Device, System and Method for Service Delivery with Anti-Emulation Mechanism

• US 20090240938A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Diehl, Eric, Heen, Olivier, Durand, Alain
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method for service delivery to a client, in which the client selects a service, and establishes a connection with a system server to which it sends an identity associated with the client and an identifier of the service. The system server verifies that the client is authorised to access to the service and that the client is non-emulated. If this is verified, the service is provided to the client. In a preferred embodiment, the service is scrambled content and the system server provides a descrambling key to the client, and instructs a content server to provide the scrambled content to the client. Also claimed are a device, a system, and a system server.

Claims

1. A method for service delivery to a device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an identity associated with the device;

receiving an identifier of a service desired by the device;

verifying that the identity is authorised to access to the desired service;

verifying that the device is not emulated; and

providing the service to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying that the device is not emulated comprises:

sending an application to the device;

requiring the device to execute the application in critical mode;

receiving a response from the device, the response comprising the number of cycles necessary for the computation; and

verifying that the received number of cycles corresponds to an expected number of cycles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying that the device is not emulated comprises:

sending a cryptographic challenge to the device, the cryptographic challenge requiring a number of iterations to solve;

receiving from the device the number of iterations required by the device to solve the cryptographic challenge; and

verifying that the received number of iterations corresponds to an expected number of iterations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cryptographic challenge is a key search.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is delivery of scrambled content and the step of providing comprises the steps of:

providing at least one key necessary for descrambling the content; and

providing the scrambled content.

6. A system adapted for service delivery to a device, the system comprising:

a system server adapted to;

receive an identity associated with the device;

receive an identifier of a service desired by the device;

verify that the identity is authorised to access to the desired service; and

verify that the device is not emulated; and

a service server adapted to provide the service to the device;

wherein the system server is further adapted to instruct the service server to provide the service to the device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the service server is a content server adapted to provide scrambled content to the device and the system server is further adapted to provide to the device at least one key necessary for descrambling the content.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a content pre-processor adapted prepare content for delivery and to provide scrambled content to the content server and at least one corresponding descrambling key to the system server.

9. A device comprising a processor adapted to:

send an identity associated with the device and an identifier of a desired service via a communication unit to a system server;

perform at least one action to prove to the system server that the device is not emulated; and

receive, via the communication unit, the desired service.

10. A system server adapted for service delivery to a device, the system server comprising a processor adapted to:

receive an identity associated with the device;

receive an identifier of a service desired by the device;

verify that the identity is authorised to access to the desired service; and

verify that the device is not emulated; and

instruct a service server to provide the service to the device.