Super encrypted storage and retrieval of media programs with smartcard generated keys

• US 7,804,958 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Curren, Christopher P., Ha, David D., James, Thomas H., Kahn, Raynold M., Klauss, Peter M., Gagnon, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Ellen
• Application Number:
  US12/184,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 725/2, 725/6
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• 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 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 21/4627 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 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing and retrieving program material for subsequent replay is disclosed. In summary, the present invention describes a system and method for storing and retrieving program material for subsequent replay. The method comprises the steps of accepting encrypted access control information and the program material encrypted according to a first encryption key, the access control information including a first encryption key and control data; decrypting the received access control information to produce the first encryption key; decrypting the program material using the first encryption key; re-encrypting the program material using according to a second encryption key; encrypting the second encryption key according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key; and providing the re-encrypted program material and a fourth encryption key for storage. The apparatus comprises a conditional access module, for accepting encrypted access control information and the program material encrypted according to a first encryption key, the encrypted access control information including the first encryption key and temporally-variant control data, the control access module comprising a first decryption module, for decrypting the access control information to produce the first encryption key; a first encryption module, for encrypting a second encryption key with a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key; and a second decryption module for decrypting the fourth encryption key to produce the second encryption key.

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing program material for replay, comprising:

a receiver for accepting a data stream including data packets with program material encrypted according to a first encryption key and access control information which is contained within one or more control word packets that include an encrypted version of the first encryption key in the receiver;

at least one processor, comprising;

means for decrypting the received access control information in a conditional access module which is releaseably communicatively coupled to the receiver to produce the first encryption key;

means for decrypting the program material using the first encryption key;

means for re-encrypting the program material according to a second encryption key;

means for encrypting the second encryption key according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key; and

means for providing the re-encrypted program material and a fourth encryption key for storage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encrypted access control information is encrypted and further comprises temporally-variant control data, and the at least one processor further comprises:

means for decrypting the received access control information to produce the temporally-variant control data; and

means for modifying the temporally variant control data to generate temporally-invariant control data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conditional access module is implemented on a smartcard.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access control information further comprises metadata describing at least one right for the program material.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor further comprises:

means for generating the second encryption key at least in part from the metadata.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor further comprises:

means for generating replay right data from the metadata.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means for generating the replay right data further generates replay right data from pre-buy data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further comprises:

means for retrieving the stored re-encrypted program material and the fourth encryption key;

means for decrypting the fourth encryption key using the third encryption key to produce the second encryption key; and

means for decrypting the re-encrypted material using the second encryption key.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for decrypting the fourth encryption key using the third encryption key to produce the second encryption key is performed in response to a subscriber request to access the program material.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the access control information further comprises metadata describing at least one right for the program material, the subscriber request to access the program material comprises buy data, and the at least one processor further comprises:

means for generating replay right data from the metadata;

means for accepting the buy data;

means for comparing the buy data with the replay right data; and

means for decrypting the fourth encryption key using the third encryption key to produce the second encryption key according to the comparison between the buy data and the replay right data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the second encryption key and the third encryption key are stored in a smartcard, and the replay right data is generated from the metadata and the pre-buy message in the smartcard; and

the means for accepting the buy data, means for comparing the buy data with the replay right data, and means for decrypting the fourth encryption key using the third encryption key to produce the second encryption key according to the comparison between the buy data and the replay right data is implemented in the smartcard.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the re-encrypted program material and the fourth encryption key are stored on a media storage device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control data is temporally-variant.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the temporally-variant control data associates an expiration time with the program material.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second encryption key is stored in the conditional access module.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor comprises a microcontroller having a memory having software instructions stored therein.