초록 ▼

The services delivered by a plurality of providers (SP) towards the users (U) are identified by respective streams of encoded data, for instance MPEG data. The users (U) are provided with respective receiving means (STB) of a generalised type, common to all users. Each user is provided with a user u

The services delivered by a plurality of providers (SP) towards the users (U) are identified by respective streams of encoded data, for instance MPEG data. The users (U) are provided with respective receiving means (STB) of a generalised type, common to all users. Each user is provided with a user unit (105), preferably embodied in the form of a smart card, incorporating a processing function (VM) able to recognize, load and execute at least one enabling algorithm embedded in the data streams sent by the providers, by exploiting a respective identifying code, also embedded in the delivered data stream, to enable to receiving means, through the user unit (105), to make use of the respective service.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for the controlled delivery of digital services by a plurality of providers to a user, wherein said services are identified by respective stream of encoded digital data emitted by said plurality of providers and the user is provided with a receiver and a single

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for the controlled delivery of digital services by a plurality of providers to a user, wherein said services are identified by respective stream of encoded digital data emitted by said plurality of providers and the user is provided with a receiver and a single removable user unit to receive said digital data streams by said plurality of providers, the receiver being selected to make use of determined services of a given provider of said plurality, the method comprising the steps of: incorporating by each of said plurality of providers into said digital data streams a respective enabling algorithm generated by the provider and specific of the provider for the use of respective determined services of said plurality of providers, incorporating into said digital data streams respective identifying codes of selective users to receive said determined services, selectively loading said enabling algorithm of at least two of the plurality of providers in said digital data streams into the user unit of at least one of the selective users based on the respective identifying codes and wherein said enabling algorithms of at least two of the plurality of providers are concurrently available on the user unit for the at least one of the selective users to make use of said respective determined services of said at least two of the plurality of providers, associating to said user unit a processing function for recognizing and executing said enabling algorithm based on said identifying codes for the receivers of the selective users to make use of said respective determined services of said plurality of providers; associating to said receiver a trusted middleware function, configuring said trusted middleware function into a static part, residing on said receiver, and a dynamic part arranged to be selectively transferred onto single removable user unit in view of the execution of said respective enabling algorithm by said processing function. 2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises the step of configuring said single removable user unit as a movable processing support uniquely assigned to said users. 3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises the step of configuring said single removable user unit as a smart card. 4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises the steps of: configuring said digital data streams as MPEG data streams containing EMM messages, inserting said identifying code in to the EMM messages, activating, through said single removable user unit and upon reception of said respective enabling algorithm, the performance of the following functions: extracting, reading and deciphering the EMM messages contained in the digital data stream received, interpreting said identification code contained in the EMM messages, executing said enabling algorithm by exploiting said identification code. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said respective enabling algorithm is incorporated in to a stream of private data within said digital data stream. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein upon reception of said enabling algorithm, said processing function causes said receiver to operation as transmitters to transmit information about the delivery of the service itself. 7. A system for the controlled delivery of digital services by a plurality of providers to a user, wherein said services are identified by respective coded digital data streams and the user is provided with a receiver and a single removable user unit to receive said digital data streams delivered by said plurality of providers, the receiver being selected to make use of respective determined services of a given provider, wherein: each of said plurality of providers is arranged to incorporate into said digital data streams respective enabling algorithm generated by the provider for using said respective determined services of said plurality of providers, as well as respective identification codes of selective users to receive said respective determined services, wherein the respective enabling algorithm of at least two of the plurality of providers in said digital data streams is selectively loaded into the user unit of at least one of the selective users based on the respective identification codes and wherein said enabling algorithms of at least two of the plurality of providers are concurrently available on the user unit for the at least one of the selective users to make use of said respective determined services of said at least two of the plurality of providers, said single removable user unit has associated thereto a processing function arranged to recognize and execute said respective enabling algorithm on the basis of said identifying code, to make use of said respective determined services of said plurality of providers; and said receiver have associated thereto a trusted middleware function configured in a static part, residing on said receiver, and in a dynamic part arranged to be selectively transferred on the single removable user unit in view of the execution of said respective enabling algorithm by said processing function. 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said single removable user unit is configured as a removable processing supports uniquely assigned to said user. 9. The system according to claim 7, wherein said single removable user unit is configured as a smart card. 10. The system according to claim 7, wherein said service providers emit said digital data streams as MPEG data streams containing EMM messages with said identifying code inserted in said EMM messages, and said receiver comprises: modules for extracting, reading and deciphering the EMM messages contained in the received digital data stream, modules for interpreting said identifying code contained in the EMM messages, and processing modules to execute said at least one respective enabling algorithm on the basis of said identifying code. 11. The system according to claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of providers incorporates said respective enabling algorithm into a stream of private data within said digital data streams. 12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the receiver can be activated by said single removable user unit upon reception of said respective enabling algorithm for operation as a transmitter to transmit information about the delivery of the service itself. 13. The system according to claim 7, wherein said single removable user unit is configured as a Java Card.