and

(f) providing said output stream to a location external to said card body.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

said control component is encrypted and further comprising the steps of decrypting said control component in response to a second key code stored within said card body to generate a decrypted control component and generating said first mentioned key code in response to said decrypted control component.

8. Signal processing apparatus comprising:

(a) a signal processing channel for processing a digital input stream having a control component and a scrambled data component identified by respective header portions, said scrambled data component comprising at least one of audio and video data;

(b) means for coupling said input stream to a removable card assembly, said card assembly generating a key code in response to said control component, descrambling said scrambled data component in response to said key code to generate a descrambled data component, processing said input stream by detecting said header portions of said components, separating said input stream into said components and routing said control component to said generating means and said scrambled data component to said descrambling means in accordance with said header portions; and

coupling, within said card body, said key code between said generating means and said descrambling means;

(c) means for receiving from said card assembly a processed input stream, said processed input stream including said descrambled data component; and

(d) means for processing said descrambled data component to generate an output stream.

9. The signal processing apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

said key code is coupled, within said card body, between said generating and descrambling means.

10. The signal processing apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

said control component is encrypted and said card assembly further comprises a means for storing a second key code;

said second key code being coupled, within said card body, to said generating means;

said generating means decrypts said encrypted control component in response to said second key code to generate a decrypted control component and generates said first mentioned key code in response to said decrypted control component.

11. A method for signal processing, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a digital input stream having a control component and a scrambled data component identified by respective header portions, said scrambled data component comprising at least one of audio and video data;

(b) coupling said input stream to a removable card assembly having a means for access control processing, said access control processing means generates a key code in response to said control component, descrambles said scrambled data component in response to said key code to generate a descrambled data component, processes said input stream by detecting said header portions of said components, separating said input stream into said components and routing said control component to said generating means and said scrambled data component to said descrambling means and couples, within said card body, said key code between said generating means and said descrambling means;

(c) receiving from said card assembly a processed input stream having said control component and said descrambled data component; and

(d) processing said descrambled data component to generate an output stream.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

said control component is encrypted and further comprising the steps of decrypting said control component in response to a second key code stored within said card body to generate a decrypted control component and generating said first mentioned key code in response to said decrypted control component.