System and method for hybrid conditional access for receivers of encrypted transmissions

• US 7,224,797 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2001
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Freeman, Martin, Lu, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US09/932,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20030035540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 380200-204, 380272-282, 380/210
• US Class Current: 380/201
• 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

Abstract

A system for decrypting transmissions encrypted by a transmission station includes a receiver having a first conditional access module embedded within the receiver, and a second conditional access module that is removable from the receiver. The first conditional access module decrypts a first signal transmitted by the transmission station and the second conditional access module decrypts a second signal transmitted by the transmission station. The first and second signals are encrypted by separate conditional access modules. The transmission station provides the receiver with an entitlement code for allowing the receiver to decrypt the transmission upon verification by the transmission station that the receiver is entitled to decrypt the transmission.

Claims

1. A system for decrypting encrypted transmissions of at least a first signal and a second signal, comprising:

a receiver for receiving transmissions of the at least first signal and second signal at the same time, the receiver having a first embedded conditional access module for decrypting the first transmitted signal, and a second removable conditional access module for decrypting the second transmitted signal;

wherein enabling of the second conditional access module causes the second conditional access module to override the first conditional module.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a first decryption algorithm is used by the first conditional access module and a second decryption algorithm is used by the second conditional access module, the first and second decryption algorithms being different from each other.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the receiver comprises at least one additional removable conditional access module, each additional removable conditional access module having a different decryption algorithm from each other and from the second removable conditional access module.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein an enabling of one or more additional removable conditional access modules causes overriding of the first conditional module and also causes overriding of all but one of the second and additional removable conditional access modules.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first signal as received by the receiver is encrypted with a first encryption algorithm and the second signal as received by the receiver is encrypted with a second encryption algorithm.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second conditional access module requires receipt of a transmitted entitlement code for permitting decryption of the second signal.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first conditional access module is a default conditional access module.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second conditional access module is enabled by inserting it into the receiver.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a standard interface for engaging the second conditional access module and interfacing the second conditional access module to the receiver.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises an initialization module for initializing the receiver to decrypt the second signal upon enabling of the second conditional access module.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a transmitter that, after initializing the receiver to decrypt the second signal, the initialization module causes the transmitter to transmit a signal indicating that the receiver is ready to receive the second signal.