Data transmission controlling method and data transmission system

• US 7,865,946 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hara, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LAFORGIA, CHRISTIAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/824,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,455 Days
• Field of Search: 380/217, 380/239, 713/151, 726/14
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/82 the transmission system being the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/93 Wired transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a data transmission system permitting secure and more reliable transmission of data from a data transmitter to a data receiver or receivers. The system comprises: a data transmitter for encrypting data and transmitting the encrypted data; data receivers for receiving the encrypted data from the data transmitter; satellite links used for data transmission from the data transmitter to the data receivers; and bidirectional communication channels which are also used for transmitting data from the data receivers to the data transmitter and which have a smaller capacity of data transmission than the satellite links. The satellite links are used to transmit encrypted data from the data transmitter to the data receivers. At least the bidirectional communication channels are used to communicate restrictive data transmission control information between the data transmitter and the data receivers.

Claims

1. A data transmission controlling method for controlling transmission of data from data transmitting means to data receiving means over communication channels and for causing said data transmitting means to encrypt data and transmit the encrypted data to said data receiving means over said communication channels, said data transmission controlling method comprising the steps of:

encapsulating the data, to be transmitted in multiplexed fashion and having a destination address, in accordance with a first protocol to create a section wherein the section is created based upon the destination address;

encrypting the section resulting from the encapsulation;

supplementing the encrypted section with a section header and a section trailer, wherein the section header included a MAC (media access control) header;

dividing the encrypted supplemented section into a plurality of payloads in accordance with a second protocol;

adding MPEG-2 transport stream headers to each payload to form packets for transmission; and

transmitting the packets over satellite links,

wherein the first encapsulating step is done before the encrypting step and the first protocol pads a portion of 0 to 63 bits with a corresponding “

1”

as a suffix to the data, thereby maintaining a predetermined data length.

2. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 1,

wherein said encapsulating in accordance with said first protocol supplements a real data part including said data to be transmitted to said data receiving means with an additional information part associated with said real data part.

3. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 2, wherein said additional information part includes destination address information identifying the data receiving means authorized to receive data included in said real data part.

4. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 3, wherein said destination address information is either individual or group destination address information.

5. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 3, wherein said data transmitting means possesses session keys corresponding to said destination address information, said session keys being used by said data transmitting means to encrypt information and data and by said receiving means to decrypt the encrypted information and data received;

and

wherein said data transmitting means transmits in advance said session keys to the data receiving means authorized to receive the transmitted information and data in accordance with said destination address information.

6. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 5, wherein said session keys are updated at predetermined intervals.

7. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 5, wherein said session keys are transmitted over a communication channel permitting either unidirectional communication from said data transmitting means to said data receiving means or bidirectional communication therebetween.

8. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 2, wherein said encapsulating in accordance with said first protocol uniquely determines how said destination address information attached to said real data part is stored into said additional information part, said encrypting step further encrypting said real data part using a master key specific to the data receiving means corresponding to said destination address information.

9. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 3, wherein said additional information part provides a 48-bit space in which to accommodate said destination address information.

10. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 2, wherein the communication channel is in a broadcast data transmission system, including a satellite broadcast system, and said encapsulating in accordance with the first protocol encapsulates the data to be transmitted to said data receiving means in accordance with either the Internet protocol or the Ethernet protocol.

11. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 1, wherein said data receiving means is constituted as an IP router.

12. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 1, wherein said data receiving means is constituted as a bridge.

13. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 2, wherein said additional information part includes data to verify a communication channel.

14. A data transmission controlling method for controlling transmission of data from data transmitting means to data receiving means over communication channels and for causing said data transmitting means to encrypt data and transmit the encrypted data to said data receiving means over said communication channels, said data transmission controlling method comprising the steps of:

encapsulating the data, to be transmitted in multiplexed fashion and having a destination address, in accordance with a first protocol therein creating a section based upon the destination address, wherein the first protocol pads a portion of 0 to 63 bits with a corresponding “

1”

as a suffix to the data, thereby maintaining a predetermined data length;

encrypting the section using an encryption key;

supplementing the encrypted section with encryption key information about said encryption key, a section header and a section trailer, wherein the section header includes a MAC (media access control) header;

dividing the encrypted supplemented section into a plurality of payloads in accordance with a second protocol;

adding MPEG-2 transport stream headers to each payload to form packets;

transmitting said packets from said data transmitting means to said data receiving means by satellite links; and

decrypting said packets using one of a plurality of decryption keys which allow said data receiving means to decrypt said encrypted data and which are updatable, said one of the decryption keys being selected in accordance with said encryption key information attached to said encrypted data.

15. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of decryption keys include a decryption key which is currently usable for decrypting said encrypted data received, and a decryption key which is to be used next to decrypt said encapsulated, encrypted data received;

and

wherein said data decrypting step selects the currently usable decryption key based on said encryption key information.

16. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 15, wherein said encryption key and said decryption keys are session keys for encrypting information and data.

17. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 16, wherein said session keys are updated at predetermined intervals.

18. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 14, wherein said data receiving means is constituted as an IP router.

19. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 14, wherein said data receiving means is constituted as a bridge.

20. A data transmission controlling method according to claim 14, wherein the supplemented data includes data to verify a communication channel.