Secure distribution of video on-demand

• US 7,930,724 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Yong Ho, Goode, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saint Cyr; Jean D
• Application Number:
  US10/695,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20040091109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,730 Days
• Field of Search: 725/4, 725 86- 87
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23473 by pre-encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An interactive information distribution system for providing secure distribution of video-on-demand content. The interactive information distribution system includes at least one programming source for storing at least one partially encrypted video program, and a distribution center including a remote server. The remote server stores the at least one partially encrypted video program received from the at least one programming source. The remote server also processes the partially encrypted video program corresponding to a subscriber requested video program to produce a fully encrypted video program. A subscriber-side distribution network, coupled to the distribution center, causes transmission of the fully encrypted video program to the requesting subscriber.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a distribution center of a content provider comprising a remote server;

the remote server configured to;

store in storage a video program encrypted in a first encrypted form received from one of at least one programming source which is located remote from the remote server,

receive a user request from a user device,

in response to receiving the user request, retrieve the video program encrypted in the first encrypted form from the storage and process the video program encrypted in the first encrypted form to produce a decrypted video program,

process the decrypted video program to produce a video program in a second encrypted form, and

transmit the video program in the second encrypted form to the user device using a distribution network of the content provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to cause transmission of a decryption key to the requesting user, the decryption key being necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form.

3. The system of claim 1, the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a public key associated with the requesting user, the public key having an associated private key necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a private key associated with the requesting user, the private key having an associated public key necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a public key, the public key having an associated private key necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form, the system further comprising:

the remote server transmitting the private key to the requesting user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the private key is encrypted prior to transmission to the requesting user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to transmit the video program in the second encrypted form to the requesting user via a first communications channel and is configured to transmit a decryption key to the requesting user via a second communications channel.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a Data Encryption Standard (DES).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to multiplex the video program in the second encrypted form and other signals to create a multiplexed signal for transmission to the requesting user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one programming source comprises a video-on-demand source.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the video program encrypted in the first encrypted form is a video-on demand program encrypted in the first encrypted form, the user request is requesting the video-on demand program, and the distribution center is located at a location of the content provider.

11. A system, comprising:

a distribution center of a content provider comprising a remote server, the remote server configured to;

process a video program encrypted in a first encrypted form received from one of at least one programming source, which is located remote from the remote server, to produce a decrypted video program,

process the decrypted video program to produce a video program in a second encrypted form,

store the video program encrypted in the second encrypted form in storage,

receive a user request, and

in response to the user request, retrieve the video program in the second encrypted form from storage and transmit the video program in the second encrypted form to a user device using a distribution network of the content provider.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote server is configured to cause transmission of a decryption key to the user device, the decryption key being necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a public key, the public key having associated with it a private key necessary to decrypt the video program in the second encrypted form, the system further comprising:

the remote server transmitting the private key to the user device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the private key is encrypted prior to transmission to the user device.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote server is configured to transmit the video program in the second encrypted form to the user device via a first communications channel and configured to transmit a decryption key to the user device via a second communications channel.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the video program in the second encrypted form is encrypted according to a Data Encryption Standard (DES).

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote server is configured to multiplex the video program in the second encrypted form and other signals to create a multiplexed signal for transmission to the user device.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one programming source comprises a video-on-demand source.

20. A method, comprising:

processing, by a remote server of a distribution center of a content provider, a video program encrypted in a first encrypted form received from one of at least one programming source, which is located remote from the remote server, to produce a decrypted video program;

processing, by the remote server, the decrypted video program to produce a video program in a second encrypted form;

storing, by the remote server, the video program encrypted in the second encrypted form in storage;

receiving, by the remote server, a user request; and

in response to the user request, retrieving, by the remote server, the video program in the second encrypted form from storage and transmitting the video program in the second encrypted form to a user device using a distribution network of the content provider.