Method for the transmission of management data

• US 8,036,387 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Kudelski, Henri, Conus, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almamun, Abdullah
• Application Number:
  US11/705,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 380/30, 380/201, 380/239, 380/241, 380/279, 380/284, 713/172, 713/193, 713/194, 726/26
• US Class Current: 380/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for the transmission of management data to at least one multimedia unit or a group of multimedia units. This method is characterized in that said management data is sent in the form of at least one authorization message encrypted by means of at least one synchronization key (SK), the sending of said at least one authorization message being repeated cyclically and intended for said multimedia unit or said group of multimedia units, and in that the synchronization key is modified at least during each cycle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting management data to at least one multimedia unit or a group of multimedia units in a form of at least three authorization messages, at least two of said at least three authorization messages including an identical content and at least two of said at least three authorization messages including non-identical contents, said at least three authorization messages being encrypted by at least one synchronization key,

cyclically repeating the transmission of said at least three authorization messages such that the transmission of two authorization messages including the identical content is separated by the transmission of at least one authorization message including the non-identical content, said at least three authorization messages being intended for said multimedia unit or said group of multimedia units, and

modifying the at least one synchronization key at least between two consecutive cycles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said management data includes at least one identifier of the at least one synchronization key.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said management data includes at least the at least one synchronization key.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said management data is at least one of access rights to data, keys, an executable code and management data of the multimedia unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one synchronization key is sent at the beginning of a cycle.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least three authorization messages are encrypted only with said at least one synchronization key.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least three authorization messages are encrypted with authorization key and with said at least one synchronization key.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a frequency of modification of the authorization key is different from a frequency of modification of the at least one synchronization key.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the encryption of the a least three authorization messages is carried out by first using the authorization key and then by using the at least one synchronization key.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the encryption of the at least three authorization messages is carried out by first using the at least one synchronization key and then using the authorization key.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one synchronization key is modified after the encryption of a desired number of authorization messages, the desired number being lower than or equal to a number of authorization messages forming a cycle.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one synchronization key is modified after a desired usage duration, the desired usage duration being lower than or equal to the duration of a cycle.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one synchronization key is made up of several parts of the synchronization key and said key parts are transmitted to the concerned multimedia units in several different messages.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said different messages including a part of the synchronization key are of at least two different types of messages.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said authorization message contains a time information.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said authorization message contains a unique value different for two different messages.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least two synchronization keys are used simultaneously.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least two synchronization keys have a different validity duration.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one multimedia unit includes an identifier and at least one broadcast message includes at least one identifier that indicates for which multimedia unit this message is intended, wherein said identifier contained in the message is encrypted by the synchronization key.