Validating client-receivers
First Claim
1. In a subscriber television system having a headend, a server, which is remote from the headend, and a plurality of client-receivers for receiving programming from the headend and the server,a validation-message generated by a given client-receiver of the plurality of client-receivers and embodied in a computer readable medium for validating the given client-receiver with the server, the validation-message comprising:
- a client-identifier associated with the given client-receiver; and
an authentication-token, wherein the authentication-token is produced by providing an input to a one-way function, wherein the input to the one-way function includes at least a portion of a validator and at least a portion of the client-identifier, wherein the validator is transmitted from the headend to both the server and the given client-receiver, and wherein responsive to the server receiving the validation-message, the server determines whether the given client-receiver is a valid client-receiver of the subscriber television system using at least a portion of the authentication-token and at least a portion of the validator.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a subscriber television system having a headend, a server, and plurality of client-receivers, the server, which is remote from the headend, is adapted to receive a validation-message from one or more client-receivers. The validation-message includes content and an authentication-token. The server validates that the sender of the validation-message is a valid client-receiver of the subscriber television system using an authentication-token and a validator that is known to both the server and to at least one of the client-receivers.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. In a subscriber television system having a headend, a server, which is remote from the headend, and a plurality of client-receivers for receiving programming from the headend and the server,
a validation-message generated by a given client-receiver of the plurality of client-receivers and embodied in a computer readable medium for validating the given client-receiver with the server, the validation-message comprising: -
a client-identifier associated with the given client-receiver; and an authentication-token, wherein the authentication-token is produced by providing an input to a one-way function, wherein the input to the one-way function includes at least a portion of a validator and at least a portion of the client-identifier, wherein the validator is transmitted from the headend to both the server and the given client-receiver, and wherein responsive to the server receiving the validation-message, the server determines whether the given client-receiver is a valid client-receiver of the subscriber television system using at least a portion of the authentication-token and at least a portion of the validator.
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2. A method of validating a client-receiver in a digital networks, the digital network having a headend, a plurality of client-receivers for receiving programming from the headend and the server, and a server in communication with the headend and with the plurality of client-receivers, the server and the plurality of client-receivers located at a client location remote from the headend, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving by the server a validation-message from a particular client-receiver of the plurality of client-receivers, the validation-message including a message content and a first authentication-token generated by the particular client-receiver, wherein the message content includes at least a client-identifier and the first authentication-token is the output of a one-way function having at least a portion of a validator and at least a portion of the client-identifier of the message content of the validation-message as inputs, wherein the validator is known to the particular client-receiver and other client-receivers of the plurality of client-receivers; generating by the server a local authentication-token using the message content, wherein the local authentication-token is the output of a one-way function having at least a portion of the validator as an input; and determining by the server whether the particular client-receiver is a valid client-receiver of the digital network using at least the first and local authentication-tokens by comparing the first authentication token and the local authentication-token to determine if they are the same. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification