JP2001044952A - Device method for managing limited reception in common - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a plurality of broadcast providers performing digital broadcasting services to cooperatively mange limited reception system broadcasting and to cooperatively perform customer management. SOLUTION: This device consists of a transmitting and receiving part 1a which receives a request telegraphic message and transmits an answer telegraphic message, a storing part 1b which stores a cryptograph system division table 1b-1, an enciphering program group 1b-2 and an answer telegraphic message table 1b-3, an encipher processing part 1c enciphering the request telegraphic message, an enciphered telegraphic message storage processing part 1d, a counter preparation processing part 1e generating a common counter value and an answer telegraphic message preparation processing part 1f adding a common counter to a cryptograph telegraphic message.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for managing a limited reception system during broadcasting by a plurality of broadcasters performing paid broadcasting using a limited reception system in satellite broadcasting or cable television (CATV). The present invention relates to a co-management apparatus for performing customer management and a co-management method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in paid digital broadcasting services such as satellite broadcasting and CATV, a scrambling process of electrically mixing a video signal and an audio signal in an uplink station (broadcasting center) is performed to prevent unauthorized reception. It is generally done after sending. This broadcast system is generally called a conditional access system, and its outline will be described below.

[0003] A key called a scramble key is used for scrambling a video signal and an audio signal to be broadcast. The scramble key used in the scramble process is encrypted together with broadcast station identification information and common information such as a service so as not to be known to a third party. A work key is used as an encryption key when transmitting the scramble key. Also, a unique master key that is different for each broadcast receiver (for each broadcast receiving decoder) is used for encrypting the work key and the individual information (contract contents, decoder ID, etc.). The scrambled video signal, audio signal, encrypted data including the scramble key, and encrypted data including the work key are multiplexed and transmitted to each broadcast receiver as a scrambled broadcast signal.

[0004] A broadcast receiving decoder (IRD: Integrated Receiver D) used by each broadcast receiver.
encoder) receives the scrambled broadcast signal and separates each multiplexed signal. A unique master key that is different for each broadcast recipient is stored in the IC card paired with the broadcast receiving decoder. Using this master key,
The work key and the individual information in the received scrambled broadcast signal are decrypted. Then, the scramble key and the common information are each decrypted using the decrypted work key. Further, the scrambled video signal and audio signal are descrambled using the decrypted scramble key. In this way, the video signal and the audio signal from which the scramble processing has been canceled are extracted. The above is a general conditional access system.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a system configuration of a digital broadcasting service using such a conditional access system. Here, referring to FIG. 15, the uplink station entrusted with the transmission of the program and the customer management from the entrusted broadcaster receives the request for the program broadcast from the entrusted broadcaster, and receives the broadcast of the customer of the entrusted broadcaster. An example of broadcasting a program to a user will be described.

The uplink station acquires the customer's viewing contract information from the customer's broadcast receiving decoder via the telephone network, and receives the contents of the broadcast program from the commissioned broadcaster. Uplink station customer management system
The program selection information is passed to the program management system from the viewing contract information. Next, the key management system generates a key used for data encryption for each broadcast receiver. Then, the image data and the audio data of the selected broadcast program and the various data (information) described above are encrypted using the generated key.
The encrypted data is multiplexed by the transmission system and transmitted via a broadcasting satellite (communication satellite) to a broadcast receiving decoder of the customer. The received scrambled broadcast signal is descrambled by the broadcast receiving decoder, and can be viewed by the broadcast receiver. The program viewing history is recorded on an IC card, and is sent to the customer management system via the telephone network by a control command sent from the uplink station. Then, a fee is charged based on the program viewing history.

[0007] When there are a plurality of commissioned broadcasters, as described above, a command message including a control command is transmitted from the uplink station to the broadcast receiving decoder of the customer as necessary. In the case of satellite broadcasting, since the broadcast from the satellite to the broadcast receiving decoder is one-way communication, the reception of the command message cannot be confirmed in real time, and the transmission of the command message including the same control command is repeated for a certain period. For this reason, a control counter for distinguishing control commands is provided so that processing based on the same control command is not performed repeatedly, and the same control counter value is set when sending the same command telegram. Control is performed so that the value of the control counter is increased for different command messages to be issued. The broadcast receiving decoder,
The control counter value of the received command message is compared with the control counter value recorded on the IC card. If the received control counter value is large, the control command is processed and the control counter of the IC card is updated. (For example, 1 is added).

[0008]

As described above, in a conventional digital broadcasting service, when a plurality of broadcasters provide pay-only broadcasting of a conditional access system to a contract receiver,
Each broadcaster must provide a conditional access mechanism. Further, in the conventional digital broadcasting service as described above, when there are a plurality of commissioned broadcasters, the broadcasters A and B issue command messages having the same control counter value (see FIG. 16). Assuming that the broadcaster A's command message is received first by the broadcast receiving decoder, the control command A of the broadcaster A is processed, but the control counter of the IC card is updated with this processing. The control command B of the broadcaster B received later becomes invalid.

For this reason, it is necessary not to perform the same processing for a command for controlling the broadcast receiving decoder every time the same message is received.
Therefore, when a plurality of broadcasters share the receiver's IC card (one card), it is necessary for the broadcasters to synchronize with each other for a common control command for the IC card.

[0010] Similarly, in customer management, each broadcaster must prepare customer data of a receiver and a mechanism for customer management processing. In addition, there is a problem that the viewer must pay for each broadcaster even though one broadcast receiving decoder receives digital broadcast services of a plurality of broadcasters.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a plurality of broadcasters providing digital broadcasting services have
It is an object of the present invention to provide a conditional access joint management apparatus and a conditional access joint management method that can jointly manage conditional access broadcasts and jointly manage customers.

[0012]

The conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention is a co-management apparatus for co-managing a conditional access system in broadcasting, wherein the co-management apparatus transmits a request message transmitted from a broadcaster. A receiving unit that receives a request message, a response message creation processing unit that creates a response message in a predetermined format to which additional information is added based on the request message, and a response message that adds the additional information to the broadcaster. And a storage unit for storing the reply message, a reply message storage processing unit for storing the reply message in the storage unit, and a common counter number commonly used by a plurality of broadcasters. A counter creation processing unit, wherein, when the request message contains a control command, the reply message creation processing unit sends the number of common counters created by the counter creation processing unit to the additional information. A reply message added as a part is created, and the counter creation processing unit is added to the answer message corresponding to the request message received earlier than the request message including the request message including the currently received control command. It is characterized in that a common counter number is created by adding a predetermined value to the maximum value of the common counter number. According to the present invention, it is possible to broadcast to the same broadcast receiver (a device that receives the satellite broadcast) without synchronizing the control counter with another broadcaster. The receiving unit and the transmitting unit may be realized as an integrated transmitting / receiving unit.

Further, the conditional access co-management apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
A joint management device for jointly managing a conditional access system in broadcasting, wherein the joint management device stores a plurality of different encryption programs and a receiving unit for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster, A first storage unit further storing an encryption method division table for associating each of the encrypted programs with an encryption method division identifier defined corresponding to the encryption program, and referring to the encryption method division table, An encryption processing unit that encrypts a part of the request message using an encryption program corresponding to an encryption scheme classification identifier included in the request message, and converts the request message into a response message in a predetermined format; A second storage unit, a response message storage unit that stores the response message in the second storage unit, and a response message obtained by adding additional information to the response message. A reply message creation processing unit to, an answer message plus the additional information, and wherein the transmitting unit, in that it consists of transmitting to the broadcaster.

According to the present invention, the conditional access mechanism can be shared, so that it is not necessary for broadcasters to prepare conditional access mechanisms. Further, an arbitrary encryption method can be provided to a broadcaster adopting a different encryption method (conditional reception method), and each broadcaster can easily switch to a different encryption method. Note that the receiving unit and the transmitting unit may be realized as an integrated transmitting / receiving unit, and the first storage unit and the second storage unit may be realized by the same storage device even if realized by separate storage devices. It may be realized by a storage device.

[0015] Further, the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention comprises:
A co-management apparatus for jointly performing customer management related to broadcasting using a conditional access method, wherein the co-management apparatus transmits and receives customer data to and from a plurality of broadcasters and a plurality of broadcast receivers. A transmitting / receiving unit for performing, a common customer management unit that converts customer data having a format unique to each of the plurality of broadcasters into common customer data having a common format used by the co-management device, and the plurality of broadcasts. In response to the business,
A storage unit in which the common customer data is stored, the customer data accumulation processing unit that stores the common customer data in the storage unit, and reads the common customer data from the storage unit;
A customer data creation processing unit that converts the data into customer data unique to each business operator.

According to the present invention, the use of the shared customer data and the customer management mechanism eliminates the need for the broadcaster to manage the customer, thereby producing an economic effect. Further, even when the broadcaster manages the customer, it is easy to incorporate customer data managed by the broadcaster into common customer data. Costs can be reduced.

[0017] In the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention, the common customer management unit converts a format of customer data different for each broadcaster into a common format, and a format converter for each broadcaster. A sorting unit that sorts the data of different customer data converted into the common format as a common data list; and a plurality of sorting units that sort the data by the sorting unit. In contrast to the customer data, the customer data of the same broadcast receiver is provided with customer number assigning means for assigning a common customer number as common customer data. Here, the format of the customer data means, for example, the type of character code or the like used by each broadcaster.

In the conditional access co-management apparatus according to the present invention, the common customer management unit further includes a collective charge category identifier for identifying a charge category including a collective charge included in the customer data. The charge amount for the broadcast receiver is determined based on the charge amount for each broadcaster contracted by the broadcast receiver. According to the present invention, billing from a plurality of broadcasters contracted with one broadcast receiver, payment of a fee to the broadcast receiver, and the like can be unified, and convenience can be improved.

Further, the conditional access joint management method of the present invention comprises:
A joint management method for jointly managing a conditional access system in a broadcast using a computer, comprising: a procedure for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster; and a plurality of different encryption programs stored in a storage unit of the computer. Program and
With reference to an encryption method division table that associates an encryption method division identifier defined corresponding to the encryption program,
Using an encryption program corresponding to the encryption scheme classification identifier included in the request message, encrypting a part of the request message, and setting the response message in a predetermined format,
A step of storing the answer message, a step of adding the additional information to the answer message, and a step of transmitting the answer message to which the additional information is added to the broadcaster. It is characterized by.

Further, the conditional access joint management method of the present invention comprises:
A joint management method for jointly managing customers related to broadcasting using a conditional access system by using a computer, wherein customer data is transmitted and received between a plurality of broadcasters and a plurality of broadcast receivers. A procedure for converting customer data having a format unique to each of the plurality of broadcasters into common customer data having a format commonly used in the computer; and And a step of acquiring the common customer data and converting the common customer data into customer data in a format unique to each business operator.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, referring to FIG. 6, the commissioned broadcasters A and 4A and the commissioned broadcasters B and 4 shown in FIG.
The data flow from 4B to the broadcast receiving decoder 5 will be described.

When the request messages R1 and R2 are sent from the entrusted broadcasters A and 4A and the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B to the conditional access common management center 1 'provided with the conditional access co-management apparatus, the conditional access common management center 1''In the request message R1, R
The response messages A1 and A2 corresponding to No. 2 are prepared and returned to the corresponding entrusted broadcasters A and 4A and the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B. The entrusted broadcasters A and 4A and the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B send the answer messages A1 and A2 to the common uplink station 3, respectively. Based on the order of the values of the common counter (described later) included in each of the received reply messages A1 and A2 (common uplink station 3), 2), the reply electronic messages A1 and A2 are transmitted to the broadcast receiving decoder 5 via the satellite.

The above is the data flow from the entrusted broadcasters A and 4A and the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B to the broadcast receiving decoder 5. Although FIG. 6 shows only two broadcast service providers A and B as broadcast service providers and only one broadcast receiving decoder 5 as a broadcast receiving decoder, a large number of service broadcast service providers and broadcast receiving decoders are actually illustrated. Consists of

Next, a first embodiment of the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the embodiment.

First, a request message received by the conditional access co-management apparatus 1 from a commissioned broadcaster (see FIG. 2A),
Answer message created based on the request message (Fig. 2 (b)
Reference) will be described. Further, in the present embodiment, description will be made based on the request message and the response message shown in FIG. 2, but the content of each message may be separately defined. Further, in the following description, the request message is described as a message including a control command, but there is also a message that does not include a control command for controlling a broadcast receiving decoder.

The request message is a sequence of data transmitted from the entrusted broadcaster to the conditional access co-management apparatus 1,
In the example of FIG. 2A, an IC card number, a business name, an encryption scheme classification, a control counter (described as a counter in the drawing), an EMM (Entitlement Management)
Ment Message) It consists of plaintext fields. The IC card number / field is the I / O set of the broadcast receiving decoder of the broadcast receiver contracted with the commissioned broadcaster.
A number for specifying the C card is stored. The name of the broadcaster / field stores a name indicating the broadcaster or data that can identify the broadcaster. In the encryption scheme section / field, an identifier (encryption section identifier) indicating the encryption scheme to be used is stored. In the control counter (described as a counter in the drawing) field, a value indicating the order of the issued control command is stored.

The following individual information and the like are stored in the EMM plaintext / field. EMM is a mandatory broadcast for acquiring the key release information of the program that each consigned broadcaster wants to view for each broadcast receiver, the key closing information when the viewing is canceled, and the viewing history of the broadcast receiving decoder. This is information for individually (or entirely) controlling a broadcast receiving decoder such as call information. Note that the data arrangement of the request message is usually different for each entrusted broadcaster.

The reply message is a sequence of data created in the limited reception co-management apparatus 1 based on the request message sent from the commissioned broadcaster and returned to the commissioned broadcaster. In the example of FIG. 2B, a common counter (the number of common counters), an IC card number, a business name, an encryption scheme classification,
It consists of a control counter (described as a counter in the drawing) and each field of ciphertext. The common counter field is
The broadcast reception decoder functions in the same manner as a conventional control counter, and is determined by the conditional access co-management apparatus 1 (the method of determination will be described later), and stores a value commonly used by a plurality of commissioned broadcasters. You. The encrypted text / field stores an encrypted version of the EMM plaintext included in the request message. Other fields are the same as those included in the request message.

Next, the configuration of the conditional access co-management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The conditional access co-management apparatus 1 includes a transmission / reception unit 1a, a storage unit 1b, an encryption processing unit 1c, and an encrypted message storage unit (answer message storage unit), which will be described later.
1d, a counter creation processing unit 1e, and an answer message creation processing unit 1f. The storage unit 1b is configured by a volatile storage device such as a memory, a non-volatile recording device such as a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk, or a combination of the storage device and the recording device. Further, the encryption processing unit 1c, the encrypted message storage unit 1d, the counter creation processing unit 1e, and the reply message creation processing unit 1f may be realized by a dedicated device, or by using a computer device. Alternatively, the function of each unit may be realized by executing a program.

The transmission / reception unit 1a is a limited reception joint management device 1
In addition to receiving request messages transmitted from a plurality of commissioned broadcasters, the reply message created is returned to the commissioned broadcasters. The storage unit 1b stores an encryption scheme division table 1b-1 (see FIG. 3) for associating each encryption scheme division identifier with an encryption program, an encryption program group 1b-2 including a plurality of encryption programs, and a reply described later. Answer message table 1b for storing and storing messages
3 is stored.

First, the encryption processing unit 1c sorts the data of the request message into a common data list. Next, by referring to the encryption method division table 1b-1, the encryption program corresponding to the encryption method division identifier included in the request message received by the transmission / reception unit 1a is obtained from the encryption program group 1b-2, and the encryption is performed. A part of the request message (in this embodiment, EMM plaintext) is encrypted using a program. The message generated in this way is called an encrypted message. The encrypted message storage unit 1d sequentially stores and stores the encrypted message generated by the encryption unit 1c in the answer message table 1b-3.

First, when the encrypted message received via the encrypted message storage processor 1d includes the control command, the counter creation processing unit 1e performs a plurality of reply message stored in the reply message table 1b-3. And the response message having the same IC card number including the control command is referred to. And
A value larger than the maximum value of the common counter (for example, a value obtained by adding 1) in the referred answer message is determined as a value of the common counter of the encrypted message. Note that whether or not each message includes a control command can be determined based on whether or not a control counter is set. The answer message creation processing unit 1f creates an answer message in which the value of the common counter generated by the counter creation processing unit 1e is set in the encrypted message, stores the answer message in the answer message table 1b-3, and transmits and receives the answer message. Hand over to section 1a.

Next, the operation of the thus configured conditional access co-management apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG.
6 is an operation flowchart illustrating an operation from when the conditional access co-management apparatus 1 receives a request message and transmits an answer message.

First, the transmission / reception unit 1a receives a request message from a commissioned broadcaster and passes the request message to the encryption processing unit 1c (step S01). Then, the encryption processing unit 1c rearranges the data of the request message into a common data sequence (step S02). next,
The encryption processing unit 1c refers to the encryption method division table 1b-1 and searches for an encryption program corresponding to the encryption method division identifier included in the request message (step S03).
Further, the encryption processing unit 1c extracts the searched and confirmed encryption program from the encryption program group 1b-2, and encrypts the request message using the encryption program to obtain an encrypted message (step S04). . In this embodiment, the EMM plaintext in the request message is encrypted, but the data to be encrypted may be defined separately.

Next, the encrypted message storage unit 1d sequentially stores and stores the encrypted message generated by the encryption unit 1c in the answer message table 1b-3 (step S0).
5). Next, the counter creation processing unit 1e sequentially refers to the response messages including the control command in the response messages stored in the response message table 1b-3, and
It is determined whether the card number matches the IC card number included in the encrypted message (step S06). Step S
06, when it is determined that the IC card numbers match,
The counter creation processing unit 1e includes a reply message table 1b-3.
1 is set as the maximum value of the common counter of the response message stored in
Is determined as the value of the common counter for the response message corresponding to the request message (step S07). When it is determined in step S06 that the IC card numbers do not match, the counter creation processing unit 1e determines “1” as a value of a common counter for a response message corresponding to the request message (step S08).

Next, the reply message creation processing section 1f stores the value of the common counter determined by the counter creation processing section 1e in the reply message table 1b-3 as a reply message set in the common counter field of the encrypted message. Store. Then, the data is passed to the transmission / reception unit 1a (step S09). Upon receiving the response message from the response message creation processing unit 1f, the transmission / reception unit 1a transmits the response message to the commissioned broadcaster that is the transmission source of the request message, based on the name of the provider included in the response message (step S10). ). The above is the operation of the conditional access co-management apparatus 1 from receiving the request message to transmitting the reply message.

Next, referring to the specific examples shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 5, the contracted broadcasters A and B and the conditional access joint management device 1
Between the conditional access common management center 1 'having
The operation at the time of transmitting and receiving the response messages A1 and A2 and the response messages A1 and A2 will be described.

In this figure, the commissioned broadcasters A and 4A
"0001" as the card number, "A" as the business name, "" as the encryption method category, "001" as the value of the control counter (described as a counter in the drawing), and "Video A key (contract broadcast reception Is included in the request message R1 and sent to the conditional access common management center 1 '. The conditional access common management center 1 'performs processing up to the creation of the above-mentioned response message based on the received request message R1, and sets "0001" as a common counter and "picture A key" of an encrypted text obtained by encrypting the EMM plaintext. Answer message A1 including etc.
Is stored in the reply message table 1b-3, and is also returned to the entrusted broadcasters A and 4A.

Next, the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B similarly send the request message R2 to the conditional access common management center 1 '. The IC card number included in this request message R2 is "0
001 ", which is the same as the IC card number included in the request message R1 previously transmitted from the broadcasters A and 4A. In other words, it means that these two request messages R1 and R2 are for the same contract broadcast receiver. The request message R2 includes “B” as the business name, “” as the encryption method classification, “001” as the value of the control counter (described as a counter in the drawing), and EM.
The M plaintext includes “image C key” and the like.

The conditional access common management center 1 'refers to the reply message table 1b-3, searches for an IC card number included in the request message R2 and a reply message having the same IC card number including the control command and replying. Refer to the message A1. The response message A1 contains “00” as the value of the common counter.
Since "01" is set, "0002" is set as the value of the common counter of the response message A2 to the request message R2, and transmitted to the entrusted broadcasters B and 4B. According to the present embodiment, it is not necessary for each broadcaster to separately prepare a mechanism of the conditional access system. In addition, each broadcaster can easily switch to a conditional access system using a different encryption system. Also, each broadcaster can provide a service to one broadcast receiving decoder without synchronizing the control counter with another broadcaster. The details of the first embodiment have been described above.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a customer information co-management apparatus according to a second embodiment of the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention.

The customer information co-management apparatus 2 includes a transmission / reception unit 2a, a storage unit 2b including a customer management table 2b-1 and a collective billing division table 2b-2, a common customer management unit 2c, and a customer data storage. It comprises a processing unit 2d and a customer data creation processing unit 2e. The storage unit 2b
Volatile storage devices such as memories, or non-volatile recording devices such as hard disks and magneto-optical disks, or
It is constituted by a combination of the storage device and the recording device. In addition, the common customer management unit 2c, the customer data accumulation processing unit 2d, and the customer data creation processing unit 2e may be realized by a dedicated device, or each unit may be implemented by executing a program using a computer device. May be realized.

The transmission / reception unit 2a includes the customer information
, And receives customer data transmitted from a plurality of contract providers (consignment broadcasters) and returns the processed customer data to the contract provider or a broadcast receiver corresponding to the customer data. Note that the customer data sent from the contract carrier usually differs in format (see FIG. 8A) and data arrangement (see FIG. 8B) for each contract carrier. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the customer data includes an IC card number, a contracting company name, a contracting party name, a customer number, a viewing history, a batch billing category (not shown), a billing amount (not shown), and the like. However, the content of the customer data may be defined separately. Here, the collective billing category refers to the classification of whether to charge a certain contractor for each contracted carrier, or collectively bill all or some contracted carriers. (See FIG. 12).

The storage unit 2b stores a customer management table 2b-1 for storing the following common customer data, and a collective billing section table 2b-2 for associating a collective billing section with a billing process corresponding to the collective billing section. . Common Customer Management Department 2
When the customer data is received, the format of the customer data, which is different for each entrusted broadcasting office, is converted into a common format (from (a) to (b) in the example of FIG. 8). Is created and common customer data (see FIG. 9) is created by rearranging common data. However,
The common customer data at this time has not been assigned the following common customer number. Also, when sending customer data,
Based on the common customer data to which the common customer number is assigned, customer data converted into a format for each company or a predetermined format separately defined is created. The customer data storage processor 2d stores the common customer data in the customer management table 2b-1.
Store and store in.

The customer data creation processing unit 2e assigns a common customer number (see FIG. 10) that can uniquely determine the same contractor to different customer numbers for each contracting company. The assignment of the common customer number is performed by separately storing a table for associating the IC card number uniquely determined for each broadcast receiving decoder with the common customer number in the storage unit 2b, and determining the number to be assigned by referring to this table. Or I
The C card number itself may be used. Then, the common customer number and other additional information are set in the common customer data (see FIG. 11). In addition, the collective billing category included in the customer data and the billing amount for each contracted company (FIGS. 8, 9, 11)
Is not shown), the fee charged to the contractor is determined. In addition, the fee bill determined in this way, for example,
Billing is made to the contract broadcast receiver via the contracted bank or credit company (see FIG. 13).

Next, the operation of the thus configured customer information co-management apparatus 2 will be described with reference to the operation flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the operation at the time of receiving customer data will be described. Upon receiving the customer data received by the transmission / reception unit 2a, the common customer management unit 2c converts the format of the customer data into a common format (step S21). Further, the common customer management unit 2c rearranges the data sequence of the format-converted customer data (step S2).
2). Then, the customer data creation processing unit 2e assigns a common customer number (common customer number) based on the IC card number (step S23). Next, the customer data accumulation processing unit 2d stores the common customer data created by the customer data creation processing unit 2e in the customer management table 2b-1 (Step S24).

When transmitting the customer data, the common customer management section 2c reads out the common customer data from the customer management table 2b-1, and, based on the common customer data, a format for each own company or a predetermined format separately defined. Create customer data converted to. Then, the transmission / reception unit 2a transmits the customer data to a predetermined broadcast receiver or broadcast company. Further, when performing the billing process, the customer data creation processing unit 2e determines the billing fee based on the collective billing category (not shown) and the billing fee (not shown) included in the common customer data. Note that transmission and reception of customer data between the contract operator and the customer information co-management device 2 and between the broadcast receiver and the customer information co-management device 2 are performed as appropriate. Further, according to the present embodiment, when the broadcaster does not perform customer management, it is possible to secure economic efficiency by using a shared customer data and customer management processing mechanism. Further, even when the customer management is performed by the broadcasting company, the customer data managed for each broadcasting company can be taken into the common customer data, and the cost for billing can be reduced. Further, billing, payment of fees, and the like can be unified for the broadcast receiver, and the convenience is improved. The details of the second embodiment have been described above.

In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, an input device, a display device, etc. (neither is shown) may be connected as peripheral devices. Here, the input device refers to an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display device is a CRT (Cathode Ray Tu).
be) and liquid crystal display devices.

Also, a program for realizing the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium is read and executed by a computer system. Limited reception joint management and customer joint management may be performed. That is, the limited reception joint management program has a function of receiving a request message, a function of an answer message creation processing unit, a function of transmitting an answer message, a function of an answer message accumulation processing unit, and a function of a counter creation processing unit. And / or causes the computer to realize the function of the encryption processing unit. Further, the customer co-management program causes a computer to realize a function of transmitting and receiving customer data, a function of a common customer management unit, a function of a customer data accumulation processing unit, and a function of a customer data creation processing unit.

The “computer system” here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. The “computer system” also includes a homepage providing environment (or a display environment) if a WWW system is used. Also,
"Computer readable recording medium" means a floppy disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM.
And a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a communication line for transmitting a program through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line for a short time, such as a communication line.
It also includes those that dynamically store programs (transmission media or transmission waves) and those that store programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memories in computer systems serving as servers and clients in that case. Further, the program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes a design and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. It is.

[0053]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the number of common counters is used, so that each broadcaster does not need to synchronize the control counter with another broadcaster. A service can be provided to one broadcast receiver (broadcast receiving decoder). Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary for each broadcaster to separately prepare a mechanism of the conditional access system. Further, according to the present invention, since an encryption program to be used for encryption can be selected from a plurality of encryption programs, each broadcaster can easily switch to a different conditional access system.

Further, according to the present invention, when customer management is not performed by a broadcasting company, it is possible to secure economic efficiency by using a shared customer data and customer management processing mechanism. Further, even when the customer management is performed by the broadcasting company, the customer data managed for each broadcasting company can be taken into the common customer data, and the cost for billing can be reduced. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to unify the issuance of a bill, payment of a fee, and the like for a broadcast receiver, thereby improving convenience.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conditional access joint management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows an example of a request message, and FIG.
Is a diagram showing an example of a response message.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an encryption method classification table.

FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart illustrating an operation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, the contents of a request message and a response message transmitted and received between the entrusted broadcasters A and B and the conditional access common management center.

[Fig. 6] Consigned broadcasting company, conditional access common management center,
It is a figure explaining the flow of a message between a common uplink station and a broadcast receiving decoder.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a customer information joint management device according to a second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 8A is an example of customer data having a different format and data arrangement for each business operator, and FIG.
This is an example of customer data that is converted into a common format and differs only in data arrangement.

FIG. 9 is an example of common customer data created by format conversion and data rearrangement.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing customer numbers that differ for each business operator and a generated common customer number corresponding to the customer number in the example of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an example of common customer data to which a common customer number is added.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a consolidated billing category.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the customer information joint management center when receiving customer data.

FIG. 14 is an operation flowchart illustrating an operation example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a conventional digital broadcasting service.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a conflict between command messages in a conventional system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conditional reception joint management apparatus 1 '... Conditional reception common management center (encryption system joint management center) 1a ... Transmission / reception part (transmission part and reception part) 1b ... Storage part 1b-1 ... Encryption method division table 1b-2 ... Encrypted program group 1b-3 ... Response message table 1c ... Encryption processing unit 1d ... Encryption message storage unit 1e ... Counter creation processing unit 1f ... Reply message creation processing unit 2 ... Customer information co-management device 2a ... Transceiving unit 2b ... Storage unit 2b-1 ... Customer management table 2b-2 ... Collective billing classification table 2c ... Common customer management unit 2d ... Customer data storage processing unit 2e ... Customer data creation processing unit 3 ... Common uplink station 4A, 4B ... Consignment broadcasting Businesses A, B 5 ... Decoder for broadcast reception

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 13, 2000 (2004.1.
3)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention has
There are, before Symbol joint management apparatus, a receiving unit that receives a request message transmitted from the broadcaster, as well as multiple store different encryption programs, with each of the cryptographic programs, corresponding to this encryption program A first storage unit further storing an encryption method classification table that associates the encryption method classification identifier defined with the encryption method classification table, and a cipher corresponding to the encryption method classification identifier included in the request message with reference to the encryption method classification table. An encryption processing unit that encrypts a part of the request message using an encryption program and converts the response message into a predetermined format; a second storage unit that stores the response message; An answer message accumulation processing unit to be stored in the second storage unit, an answer message creation processing unit to add an additional message to the answer message, and an answer message to which the additional information is added The statement, characterized a transmitter, that consists of transmitting to the broadcaster.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Also, the conditional access co-management apparatus of the present invention
There are, before Symbol joint management apparatus, and a pre-Symbol customer data with a unique format for each of a plurality of broadcasters each common customer management unit for converting the common customer data with a common format used by the co same management device A storage unit for storing the common customer data corresponding to the plurality of broadcasters; a customer data accumulation processing unit for storing the common customer data in the storage unit; and storing the common customer data in the storage unit. And a customer data creation processing unit that reads out the data from the unit and converts the data into customer data unique to each business operator.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0019

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the conditional access joint management method of the present invention comprises:
A joint management method for jointly managing a conditional access system in broadcasting using a computer, comprising: a procedure for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster;
Create a response message in a predetermined format with additional information
Answer message creation procedure and answer message with the additional information added
To the broadcaster, and the response message
Procedures for storing and common use by multiple broadcasters
Counter creation procedure to create the number of common counters used
And the answer message creation procedure includes the request message.
If the request message includes a control command, the counter
The number of common counters created by the
The procedure for creating an answer message added as part of
The counter creation procedure includes the control frame received at present.
For a request message that includes a
Common count added to the response message corresponding to the requested message
Common cowl with a predetermined value added to the largest
The steps to create a pointer number characterized by containing Mukoto. Also,
In the conditional access joint management method of the present invention, a procedure for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster, a plurality of different encryption programs stored in a storage unit of the computer, and a program corresponding to the encryption program A part of the request message is encrypted by referring to an encryption method division table that associates the defined encryption method division identifier with an encryption program corresponding to the encryption method division identifier included in the request message. A procedure to make an answer message in a predetermined format, a procedure to store the answer message, a procedure to make an answer message to which additional information is added to the answer message, and an answer message to which the additional information is added, the inclusion of, and procedures to be sent to the broadcasters is preferable.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0020

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the conditional access joint management method of the present invention
And a procedure for transmitting and receiving customer data between a plurality of broadcasters and a plurality of broadcast receivers, and using the customer data having a format unique to each of the plurality of broadcasters in the computer in common. A procedure for converting the common customer data into a format, and a procedure for storing the common customer data for each broadcaster, obtaining the common customer data, and converting the customer data into a format unique to each business operator. a step of converting, including Maseru it is preferred to.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hasegawa, etc. 3-3-1, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside NTT Data Corporation (72) Kentaro Arai 3-chome, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo No. 3 in NTT Data Corporation (72) Inventor Tatsuya Tani 3-3-3 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo F-term in NTT Data Corporation (reference) 5J104 AA01 AA07 AA16 AA32 BA03 DA03 EA01 EA04 EA07 EA18 JA03 KA02 MA06 NA02 NA03 NA20 NA32 NA35 NA36 NA37 PA04 PA05 PA11

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A co-management apparatus for co-managing a conditional access system in broadcasting, the co-management apparatus further comprising: a receiving unit for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster; An answer message creation processing unit that creates an answer message in a predetermined format to which information is added; a transmitting unit that sends the answer message to which the additional information is added to the broadcaster; and a storage unit that stores the answer message. An answer message storage processing unit that stores the answer message in the storage unit; and a counter creation processing unit that creates a common counter number commonly used by a plurality of broadcasters. When the request message includes a control command, the unit creates a response message further adding the number of common counters created by the counter creation processing unit as a part of the additional information. The counter creation processing unit sets a request message including the currently received control command to a maximum value of the number of common counters added to an answer message corresponding to the request message received earlier than the request message. A conditional access co-management apparatus for creating a common counter number by adding the values of 2. A co-management device for co-managing a conditional access system in broadcasting, wherein the co-management device stores a receiving unit for receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster, and a plurality of different encryption programs. A first storage unit further storing an encryption method division table that associates each of the encryption programs with an encryption method division identifier defined corresponding to the encryption program; With reference to, using an encryption program corresponding to the encryption scheme classification identifier included in the request message, while encrypting a part of the request message,
An encryption processing unit that forms a response message in a predetermined format; a second storage unit that stores the response message; a response message storage unit that stores the response message in the second storage unit; A limited reception, comprising: a reply message creation processing unit that forms a reply message with additional information added to the message; and a transmission unit that transmits the reply message with the additional information to the broadcaster. Joint management device. 3. A co-management device for jointly performing customer management related to broadcasting using a conditional access system, wherein the co-management device includes a plurality of broadcasters and a plurality of broadcast receivers. A transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving customer data, and a common customer management unit for converting customer data having a format unique to each of the plurality of broadcasters into common customer data having a common format used by the co-management device. A storage unit that stores the common customer data in correspondence with the plurality of broadcasters; a customer data accumulation processing unit that stores the common customer data in the storage unit; and the storage of the common customer data. And a customer data creation processing unit that reads the information from a unit and converts the data into customer data unique to each business operator. 4. The common customer management unit, wherein: a format conversion unit for converting a format of customer data that differs for each broadcaster into a common format; and a customer that is different for each broadcaster and converted to the common format. A rearranging unit for rearranging the data so that the data sequence is a common data sequence; and a same broadcast receiver for a plurality of customer data whose data has been rearranged by the rearranging device. 4. The conditional access co-management apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising customer number assigning means for assigning a common customer number to the customer data. 5. The common customer management unit further includes: a collective billing category identifier for identifying a billing category including a collective billing of fees included in the customer data; and a broadcast service contracted by the broadcast receiver. 5. The conditional access management device according to claim 4, wherein the charge amount for the broadcast receiver is determined based on the charge amount. 6. A joint management method for jointly managing a conditional access system in a broadcast using a computer, the method comprising: receiving a request message transmitted from a broadcaster; and storing the request message in a storage unit of the computer. Refers to an encryption method classification table that associates a plurality of different encryption programs with encryption method classification identifiers defined corresponding to the encryption programs, and performs encryption corresponding to the encryption method classification identifier included in the request message. Using a program, encrypting a part of the request message and converting the response message into a predetermined format; storing the response message; and a response message obtained by adding additional information to the response message. And transmitting a reply message to which the additional information is added to the broadcaster. 7. A joint management method for jointly managing customers related to broadcasting using a conditional access system by using a computer, wherein a plurality of broadcasters and a plurality of broadcast receivers A procedure for transmitting and receiving data; a procedure for converting customer data having a format unique to each of the plurality of broadcasters into common customer data having a format commonly used in the computer; And a step of storing the common customer data, and a step of acquiring the common customer data and converting the common customer data into customer data in a format unique to each business operator.