System and method for conditional access key encryption

• US 7,463,737 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perlman, Stephen G., Gillon, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise; Emmanuel L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoshnoodi; Nadia
• Application Number:
  US09/930,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20030035543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,673 Days
• Field of Search: 380/210, 380/212, 380/223, 380/227, 380/231, 380/273, 380/28, 380/33, 380/48, 380/278, 380/284, 713/163
• US Class Current: 380/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/601 Broadcast encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• 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 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 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 system for processing multimedia channels is described comprising: transmitting decryption keys for decrypting the multimedia channels, the keys encrypted in both a first encryption format and a second encryption format; the keys encrypted in the first encryption format being decryptable by a first type of multimedia receiver; and the keys encrypted in the second encryption format being decryptable by a second type of multimedia receiver.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of simulcasting multimedia content to enable seamless migration from a first multimedia receiver to a second multimedia receiver, the second multimedia receiver supporting at least one encryption algorithm not supported by the first multimedia receiver, the method comprising:

encrypting a group of original multimedia channel keys using a first encryption algorithm decryptable by the first multimedia receiver to produce a first group of encrypted multimedia channel keys;

encrypting said same group of original multimedia channel keys using a second encryption algorithm decryptable by the second multimedia receiver to produce a second group of encrypted multimedia channel keys, the second encryption algorithm being developed after the first encryption algorithm, and the second multimedia receiver being developed after the first multimedia receiver; and

concurrently transmitting said first group of encrypted multimedia channel keys with said second group of encrypted multimedia channel keys to a plurality of multimedia subscribers having either the first multimedia receiver or the second multimedia receiver, wherein said first group of encrypted multimedia channel keys is decryptable by the first multimedia receiver and said second group of encrypted multimedia channel keys is decryptable by the second multimedia receiver but not the first multimedia receiver.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein said second encryption algorithm is digital video broadcasting (“

DVB”

) encryption.

3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting entitlement information with said group of multimedia channel keys encrypted using said second encryption algorithm, said entitlement information indicating which of said multimedia channels a user has the right to decrypt.

4. The method as in claim 3 further comprising:

decrypting said second group of encrypted multimedia channel keys at a multimedia receiver.

5. The method as in claim 4 further comprising:

searching said entitlement information to determine whether said user has the right to view a particular channel selected by said user; and

decrypting said channel using one of said decrypted keys if said user has said right.

6. A system for processing multimedia channels to enable seamless migration from a first multimedia receiver to a second multimedia receiver, the second multimedia receiver supporting at least one encryption algorithm not supported by the first multimedia receiver, the system comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon original decryption keys for decrypting said multimedia channels, wherein each original decryption key is successively encrypted in both a first encryption algorithm and a second encryption algorithm to produce first and second encrypted decryption keys, respectively, the second encryption algorithm being developed after the first encryption algorithm, the second multimedia receiver being developed after the first multimedia receiver;

a transmission component for concurrently transmitting said first group of encrypted multimedia channel keys with said second group of encrypted multimedia channel keys to a plurality of multimedia subscribers having either the first multimedia receiver or the second multimedia receiver;

said decryption keys encrypted in said first encryption format algorithm being decryptable by the first multimedia receiver; and

said decryption keys encrypted in said second encryption algorithm being decryptable by the second multimedia receiver but not the first multimedia receiver.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein said second encryption algorithm permits all of said decryption keys to be decrypted in real-time as they are received by said multimedia receiver.

8. The system as in claim 7 wherein said second encryption algorithm is digital video broadcast (“

DVB”

) encryption.

9. The system as in claim 6 further comprising:

transmitting entitlement information indicating which of said multimedia channels a user has a right to view.

10. The system as in claim 9 further comprising:

said second type of multimedia receiver decrypting only those keys identified by said entitlement information.

11. The system as in claim 9 further comprising:

said second multimedia receiver being configured to decrypt said decryption keys and using said decryption keys to decrypt multimedia channels identified by said entitlement information.

12. The system as in claim 6 further comprising:

said second multimedia receiver being configured to decrypt a decryption key and use the decryption key to decrypt a multimedia channel; and

said second multimedia receiver further being configured to re-encrypt said multimedia channel using an alternative encryption algorithm not decryptable by said first multimedia receiver.

13. The system as in claim 12 wherein said alternative encryption algorithm is digital video broadcast (“

DVB”

) encryption.

14. The system as in claim 12 wherein the first and second multimedia receivers are configured to store said multimedia channels in said alternative encryption algorithm on a mass storage device.

15. The system as in claim 14 wherein the first and second multimedia receivers are configured to decrypt and play back said multimedia channel from said mass storage device responsive to a user request to play back said multimedia channel.

16. A method of simulcasting multimedia content to enable seamless migration from a first type of multimedia receiver to a second type of multimedia receiver, the method comprising:

encrypting a channel key using a standard conditional access (“

CA”

) encryption algorithm decryptable by the first type of multimedia receiver to generate a first encrypted channel key;

encrypting said channel key using a non-standard encryption algorithm decryptable by the second type of multimedia receiver but not by the first type of multimedia receiver, to provide a second encrypted channel key;

concurrently transmitting the first and second encrypted channel keys to first and second multimedia receivers of the first type and second type, respectively;

transmitting an encrypted channel to the first and second multimedia receivers;

within the first multimedia receiver;

decrypting the first encrypted channel key using a standard CA decryption algorithm to recover the channel key; and

decrypting the encrypted channel using the channel key; and

within the second multimedia receiver;

decrypting the second encrypted channel key using a non-standard decryption to recover the channel key; and

decrypting the encrypted channel using the channel key.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the non-standard encryption algorithm comprises open encryption.