Image transmission system, image pickup apparatus, image pickup apparatus unit, key generating apparatus, and program

• US 7,542,071 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yaegashi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cutler; Albert H
• Application Number:
  US10/809,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.12, 380/264
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4184 providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An image transmission system comprises: one or a plurality of image pickup apparatus each having a unique identifying number and having an encrypting function for encrypting a picked-up image for transmission to a network; a key generating apparatus for generating, for each image pickup apparatus, an encryption key for encrypting the image and a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted image; a memory card for recording the decryption key and the identifying number of the image pickup apparatus in association with each other; a viewing apparatus connected with the memory card and having a decrypting function for decrypting the encrypted image using the decryption key, for viewing the image transmitted via the network by the image pickup apparatus; and an authenticating server for authenticating the image pickup apparatus accessible from the viewing apparatus.

Claims

1. A computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, for making a computer perform the steps of:

initializing an image transmission system, comprising

connecting an image pickup apparatus and a memory card to a key generating apparatus;

transmitting an identifying number from the image pickup apparatus to the key generating apparatus;

registering the identifying number from the image pickup apparatus at the key generating apparatus and at an authentication server;

generating an encryption and decryption key unique to the image pickup apparatus;

then

requesting that the authentication server authenticate a user and authenticate that a user can access the image pickup apparatus;

authenticating the user and image pickup apparatus in response to the requesting step;

connecting the image pickup apparatus to a viewing apparatus;

comparing the identification number in the memory card to the identifying number of the image pickup apparatus;

obtaining the decryption key from the memory card;

transmitting an image request from the viewing apparatus to the image pickup apparatus;

receiving an image from the imaging pickup apparatus at the viewing apparatus;

decrypting images received from the image pickup apparatus using the decryption key;

displaying the decrypted images on the viewer.

2. The computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, of claim 1, for making a computer perform the further step of:

accessing the authentication server from the viewing apparatus using a username and password.

3. An image transmission system for transmitting an image via a network, comprising:

an image pickup apparatus connected to a key generating apparatus, comprising;

a recording unit for storing an identifying number and an encryption key from the key generating apparatus;

the key generating apparatus, comprising;

a network interface for registering the identifying number from the image pickup apparatus at an authentication server;

a recording unit for storing the identifying number from the image pickup apparatus;

an encryption key generation unit for generating an encryption and decryption key unique to the image pickup apparatus;

an interface for storing the decryption key in a removable storage medium;

an image viewer comprising;

an interface for requesting that the authentication server authenticate a user and authenticate the image pickup apparatus accessible by the user, and connecting the image pickup apparatus to the viewing apparatus;

a memory interface for obtaining the decryption key from the removable storage medium;

a decrypting unit for decrypting the images received from the image pickup apparatus using the decryption key;

a display unit for displaying the decrypted images on the viewer; and

an authentication server for authenticating the user and image pickup apparatus in response to an authentication request.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the authentication server authenticates the user of the viewing apparatus using a username and password associated with the image pickup apparatus.