Device pairing

• US 20060033840A1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Diehl, Eric, Durand, Alain, Andreaux, Jean-Pierre, Carbonnel, Louis-Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/468
• 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 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The invention relates to pairing a slave device with a master device, for example decoders in a conditional access system. There is provided a security module that stores a device state that indicates whether a decoder shall be a master or a slave decoder. There is also provided a method in a conditional access system of providing a device with a device state stored on a security module. It is detected that the security module is in connection with the device and the device state is transferred from the security module to the device. There is further provided a method of pairing a slave device with a master device. The slave device asks the master device to identify itself, the master device returns an identification, and if the slave device has not yet been paired with a master device, it checks the identity of the master device and, if the identity is verified pairs with the master device. There is also provided a first, slave, device for pairing with a second, master, device. The first device comprises an interface for sending an identification command to and receiving an identification message from the master device, and a processor for checking the identity of the second device and pairing the first device with the second device.

Claims

1. A security module for use with a first device to be paired with a second device, the security module having a processor and a memory adapted to store a device state that indicates whether the first decoder shall be a master or a slave decoder, wherein the device state is changeable.

2. The security module according to claim 1, wherein the device state is changed upon reception and processing of a dedicated Entitlement Management Message (EMM).

3. The security module according to claim 1, wherein the device state of a new security module changes after a predetermined time in use unless the security module receives a dedicated Entitlement Management Message (EMM) before then.

4. A method in a conditional access system of providing a device with a device state, the device state being stored on a security module and informing the device whether it should act as a master device or a slave device, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting that the security module is in connection with the device; and

transferring the device state from the security module to the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of transferring the device state from the security module to the device comprises the following steps:

sending by the device to the security module identification data and a random number;

computing by the security module a derived key, using the identification data and a stored master key;

computing a hash from the derived key, the random number, and the device state;

sending the device state and the hash from the security module to the device; and

verifying the device state using the hash, the derived key, and the random number.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the method comprises the subsequent step of storing the device state.

7. A method of pairing a slave device with a master device, the method comprising the following steps:

sending a command from the slave device asking the master device to identify itself;

sending from the master device to the slave device, a message identifying the master device;

the method being characterised in that wherein;

if the slave device has not yet been paired with a master device;

checking by the slave device the identity of the master device, using the received message; and

, if the identity is verified

pairing the slave device with the master device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein that the method comprises, if the slave device has been paired with a master device, the steps of:

verifying that the identity of the master device equals a previously stored identity of a master device; and

, if the verification is successful

pairing the slave device with the master device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein that the method comprises, before the step of pairing the slave device with the master device, the step of running at least one challenge-response protocol, requiring every protocol to succeed before pairing the devices.

10. A first device for pairing with a second device, the first device acting as a slave device and the second device acting as a master device, the first device comprising:

an interface for;

sending a command asking the second device to identify itself; and

receiving from the second device a message identifying the second device;

wherein the first device further comprises;

a processor for checking, if the first device has not yet been paired with a master device, the identity of the second device; and

, if the identity is verified

pairing the first device with the second device.