Method and system for control of broadcast content access

• US 7,895,614 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shlissel, Moshe, Darshan, Ezra, Sandler, Leonid, Wachtfogel, Reuven, Rozenhauz, Aharon, Wald, Stephanie, Tsuria, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONTOYA, OSCHTA I
• Application Number:
  US12/381,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/28
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• 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 21/4623 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 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A method for controlling access to content, the method comprising: receiving content in an area in which access to the content is blacked out, the content corresponding to a blacked out event; preventing display of the content at the time of receipt; recording the received content; and allowing access to the recorded content after a time criterion is met, wherein the time criterion comprises an elapse of a predetermined period of time measured from a specified one of the following: commencement of the blacked out event and termination of the blacked out event.

Claims

1. A method for controlling access to content, the method comprising:

receiving content in an area in which access to the content is blacked out, the content corresponding to a blacked out event;

preventing display of the content at the time of receipt;

recording the received content; and

allowing access to the recorded content after a time criterion is met,

wherein the time criterion comprises an elapse of a predetermined period of time measured from a specified one of the following;

commencement of the blacked out event and termination of the blacked out event.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the content comprises scrambled content, and said allowing access comprises descrambling of the scrambled content after the time criterion and a payment criterion is met.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said receiving content also comprises receiving metadata comprising conditional access information adapted to prevent descrambling of the scrambled content until the time criterion is met.

4. The method according to claim 1 and further comprising playing back at least a portion of the content that was recorded, after the time criterion is met.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the time criterion comprises a waiting period after commencement of the blacked out event.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said time criterion comprises a waiting period after termination of said blacked out event, after which waiting period access to the recorded content is allowed.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises receiving said content via a video-on-demand (VOD) service.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises receiving said content via a near-video-on-demand (NVOD) service.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises receiving said content via a content delivery service that comprises extended mass storage capability for at least one of storing electronic content, extending bandwidth and time-shifting electronic content.

10. A system for controlling access to content, the system comprising:

a content receiver for receiving content in an area in which access to the content is blacked out, the content corresponding to a blacked out event;

a conditional access subsystem for preventing display of the content at the time of receipt; and

a recorder for recording the received content,

wherein the conditional access subsystem is adapted to allow access to the recorded content after a time criterion is met, the time criterion comprising elapse of a predetermined period of time measured from a specified one of the following;

commencement of the blacked out event and termination of the blacked out event.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the content comprises scrambled content, and the conditional access subsystem is adapted to allow access by descrambling the scrambled content after the time is met.

12. The system according to claim 10 wherein said content receiver is also operative to receive metadata comprising conditional access information adapted to prevent descrambling of the scrambled content until the time criterion is met.

13. The system according to claim 10 wherein said system is adapted to play back at least a portion of said content that was recorded, after the time criterion is met.

14. The system according to claim 10 wherein said time criterion comprises a waiting period after commencement of the blacked out event.

15. The system according to claim 10 wherein said time criterion comprises a waiting period after termination of the blacked out event.

16. The system according to claim 10 wherein said content receiver is operative to receive said content via a video-on-demand (VOD) service.

17. The system according to claim 10 wherein said content receiver is operative to receive said content via a near-video-on-demand (NVOD) service.

18. The system according to claim 10 wherein said receiving comprises receiving said content via a content delivery service that comprises extended mass storage capability for at least one of storing electronic content, extending bandwidth and time-shifting electronic content.