Method and apparatus for implementing revocation in broadcast networks

• US 7,567,939 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Eyer, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/500,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 705/57, 705/64, 705/67
• US Class Current: 705/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1076 Revocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2585 Generation of a revocation list, e.g. of client devices involved in piracy acts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A method of revoking a descrambling privilege for copy controlled content to a host device is provided. The method includes receiving copy controlled content at a conditional access module. A revocation list is also received at the module. The method includes determining whether the host device associated with the module is on the list. If so, the conditional access module will not descramble the content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving copy controlled content;

receiving a plurality of revocation lists each corresponding to a given range of host identifiers, wherein the revocation list is received in band;

verifying by a computer that an identifier of a digital device is within the range of host identifiers by determining which revocation list of the plurality of revocation lists comprises a range of host identifiers within which the identifier of the host device is bound the computer being a digital device;

determining whether the digital device is on any of the revocation lists; and

if the digital device is determined to be on any of the revocation lists, denying the copy controlled content to the digital device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of revocation lists are received in band after the identifier of the device is verified to be within the range of the identifiers for the one of the plurality of revocation lists.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing access to the copy controlled content if the digital device is not listed on any of the revocation lists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the copy controlled content is denied to the digital device by not descrambling the copy controlled content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital device is selected from the group including of a set top box, television, video player, video recorder, hard disk player, hard disk recorder, personal computer, memory stick recorder, minidisk player, minidisk recorder, digital video disk (DVD) player, DVD Recorder, compact disk (CD) player and CD recorder.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising descrambling during a timeout period and providing the copy controlled content to the digital device if a host identifier is not on any of the revocation lists.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the timeout period allows for the revocation list to be received at least twice but prevents receiving a significant portion of the copy controlled content.

8. A method comprising:

receiving copy controlled content;

receiving a plurality of revocation lists corresponding to a given range of host identifiers, wherein the plurality of revocation lists are received in band;

authenticating by a computer one of the plurality of revocation lists as having a larger revocation list version number than a stored version number of a prior revocation list the computer being a digital device;

verifying that an identifier of a digital device is within the range of host identifiers;

determining whether the digital device is on any of the revocation lists; and

if the digital device is determined to be on any of the revocation lists denying the copy controlled content to the digital device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of revocation lists include a plurality of lists organized based on device type.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of revocation lists include a plurality of lists organized based on devices having a selected interface.

11. A device for controlling access to copy controlled content, comprising:

a tuner to tune to a selected frequency for receipt of the copy controlled content;

a demodulator unit coupled to the tuner, the demodulator unit to demodulate the copy controlled content; and

means for receiving a plurality of revocation lists each corresponding to a different range of host identifiers and device characteristics, the unit to determine whether an identifier of the device is within a range of any of the plurality of revocation lists, each list based on a selected device characteristic, and if so, to (i) determine whether the identifier of the device on one of the plurality of revocation lists by determining which revocation list of the plurality of revocation lists comprises a range of identifiers within which the identifier of the device is bound and (ii) deny the copy controlled content to the device if the identifier is listed on one of the plurality of revocations lists.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the unit is a conditional access unit.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the unit receives the plurality of revocation lists in band as part of a digital bitstream having the copy controlled content.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein unit receives the plurality of revocation lists out of band with the plurality of revocation lists being transmitted through a separate medium than the copy controlled content.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the unit receives the plurality of revocation lists over a telephone line and the copy controlled content over either a cable or a wireless satellite transmission.

16. The device of claim 11 further comprising a processor coupled to the access unit.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the processor to receive an enhancement control message, the enhancement control message including a key to descramble the copy controlled content.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the unit receives the enhancement control message along with the copy controlled information and the processor transmits information to the unit to enable the unit to locate the enhancement control message.

19. The device of claim 11 further comprising:

a de-multiplexer unit coupled to the unit, the de-multiplexer unit to descramble the copy controlled content based on information provided by the unit.

20. The device of claim 19 further comprising:

a de-multiplexer unit coupled to the unit, the de-multiplexer unit to (i) separate system information within incoming program data received by the tuner where the program data includes the copy controlled content, and (ii) transmit audio and video information of the copy controlled content to a decoder unit.

21. The device of claim 11 further comprising:

a digital interface unit coupled to the unit, the digital interface unit to enable communications with digital components of an entertainment system including the device.

22. The device of claim 11, wherein the revocation list includes a plurality of lists organized based on device type.

23. The device of claim 11, wherein the revocation list includes a plurality of lists organized based on devices having a selected interface.

24. A method comprising:

verifying by a computer that an identifier of the computer is within a range of identifiers associated with a revocation list, the computer being a digital device;

performing an initial analysis by determining whether the computer can be on the revocation list upon verification that the identifier of the computer is within the range of the identifiers covered by the revocation list;

performing a secondary analysis and

refraining from decoding encoded content received by the computer if the identifier of the computer is within the range of the identifiers and the computer is determined to be on the revocation list; and

allowing decoding of the encoded content if the identifier of the computer is within the range of the identifiers and the computer is not determined to be on the revocation list.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the revocation list is received in band as part of a digital bitstream including encoded content.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the identifier is a host identifier being a numeric value.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the encoded content is scrambled.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising allowing decoding of the encoded content during a timeout period if the revocation list has not been received.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the timeout period allows for the revocation list to be received at least twice but prevents receiving a significant portion of the copy controlled content.