Selective encryption encoding

• US 7,792,294 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L., Pedlow, JR., Leo M., Derovanessian, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): YALEW, FIKREMARIAM A
• Application Number:
  US11/708,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20070291940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/210
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23897 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting only the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43607 Interfacing a plurality of external cards, e.g. through a DVB Common Interface [DVB-CI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• 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 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 : Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• 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 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a selective encryption encoder has a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type. The specified packet type includes packets carrying data representing a video slice wherein the video slice contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data. A packet duplicator duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets. Packets are sent and received to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method. A secondary encrypter encrypts the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method. This abstract should not be considered limiting since embodiments consistent with the present invention may involve more, different or fewer elements.

Claims

1. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice wherein the video slice contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of packets carrying the slice and determining if the number of packets is greater than a threshold number of packets;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

2. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice wherein the video slice contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of intra-coded macroblocks in the slice and determining if the number of intra-coded macroblocks is greater than a threshold number of intra-coded macroblocks;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

3. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice wherein a preceding video slice contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the preceding slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of packets carrying the slice and determining if the number of packets is greater than a threshold number of packets;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

4. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice wherein a preceding video slice contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the preceding slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of intra-coded macroblocks in the slice and determining if the number of intra-coded macroblocks is greater than a threshold number of intra-coded macroblocks;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

5. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice header for a video slice that contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of packets carrying the slice and determining if the number of packets is greater than a threshold number of packets;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

6. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice header for a video slice that contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of intra-coded macroblocks in the slice and determining if the number of intra-coded macroblocks is greater than a threshold number of intra-coded macroblocks;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

7. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice header for a slice following a preceding video slice that contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the preceding slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of packets carrying the slice and determining if the number of packets is greater than a threshold number of packets;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

8. A selective encryption encoder, comprising:

a packet identifier that identifies packets of a specified packet type, the specified packet type comprising packets carrying data representing a video slice header for a slice following a preceding video slice that contains a larger amount of data than a threshold amount of data;

wherein the packet identifier determines if the preceding slice contains a greater amount of data than the threshold amount of data comprises counting a number of intra-coded macroblocks in the slice and determining if the number of intra-coded macroblocks is greater than a threshold number of intra-coded macroblocks;

a packet duplicator that duplicates the identified packets to produce first and second sets of the identified packets;

means for sending and receiving packets to and from a primary encryption encoder to encrypt the first set of identified packets under a first encryption method; and

a secondary encrypter for encrypting the second set of identified packets under a second encryption method.

9. A method of decrypting and decoding a selectively encrypted digital video signal, comprising:

receiving packets of digital video, certain of the packets being unencrypted and certain of the packets being encrypted, wherein certain of the encrypted packets carry data representing a first image associated with the scene change;

the unencrypted packets having a first packet identifier (PID) and the encrypted packets having a second packet identifier (PID);

decrypting the encrypted packets having the second PID to produce decrypted packets;

remapping at least one of the first and second PIDs so that the unencrypted packets and the decrypted packets have the same PID; and

decoding the unencrypted and decrypted packets to produce a decoded video signal.

10. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium carrying instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out the method of decrypting and decoding a digital television signal according to claim 9.

11. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the medium comprises an electronic storage medium.

12. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium that carries instructions that when executes on a programmed processor to facilitate operation of a video receiver device to decrypt and decode a selectively encoded digital video signal wherein the instructions comprise:

a code segment that controls a demultiplexer that receives packets of digital video, certain of the packets being unencrypted and certain of the packets being encrypted, wherein certain of the encrypted packets carry data representing a first image associated with the scene change, the unencrypted packets having a first packet identifier (PID) and the encrypted packets having a second packet identifier (PID);

a code segment that controls decryption of the encrypted packets to produce decrypted packets;

a code segment that controls remapping at least one of the first and second PIDs so that the unencrypted packets and the decrypted packets have the same PID; and

a code segment that controls decoding the unencrypted and decrypted packets to produce a decoded video signal.

13. The tangible non-transitory computer storage readable medium of claim 12, wherein the medium comprises an electronic storage medium.