Memory database creation system for encrypted program material

• US 7,027,599 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2000
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pace Micro Technology Ltd. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Entwistle, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi T.
• Application Number:
  US09/553,011
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 380/202, 707/3, 707/6, 707/104.1, 382/103
• US Class Current: 380/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• 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: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A memory database creation system for encrypted program material in which received encrypted material is first descrambled or decrypted and parsed to allow the generation of location identifiers for portions of the material. Once parsed, the location identifiers are stored in a database in a receiver and the material is again encrypted at the receiver prior to storage in memory. Typically, the steps of the method and system are performed at one instant thereby preventing unauthorized access to the material when it is in a descrambled or decrypted form.

Claims

1. A method of generating a database index of location identifiers of specified features of video, audio and/or auxiliary data material relating to a broadcast program held in a memory device, said data material for the program received by a broadcast data receiver from a remote location in an encrypted form, said broadcast data receiver connected to or integral with a television to allow the generation of the video, audio and/or auxiliary data, the method comprises the steps of:

decrypting the received data material after receipt by the broadcast data receiver;

parsing the data material to generate a plurality of location identifiers for respective portions of the data material;

storing said location identifiers in a database; and

locally encrypting said data material prior to storage in said memory device and wherein the data material includes frames or pictures of video and the location identifiers generated refer to features of the video data material selected from the group consisting of;

a specified frame of video a group of picture sequence, a time code, and a pictorial temporal reference in order to identify a particular portion of the data material stored in said memory device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the memory device and a processing apparatus for performing the method are located in said broadcast data receiver.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the data material for the program received is in an encoded digital format and said broadcast data receiver includes a system for decoding the received data material, including the step of generating an audio display via a speaker or speakers.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which said step of processing said data material to generate a number of location identifiers includes de-scrambling the data material.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which said step of processing said data material to generate a number of location identifiers includes decrypting the data material.

6. A method according to claim 1 in which said step of processing said data material to generate a number of location identifiers includes data stream parsing the data material.