Method and system for securely providing content to a portable media player device

• US 8,875,206 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Guzman, Jorge H., Jupin, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US11/603,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,897 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/105, 725109-110, 725/114, 725/116, 725/131, 725133-134, 725/144, 725/146
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• 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

Abstract

A method and system includes a central location 100 registering a portable device 36 with a central location 100 and generating a conditional access signal corresponding to the portable device 36 in response to registering and transmitting the conditional access signal to a storage device controller. A set top box or storage device controller 28 receives the conditional access signal and enables a transfer of a file. The portable device 36 receives the file when coupled to the set top box in response to the conditional access signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering a unique identifier of a portable device to a user account at a head end;

transmitting, from the head end, the unique identifier to a storage device controller of a storage device of a content receiving device, said head end remotely located from the storage device controller;

storing the unique identifier of the portable device in a memory associated with the storage device controller to form a stored identifier;

coupling the portable device to the storage device controller;

communicating an identifier from the portable device to the storage device controller;

comparing, at the storage device controller, the identifier from the portable device with the stored identifier in the memory;

receiving a content file at the content receiving device;

storing the content file in the storage device; and

enabling a transfer of the content file from the storage device of the content receiving device to the portable device in response to comparing.

2. A method as in claim 1 disabling the transfer of the file in response to a non-equal result in the step of comparing.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting a serial number to the storage device controller through a satellite.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein prior to transmitting, associating the serial number to a storage device controller.

5. A method as in claim 3 wherein prior to transmitting, associating the serial number to a plurality of storage device controllers.

6. A method as in claim 3 wherein prior to transmitting associating the serial number to a plurality of storage device controllers associated with a single account.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the storage device comprises a digital video recorder.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the portable device comprises a portable media player.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the portable device comprises a personal computer.

10. A method comprising:

registering a portable device identifier to a user account at a central location located remotely from a storage device controller of a content receiving device to form a registered portable device identifier;

generating a conditional access signal at the central location corresponding to the registered portable device identifier and a revocation list in response to registering;

communicating the conditional access signal from the central location to the storage device controller of a storage device;

coupling the portable device to the storage device controller of the content receiving device;

communicating a received portable device identifier from the portable device to the storage device controller;

comparing, at the content receiving device, the received portable device identifier to the registered portable device identifier and the revocation list;

enabling communicating files from the storage device to the portable device in response to comparing; and

communicating files stored in the storage device to the portable device after enabling.

11. A method as in claim 10 wherein communicating the conditional access signal comprises communicating the conditional access signal through a satellite.

12. A method as in claim 10 wherein communicating the conditional access signal comprises communicating the conditional access signal through a terrestrial-based system.

13. A method as in claim 12 wherein the terrestrial-based system comprises a public service telephone network.

14. A method as in claim 10 wherein the conditional access signal comprises a seed signal.

15. A method as in claim 10 wherein the conditional access signal comprises a seed signal and a serial number signal.

16. A method as in claim 10 wherein the conditional access signal comprises a serial number signal.

17. A method as in claim 10 wherein the conditional access signal comprises a seed signal and, a serial number signal corresponding to a serial number, and wherein communicating files to the portable device is performed in response to the serial number not on the revocation list.

18. A method as in claim 10 wherein the storage device comprises a digital video recorder.

19. A method as in claim 10 wherein the portable device comprises a portable media player.

20. A method as in claim 10 wherein the portable device comprises a personal computer.

21. A system comprising:

a portable device having a unique identifier associated therewith;

a central location registering the unique identifier of the portable device to an account, generating a conditional access signal comprising the unique identifier corresponding to the portable device in response to registering and transmitting the conditional access signal to a set top box in communication with the portable device and having a storage device controller;

a set top box located remotely from the central location receiving the conditional access signal, receiving a received identifier from the portable device, comparing the received identifier and the unique identifier of the conditional access signal and enabling a transfer of a file stored in the storage device to a portable device in response to comparing; and

the portable device receiving the file when coupled to the set top box in response to comparing.

22. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the set top box comprises a satellite television set top box and further comprising a storage device is associated with the satellite television set top box, said storage device controller in communication with the storage device.

23. A system as recited in claim 21 further comprising an interface coupling the set top box or storage device controller to the portable device.

24. A system as recited in claim 23 wherein the interface comprises a wired interface.

25. A system as recited in claim 24 wherein the wired interface comprises a USB interface.

26. A system as recited in claim 24 wherein the wired interface comprises an Ethernet interface.

27. A system as recited in claim 23 wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

28. A system as recited in claim 27 wherein the wireless interface comprises a local area network interface.