Secure storage and replay of media programs using a hard-paired receiver and storage device

• US 8,140,859 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kahn, Raynold M., Gagnon, Gregory J., Ha, David D., Klauss, Peter M., Curren, Christopher P., James, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lanier, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US09/620,833
• Time in Patent Office: 4,260 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

A method and apparatus for storing and retrieving program material for subsequent replay is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of receiving a data stream comprising the program material encrypted according to a first encryption key, decrypting the program material; re-encrypting the program material according to a second encryption key; and storing the re-encrypted material in a media storage device. The program material is played back by retrieving the re-encrypted material from the media storage device and decrypting the re-encrypted program material. In one embodiment, the second encryption key is derived from metadata describing replay rights. In a further embodiment, the media storage device also stores the second encryption key which has been further encrypted by a key that is unique to the device used to receive the program material.

Claims

1. A method of storing program material for subsequent replay, comprising the steps of:

receiving a data stream comprising program material encrypted according to a first encryption key and metadata including information describing replay rights for the program material;

decrypting the program material;

re-encrypting the decrypted program material according to a second encryption key;

encrypting the second encryption key and the metadata according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key; and

storing the re-encrypted program material in a media storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving the stored re-encrypted program material; and

decrypting the retrieved re-encrypted program material.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of storing the fourth encryption key.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of decrypting the retrieved re-encrypted program material comprises the steps of:

reading the stored fourth encryption key;

decrypting the fourth encryption key with the third key to produce the second encryption key and the metadata; and

decrypting the re-encrypted program material using the second encryption key according to a comparison between the decrypted metadata and other data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

accepting a viewing request before reading the stored fourth encryption key, and

recording billing information regarding the program material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second encryption key is derived at least in part from the metadata.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second encryption key is derived at least in part from a broadcast time of the program material.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encrypting the second encryption key and the metadata according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key comprises the step of modifying the second encryption key with the metadata;

and

encrypting the modified second encryption key according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key.

9. A receiver for storing program material for subsequent replay, comprising:

a tuner, for receiving a data stream comprising encrypted access control information, metadata having information describing replay rights for the program material, and the program material encrypted-according to a first encryption key, the access control information including the first encryption key;

a conditional access module, communicatively coupleable to the tuner, for decrypting the encrypted access control information to produce the first encryption key,

a first decryptor module, communicatively coupled to the tuner and communicatively coupleable to the conditional access module, for decrypting the program material using the first encryption key,

an encryptor, communicatively coupled to the first decryptor module and communicatively coupleable to a media storage device, for re-encrypting the decrypted program material according to a second encryption key and for encrypting the second encryption key and the metadata according to a third encryption key to produce a fourth encryption key,

a second decryptor, communicatively coupleable to the media storage device, for decrypting the fourth encryption key to produce the second encryption key and the metadata using the third encryption key, and for decrypting the re-encrypted program material using the second encryption key according to a comparison between the decrypted metadata and other data.

10. The receiver of claim 9, further comprising:

a media storage device, for storing and retrieving the re-encrypted program material and the fourth encryption key.

11. The receiver of claim 9, wherein the second encryption key and the third encryption key are receiver-unique.

12. The receiver of claim 9, wherein the encryptor encrypts the second encryption key and the metadata by modifying the second encryption key with the metadata and encrypting the modified second encryption key according to the third encryption key to produce the fourth encryption key.