KR20090015603A - Method for authorization in two-way digital broadcasting and system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and a system are provided to perform efficient authentication for a set top box of a subscriber. A set top box authentication method of a double-way digital broadcasting system comprises the following steps. A headend grasps subscriber information registered in a conditional access database(12). The headend transmits subscriber authority information to a corresponding set top box by grasping a set top box of a registered subscriber in a state of being connected with a cable network(13) on the binding database among the grasped and registered subscribers.

Description

Set-top box authentication method and system in two-way digital broadcasting {Method for Authorization in Two-way Digital Broadcasting and System Thereof}

The present invention relates to a set-top box authentication method, and more particularly, to a method and system for authenticating a set-top box by efficiently transmitting subscriber authority information.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a set-top box authentication method in a conventional digital broadcasting system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional digital broadcasting system includes a head end 10, a conditional access database 12, and a plurality of set-top boxes 14, 16, and 18. It consists of).

In general, a cable digital broadcasting system includes a headend 10 for receiving and processing data uploaded from a subscriber while transmitting a digital signal related to broadcasting, and converts an analog signal by receiving a digital signal transmitted from the headend to an original signal. It includes a set-top box 14, 16, 18 to restore the audio and video signal. The head end 10 and the plurality of set top boxes 14, 16, and 18 are connected through a cable network 13.

Headend 10 refers to a main coordination center with technical facilities for receiving, producing and retransmitting a program from a satellite or elsewhere via a system network in a cable television system. Set-top boxes 14, 16 and 18 In general, it means a home communication terminal required when using a multimedia communication service, including video on demand (Video On Demand).

Set-top boxes, also known as digital broadcast receivers, decode digitized broadcast and management information transmitted from headends (10) installed at local cable TV companies for cable TV or cable modem services to subscribers, and transmits analog signals to the TV. It is a device whose main purpose is to transmit. The set top box receives from the headend 10 broadcast and management information such as a digital broadcasting server (Audio / Video Server) and a service information server for transmitting broadcast channel information.

Recently, various services have been provided in such digital cable broadcasting, and one of them is an interactive service. Here, the concept of interactive means that the user's will is transmitted to the multimedia to provide information as the user wants.

In order to provide interactive services, it is necessary to adjust viewing authority on a subscriber basis. Thus, the process of restricting access to the entire service and accessing individual services through a certain authorization to consumers is carried out in a conditional access (CA) process. This is called. Each subscriber's set-top box essentially goes through the CA process. The access restriction database 12 stores information on the access restriction.

If you subscribe to a cable broadcast service, a set-top box is installed so that subscribers can watch the broadcast. After the physical installation of the set-top box and connection with the cable network 13, the subscriber right information is broadcast from the headend 10 to the registered set-top box of the subscriber, and authentication of the set-top box is performed by the subscriber. The service can be provided normally.

Subscriber authority information transmitted from the headend 10 is broadcasted at predetermined time intervals, and only the connected terminal acquires information on authorization and authentication of the set-top box is performed. In relation to the broadcasting of the subscriber right information at regular intervals, the headend 10 broadcasts the subscriber right information to the set-top box of all the subscribers. (Eg, once a day or once every two days) to transmit subscriber authority information.

Subscriber entitlement information broadcast to the set-top box is transmitted based on the subscriber information recorded in the access restriction database 12, and typically, a broadcasting message called a conditional access entitlement management message (CA EMM) is transmitted. Unidirectional information is transmitted from the headend 10 through the unidirectional information.

If the set top box is not connected to the headend 10 at the time when the subscriber authority information is broadcast, it is excluded from the authorization process through the reception of subscriber authority information and thus cannot configure valid authentication.

For example, let's say a guy subscribes to A cable service. Subscriber's access information database 12 stores the subscriber's information or broadcast service authorization information, etc., in the company A's access restriction database 12. And, a set-top box installation technician of the company A visits the home of the set-up box, and connects the set-top box to the cable network 13 of the company A. However, when subscriber authorization information is transmitted from the headend 10 while the visit of the set-top box installation technician is delayed or other technical problems delay the connection to the cable network, the set-top box of C is connected with the headend 10. You will not get a valid certificate and you will not get a broadcast service. That is, even though the subscription to the broadcast service has been recorded in the company A's database, there is a problem that the broadcast service cannot be provided because no valid authentication is received from the headend.

In addition, even if the subscriber's set-top box is not actually connected to the cable broadcasting network, there is a problem that unnecessary traffic load is generated as the subscriber right information is transmitted from the headend.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and in particular, the authentication of the set-top box in consideration of the binding state of the two-way digital broadcast receiver (set-top box) is essential. The present invention provides a method of efficiently authenticating a subscriber set-top box by authorizing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a set-top box authentication system considering the binding state of the set-top box.

The present invention for achieving the above object, the step of identifying the subscriber information registered in the conditional access (conditional access) database, recorded in the state connected to the cable network on the binding database of the identified registered subscribers And identifying the set-top box of the subscriber, and transmitting the subscriber rights information to the set-top box.

Preferably, the step of identifying the set-top box of the subscriber recorded in the state connected to the cable network and transmitting the authority information, whether the cable network and the set-top box is connected to the set-top box of the subscriber registered on the access restriction database The process of transmitting a signal for confirming, receiving a response signal from the set-top box receiving the confirmation signal, identifying the set-top box transmitting the response signal as a set-top box connected to the cable network, and the subscriber rights information to the set-top box. It includes the process of transmitting.

In addition, the subscriber authority registration system according to the present invention, a conditional access database for storing the subscriber's authority information, a binding database for storing information of the set-top box connected to the network providing digital broadcasting, And a head end for transmitting the authority information to the set-top box of the subscriber stored in the access restriction database with reference to the set-top box state of the subscriber stored in the binding database.

According to the set-top box authentication method according to the present invention, since the subscriber rights information is transmitted in consideration of binding to the cable broadcasting network, the subscriber rights information can be efficiently transmitted to the set-top box of the subscribers connected to the network. As a result, the subscriber authority information is transmitted to the set-top box of the subscriber who is not connected to the cable network, thereby reducing unnecessary traffic.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations will be omitted for clarity. In addition, in describing the present invention with reference to the drawings, components that perform the same function will be described with the same reference numerals.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a set-top box authentication system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the set top box authentication system according to the present invention includes a headend 20, an access restriction database 12, a binding database 21, and a plurality of set top boxes 14, 16, and 18. It consists of.

When the set-top box is connected to the cable network to receive the broadcast service of the cable broadcast service provider, the connection state related information is registered on the binding database 21. The binding database 21 transmits a signal for checking whether the binding is set to the set top box and receives a response signal from the set top box. The connection state related information can be registered, and the set top box is connected to the cable network. If the connection state of the set-top box is bounded on the binding database 21 and does not receive a response signal, the set-top box is unbounded.

The headend 20 broadcasts subscriber authority information at a predetermined time interval, and authentication of the newly installed set-top box is performed through a conditional access entitlement management message (CA EMM) included in the broadcasting signal. According to the present invention, when the headend 20 broadcasts the subscriber's authorization information for authentication of the set-top box, the list of the set-top box bound to the binding database in the binding database, the subscriber to the identified set-top box only Broadcast authority information. Here, the binding database is a conventional device, but conventionally, the binding database operates without association with the headend.

Referring to the set-top boxes A, B, and C in FIG. 2 as an example, the set-top boxes A and B (24 and 26) are set-top boxes that are already provided with cable broadcasting services through registration and authentication procedures, and set-top box C (28). ) Is a newly installed set-top box. When the subscriber of the set-top box C 28 registers with the cable broadcasting service, the subscriber's information and usage authority information are stored in the access restriction database 12.

After that, when the headend 20 transmits the subscriber's authority information, the binding database 21 determines the set-top box in the bound state. Set-top box A, B (24, 26) is already connected to the cable network (13) to provide a broadcast service will be in a bounded state, the set-top box C (28) is bound (depending on whether or not connected to the cable network ( bound state or unbounded state.

The head end 20 broadcasts subscriber credentials only to the set top box that is bound to the binding database 21. The set-top box receiving the broadcasted subscriber right information can be authenticated and can receive the subscribed cable broadcasting service.

3 is a diagram illustrating a set-top box authentication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, when a user who wants to receive a specific digital broadcasting service subscribes to the broadcasting service (S30), information on the authority information or receiving authority of the subscriber is included in the access restriction database 12 of the company providing the broadcasting service. Is registered (S31).

When it is time to broadcast subscriber credentials in the headend 20, the headend 20 causes the binding database 21 to send a signal to confirm that the set-top box is connected to the cable network 13. (S32). After determining whether a response signal is received for the transmitted signal, the set-top box that transmits the response signal is left in a bounded state and the set-top box that does not transmit the response signal is left in an unbounded state (S33).

In FIG. 3, although the binding database grasps the binding state of the set-top boxes at the request of the headend 20, the binding database periodically checks the binding state of the set-top boxes to display a list indicating the binding state of the set-top boxes. The headend 20 may also be configured to broadcast subscriber authority information based on the binding state list.

The headend 20 identifies the set top boxes bound in the binding database 21 (S34) and broadcasts the subscriber authority information to the identified set top boxes (S35) to authenticate the set top boxes. On the other hand, even if there is a set-top box that is determined to be in an unbound state, when it is connected to the cable network 13 later, a response signal can be transmitted to the set-top box connection confirmation signal, thereby allowing subscriber authorization authentication.

1 is a block diagram for explaining a set-top box authentication method in a conventional digital broadcasting system.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a set-top box authentication system according to the present invention.

3 is a view showing a set-top box authentication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

In the set-top box authentication method of the interactive digital broadcasting system, Identifying, by a head end, subscriber information registered in a conditional access database; Identifying, by the headend, a set-top box of a subscriber recorded in a connected state with a cable network on a binding database among the identified registered subscribers, and transmitting subscriber rights information to the set-top box; Set top box authentication method comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the subscriber's authority information comprises: Transmitting a signal confirming whether the cable network and the set-top box are connected to the set-top box of the subscriber registered on the access restriction database; Receiving a response signal from the set-top box receiving the confirmation signal; And identifying the set-top box that has transmitted the response signal as a set-top box connected to a cable network, and transmitting subscriber authority information to the set-top box. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber information registered in the access restriction database, Set-top box authentication method comprising the information on the scope of the broadcast viewing authority. According to claim 1, wherein the subscriber authority information, A set-top box authentication method comprising a conditional access entitlement management message (CA EMM). In an interactive digital broadcasting system, A conditional access database that stores rights information of the subscriber; A binding database that stores information about a connection state of a cable network and a set-top box for providing digital broadcasting; And a head end for transmitting authorization information to the set-top box of the subscriber stored in the access restriction database with reference to the connection state information of the set-top box stored in the binding database. The method of claim 5, wherein the binding database, Set-top box authentication system, characterized in that for transmitting the signal to determine whether the set-top box is connected to the cable network in accordance with the request of the headend. The method of claim 5, wherein the binding database, Set-top box authentication system comprising bounded or unbounded information on the connection status of the set-top box with the cable network. The method of claim 5, wherein the binding database, Set-top box authentication system, characterized in that to periodically update the list of the connection status of the set-top box with the cable network. The method of claim 5, wherein the head end, Set-top box authentication system, characterized in that for transmitting the authorization information to the set-top box of the subscriber stored in the access restriction database with reference to the set-top box state of the subscriber stored in the binding database at regular intervals.

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