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

• US 8,001,565 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Popoli, Maria G., Basse, Hanno, Kidd, Deanna R., Kahn, Raynold M., Klauss, Peter M., Dulac, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/434,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 725/39, 725/48, 345/327, 348/465
• US Class Current: 725/39
• 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 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63345 by transmitting keys key distribution for secret or secure communication H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to conditionally authorize content delivery at receivers in pay delivery systems are disclosed. An example receiver station includes a receiver interface to receive a broadcast signal, and a controller to, for a selected program, generate an authorization request and a content request. The example receiver station also includes a network interface to transmit the authorization request, to transmit the content request to point-to-point content delivery server, and to receive the program from the point-to-point content delivery server.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver interface to receive a satellite broadcast signal including a first program and a list of available programs from a satellite broadcast system headend via a satellite communication path;

a controller to receive a selection of a second program from the list of available programs and to generate an authorization request and a content request for the second program; and

a network interface to transmit the authorization request to the satellite broadcast system headend, to transmit the content request to a content delivery server, and to receive the second program from the content delivery server via a terrestrial communication path, wherein the broadcast system headend is configured to send an authorization result based on the authorization request and wherein the broadcast system headend comprises;

an interface to receive the authorization request and to send the authorization result to the content delivery server; and

a conditional access system to determine the authorization result based on the authorization request.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the content delivery server is part of an Internet protocol (IP) based content delivery network.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a computer readable storage medium to store the second program; and

a smart card reader to interact with a smart card, wherein information obtained from the smart card is provided in the authorization request.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving the second program from the content delivery server via the terrestrial communication path comprises receiving an electrical signal via a wired communication link.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is transmitted to the content delivery server.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result includes an encryption key used to decrypt the program.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the authorization result is signed and sent to the content delivery server via the receiver station.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein network interface is configured to receive at least one of a seed or an encryption key, wherein the at least one of the seed or the encryption key is used to decrypt the second program.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the content delivery server is a broadband content server comprising:

a network interface to receive an authorization result and the content request; and

a request processor to determine if a download request in the content request is authorized based on the authorization result.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the satellite broadcast signal is receivable by one or more additional receiver interfaces associated with respective ones of one or more set-top boxes;

and the second program is received from the content delivery server via the terrestrial communication path as an Internet protocol (IP) based signal.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the IP based signal is addressed to the network interface.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the network interface implements an Ethernet based interface.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a satellite broadcast signal including a first program and a list of available programs from a satellite broadcast system headend via a satellite communication link;

receiving a selection of a second program from the list of available programs;

transmitting an authorization request for the second program from the list of available programs to the broadcast system headend;

transmitting a content request to an Internet-based delivery network; and

receiving the second program from the Internet-based delivery network via a terrestrial communication link, wherein the broadcast system headend is configured to send an authorization result based on the authorization request and wherein the broadcast system headend comprises;

an interface to receive the authorization request and to send the authorization result to the Internet-based delivery network; and

a conditional access system to determine the authorization result based on the authorization request.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein receiving the second program from the Internet-based delivery network via the terrestrial communication link comprises receiving an electrical signal via a wired communication path.

15. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the satellite broadcast signal is receivable by one or more set-top boxes, and the second program is received from the Internet-based delivery network via the terrestrial communication link as an Internet protocol (IP) based signal.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the IP based signal is addressed to a particular set-top box.

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

receiving a signed authorization result from the broadcast system headend; and

sending the received signed authorization result to the Internet-based delivery network.

18. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising receiving an encryption secret, wherein the encryption secret is used to decrypt the second program.

19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the encryption secret is received from the broadcast system headend.

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

receiving a seed; and

determining an encryption secret from the seed, wherein the encryption secret is used to decrypt the second program.

21. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the second program is represented by a plurality of encrypted data packets, and wherein receiving the second program comprises receiving Internet protocol (IP) packets each containing at least one of the plurality of encrypted data packets.

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

generating the authorization request for the second program; and

generating the content request for the second program.

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

obtaining identifying information from a security device; and

including the identifying information in the authorization request.

24. A method as defined in claim 13, further comprising storing the received program on a computer readable storage device.

25. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the content request is cryptographically hashed before transmission.

26. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein cryptographic hash of the content request is based on an Internet protocol (IP) address.

27. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the content request includes at least one of a timestamp or a changing number received in the satellite broadcast signal.

28. An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions, which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive a broadcast signal including a first asset and a list of available assets from a satellite broadcast system headend via a satellite communication signal;

receive a selection of a second asset from the list of available assets;

transmit an authorization request for the second asset from the list of available assets to the broadcast system headend;

transmit a content request for the second asset to an Internet-based content server; and

download the second asset from the Internet-based content server via a terrestrial communication signal, wherein the broadcast system headend is configured to send an authorization result based on the authorization request and wherein the broadcast system headend comprises;

an interface to receive the authorization request and to send the authorization result to the Internet-based content server; and

a conditional access system to determine the authorization result based on the authorization request.

29. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein downloading the second asset from the Internet-based content server via the terrestrial communication signal comprises receiving an electrical signal transmitted by the Internet-based content server via a wired communication path.

30. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein the satellite broadcast signal is receivable by one or more set-top boxes, and the terrestrial communication signal is an Internet protocol (IP) based signal.

31. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive a signed authorization result; and

transmit the signed authorization result to the Internet-based content server.

32. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive an encryption secret; and

decrypt the selected asset using the encryption secret.

33. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

receive a seed;

determine an encryption secret based on the seed; and

decrypt the second asset using the encryption secret.

34. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 33, wherein the encryption secret is received from the broadcast system headend.

35. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 28, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to store the second asset on a computer readable storage device.

36. A system comprising:

a broadcast system headend to transmit a satellite broadcast signal including a first program and a list of available programs;

a content delivery server different from the broadcast system headend; and

a set-top box comprising;

a receiver interface to receive the satellite broadcast signal from the satellite broadcast system headend;

a controller to receive a selection of a second program from the list of available programs and to generate an authorization request and a content request; and

a network interface to transmit the authorization request to the broadcast system headend, to transmit the content request to the content delivery server, and to receive the second program from the content delivery server via a terrestrial communication path, wherein the broadcast system headend is configured to send an authorization result based on the authorization request and wherein the broadcast system headend comprises;

an interface to receive the authorization request and to send the authorization result to the content delivery server; and

a conditional access system to determine the authorization result based on the authorization request.