초록 ▼

A control system provides secure transmission of programs, including at least one of video, audio, and data, between a service provider and a customer's set top unit over a digital network. Program bearing data packets are received in a first network protocol over a first data link and removed from

A control system provides secure transmission of programs, including at least one of video, audio, and data, between a service provider and a customer's set top unit over a digital network. Program bearing data packets are received in a first network protocol over a first data link and removed from the first network protocol. Packets representing a particular program requested by a customer having a set top unit are selected. Conditional access is provided to the selected program. In particular, program bearing packets are encrypted according to a first encryption algorithm using a first key, which is then encrypted according to a second encryption algorithm using a second key. The first keys are transported in packets to the customer's set top units along with the program packets. A public key cryptographic technique encrypts the second key such that the public key used in the encryption corresponds to the private key of the customer's set top unit. After the conditional access layers have been added, the packets are encapsulated and output in a second network protocol destined for the set top unit.

대표청구항 ▼

1. In an interactive information services system for providing at least one of video, audio, and data (program) requested by a customer from a service provider (SP) and for transmitting the requested program in program bearing packets to a set top unit (STU) associated with the customer, apparatus p

1. In an interactive information services system for providing at least one of video, audio, and data (program) requested by a customer from a service provider (SP) and for transmitting the requested program in program bearing packets to a set top unit (STU) associated with the customer, apparatus positioned to ensure that only the customer has access to said program, said apparatus comprising:means for receiving program bearing packets in a first network protocol from a first data link and removing said packets from said first protocol; means, positioned between the SP and the STU for ensuring that only the customer has access to said program, for adding conditional access to said program bearing packets; and means for re-encapsulating said program bearing packets in a second network protocol and outputting said program bearing packets over a second data link.