On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern conditional access systems typically used in streaming video services. Assigned to Philips, the first application discloses a conditional access system in which a host and a conditional access module are configured to engage in an authentication protocol with each other upon detection of a code embedded in the output stream. Assigned to Nagravision, the second application discloses techniques for updating and managing an audiovisual data processing application included in a multimedia unit by means of a conditional access module.
20100070991,"Conditional access system," assigned to Philips (NL).
Abstract
A conditional access system comprising a host configured to receive an incoming data stream and to supply this incoming data stream to a conditional access module, the conditional access module being configured to process the incoming data stream and to provide a corresponding output stream to the host, characterized in that the host and the conditional access module are configured to engage in an authentication protocol with each other upon detection of a code embedded in the output stream.
20100077390, "Method for updating and managing an audiovisual data processing application included in a multimedia unit by means of a conditional access module," assigned to Nagravision (CH).
Abstract
A method to force a multimedia unit to update an application for viewing broadcast conditional access content by linking said update to an update of the conditional access module firmware. The firmware update is initialized by means of version information transmitted in the content stream. In particular, this version information may be included in ECM or EMM messages or in services information tables in order to be processed by the conditional access module independently from the multimedia unit. The version information comprises of a minimum version and of an available maximum version. If the conditional access module detects that the current version of the firmware is inferior to the available maximum version, it transmits a message requesting an update of the application that initiates downloading a firmware updating from a management center. The update installation is carried out simultaneously in the conditional access module and in the multimedia unit.
Abstract
A conditional access system comprising a host configured to receive an incoming data stream and to supply this incoming data stream to a conditional access module, the conditional access module being configured to process the incoming data stream and to provide a corresponding output stream to the host, characterized in that the host and the conditional access module are configured to engage in an authentication protocol with each other upon detection of a code embedded in the output stream.
20100077390, "Method for updating and managing an audiovisual data processing application included in a multimedia unit by means of a conditional access module," assigned to Nagravision (CH).
Abstract
A method to force a multimedia unit to update an application for viewing broadcast conditional access content by linking said update to an update of the conditional access module firmware. The firmware update is initialized by means of version information transmitted in the content stream. In particular, this version information may be included in ECM or EMM messages or in services information tables in order to be processed by the conditional access module independently from the multimedia unit. The version information comprises of a minimum version and of an available maximum version. If the conditional access module detects that the current version of the firmware is inferior to the available maximum version, it transmits a message requesting an update of the application that initiates downloading a firmware updating from a management center. The update installation is carried out simultaneously in the conditional access module and in the multimedia unit.
