Distribution of video content using client to host pairing of integrated receivers/decoders

• US 7,580,523 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: James, Thomas H., Kahn, Raynold M., Gagnon, Gregory J., Curren, Christopher P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar; Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US10/758,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20080019529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 380/240, 380/239, 380/242, 380/281, 380/284, 380/212, 726/29
• US Class Current: 380/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only
• 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 host receiver and a client receiver are operatively in a direct broadcast satellite system. Program materials received by the host receiver from the direct broadcast satellite system are decrypted by the host receiver. The decrypted program materials are then encrypted at the host receiver using a copy protection key. The copy protection key is encrypted at the host receiver using a host-client pairing key shared between the host receiver and client receiver. The encrypted program materials and the encrypted copy protection key are transferred from the host receiver to the client receiver. The transferred copy protection key is decrypted at the client receiver using the host-client pairing key. The transferred program materials are then decrypted at the client receiver using the decrypted copy protection key.

Claims

1. A method of operatively pairing a host receiver and a client receiver in a broadcast system, comprising:

(a) receiving encrypted program materials, generated by a service provider, at one or more subscriber receiving stations, at least one of the subscriber receiving stations being comprised of a plurality of networked receivers, wherein the networked receivers include at least one host receiver and at least one client receiver;

(b) decrypting the received program materials at the host receiver;

(c) re-encrypting the decrypted program materials at the host receiver using a copy protection key;

(d) encrypting the copy protection key at the host receiver using a host-client pairing key generated by the service provider and shared between the host receiver and client receiver in order to share the program materials between the host receiver and client receiver, wherein the service provider establishes the host-client pairing key for a particular combination of the host and client receivers;

(e) transferring the re-encrypted program materials and the encrypted copy protection key from the host receiver to the client receiver;

(f) decrypting the transferred copy protection key at the client receiver using the host-client pairing key; and

(g) decrypting the transferred program materials at the client receiver using the decrypted copy protection key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the program materials received by the host receiver are decrypted using a media encryption key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the host-client pairing key is received by both the host receiver and the client receiver from the broadcast system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising decrypting the host-client pairing key at the host receiver using a receiver key uniquely associated with the host receiver.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the copy protection key is generated by the host receiver using content information decrypted by the receiver key uniquely associated with the host receiver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the content information comprises a content identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the content identifier is obtained from the program materials.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the content identifier further comprises copy control information.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising decrypting the host-client pairing key at the client receiver using a receiver key uniquely associated with the client receiver.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular combination of the host and client receivers results in a different host-client pairing key for each pairing of the client receiver with the host receiver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular combination of the host and client receivers results in the host receiver sharing the host-client pairing key with all client receivers.

12. An apparatus for operatively pairing a host receiver and a client receiver in a broadcast system, comprising:

(a) means for receiving encrypted program materials, generated by a service provider, at one or more subscriber receiving stations, at least one of the subscriber receiving stations being comprised of a plurality of networked receivers, wherein the networked receivers include at least one host receiver and at least one client receiver;

(b) means for decrypting the received program materials at the host receiver;

(c) means for re-encrypting the decrypted program materials at the host receiver using a copy protection key;

(d) means for encrypting the copy protection key at the host receiver using a host-client pairing key generated by the service provider and shared between the host receiver and client receiver in order to share the program materials between the host receiver and client receiver, wherein the service provider establishes the host-client pairing key for a particular combination of the host and client receivers;

(e) means for transferring the re-encrypted program materials and the encrypted copy protection key from the host receiver to the client receiver;

(f) means for decrypting the transferred copy protection key at the client receiver using the host-client pairing key; and

(g) means for decrypting the transferred program materials at the client receiver using the decrypted copy protection key.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the program materials received by the host receiver are decrypted using a media encryption key.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the host-client pairing key is received by both the host receiver and the client receiver from the broadcast system.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for decrypting the host-client pairing key at the host receiver using a receiver key uniquely associated with the host receiver.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the copy protection key is generated by the host receiver using content information decrypted by the receiver key uniquely associated with the host receiver.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content information comprises a content identifier.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the content identifier is obtained from the program materials.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the content identifier further comprises copy control information.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for decrypting the host-client pairing key at the client receiver using a receiver key uniquely associated with the client receiver.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the particular combination of the host and client receivers results in a different host-client pairing key for each pairing of the client receiver with the host receiver.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the particular combination of the host and client receivers results in the host receiver sharing the host-client pairing key with all client receivers.