Conditional access system providing access to multiple programs or services

• US 7,386,128 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moroney, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak; Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/025,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/210
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43607 Interfacing a plurality of external cards, e.g. through a DVB Common Interface [DVB-CI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43853 involving multiplex stream decryption arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• 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

Abstract

A conditional access subsystem is proved which is to reside with an end-user for receiving, decrypting and decoding all programs distributed by a content provider that the end user is entitled to access so that the decrypted and decoded programs are available for display on one or more display devices without use of a set-top terminal dedicated to each of the display devices. The subsystem includes a receiver for receiving and demodulating a multi-program transport (MPTS) stream distributed by the content provider. The MPTS includes a plurality of packets constituting a plurality of programs using one of N different encryption schemes each associated with one of N service tiers, wherein N is an integer greater than one. Each of the N different encryption schemes has a different encryption/decryption key associated therewith. The packet identifiers for the packets associated with programs in any given one of the service tiers are in a consecutive sequence. A decryptor is provided for decrypting each of the programs associated with each of the N service tiers that the end user is entitled to access. A decoder is also provided for decoding each of the decrypted programs.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a plurality of programs from a content provider device to a subscriber, each of the programs being assigned to one of N service tiers, N being an integer greater than 1, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a unique packet identifier to each packet type associated with a given program;

encrypting each of the plurality of programs using one of N different encryption schemes each associated with one of the N service tiers, each of said N different encryption schemes having a different encryption/decryption key associated therewith, and wherein the packet identifiers for the packets associated with programs in any given one of the service tiers are in a consecutive sequence;

assembling a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) that includes the packets associated with the plurality of encrypted programs and the encryption/decryption keys; and

distributing the MPTS from the content provider to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet identifiers associated with the packets in any given one of the service tiers differ only in wild card digits.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the MPTS is MPEG compliant.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the encryptionldecryption keys are encapsulated in an entitlement control message (ECM).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the MPTS further comprises entitlement management message (EMM) packets associated with the subscriber.

6. A conditional access subsystem to reside with an end-user for receiving, decrypting and decoding all programs distributed by a content provider that the end user is entitled to access so that the decrypted and decoded programs are available for display on one or more display devices (15) without use of a set-top terminal dedicated to each of the display devices, comprising:

a receiver (11) for receiving and demodulating a multi-program transport (MPTS) stream distributed by the content provider, said MPTS including a plurality of packets constituting a plurality of programs using one of N different encryption schemes each associated with one of N service tiers, wherein N is an integer greater than one, each of said N different encryption schemes having a different encryptionldecryption key associated therewith, and wherein packet identifiers for the packets associated with programs in any given one of the service tiers are in a consecutive sequence;

a decryptor (13) for decrypting each of the programs associated with each of the N service tiers that the end user is entitled to access; and

a decoder (14) for decoding each of the decrypted programs.

7. The conditional access subsystem of claim 6 wherein the packet identifiers associated with the packets in any given one of the service tiers differ only in wild card digits.

8. The conditional access subsystem of claim 6 wherein the MPTS is MPEG compliant.

9. The conditional access subsystem of claim 6 wherein the encryptionldecryption keys are encapsulated in an entitlement control message (ECM).

10. The conditional access subsystem of claim 6 wherein the MPTS further comprises entitlement management message (EMM) packets associated with the end user.

11. A method for providing to one or more display devices of an end-user all programs distributed by a content provider that the end user is entitled to access without use of a set-top terminal dedicated to each of the display devices, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving and demodulating a multi-program transport (MPTS) stream distributed by the content provider, said MPTS including a plurality of packets constituting a plurality of programs using one of N different encryption schemes each associated with one of N service tiers, wherein N is an integer greater than one, each of said N different encryption schemes having a different encryptionldecryption key associated therewith, and wherein packet identifiers for the packets associated with programs in any given one of the service tiers are in a consecutive sequence;

decrypting each of the programs associated with each of the N service tiers that the end user is entitled to access;

decoding each of the decrypted programs; and

distributing the decoded and decrypted programs to each of the display devices.