System and method for ensuring secure communication between TV and set back box

• US 7,856,104 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Douillet, Ludovic
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kimyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zee; Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/702,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/25, 725151-153, 380/223, 380/210
• US Class Current: 380/223
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence

Abstract

A random number or HDCP key is sent from a TV to a set back box (SBB) over a HDMI channel, and unless the SBB returns the same random number/key to the TV over a USB link, the TV will not communicate further with the SBB.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) video communication channel between a TV and a source of multimedia;

establishing a serial bus secondary communication channel between the TV and the source;

sending a High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) encryption data element from the TV to the source over the HDMI video communication channel; and

preventing communication between the TV and source if the HDCP encryption data element is not returned to the TV from the source over the serial bus secondary communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source is a set box (SB).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source is a set back box (SBB).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the serial bus secondary communication channel is a universal serial bus (USB) link or an RS232 link or an IC2 link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the USB link is used, and the USB link is used for exchanging at least icon data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the HDCP encryption data element is a random number generated by the TV.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the HDCP encryption data element is a High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) key associated with the TV.

8. A TV, comprising:

at least one TV display; and

at least one TV processor configured for communicating with a set box (SB) over both a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) channel and a universal serial bus (USB) channel, the at least one TV processor using the HDMI channel to send to the SB a TV-generated random number and/or a High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) key associated with the TV, the at least one TV processor configured to receive back from the SB over the USB channel the random number and/or HDCP key.

9. The TV of claim 8, wherein if the TV does not receive back the random number and/or HDCP key over the USB channel the TV ceases communication with the SB.

10. A set box (SB) comprising:

a SB processor configured to communicate with a TV over both a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) channel and a secondary channel, the SB processor using the HDMI channel to receive a TV-generated random number and/or a High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) key associated with the TV, the SB processor using the secondary channel to return to the TV the random number and/or HDCP key, wherein the secondary channel is a universal serial bus (USB) link or an RS232 link or an IC2 link.

11. The SB of claim 10, wherein the random number and/or HDCP key is encrypted by the SB prior to returning the random number and/or HDCP key to the TV over the secondary channel.

12. A method comprising:

exchanging a High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) data element between a TV and a set box (SB) using both a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) channel and a secondary channel, wherein the HDCP data element is sent from the TV to the SB over the HDMI channel and the HDCP data element is returned to the TV by the SB over the secondary channel; and

using the HDCP data element to authenticate the SB and/or the TV, wherein the secondary channel is a universal serial bus (USB) link or an RS232 link or an IC2 link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the HDCP data element is an HDCP key and the secondary channel is the USB link.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the HDCP data element is a random number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the random number is generated using an HDCP key associated with the TV and an HDCP key associated with the SB.