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

• US 9,743,121 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• 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:
  US14/671,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• 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. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter to transmit a satellite broadcast signal including a shared secret to a plurality of set top boxes;

a content delivery network in receipt of the shared secret;

a first set top box of the plurality of set top boxes to;

receive the shared secret via the satellite broadcast signal;

receive a first content request for a first program;

cryptographically modify the first content request by cryptographically hashing a portion of the first content request with the shared secret; and

transmit the cryptographically modified first content request to the content delivery network; and

an authentication server of the content delivery network to determine whether the first set top box is authorized to receive the first program based on the shared secret and the cryptographically hashed portion of the first content request.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the content delivery network is communicatively coupled to the authentication server, wherein the content delivery network is an internet-based content server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second set top box of the plurality of set top boxes, the second set top box to:

receive a second content request for the first program;

cryptographically modify the second content request by cryptographically hashing a portion of the second content request with the shared secret; and

transmit the cryptographically modified second content request to the content delivery network to determine whether the second set top box is authorized to receive the first program based on the shared secret and the cryptographically hashed portion of the second content request.

4. A method comprising:

transmitting a satellite broadcast signal including a shared secret to a plurality of set top boxes;

providing the shared secret to a content delivery network;

receiving, at a first set top box of the plurality of set top boxes, the shared secret via the satellite broadcast signal;

receiving, at the first set top box, a first content request for a first program;

cryptographically modifying the first content request by cryptographically hashing a portion of the first content request with the shared secret; and

transmitting, from the first set top box, the cryptographically modified first content request to the content delivery network;

determining whether the first set top box is authorized to receive the first program based on the shared secret and the cryptographically hashed portion of the first content request; and

transmitting, from the content delivery network, the first program to the first set top box if the first set top box is authorized to receive the first program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first program is to be transmitted from the content delivery network to the first set top box as an internet protocol based signal.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving, at a second set top box of the plurality of set top boxes, the shared secret via the satellite broadcast signal;

receiving, at the second set top box, a second content request for a second program;

cryptographically modifying the second content request by cryptographically hashing a portion of the second content request with the shared secret;

transmitting, from the second set top box, the cryptographically modified second content request to the content delivery network;

determining whether the second set top box is authorized to receive the second program based on the shared secret and the cryptographically hashed portion of the second content request; and

transmitting, from the content delivery network, the second program to the second set top box if the second set top box is authorized to receive the second program.

7. A machine readable storage device comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

transmit a satellite broadcast signal including a shared secret to a plurality of set top boxes;

provide the shared secret to a content delivery network;

receive, at a first set top box of the plurality of set top boxes, the shared secret;

receive, at the first set top box, a content request for a program;

cryptographically modify the content request by cryptographically hashing a portion of the content request with the shared secret; and

transmit, from the first set top box, the cryptographically modified content request to the content delivery network;

determine, via an authorization server, whether the first set top box is authorized to receive the program based on the shared secret and the cryptographically hashed portion of the first content request; and

transmit, from the content delivery network, the program to the first set top box if the first set top box is authorized to receive the program.

8. The machine readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the program is to be transmitted from the content delivery network to the first set top box as an internet protocol based signal.

9. The machine readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to transmit, from the first set top box, information identifying the first set top box to the content delivery network, and determine, via the authorization server, whether the first set top box is authorized to receive the program based on the information identifying the first set top box.