Internet set-top box having an in-band tuner and cable modem

• US 6,757,909 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maruo, Jun, Kagami, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc
• Application Number:
  US09/473,625
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 725/2, 725/31, 725/109-111, 725/25, 725/39, 709/217-219, 380/210, 380/266
• US Class Current: 725/111
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/161 Constructional details of the subscriber equipment H04N7/164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus and method thereof for communicating a scramble key (for descrambling scrambled digital signals) and service information (used in an electronic programming guide) to an intelligent transceiver (e.g., a set-top box) using a bi-directional digital broadcast system. The intelligent transceiver includes an in-band tuner adapted to receive from the digital broadcast system in-band digital signals comprising audio content and video content. The intelligent transceiver also includes a second tuner adapted to send and receive a scramble key over the World Wide Web via a cable modem. In one embodiment, the in-band digital signals received by the in-band tuner also contain service information. In another embodiment, the digital signals received by the second tuner via the cable modem also contain service information. Thus, the scramble key is sent over the World Wide Web and is received by the intelligent transceiver using a cable modem. The service information is sent either with the in-band signal or over the World Wide Web, and is received via the in-band tuner or the cable modem, respectively. Therefore, the broadcast system does not need to use out-of-band signals. Accordingly, the intelligent transceiver does not require an out-of-band tuner and demodulator to receive the scramble key and service information, and so these devices can be omitted from the intelligent transceiver, thereby simplifying the transceiver and reducing costs.

Claims

1. An intelligent transceiver comprising:

a bus;

a modular front-end block coupled to said bus, said modular front-end block comprising;

an in-band tuner adapted to receive from a digital broadcast system in-band digital signals comprising audio content and video content; and

a second tuner for receiving digital signals via the Internet, wherein digital signals received via said second tuner comprise a scramble key used in descrambling a scrambled digital signal;

a modular conditional access block coupled to said bus, said modular conditional access block adapted to descramble said scrambled digital signal; and

a plurality of other modular functional blocks coupled to said bus, said other modular functional blocks comprising a central processing unit and functional units adapted to decode said audio and video content and to generate an output audio/video signal for rendering on a display device;

wherein said in-band tuner and said second tuner communicate with said other modular functional blocks via said bus using a shared bus interface and bypassing said modular conditional access block.

2. The intelligent transceiver of claim 1 wherein said in-band digital signals received by said in-band tuner further comprise service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

3. The intelligent transceiver of claim 1 wherein said modular front-end block further comprises a cable modem coupled to said second tuner, wherein said digital signals received via the Internet are received by said second tuner via said cable modem and wherein said digital signals received by said cable modem further comprise service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

4. The intelligent transceiver of claim 3 wherein said service information and said scramble key are communicated using Internet Protocol over the World Wide Web.

5. The intelligent transceiver of claim 3 wherein said modular front-end block is further adapted to send an authentication signal to said digital broadcast system, said authentication signal for indicating that said intelligent transceiver is authorized to receive said scramble key.

6. The intelligent transceiver of claim 3 wherein said modular front-end block is further adapted to send billing information to said digital broadcast system.

7. The intelligent transceiver of claim 1 further comprising:

an input/output device for sending and receiving digital signals via a telephone connection.

8. A bi-directional digital broadcast system comprising:

a bus;

a modular front-end block coupled to said bus, said modular front-end block comprising;

an in-band tuner for receiving in-band digital signals comprising scrambled audio content and scrambled video content;

a second tuner; and

a cable modem coupled to said second tuner, wherein said second tuner is for receiving digital signals from the Internet via said cable modem, wherein digital signals received via said second tuner comprise a scramble key used in descrambling a scrambled digital signal;

a descrambler coupled to said bus, said descrambler for descrambling said scrambled audio content and said scrambled video content, said descrambler for implementing said scramble key;

a decoder coupled to said bus, said decoder for decoding audio and video content;

an audio and video processing block coupled to said bus, said audio and video processing block for generating audio and video that are output to a display device; and

a central processing unit coupled to said bus;

wherein said in-band tuner and said second tuner communicate with said decoder, said audio and video processing block and said central processing unit over said bus and a shared bus interface, bypassing said descrambler.

9. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 8 wherein said in-band digital signals received by said in-band tuner further comprise service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

10. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 8 wherein said digital signals received via said cable modem further comprise service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

11. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 10 wherein said service information and said scramble key are communicated using Internet Protocol over the World Wide Web.

12. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 8 wherein said modular front-end block further comprises an input/output device for receiving and sending digital signals via a telephone connection.

13. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 8 wherein an authentication signal is sent by said modular front-end block, said authentication signal for indicating said modular front-end block is authorized to receive said scramble key.

14. The bi-directional digital broadcast system of claim 8 wherein billing information is sent by said modular front-end block.

15. An intelligent transceiver comprising:

a bus;

a modular front-end block coupled to said bus, said modular front-end block comprising;

an in-band tuner; and

a second tuner;

a modular conditional access block coupled to said bus, said modular conditional access block adapted to descramble a scrambled digital signal; and

a plurality of other modular functional blocks coupled to said bus, said other modular functional blocks comprising a central processing unit and functional units adapted to decode audio and video content and to generate an output audio/video signal for rendering on a display device;

wherein said in-band tuner and said second tuner communicate with said other modular functional blocks via said bus using a shared bus interface and bypassing said modular conditional access block;

wherein said intelligent transceiver executes a method for receiving digital signals within a bi-directional digital broadcast system, said method comprising the steps of;

a) receiving in-band digital signals comprising scrambled audio and video content, said step a) performed by said in-band tuner; and

b) receiving a digital scramble key via the Internet using said second tuner coupled to a cable modem of said intelligent transceiver, said digital scramble key used in descrambling a scrambled digital signal.

16. The intelligent transceiver of claim 15 wherein said step a) of said method further comprises the step of:

a1) receiving service information at said in-band tuner, said service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

17. The intelligent transceiver of claim 15 wherein said step b) of said method further comprises the step of:

b1) receiving service information at said second tuner via said cable modem, said service information used to generate an electronic programming guide.

18. The intelligent transceiver of claim 17 wherein said step b1) of said method comprises:

communicating said service information and said digital scramble key using Internet Protocol over the World Wide Web.

19. The intelligent transceiver of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

c) receiving and sending digital signals via a telephone connection using an input/output device of said intelligent transceiver.

20. The intelligent transceiver of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

d) sending an authentication signal from said intelligent transceiver, said authentication signal for indicating said intelligent transceiver is authorized to receive said digital scramble key.

21. The intelligent transceiver of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

e) sending billing information from said intelligent transceiver.

22. The intelligent transceiver of claim 18 wherein said method further comprises the steps of:

f) descrambling said scrambled audio and video content;

g) decoding output of said descrambler using a decoder; and

h) rendering output of said decoder for display on a display device.