Methods and apparatus to conditionally authorize content delivery at broadcast headends in pay delivery systems

• US 8,996,421 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kahn, Raynold M., Dulac, Stephen P., Basse, Hanno, Klauss, Peter M., Kidd, Deanna R., Popoli, Maria G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coppola, Jacob C.
• Application Number:
  US11/434,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,242 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 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 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• 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 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64715 Protecting content from unauthorized alteration within the network verifying the information received for network security in communication control or processing H04L63/12; integrity in wireless network security H04W12/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• 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

Methods and apparatus to conditionally authorize content delivery at broadcast headends in pay delivery systems are disclosed. An example method includes generating a broadcast signal, receiving an authorization request to download a program from a receiver station, determining an authorization for the download and sending the authorization to a point-to-point content delivery server.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a transmitter to transmit a satellite broadcast signal receivable by a plurality of set-top boxes at respective ones of a plurality of customer premises;

an interface including a circuit communicatively coupled to the transmitter to receive an authorization request from a first set-top box of the plurality of set-top boxes and to send a first public key and a private key to the first set-top box;

an Internet-based content server communicatively coupled to the interface and to the first set-top box to receive first authorization data including a second public key from the interface, to receive from the first set-top box a content request for a video program, the content request including second authorization data based on the private key and the first public key and to, conditioned on the first authorization data and the content request, transmit the video program to the first set-top box via a terrestrial Internet protocol (IP) based signal; and

a processor programmed to determine an authorization result based on the first and second authorization data.

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization request contains information identifying the first set-top box, and wherein the authorization result is determined based on the identifying information.

3. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization request is received via the Internet-based content server.

4. A system as defined in claim 3, wherein the conditional access system is to determine an encryption code, wherein the encryption code is included in the authorization result.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the processor or a second processor is programmed to determine at least one of an encryption code or a seed, and wherein the interface is to send the least one of the encryption code or the seed to the first set-top box.

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is signed with a signature.

7. A system as defined in claim 6, wherein the signature is based on at least one of a secret key or a private signing key.

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the processor or a second processor is programmed to determine the private key and the public key, and wherein the authorization request comprises a client registration.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the processor or a second processor is programmed to receive a download report from at least one of the first set-top box or the Internet-based content server.

10. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first set-top box comprises at least one of a home media center, a residential gateway, a home media server, a digital video recorder, a video cassette recorder, a personal computer, a game playing console, a television, a satellite receiver, or a cable television receiver.

11. A method comprising:

transmitting from a satellite broadcast system headend a satellite broadcast signal receivable by a plurality of set-top boxes at respective ones of a plurality of customer premises;

receiving at the satellite broadcast system headend from a first set-top box of the plurality of set-top boxes an authorization request;

sending from the satellite broadcast system headend to the first set-top box a first public key and a private key;

determining using a processor at the satellite broadcast system headend first authorization data including a second public key;

sending the first authorization data from the satellite broadcast system headend to a point-to-point content delivery server;

receiving at the point-to-point content delivery server from the first set-top box a content request for a video program, the content request including second authorization data based on the first public key and the private key; and

based on the first authorization data and the content request, sending from the point-to-point content delivery server to the first set-top box the video program via a terrestrial Internet protocol (IP) based signal.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the authorization request contains information identifying the first set-top box, and wherein the authorization is determined based on the identifying information.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the authorization request is received via the point-to-point content delivery server.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

determining an encryption secret; and

sending the encryption secret to the point-to-point content delivery server.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising:

determining a seed, wherein the encryption secret is determined from the seed; and

sending the seed to the first set-top box.

16. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising sending the encryption secret to the first set-top box.

17. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising signing the authorization result.

18. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the authorization is sent to the point-to-point content delivery server via the first set-top box.

19. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the authorization request comprises a client registration.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, further comprising receiving a download report from at least one of the first set-top box or the point-to-point content delivery server.

21. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the first set-top box comprises at least one of a home media center, a residential gateway, a home media server, a digital video recorder, a video cassette recorder, a personal computer, a game playing console, a television, a satellite receiver, or a cable television receiver.

22. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to control a satellite broadcast system headend and a point-to-point content delivery system to:

transmit from the satellite broadcast system headend a satellite broadcast signal receivable by a plurality of set-top boxes at respective ones of a plurality of customer premises;

receive at the satellite broadcast system headend from a first set-top box of the plurality of set-top boxes an authorization request;

send from the satellite broadcast system headend to the first set-top box a first public key and a private key;

determine at the satellite broadcast system headend first authorization data including a second public key;

send the first authorization data from the satellite broadcast system headend to the point-to-point content delivery server;

receive at the point-to-point content delivery server from the first set-top box a content request for a video program, the content request including second authorization data based on the first public key and the private key; and

based on the first authorization data and the content request, sending from the point-to-point content delivery server to the first set-top box the video program via a terrestrial Internet protocol (IP) based signal.

23. A tangible article of manufacture in claim 22, wherein the authorization request is received via the point-to-point content delivery server.

24. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 23, further comprising:

determining an encryption secret; and

sending the encryption secret to the point-to-point content delivery server.

25. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to send the encryption secret to the first set-top box.

26. A tangible article of manufacture as defined in claim 24, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

determine a seed, wherein the encryption secret is determined from the seed; and

send the seed to the first set-top box.

27. A tangible article of manufacture in claim 22, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to sign the second authorization data.

28. A tangible article of manufacture in claim 22, wherein the authorization request is a client registration.