Programming interface for configuring a television settop terminal

• US 7,690,006 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Birnbaum, Jack M., Miller, Kenneth P., Allinson, Stephen, Del Sordo, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H
• Application Number:
  US11/214,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/321, 719/328, 725/39, 725/50, 725/100, 725/110, 725/131, 725/132, 725/139, 725/140, 725/151, 725/152
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

A software interface (26) is provided to enable television settop middleware (14) and operating system (OS) software (16) to control and interact with core settop system software (20) in a subscriber television terminal to facilitate the provision of desirable digital television services, including authentication and authorization.

Claims

1. A system comprising a computer readable storage medium having stored computer program code for providing an interface to core system software in a user terminal;

the terminal having a processor for executing said computer program code, and having operating system software;

wherein the computer program code provides at least one application program interface (API) to enable middleware that mediates between an application program and the core system software to access a function of the terminal, and to enable the operating system software to access the function of the terminal;

wherein said function of the terminal comprises at least one of;

providing a Cable Modem'"'"'s public key to a DOCSIS Driver;

performing decryption operations on an encrypted Authorization Key provided by a DOCSIS Driver;

generating a Key Encryption Key (KEK) based on a decrypted Authorization Key;

generating an upstream hashed-based message authentication code (HMAC) Key;

authenticating a Key Request message, and return an upstream hashed-based message authentication code (HMAC) keyed message digest to a DOCSIS Driver;

generating a downstream hashed-based message authentication code (HMAC) Key;

validating a downstream hashed-based message authentication code (HMAC) using a downstream HMAC key; and

decrypting an encrypted Traffic Encryption Key (TEK) using a Key Encryption Key (KEK), and returning the TEK to a DOCSIS Driver.