EP2329647A1 - System, method, apparatus and device for reproducing heterogeneous contents, in particular multimedia contents - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention concerns a system for reproducing contents of the heterogeneous kind, in particular multimedia contents distributed by a contents Supplier, comprising at least one device (14a, 14b,..., 14n) suitable for transmitting the contents to an apparatus (41a, 41b,..., 41n) for the contents enjoyment and a control central apparatus (12) connected to the device (14a, 14b,..., 14n) through connection means (18). The apparatus comprises at least one cryptographic processor designed for encrypting the contents and program modules designed for distributing the encrypted contents through the connection means (18) to a preset devices list. The device (14a, 14b,..., 14n), if belonging to the list, comprises at least one corresponding cryptographic processor designed for decrypting the encrypted contents on the basis of encryption/decryption keys exchanged with the central apparatus (12). The invention also concerns the apparatus (12), the device (14a, 14b,..., 14n) and a method for reproducing contents of the heterogeneous kind.

Description

System, method, apparatus and device for reproducing heterogeneous contents, in particular multimedia contents Technical Field •

The present invention refers, in general, to a system designed for reproducing protected contents in apparatuses such as television sets or HiFi systems.

In particular, the present invention refers to a system for allowing enjoyment of multimedia contents formed for instance by images and/or sounds. Known Art

It is known that the use of apparatuses (television sets, HiFi systems) to reproduce or enjoy contents formed by images and/or sounds is more and more widespread and that inside domestic contexts such apparatuses are, generally, more than one.

It is also known that the contents are distributed under encoded and non-encoded forms by different Companies distributing contents who, preferably, provide for the presence, associated to each apparatus, of corresponding decoder devices, called Set Top Box (STB) , connected to the apparatus and specialised in decoding the contents (channels platform) distributed by the Company so as to allow enjoyment thereof by a user. In particular, in accordance with the known art, it is generally provided that each apparatus is equipped with a number of STB corresponding to the number of channels platforms (platforms) that the user intends to use and that the user owns a personalised card to be inserted into the STB containing profile or qualification data suitable for enabling the user to enjoy given contents.

A clear problem of such situation is that each apparatus, present for instance inside a house or a homogeneous context, is equipped with one or more STB depending on the number of platforms that the user intends to use and that each STB is equipped with storage, recording and management devices, this generally resulting in that the presence becomes necessary, inside houses or homogeneous context, of a surplus of STB devices generally oversized with consequent increase of costs and consumptions.

It is likewise known that the presence of decoder devices connected to corresponding apparatuses and suitable for controlling the access to protected contents is deemed to be an essential condition for the Companies distributing contents (contents Suppliers) , since such solution assures to such Companies the possibility to control the contents enjoyment and to be remunerated for the supplied service. Such condition or need of the contents Suppliers turns, however, into the further problem that any solution to the problem of surplus of STB devices generally oversized must be such as to assure the maintenance of protection criteria such as to ensure the Suppliers that the contents enjoyment is controlled and limited to the users who have acquired the right thereof.

In general, the Applicant noticed that the known systems are not able to solve in an effective way the problem to supply to the users the availability of more platforms or channels in different apparatuses and, simultaneously, to assure to the contents Suppliers an adequate control on the contents enjoyment. Description of the Invention

The object of the present invention is a system for reproducing heterogeneous contents that overcomes the abovementioned problems of the known art. The object is achieved by the system for reproducing heterogeneous contents, in particular multimedia contents, as claimed.

The present invention also concerns a method for reproducing contents, an apparatus for distributing encoded and non-encoded contents and a device for receiving heterogeneous contents.

The present invention also relates to a computer program product loadable in the memory of at least one computer unit and including software code portions for performing the steps of the method of the invention when the product is run on at least one computer unit. As used here, the reference to such a computer program product is meant as equivalent to the reference to computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a system or a device so as to co-ordinate execution of the method according to the invention.

Reference to ^λλat least one computer unit" is meant to highlight the possibility for the method of the invention to be carried out in a decentralized manner over a plurality of computer units.

Claims are an integral part of the teaching of the present invention.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a central apparatus designed for receiving heterogeneous contents and for distributing them encrypted to a preset devices list stored in the same central apparatus . In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the contents are distributed under encoded and non-encoded forms by a contents Supplier.

In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the system is designed for enabling or preventing the contents enjoyment depending on the user profiles stored inside the apparatus. Short Description of the Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment given by way of non limiting example with the help of the appended drawings, in which the elements denoted with a same or a similar numeral reference indicate elements having same or similar functionality and construction and in which:

Fig. 1 represents a general scheme of a system according to the invention;

Fig. 2 schematically represents the structure of a control central element according to the invention; Fig. 3 schematically represents the structure of a decoder device for reproducing apparatuses according to the invention. Description of a Preferred Embodiment

With reference to Fig. 1 a system 10 according to the invention comprises, according to the preferred embodiment, a control and encryption central apparatus (server) 12 and a plurality of decryption devices (devices) 14a, 14b, ..., 14n connected to the server 12, for instance through a local network 18 of the Ethernet kind or through available electrical connections or telephonic pairs.

The server 12, according to the preferred embodiment, comprises a micro-processor board (server board) 20 (Fig. 1, Fig. 2) , for instance a mother-board of the known type for Personal Computer (PC) connected through a BUS 22 of the known type to units of the known type, such as for instance, a hard disk 23, a DVD reader (Digital Versatile Disk) 24 and a preset number of tuning units (tuners) 25, preferably in a number higher than or equal to the number of the devices 14a, 14b, ..., 14n.

The server 12 also comprises, preferably associated to the server board 20, at least one first kind of connection components 27 designed for being connected to receiving devices 17, for instance a Internet network and/or a satellite antenna and so on, suitable for receiving contents distributed by one or more contents Suppliers (Suppliers) , and at least one second kind of connection components 28 suitable for being connected, for instance to the local network 18, for transmitting the contents to the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n.

Preferably, the server 12 comprises, furthermore, associated to the server board 20, at least one slot 29 for the insertion of a qualification card 19 of the known kind preset, for instance, for enabling the enjoyment of certain contents, generally encoded, supplied by a certain contents Supplier. The server 12 comprises, also, an operating system for PC, for instance the operating system LINUX release 6.2 and a database management system of the relational kind (DBMS) , for instance the database management system MySQL of the known type, designed for managing and storing the data handled by the server, as it will be described in detail later on.

According to the preferred embodiment, the server 12 comprises, preferably mounted onto the server board 20, a cryptographic processor 31 of the known type, for instance a cryptographic processor designed, as it will be described in detail later on,- for encrypting the contents transmitted by each contents Supplier and managing, through the exchange of digital certificates with the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n, belonging to a certain devices family, the encryption and decryption of the contents received by the server 12.

According to the preferred embodiment the server 12 comprises, for instance stored into the hard disk 23, a plurality of programs (package) 33 developed during the design step of the system 10 and designed for allowing the enjoyment by one or more users of the contents received through the contents receiving devices 17 and distributed, encrypted, through the local network 18. In particular the package (server package) 33 comprises a set of program modules in which there are provided, inter alia :

- modules designed for receiving and acquiring contents to be reproduced, for instance multimedia contents, musical contents, and so on coming, encoded or non-encoded, from one or more kinds of receiving devices 17 and suitable for being received by the server board 20 through the first kind of connection components (contents input components) 27;

- modules designed for decoding the contents received and for storing them, for instance in a DVD, by using formats congruent with what provided for by the contents Suppliers;

- modules designed for encrypting and controlling through digital certificates the distribution to the devices 14a, 14b, ..., 14n of the acquired contents; - modules designed for managing the distribution to the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n of live contents or of recorded contents; preferably such program modules provide for functions allowing to put into pause mode a live program or a content and to resume it on a subsequent time without losing the content not seen, or to transfer the distribution of the content to another device 14a, 14b, ..., 14n without losing the content not seen;

- modules designed for managing, for instance through the relational Data Base DBMS, one or more user profiles so that the distribution of the contents and their enjoyment is influenced by the user profile as identified following a request transmitted to the server by one of the devices; preferably such modules comprise functionalities of "parental control" designed for enabling or preventing, for instance, the sight of certain contents by under ages.

The decryption devices (devices) 14a, 14b, ..., 14n have, preferably, corresponding input connections 48a, 48b, ..., 48n connected for instance to the local network 18 and corresponding output connections 49a, 49b, ..., 49n connected, in a known way, to corresponding reproducing apparatuses 41a, 41b, ..., 41n, for instance television sets, HiFi systems, and so on.

The devices 14a, 14b, ..., 14n, according to the preferred embodiment are controlled by corresponding control units 45a, 45b, ... , 45n, for instance telecontrol of the known type with IR (Infra-Red) connection to the devices and are suitable, in particular, for requesting to the server 12 the contents enjoyment.

For brevity's sake it is afterwards described the structure of one of the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n, provided within the system 10 since the architecture of each device is substantially identical to that of any other device provided within the system. For brevity and simplicity of description, later on from here, it is also referred to as a reproducing apparatus a television set connected on output to the device whose structure is described.

According to the preferred embodiment, the device 14a, even carrying out functions of Set Top Box, as it will be described in detail later on, has a structure particularly simple since it does not comprise tuner/s and storage supports necessary for storing contents distributed by the different Suppliers (Hard Disk and/or DVD) . In particular, the device 14a comprises, preferably, an electronic board 40 (Fig. 1, Fig. 3) having a processing central unit 42, for instance a SOC (System On Chip) model 7405 of the Broadcom company, optimised for the multimedia reproduction of images and/or sounds in standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) television sets. The device 14a further comprises, connected to the processing central unit (SOC) 42, a mass storage 43, for instance a solid state drive (SSD) , a cryptographic processor 51 of the known type, preferably mounted onto the board 40 and having features corresponding to those of the cryptographic processor 31 mounted onto the server board 20, and an operating system for PC, for instance the operating system LINUX release 6.2.

In accordance with variants of the preferred embodiment the device 14a can also comprise a slot 59 designed for allowing the insertion of a personal qualification card 69.

The device 14a comprises, also, for instance stored into the mass storage 43, a plurality of programs (package) 53 developed during the design step of the system 10 and designed for allowing the enjoyment by one or more users of the contents received from the device 14a. In particular the package (device package) 53 comprises a set of program modules in which there are provided, inter alia:

- modules designed for receiving from the telecontrol 45a or reading on the card 69 information comprising a user identification and for transmitting at least the user identification, for instance encrypted, to the server 12 so as to allow the user and his/her profile identification;

- modules designed for exchanging with the server 12 encryption keys or qualification codes so as to assure the reproduction of certain channels on the basis of the identified user's profile;

- modules designed for decrypting the multimedia contents transmitted by the server 12 and sending them through the output connection 49a to the television set 41a for allowing the reproduction.

The system 10 (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3) as described shows an architecture providing, according to the present implementation example, that - the server 12 comprises stored into its cryptographic processor 31:

- a digital certificate relevant to the server 12;

- a digital certificate for each device 14a, 14b, ... , 14n qualified for using decoded and non-decoded contents by the server and distributed encrypted, for instance within the local network 18; and that

- each qualified device 14a, 14b, ... , 14n comprises stored into its cryptographic processor 51:

- a corresponding digital certificate matching with one among those stored into the server 12.

On the basis of the described architecture and of the programs developed during the design step of the system 10 - the server 12 is suitable for: receiving the contents, encoded and non-encoded, transmitted by the contents Suppliers;

- decoding the encoded contents and in case storing them into the hard disk 23 or in the DVD 24;

- against a request coming from one of the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n, checking that the requiring device owns a digital certificate belonging to the list stored in the server, and

- the user identification and the corresponding profile; transmitting to the device, if belonging to the stored list, the channels list corresponding to the profile; - in the presence of a choice of a channel; exchanging with the device the encryption and decryption keys, encrypting the channel content and transmitting it to the device through, for instance, the local network 18; - the requiring device is suitable for: decrypting the channel selected by the user and reproducing it on the reproducing apparatus connected to the device on the basis of the encryption and decryption keys exchanged with the server 12. Of course, as easily understandable for a technician of the field, in case the requiring device does not own a digital certificate or owns one thereof not belonging to the list stored in the server 12, the server 12 will not exchange the keys and the requiring device will not be able to decrypt the contents distributed within the local network 18. More in general, the architecture of the system 10 provides, preferably, that an external authority (CA Certification 'Authority) 70 supplies the digital certificates for each installation in which a server 12 and a preset number of devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n belonging to a family of devices to be associated to the server 12 are comprised.

The devices of the devices family, as easily understandable for a technician of the field, can belong to the same local network or be connected to the server according to different ways since the qualification to the contents enjoyment is determined by the certificates stored into the cryptographic processors, 31 and 51 respectively, of the server 12 and of the devices 14a, 14b, ..., 14n belonging to the family. If the number of devices associated to the server 12 and qualified for using the contents received and managed by the server changes, the CA 70 itself will provide, upon request, for instance by a user, carried out with proper program modules developed during the design step of the system 10, to consequently modify the number of digital certificates stored into the cryptographic processor of the server and to enable/disable the corresponding device by updating inside the cryptographic processor of the same the corresponding certificate . The digital certificates issued by the CA 70, preferably, has a preset life or duration.

The CA 70 is suitable to both issue certificates and interrupt and restart the certificates through, for instance, program modules of the known type suitable for generating a revocation list and on-line status control protocols, of the known type. The more general architecture above described, which provides for the storage of digital certificates in the cryptographic processor of the server and of the devices belonging to the same family, meets the need of assuring to the contents Suppliers, who offer satellite-transmitted, cable-transmitted, terrestrial digital-transmitted, IP networks-transmitted, and so on, television programs, a safe way of the contents distribution at least as far as the duration of the contents use and the number of users qualified for the contents enjoyment are concerned.

It is afterwards described, by way of mere example, an issue and maintenance procedure of the digital certificates as provided in the more general architecture of the system 10. In accordance with such example it is provided, for instance, that the CA 70 owns a Requests Management System designed for receiving the certificates requests and transmitting them, in the form of messages, to a SMTPS server, of the known type, that deposits them in a destination mail-box.

The requests can be transmitted to the CA 70, through proper program modules developed during the design step of the system 10, by users of the system through the server 12 and the Internet network or by Companies producing and/or selling the system.

The requests reception allows to open at the CA 70 the generation procedure of the certificates to be inserted in the cryptographic processors of a certain family or of a plurality of families. Preferably, the CA 70 is arranged to carry out at least functions of: - generating certificates; - acquiring data to be used for generating certificates; controlling the certificates status through Internet connections to different servers 12; updating the certificates status through Internet connections to the different servers 12.

At the CA 70 the different functions are generally carried out with the support of a Relational Database suitable for allowing the storage of both the partial and the final data of the processings. Preferably the CA owns program modules that manage the life cycle of the certificates (System of Integration and Aggregation of the data relevant to the Certificates SIAC) , which has the duty of collecting both the data coming from the CA (basis codes for the certificates creation) and data concerning the requests (data relevant to the server 12 and associated devices or data relevant to the user' s name or user identification) and creating the certificate to be sent according to a known way, for instance, to a Services Centre qualified to distribute the certificates, in the form of cards to be inserted into the servers 12 and into the devices 14a, 14b, ... , 14n or in the form of files to be stored in the cryptographic processors 31 and 51, of the servers and of the devices respectively. The CA simultaneously generates, according to a known way, also PIN (Personal Identification Number) and PUK (Personal Unblocking Key) codes suitable for being processed by the cryptographic microprocessors of the servers and of the devices .

The functioning of the system 10, as described, provides, for instance according to the more general way, that upon purchase by a user of a server and of a certain number of devices for receiving and enjoying contents (a system 10), the Company producing or selling the system asks to the CA 70 a group or set of certificates corresponding to the system 10 purchased by the user and stores them in the server and in the devices. Following the installation, for instance in a house, the user is able, on the basis of the programs developed during the design step of the system: to receive with the server 12 different non-encoded channels; - to personalise the profile of each user; and

- to control the contents distribution to the devices 14a, 14b, ..., 14n on the basis of the certificates and of the profiles stored in the server 12.

If the user purchases, for instance, a card by a contents Supplier also for enjoying encoded channels (it is supposed that the card provides for instance the simultaneous use of a certain number of channels) , the program modules developed during the design step of the system 10 and therein stored control - initially that the request of enjoyment comes from a device "certificated" in the server 12; and

- successively that the number of simultaneous enjoyments of encoded contents is part of the number of channels purchased by the user so as to proceed, in the presence of the request of enjoyment, to distribute the required channel.

The distribution step of the required channel provides, according to the preferred embodiment, that:

- the server decodes the channel and encrypts the content thereof; and that - the requiring device decrypts the content thereof and transmits it to the associated reproduction apparatus. The system 10 as described thus allows a user to display an encoded or non-encoded content, for instance in each room of the house, even coming from different contents Suppliers and from different receiving devices of contents (satellite, terrestrial digital, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) , personal television camera) , to use services such as the pause mode and the postponed sight, to use the follow-me functionality, that is to start the display in one room and then to recover it in another room, just for citing the main functionalities, by conveniently using the digital certificates .

In the description, reference has been made to the fact that the contents enjoyment is led by the user by using a telecontrol 45a, 45b, ... , 45n cooperating with a device 14a, 14b, ..., 14n.

According to other embodiments the enjoyment can, for instance, be carried out by using a computer or a portable telephone connected to the server under different known ways. Of course both the computer and the portable telephone must have qualification certificates and have such certificates present in the server.

Obvious modifications and/or variants to the above description are possible, as to the components, the circuit elements and the connections and also as to the details of the circuitry, of the illustrated construction and of the operating method without departing from the invention as specified in the following claims.

Claims

1. A system for reproducing contents of the heterogeneous kind, in particular multimedia contents distributed by a contents Supplier, comprising - at least one device (14a, 14b, ..., 14n) suitable for transmitting the contents to an apparatus (41a, 41b, ..., 4In) for said contents enjoyment; characterised by

- a control central apparatus (12) connected to said at least one device (14a, 14b, ..., 14n) through connection means (18) and comprising

- at least one cryptographic processor (31) designed for encrypting said contents;

- program modules (33) designed for distributing said encrypted contents through said connection means (18) to a preset devices list; and in that

- said at least one device (14a, 14b, ..., 14n) comprises

- at least one corresponding cryptographic processor (51) designed, if said at least one device belongs to said preset list, for decrypting said encrypted contents on the basis of encryption/decryption keys exchanged with said central apparatus (12).

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said control central apparatus (12) comprises - at least one connection component (27) connectable to a receiving device (17) suitable for receiving said contents as distributed by a contents Supplier;

- program modules (33) designed for decoding said contents if encoded and for passing said decoded contents to said cryptographic processor.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said control central apparatus (12) comprises at least one slot (29) designed for housing a qualification card (19) suitable for enabling said control central apparatus (12) to decode said contents.

4. A system according to claims 1 to 3 wherein said control central apparatus (12) comprises

- program modules (33) designed for enabling or preventing said contents enjoyment depending on the user profiles stored inside said control central apparatus (12) and on corresponding identification codes transmitted to said control central apparatus (12) from said at least one device (14a, 14b, ... , 14n) .

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that it comprises, associated to said at least one device (14a, 14b, ..-, 14n) , a telecontrol (45a, 45b, ..., 45n) designed for requiring the contents enjoyment through said at least one device (14a, 14b, ..., 14n) .

6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein

- said control central apparatus (12) is connectable to a Certification Authority (70) for requesting a list of digital certificates to be associated to the system (10); and

- said preset devices list is associated in a biunivocal way to the list of digital certificates, said devices list associated to said certificates list being stored into said cryptographic processor (31) of said control central apparatus .

7. A control central apparatus (12) for a system (10) for reproducing heterogeneous contents, said apparatus being designed for exchanging information with and receiving contents from first devices (17) for the introduction of heterogeneous contents and for exchanging information with and transmitting contents to second devices (14a, 14b, ..., 14n; 41a, 41b, ..., 4In) designed for enjoying said heterogeneous contents, characterised in that it comprises

- at least one • cryptographic processor (31) designed for encrypting said heterogeneous contents received from said first devices (17); and program modules (33) designed for distributing said encrypted contents to said second devices on the basis of a preset devices list, said list being stored into said cryptographic processor (31) .

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 characterised in that it comprises

- at least one connection component (27) connectable to a receiving device (17) suitable for receiving said contents as distributed by a contents Supplier; - program modules (33) designed for decoding said contents if encoded and for passing said decoded contents to said cryptographic processor (31) for being distributed encrypted on output .

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 characterised in that it comprises at least one slot (29) designed for housing a qualification card (19) suitable for enabling the decoding of said coded contents.

10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9 characterised in that it comprises

- program modules (33) designed for enabling or preventing the distribution of said contents depending on user profiles stored inside said apparatus (12) and on corresponding identification codes received from said second devices (14a, 14b, ..., 14n; 41a, 41b, ..., 4In).

11. An apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10 characterised in that it is connectable to a Certification Authority (70) for receiving and storing a list of digital certificates, program modules being provided for associating in a biunivocal .way said preset devices list to the list of digital certificates and for storing said devices list associated to said certificates list into said cryptographic processor (31) .

12. A device for receiving contents of the heterogeneous kind, in particular multimedia contents, designed for cooperating with an apparatus (12) as claimed in claims 7 to 11, characterised in that it comprises

- input connection means (48a, 48b, ..., 48n) designed for receiving said contents from said apparatus;

- output connection means (49a, 49b, ..., 49n) connectable to a reproducing apparatus (41a, 41b. ..., 4In); - at least one cryptographic processor (51) designed for exchanging encryption keys with said apparatus (12) and for decrypting the heterogeneous contents received from said apparatus (12); and

- program modules (33) designed for sending said decrypted contents to said reproducing apparatus (41a, 41b. ..., 4In).

13. A device according to claim 12 characterised in that it comprises: reading means (59) suitable for reading information relevant to a certain user; - program modules designed for obtaining from said information at least one user identification and for transmitting it to said apparatus .

14. A method for reproducing contents of the heterogeneous kind, in particular multimedia contents transmitted by a contents Supplier, characterised by the steps of:

- receiving a request of contents enjoyment by a user; - checking that the request comes from a device (14a, 14b, ... , 14n) listed in a list of devices qualified for receiving said contents and, in case of positive;

- receiving and encrypting said contents on the basis of keys exchanged with said device;

- transmitting said encrypted contents to said device; and

- decrypting said contents on said device for allowing the reproduction of said contents.

15. A method according to claim 14, characterised in that said step of receiving said contents comprises: decoding said contents transmitted by said contents Supplier if encoded.

16. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 15 characterised in that said step of checking that the request comes from a device listed in a list also comprises the step of: checking the existence of user identification codes associated to said request;

- enabling or preventing the contents enjoyment depending on user profiles corresponding to said identification codes.

17. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 16 characterised by the further step of: requesting a list of digital certificates to a Certification Authority (70); - associating to such certificates list said devices list; and

- storing said list as a list of devices qualified for receiving said contents .

18. A computer program product or a set of computer program products loadable in the memory of at least one computer and including software code portions arranged to perform, when the product is run on at least one computer, the method according to any one of claims 14 to 17.

19. A computer • program product as claimed in claim 18 embodied in a computer readable medium.