Internet Communication System For Secure Restricted Access

Abstract

Methods and apparatus permit a one-way downloadable security for electronic signals such as cable television, free-to-air, direct broadcast satellite, internet, electronic device enablement, and other services. The system can allow a broadcast transmission capability ( 1 ) to provide an encrypted signal to an individual reception capability ( 2 ) in a manner that maintains the full security of a traditional decryption key process while completely eliminating any need for a trusted authority. By including a nascent decryption key generator that may create a secure, key-based environment from an unsecure individualized information transmission ( 12 ), a sequence of key(s) from a root key(s) to a derived key(s) to a temporary key(s) and ultimately to a fully random key(s) can be generated in activating a device or a decryption capability for a subscriber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication comprising the steps of:
 establishing an internet communication transmitter capability for said encrypted internet communication;   establishing an internet compatible individual receiver capability responsive to a completely unknown decryption key, unknown to said internet compatible individual receiver capability and said internet transmitter capability;   providing unsecure individualized information associated with said internet compatible individual receiver capability;   nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key, that was unknown to said internet compatible individual receiver capability and said internet transmitter capability prior to being nascently generated, at least partially from and after providing said unsecure individualized information;   activating decryption processing of said encrypted internet communication as a result of said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key; and   physically unlocking access to said encrypted internet communication at said internet compatible individual receiver capability.   
     
     
         2 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of adding cryptographic entropy for said decryption key. 
     
     
         3 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 2  wherein said step of adding cryptographic entropy for said decryption key comprises the step of utilizing communication provider information. 
     
     
         4 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 3  wherein said step of utilizing provider information to add cryptographic entropy comprises the step of utilizing a secure communication provider cryptographic key. 
     
     
         5 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 4  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of establishing a cryptographic key using said unsecure individualized information and said secure communication provider key as inputs to a cryptographic encryption function. 
     
     
         6 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of generating a cryptographic key by mathematically functioning at least two items of information. 
     
     
         7 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 6  wherein said step of generating said cryptographic key by mathematically functioning at least two items of information comprises the step of utilizing one item of information as a mathematical operand to perform a transformative function on another item of information. 
     
     
         8 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of multi-step mathematically manipulating items to support creation of a cryptographic key. 
     
     
         9 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 8  wherein said step of multi-step mathematically manipulating items to support creation of a cryptographic key comprises a step selected from a group consisting of:
 manipulating items through a reversible cryptographic function to support creation of a cryptographic key; 
 manipulating items through a one-way cryptographic function to support creation of a cryptographic key; 
 manipulating items through an encryption function to support creation of a cryptographic key; 
 manipulating items through a cryptographic hash function to support creation of a cryptographic key; 
 utilizing a random value generator cryptographic function to support creation of a cryptographic key; and 
 manipulating items through a data stream location pointer function to support creation of a cryptographic key. 
 
     
     
         10 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of utilizing an at least two dimensional cipher key derivation functionality. 
     
     
         11 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 10  wherein said step of utilizing an at least two dimensional cipher key derivation functionality comprises the step: of:
 utilizing at least some individual receiver capability information; and 
 utilizing at least some communication transmitter capability information. 
 
     
     
         12 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key at least partially from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of integrating said unsecure individualized information and communication transmitter information into a cryptographic operation. 
     
     
         13 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  and further comprising the step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is ubiquitously secret-ed from all persons. 
     
     
         14 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 13  wherein said step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is ubiquitously secret-ed from all persons comprises the step of destructively tamperproofing computer chip information within said internet compatible individual receiver capability. 
     
     
         15 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 13  wherein said step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is ubiquitously secret-ed from all persons comprises the step of eliminating any use of a cryptographic trusted authority for said completely unknown decryption key. 
     
     
         16 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 15  wherein said step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is ubiquitously secret-ed from all persons comprises the step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is initially unknowable at said internet compatible individual receiver capability. 
     
     
         17 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 16  wherein said step of assuring that said completely unknown decryption key is initially unknowable at said internet compatible individual receiver capability comprises the step of preventing said internet compatible individual receiver capability from any knowledge as to how said completely unknown decryption key is generated. 
     
     
         18 . A method of providing restricted access to an encrypted internet communication as described in  claim 1  wherein said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key from said unsecure individualized information comprises the step of cryptographically operating on said unsecure individualized information as at least part of generating said completely unknown decryption key.
 establishing an internet communication transmitter capability for said encrypted internet communication; 
 establishing an internet compatible individual receiver capability responsive to a completely unknown decryption key, unknown to said internet compatible individual receiver capability and said internet transmitter capability; 
 
     
     
         19 . A system for restricted access to an electronic signal comprising:
 a signal transmitter capability configured to generate an encrypted signal;   at least one individual receiver capability responsive to a completely unknown decryption key, unknown to said individual receiver capability and said signal transmitter capability;   an unsecure individualized information transmission to which said signal transmitter capability is responsive;   a nascent decryption key generator responsive to said unsecure individualized information transmission wherein said nascent decryption key generator generates said completely unknown decryption key, that was unknown by said individual receiver capability and said signal transmitter capability prior to being nascently generated;   an electronic signal transmitter comprising hardware, wherein said electronic signal transmitter is responsive to said nascent decryption key generator;   an individual signal receiver responsive to said electronic signal transmitter; and   a decryption processor responsive to said completely unknown decryption key and configured to physically unlock access to said encrypted signal for said individual receiver capability.   
     
     
         20 . A method providing restricted access to an encrypted communication at an individual receiver comprising steps of:
 providing unsecure individualized information associated with an individual reception capability;   nascently generating a completely unknown decryption key, that was unknown to said internet compatible individual receiver capability and said internet transmitter capability prior to being nascently generated, at least partially from and after providing said unsecure individualized information;   activating decryption processing of said encrypted communication as a result of said step of nascently generating said completely unknown decryption key; and   physically unlocking access to said encrypted communication at said individual receiver.