Multimedia transmitter, multimedia receiver, multimedia transmission system, and method for securely transmitting multimedia content over a wireless link

• US 7,765,599 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Casas, Eduardo F., Peek, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Durham; Imhotep
• Application Number:
  US11/463,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 725/29, 713/189, 714/155, 709/231, 709/232, 709/228, 340/270, 340/255, 370/401, 726/22, 726/23, 726/27, 726/26, 380/270, 380/255, 380/277, 455/26.1, 705/57
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic

Abstract

Embodiments of multimedia transmitters, receivers and methods for communicating multimedia content in a wireless network are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. In some embodiments, a checksum is generated by decoding the multimedia content to respond to queries from a multimedia content source within a predetermined time period, a propagation delay associated with the wireless multimedia link is determined, and transmission of the multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link is inhibited when a response from the multimedia receiver exceeds a propagation delay by a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A multimedia transmitter comprising:

transmitter circuitry to transmit encrypted multimedia content over a wireless multimedia link to a multimedia receiver;

a decoder to generate a checksum from the multimedia content and to respond to queries from a multimedia content source coupled to the multimedia transmitter with the checksum within a predetermined time period; and

a controller, wherein in response to the queries, the controller causes the transmitter circuitry to send further queries to the multimedia receiver for a delay value secured with a hash generated by a multimedia content sink, wherein based on the delay value, the controller is to determine a propagation delay between the multimedia transmitter and the multimedia receiver and is to inhibit transmission of the multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link when a response from the multimedia receiver that includes the delay value exceeds the propagation delay by a predetermined time period.

2. The multimedia transmitter of claim 1 wherein the controller determines the propagation delay from the delay value received from the multimedia receiver within the response, the delay value being secured with the hash, and

wherein the multimedia content source refrains from providing the encrypted multimedia content to the multimedia transmitter if a delay in receiving the checksum provided by the decoder exceeds the predetermined time period or if the checksum does not match a current checksum generated within the multimedia content source.

3. The multimedia transmitter of claim 2 further comprising an encoder to re-encrypt decrypted multimedia content provided by the decoder and provide the re-encrypted multimedia content to the transmitter circuitry,

wherein the delay value and the hash are received over a wireless control link,

wherein the controller is to compare the hash received over the wireless control link with a hash of both a checksum and the delay value generated by the encoder, the received hash generated from a checksum and the delay value provided by a multimedia content sink, and

wherein the controller instructs the encoder to refrain from providing the re-encrypted multimedia content to the transmitter circuitry when the hash received over the control link does not match the hash generated by the encoder, or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving the hash over the control link exceeds the predetermined time period.

4. The multimedia transmitter of claim 3

wherein the controller receives responses from the multimedia receiver, the responses including a delay field comprising the delay value and a hash of both the delay value and the checksum generated by the multimedia receiver, and

wherein the decoder is responsive to the queries received from the multimedia content source to provide a current checksum generated by the decoder to the multimedia content source.

5. The multimedia transmitter of claim 2 wherein the delay value and the hash are received over a wireless control link from the multimedia receiver,

wherein the controller compares a hash of both the checksum and a delay value generated by the decoder with the hash received over the wireless control link, and

wherein the controller is to inhibit the transmission of the multimedia content by the multimedia transmitter when the hashes do not match or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving the hash from the multimedia receiver exceeds the predetermined time period.

6. The multimedia transmitter of claim 2 wherein the delay value and the hash are received over a wireless control link from the multimedia receiver, and

wherein the hash received over the control link is either generated by a decoder within the multimedia receiver, or generated from a checksum and the delay value provided by a multimedia content sink.

7. The multimedia transmitter of claim 5 wherein the transmitter circuitry receives the encrypted multimedia content directly from the multimedia content source for subsequent re-transmission over the wireless multimedia link,

wherein the decoder comprises a clone decoder to generate the checksums in response to the queries from the multimedia content source, and

wherein the controller is to disable the clone decoder to inhibit the generation of a checksum by the clone decoder for providing to the multimedia content source when a hash of both the checksum and the delay value from the clone decoder does not match the hash received from the multimedia receiver over the control link.

8. The multimedia transmitter of claim 2 further comprising a wireless transceiver for communicating control information with the multimedia receiver over a wireless control link, the control link being separate from the wireless multimedia link,

wherein the transceiver is to send queries to the multimedia receiver over the control link and is to receive secured responses over the control link,

wherein the response includes the delay value secured with the hash, the hash comprising a hash of both the delay value and a checksum generated by either a decoder within the multimedia receiver or a multimedia content sink.

9. The multimedia transmitter of claim 8 wherein the decoder has a primary data interface to couple with a primary data interface of the multimedia content source to receive the multimedia content from the multimedia content source, and

wherein the decoder has a secondary control interface to couple with a secondary control interface of the multimedia content source to receive queries from the multimedia content source and to provide responses to the queries, the responses including the checksums generated by the decoder.

10. The multimedia transmitter of claim 8 wherein the wireless multimedia link is a millimeter-wave link, and

wherein the multimedia transmitter further comprises:

a directional antenna coupled to the transmitter circuitry for transmitting the encrypted multimedia data to the multimedia receiver over the wireless multimedia link; and

a substantially omnidirectional antenna for communicating the control information with the multimedia receiver over the control link,

wherein the transmitter circuitry transmits the encrypted multimedia data using the directional antenna at millimeter-wave frequencies, and

wherein the wireless transceiver communicates the control information with the multimedia receiver over the control link at microwave frequencies.

11. The multimedia transmitter of claim 10 wherein the directional antenna comprises a steerable array antenna comprising a plurality of antenna elements.

12. A method of communicating multimedia content comprising:

transmitting encrypted multimedia content over a wireless multimedia link to a multimedia receiver;

generating a checksum by decoding the multimedia content to respond to queries from a multimedia content source within a predetermined time period;

further sending queries to the multimedia receiver in response to the queries from the multimedia content source;

receiving from the multimedia receiver a delay value secured with a hash generated from by a content sink;

determining a propagation delay associated with the wireless multimedia link from the delay value received from the multimedia receiver within a response; and

inhibiting transmission of the multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link when the response from the multimedia receiver that includes the delay value exceeds a propagation delay by a predetermined time period.

13. The method of claim 12

wherein the multimedia content source refrains from providing the encrypted multimedia content if a delay in receiving the checksum exceeds the predetermined time period or if the checksum does not match a current checksum generated within the multimedia content source.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the hash and the delay value are received over a wireless control link,

wherein the method further comprises:

re-encrypting decrypted multimedia content for transmission over the wireless multimedia link;

comparing the hash received over the control link with a hash of both a checksum and a delay value generated by the re-encrypting, the received hash generated from a checksum and the delay value provided by a multimedia content sink; and

refraining from providing the re-encrypted multimedia content for transmission over the wireless multimedia link when the hash received over the control link does not match the hash generated by the re-encrypting, or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving the hash over the control link exceeds the predetermined time period.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

comparing a hash generated by decoding the multimedia content with a hash received over a control link from the multimedia receiver; and

inhibiting the transmission of the multimedia content when the hashes do not match or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving the hash from the multimedia receiver exceeds the predetermined time period.

16. A multimedia communication system comprising a multimedia transmitter and a multimedia receiver, the multimedia transmitter comprising:

a decoder to generate a checksum from decryption of multimedia content and to respond to queries from a multimedia content source coupled to the multimedia transmitter with the checksum within a predetermined time period; and

a transmitter controller,

wherein in response to the queries, the transmitter controller causes the transmitter to send a query to the multimedia receiver for a delay value secured with a hash generated by a multimedia content sink, wherein based on the delay value, and

wherein the transmitter controller is to determine a propagation delay between the multimedia transmitter and the multimedia receiver and is to inhibit transmission of the multimedia content over a wireless multimedia link when a response from the multimedia receiver that includes the delay value exceeds the propagation delay by a predetermined time period, and

wherein the multimedia receiver comprises;

a receiver wireless transceiver to receive the query over the wireless control link from the multimedia transmitter; and

a receiver controller to provide the hash and delay value to the multimedia transmitter over the control link in response to the query.

17. The multimedia communication system of claim 16 wherein the multimedia transmitter further comprises transmitter circuitry to transmit encrypted multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link to the multimedia receiver, and

wherein the multimedia receiver further comprises receiver circuitry separate from the receiver wireless transceiver to receive encrypted multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link from the multimedia transmitter.

18. The multimedia communication system of claim 17 wherein the transmitter controller determines the propagation delay from the delay value and refrains from transmitting the encrypted multimedia content to the multimedia receiver when the hash provided in the response does not match a hash generated by the decoder of the multimedia transmitter or when a delay in receiving the hash from the multimedia receiver exceeds the propagation delay by a predetermined time period.

19. The multimedia communication system of claim 18

wherein the transmitter controller receives responses from the multimedia receiver, the responses including a delay field comprising the delay value and a hash of both the delay value and the checksum generated by the multimedia receiver, and

wherein the decoder is responsive to the queries received from the multimedia content source to provide a current checksum generated by the decoder to the multimedia content source.

20. A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

transmitting encrypted multimedia content over a wireless multimedia link to a multimedia receiver;

generating a checksum by decoding the multimedia content to respond to queries from a multimedia content source within a predetermined time period;

further sending queries to the multimedia receiver in response to the queries from the multimedia content source;

receiving from the multimedia receiver a delay value secured with a hash generated from by a content sink;

determining a propagation delay associated with the wireless multimedia link from the delay value received from the multimedia receiver within a response; and

inhibiting transmission of the multimedia content over the wireless multimedia link when the response from the multimedia receiver that includes the delay value exceeds a propagation delay by a predetermined time period.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the multimedia content source refrains from providing the encrypted multimedia content if a delay in receiving the checksum exceeds the predetermined time period or if the checksum does not match a current checksum generated within the multimedia content source.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the operations further comprise:

re-encrypting decrypted multimedia content for transmission over the wireless multimedia link;

comparing a hash received over a control link with a hash of both a checksum and a delay value generated by the re-encrypting, the received hash generated from a checksum provided by a multimedia content sink; and

refraining from providing the re-encrypted multimedia content for transmission over the wireless multimedia link when the hash received over the control link does not match the hash generated by the re-encrypting, or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving the hash over the control link exceeds the predetermined time period.

23. The computer-readable storage of claim 21 wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing a hash of both the checksum and a delay value generated by decoding the multimedia content with a hash of both a checksum and the delay value received over a control link from the multimedia receiver; and

inhibiting the transmission of the multimedia content when the hashes do not match or when the propagation delay subtracted from a delay in receiving a hash of both a checksum and delay value from the multimedia receiver exceeds the predetermined time period.