Security enhanced tiered subscription broadcast system

• US 7,865,917 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Martin E. Hellman
• Original Assignee: Martin E. Hellman
• Inventors: Hellman, Martin E
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry; Hunter B.
• Application Number:
  US11/305,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 725/2, 725 25- 31, 725/74, 725/75, 725/9, 725/14, 725 93- 95
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A broadcast system is disclosed that allows a broadcaster to provide multiple levels of subscription services. Subscribers have the option of listening to fewer (or no) commercials if they pay a higher fee, or listening to more commercials if they pay a lower (or no) fee. Commercials can be demographically targeted, cannot be skipped, and can be audited for billing purposes.

Claims

1. A receiver in a tiered broadcast system comprising:

a digital demodulator;

a cryptoprocessor; and

a receiver controller;

such that;

said digital demodulator creates a bitstream;

said receiver controller divides said bitstream into at least two substreams;

at least one of said substreams is plaintext;

at least one of said substreams is ciphertext;

at least one of the ciphertext substreams is decrypted by said cryptoprocessor;

if said receiver is assigned to a first tier and tuned to a program channel for a time period greater than ten minutes, advertising comprises a first time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal;

if said receiver is assigned to a second tier and tuned to said program channel for said time period, advertising comprises a second time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal; and

the ratio of said first time fraction to said second time fraction is less than 0.95 or greater than 1.05.

2. A receiver in a tiered broadcast system comprising:

a digital demodulator;

a receiver controller; and

a cryptoprocessor;

wherein;

said cryptoprocessor comprises at least one protected memory;

said digital demodulator outputs a bitstream;

said receiver controller causes at least a portion of said bitstream to be decrypted by said cryptoprocessor to produce one or more plaintext segments;

at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by said protected memory;

if said receiver is assigned to a first tier and tuned to a program channel for a time period greater than ten minutes, advertising comprises a first time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal;

if said receiver is assigned to a second tier and tuned to said program channel for said time period, advertising comprises a second time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal; and

the ratio of said first time fraction to said second time fraction is less than 0.95 or greater than 1.05.

3. The receiver of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said protected memory is read-protected from parts of said receiver external to said cryptoprocessor and at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by said portion of said protected memory.

4. The receiver of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said protected memory is write-protected from parts of said receiver external to said cryptoprocessor and at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by said portion of said protected memory.

5. The receiver of claim 2 wherein:

at least a portion of said protected memory is read-protected from parts of said receiver external to said cryptoprocessor;

at least a portion of said protected memory is write-protected from parts of said receiver external to said cryptoprocessor;

at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by the read-protected portion of said protected memory; and

at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by the write-protected portion of said protected memory.

6. The receiver of claim 2 wherein:

at least a portion of said protected memory is read-protected and write-protected from parts of said receiver external to said cryptoprocessor; and

at least one of said plaintext segments is protected by said portion of said protected memory.

7. A receiver comprising:

receive circuitry configured to receive a transmitted signal and to output a bitstream;

a memory;

a user interface; and

a receiver controller;

wherein said receiver controller stores at least a portion of said bitstream in said memory;

wherein at least a portion of said portion of said bitstream is divided into content segments;

wherein inhibit information is associated with at least some of said content segments;

wherein said user interface comprises control functions for controlling the delayed output of at least a portion of said content segments;

wherein said receiver controller is configured to inhibit one or more of said control functions during the delayed output of at least one of said content segment in response to said inhibit information; and

wherein said receiver is capable of being assigned to one of a plurality of tiers such that;

if said receiver is assigned to a first tier and tuned to a program channel for a time period greater than ten minutes, advertising comprises a first time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal;

if said receiver is assigned to a second tier and tuned to said program channel for said time period, advertising comprises a second time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal; and

the ratio of said first time fraction to said second time fraction is less than 0.95 or greater than 1.05.

8. The receiver of claim 7, wherein the inhibited control function(s) include either a fast forward command, or a skip command, or both.

9. The receiver of claim 7, wherein said receiver provides an indication when said receiver controller inhibits one or more of said control functions.

10. The receiver of claim 7, wherein said receiver controller causes a content segment to be replayed in response to an attempt by a user to effect an inhibited control function during play of said content segment.

11. A receiver comprising:

a cryptoprocessor; and

a protected bus configured so that said protected bus can carry data in only one direction; and

data is output on said protected bus by cryptoprocessor, wherein said receiver is capable of being assigned to one of a plurality of tiers such that;

if said receiver is assigned to a first tier and tuned to a program channel for a time period greater than ten minutes, advertising comprises a first time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal;

if said receiver is assigned to a second tier and tuned to said program channel for said time period, advertising comprises a second time fraction of said receiver'"'"'s output signal; and

the ratio of said first time fraction to said second time fraction is less than 0.95 or greater than 1.05.

12. The receiver of claim 11 further comprising a receiver controller and in which the data output on said protected bus by said crypto processor is inaccessible to said receiver controller.