CA2025585C

A system for controlling access to broadcast transmissions

Abstract

A receiver system for controlling access to a broadcasttransmission provided by a transmitter having a transmissionscrambler for at least partially scrambling a broadcast, thesystem including a multiplicity of subscriber receivers eachhaving means for receiving an at least partially scrambledbroadcast and a receiving descrambler for descrambling the atleast partially scrambled broadcast and a plurality of portableexecuting means operatively associable with any one receivingdescrambler, characterized in that in each receiver, thedescrambler is operative when associated with any one of theportable executing means, to generate a descrambling code, foruse by the associated receiving descrambler to enable thereceiving descrambler to descramble the broadcast.

CA2025585C, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 14

Term

No projected expiry on record.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Granted
  4. Today

23 claims: 22 independent, 1 dependent

  1. 1
    CLAIMS 1. A receiver system for controlling access to a broadcast transmission provided by a transmitter having a transmission scrambler for at least partially scrambling a broadcast, said broadcast transmission comprising the scrambled broadcast and information comprising data which is acted upon by a seed generating algorithm in the transmitter to generate a seed used in scrambling the broadcast, the system comprising; a multiplicity of subscriber receivers each comprising; means for receiving the at least partially scrambled broadcast and the data which is used by the seed generating algorithm for the generation of the seed; and a receiving descrambler for descrambling said at least partially scrambled broadcast; and a plurality of portable executing means being operatively associable with any one receiving descrambler, wherein:in each receiver, the descrambler is operative when associated with any one of said portable executing means, to generate the seed by executing operations on said data identical to those executed in the transmitter and in accordance with the seed generating algorithm, and to generate a descrambling code, based on the seed, for use by said associated receiving descrambler to enable said receiving descrambler to descramble said broadcast;and the seed generating algorithm is resident on the portable executing means,
  2. 2
    A system as in claim 1 wherein the seed generating algorithm is a one-way encoding function.
  3. 3
    A system as in claim 2 wherein the one-way encoding function is a hashing function. A 2 Ο 2 5 S 8 5
  4. 5
    A system as in any of the preceding claims, wherein the seed generating algorithm is executed in the portable executing means.
  5. 6
    A system as in any of the preceding claims wherein the portable executing means is a smart card.
  6. 7
    A system as in any one of the preceding claims and wherein each of said plurality of executing means includes means for providing all instructions required to descramble said broadcast.
  7. 8
    A system as in any one of claims 1 to 6 and wherein each of said plurality of executing means includes means for providing a portion of instructions required to descramble said broadcast.
  8. 9
    A system as in any one of the preceding claims and wherein each of said plurality of executing means comprises means for providing proof of authenticity to a receiving descrambler.
  9. 10
    A system as in claim 9 and wherein said executing means comprises a public key proof of authenticity.
  10. 11
    A system as in claim 9 and wherein said executing means comprises a Fiat-Shamir public key proof of authenticity.
  11. 12
    A system as in any one of the preceding claims and wherein each of said plurality of executing means contains a separate identification element and wherein each descrambler is responsive to the identification element contained by an operatively associated one of the plurality of executing means.
  12. 13
    A system as in any one of the preceding claims wherein each of said plurality of executing means contains information which indicates programming entitlements to a descrambler* 14* A system as in claim 13 wherein said information which indicates programming entitlements to said descrambler is modified by information contained in said transmitted broadcast.
  13. 14
    15. A system as in any one of the preceding claims and wherein each descrambler comprises an electronic mailbox for receiving data from broadcast transmissions and from one of said plurality of selectable and portable executing means.
  14. 15
    16. A system as in daim 15 and wherein said executing means is operative to access said mailbox.
  15. 16
    17. A system as in claim 15 or 16 wherein said data from broadcast transmissions and from said one of said plurality of selectable and portable executing means comprises entitlement information and activation data for enabling operation of said subscriber receiver.
  16. 17
    18. A system as in any one of the preceding claims wherein said executing means contains information which can be accessed by said descrambler for modifying software thereof.
  17. 18
    19. A system as in any one of the preceding claims wherein each of said plurality of executing means comprises means for generating displayed messages by means of said descramblers.
  18. 19
    20. A system as in claim 19 wherein said displayed messages have assigned designated priorities.
  19. 20
    21. A system as in any one of the preceding claims wherein each descrambler is operative to generate displayed messages originating from any of the following sources:said broadcast/ said descrambler and an individual one of said plurality of executing means.
  20. 21
    22. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said receiving descramblers are identical.
  21. 22
    23. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each receiving descrambler contains no encrypted material.
  22. 23
    24. A system for controlling access to broadcast transmissions comprising:a transmitter having a transmission encoder for scrambling a broadcast;and a receiver system according to any one of the preceding claims.
Independent claims22