Method for controlling the use of a program signal in a broadcast system, and control device for a receiver for carrying out such a method

• US 7,245,720 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Irdeto Access B.V. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Irdeto Access B.V. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wajs, Andrew Augustine
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chai; Longbit
• Application Number:
  US09/914,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,402 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 380210-212, 370/314
• US Class Current: 380/210
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• 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

In a method for controlling the use of a program signal in a broadcast system, comprising one or more broadcasters and a number of receivers, at least a part of the receivers can be provided with a storage medium for storing program signals. The program signal comprises content signals of a first and a second type, wherein the second type of content signals is inserted in time slots in the first type of content signals. At least the first type of content signals is scrambled using control words as scrambling keys to obtain a scrambled program signal. The program signal is scrambled using control words as scrambling keys and the scrambled program signal is broadcasted together with entitlement control messages (ECM'"'"'s) containing the control words in an encrypted manner using a second key. Decrypting means are provided at each receiver for retrieving the control words from the ECM'"'"'s by decrypting the ECM'"'"'s, wherein the control words are delivered by the decrypting means for descrambling the program signal. At least a plurality of ECM'"'"'s comprises control information to control the decrypting means in such a manner that at least the time slots for second type of content signals are maintained in the first type of content signals.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a number of receivers, at least some of the receivers having a storage medium to store program signals, wherein the program signals comprise content signals of a first and a second type, wherein the second type of content signals is inserted in time slots in the first type of content signals, wherein at least the first type of content signals is scrambled using control words serving as first keys for scrambling to obtain a scrambled program signal and wherein the scrambled program signal is provided together with entitlement control messages (ECMs) containing the control words in an encrypted manner using a second key,

a decryptor provided at each receiver for retrieving the control words from the ECMs by decrypting the ECMs, and wherein the control words are delivered by the decryptor for descrambling the program signal, and wherein at least a plurality of said ECMs containing the control words in an encrypted manner further comprises control information to control the decryptor in such a manner that the decryptor processes ECMs to deliver decrypted control words for descrambling at least the first type of content signals so as to maintain at least the time slots for second type of content signals in the first type of content signals during playback of the program signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a real time clock operated at the receiver side, wherein the control information of an ECM near the beginning of a time slot for the second type of content signals indicates a delay before a next ECM can be decrypted by the decryptor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ECMs comprise a first ECMs for the first type of content signals and a second ECMs for the second type of content signals, wherein at least a plurality of the first and the second ECMs are provided with control information, wherein the decryptor checks the control information and delivers the decrypted control words of the first or the second ECMs in accordance with the control information to descramble content signals of the first or the second type, respectively.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control information of said plurality of ECMs comprises timing information, wherein a real time clock is operated at the receiver side, wherein the decryptor checks the timing information of each ECM by means of the real time clock and continues to deliver control words of the ECMs for descrambling the program signal only if the timing information corresponds with the time indication provided by the real time clock.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a sequence identifier and a minimum delay which should pass before a next ECM should be decrypted are comprised in the control information of said plurality of ECMs as timing information, wherein the decryptor checks the time passed by means of the real time clock and continues to deliver a next control word only if the time passed corresponds with the minimum delay.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein at least a plurality of first ECMs provides control information for the decryptor indicating the decryptor to use a plurality of second ECMs, wherein the control information may comprise timing information on the time period for using first ECMs and on the time period for using second ECMs, and information on the point within the first type of content signals for inserting the second type of content signals.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second type of content signals comprise content signals with corresponding ECMs representing various contents, wherein the control information of at least a part of said plurality of first ECMs comprises selection identifiers to allow only a selected content signal with corresponding ECMs to be used for insertion into the first type of content signals as second type of content signals, wherein in particular the selection identifiers select the content signal depending on the time of the day.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the decryptor forces the receiver to use all second ECMs corresponding to the time period indicated for using the second ECMs independent of the receiver being tuned to the corresponding program signal source.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein an ECM of the first ECMs for the first type of content signals comprises control information to switch the decryptor to deliver only first ECMs for the first type of content signals if the decryptor indicates a viewing mode allowing the use of the first content signals only.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control information of the ECMs comprises a sequence identifier including an index number of the previous and/or next ECMs, wherein the decryptor checks the index number of a received ECM against the expected index number, wherein the control word is only provided if the index number received matches the expected index number.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control information of an ECM comprises information on the insertion of the second type of content signals in the first type of content signals.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the ECMs are inserted in the program signal in syncrhronisation with the change of the control words used to scramble the program signal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the decrypting means is provided as a software module broadcasted by a broadcaster, wherein the software module is executed in the receivers, wherein the software module is regularly changed by the broadcaster.

14. The system of claim 1, further including a control device for at least one of the number of receivers for controlling the use of a program signal comprising a decryptor to retrieve the control words from ECMs by decrypting the ECMs, and for delivering decrypted control words descrambling a program signal, wherein the decryptor is adapted to check the control information of the decrypted ECMs and to insert a time slot in the first type of content signals by processing ECMs to deliver decrypted control words for descrambling at least the first type of content signals as indicated by the control information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the decryptor delivers decrypted control words of the first or second ECMs in accordance with the control words of the first or second ECMs in accordance with the control information to descramble content signals of the first or second type, respectively.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a real time clock, wherein the decryptor is adapted to check the timing information in the control information of each ECM by means of the real time clock and to continue to deliver control words of the ECMs to descramble the program signal only if the timing information corresponds with the time indication provided by the real time clock.