U.S. patent application number 13/752905 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-31 for restricting use of a direct-to-home digital broadcast satellite signal.
This patent application is currently assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ). The applicant listed for this patent is TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET L M ERICSSON (PUBL). Invention is credited to Donald JOONG, Ganish KATYAL.
Application Number | 20140215531 13/752905 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50112665 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140215531 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JOONG; Donald ; et
al. |
July 31, 2014 |
RESTRICTING USE OF A DIRECT-TO-HOME DIGITAL BROADCAST SATELLITE
SIGNAL
Abstract
A method and device for authentication of subscription based
digital media receivers, SB DMRs are disclosed. According to one
aspect, an SB DMR includes a memory, a radio, and a processor. The
memory is configured to store an identification of each of at least
one other SB DMR sharing a common subscription to a digital media
service. The radio is configured to receive the identification of
each of the at least one other SB DMR. The processor is configured
to authenticate the SB DMR based on the received identifications to
determine if the SB DMR is part of a group of SB DMRs sharing a
common subscription.
Inventors: |
JOONG; Donald; (Montreal,
CA) ; KATYAL; Ganish; (Saint-Laurent, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET L M ERICSSON (PUBL) |
Stockholm |
|
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson
(Publ)
Stockholm
SE
|
Family ID: |
50112665 |
Appl. No.: |
13/752905 |
Filed: |
January 29, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
725/70 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/25816 20130101;
H04N 21/43615 20130101; H04N 21/835 20130101; H04H 40/90
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/70 |
International
Class: |
H04H 40/90 20060101
H04H040/90 |
Claims
1. A subscription-based digital media receiver, SB DMR, comprising:
a memory configured to store an identification of each of at least
one other SB DMR sharing a common subscription to a digital media
service, the identified at least one other SB DMR being
pre-determined to be within a proximity to the SB DMR when the SB
DMR is within a specified area; a communication interface
configured to: receive an identification of one of the at least one
other SB DMR; and a processor configured to: authenticate the SB
DMR, the SB DMR being authenticated only if a received
identification is of the at least one other SB DMR pre-determined
to be within the proximity to the SB DMR when the SB DMR is within
the specified area, the authentication indicating that the SB DMR
is within the specified area and is therefore allowed to receive
content.
2. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is a
radio, and a range of transmission of the radio is attenuated by an
amount to prevent transmission of the identification of the SB DMR
to other SB DMRs not sharing the common subscription.
3. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the processor is further
configured to deny viewer access to the content associated with the
subscription when it cannot be determined that the SB DMR is part
of the group of SB DMRs sharing the common subscription.
4. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is a
radio that is further configured to operate at a frequency
associated with the common subscription.
5. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the SB DMRs in the group are
connected by wires.
6. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the processor is further
configured to permit viewer access to the content associated with
the subscription when it is determined that the SB DMR is part of
the group of SB DMRs sharing the common subscription.
7. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the identification of each of the
at least one other SB DMR are media access control, MAC,
addresses.
8. The SB DMR of claim 1, wherein the at least one other SB DMR
sharing the common subscription are designated by the digital media
service.
9. The SB DMR of claim 8, wherein, when one of the at least one
other SB DMR ceases to function, the designation is updated to
include only the remaining functional SB DMRs sharing the common
subscription.
10. A method of restricting use of a digital media service to a
group of subscription-based digital media receivers, SB DMRs, of a
subscriber, the method comprising: receiving, by a first SB DMR,
from at least one other SB DMR in the group an identification of
the at least one other SB DMR when the at least one other SB DMR is
within proximity to the first SB DMR; and attempting to
authenticate the first SB DMR when an identification of another SB
DMR of the group is received by the first SB DMR, the first SB DMR
being authenticated only if the received identification is of at
least one other SB DMR pre-determined to be within proximity to the
first SB DMR when the first SB DMR is within a specified area, the
authentication indicating that the first SB DMR is within the
specified area and is therefore allowed to receive content.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein, if not all of the other SB
DMRs can be identified, denying viewer access to the content
associated with the subscription in the first SB DMR.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein a maximum distance between SB
DMRs is specified as a term of the subscription.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identification of the first
SB DMR is transmitted periodically.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein a frequency of transmission is
determined by the digital media service.
15. The method of claim 10, further comprising comparing the
received identifications to identifications stored in a database of
the first SB DMR to authenticate the first SB DMR as a part of the
group of SB DMRs.
16. A method of restricting availability of a digital media service
to a group of subscription-based digital media receivers, SB DMRs,
each SB DMR having a unique identifier, the method comprising:
receiving, by a first SB DMR, from at least one other SB DMR in the
group an identification of the at least one other SB DMR when the
at least one other SB DMR is within proximity to the first SB DMR;
attempting to authenticate the first SB DMR based on the received
at least one identification, the authentication of the first one of
the SB DMRs being successful only if the received at least one
identification is of at least one other SB DMR predetermined to be
within proximity to the first SB DMR when the first SB DMR is
within a specified area, the authentication indicating that the
first SB DMR is within the specified area and is therefore allowed
to receive content.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, enabling play of
content of a digital broadcast signal by the first one of the SB
DMRs only if authentication is successful.
18. (canceled)
19. (canceled)
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising, denying play of
content of a digital broadcast signal by the first one of the SB
DMRs if authentication is unsuccessful.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to restricting use of a
digital media service to a group of subscription based digital
media receivers.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Direct to home-satellite, also known as digital broadcast
satellite, DBS, service providers typically sell subscriptions for
their services to households. To remain competitive with cable
solution providers, and other technology solution providers,
multiple subscription based digital media receivers, SB DMRs, to
support multiple screens may be offered within one subscription.
Thus, for example, a homeowner may have several SB DMRs in various
rooms within the home, with each of the STBs supported by the
subscription.
[0003] Providing multiple SB DMRs within a DBS satellite
subscription gives users the opportunity to sell or rent out extra
STBs, without authorization, as long as the extra SB DMRs have a
line of sight to the broadcasting satellite. Thus, DBS satellite
broadcast signals are often stolen by users with legitimate
subscriptions who share out there provisioned SB DMRs to others who
live in a-separate household. In other words, once a STB is
activated pursuant to a subscription, the subscriber may improperly
allow its removal to a new but unauthorized location to be used by
an unauthorized person. This ostensibly results in the DBS
satellite subscription being stolen as service providers generally
provide subscriptions on a building by building, or business by
business basis.
[0004] Currently, using positioning information from the Global
Positioning System, GPS, the satellite service provider may
determine the location of each provisioned SB DMR and enforce a
usage policy based on knowledge of SB DMR geographic position.
Using GPS is relatively expensive, as each SB DMR must have a GPS
receiver and a transmitter to transmit position information to the
satellite service provider. Further, in some dwellings, a GPS
satellite signal cannot be received so that position of a SB DMR
within the dwelling cannot be determined.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention advantageously provides a method and
device for authentication of subscription based digital media
receivers, SB DMRs. According to one aspect, an SB DMR includes a
memory, a communication interface, and a processor. The memory is
configured to store an identification of each of at least one other
SB DMR sharing a common subscription to a digital media service.
The communication interface is configured to receive the
identification of each of the at least one other SB DMR. The
processor is configured to authenticate the SB DMR based on the
received identifications to determine if the SB DMR is part of a
group of SB DMRs sharing a common subscription.
[0006] According to this aspect, in some embodiments, the
communication interface is a radio and a range of transmission of
the radio is attenuated by an amount to prevent transmission of the
identification of the SB DMR to other SB DMRs not sharing the
common subscription. In some embodiments, the processor is further
configured to deny viewer access to the content associated with the
subscription when it cannot be determined that the SB DMR is part
of the group of SB DMRs sharing the common subscription.
[0007] In some embodiments, the communications interface is a radio
that is further configured to operate at a frequency associated
with the common subscription. In some embodiments, the processor is
further configured to permit viewer access to the content
associated with the subscription when it is determined that the SB
DMR is part of the group of SB DMRs sharing the common
subscription. In these embodiments, the frequency may be sent to
each SB DMR sharing the common subscription. In some embodiments,
the identification of each of the at least one other SB DMR are
media access control, MAC, addresses. In some embodiments, the at
least one other SB DMR sharing the common subscription are
designated by the digital media service. In these embodiments, when
one of the at least one other SB DMR ceases to function, the
designation is updated to include only the remaining functional SB
DMRs sharing the common subscription.
[0008] According to another aspect, the invention provides a method
of restricting use of a digital media service to a group of
subscription-based digital media receivers, SB DMRs, of a
subscriber. The method includes transmitting from a first SB DMR in
the group an identification of the first SB DMR to at least one of
the other SB DMRs in the group. The transmission power is limited
in range so as to reach only the other SB DMRs in the group and to
exclude SB DMRs not in the group. The method further includes
receiving from at least one of the other SB DMRs in the group an
identification of the at least one other SB DMR. The first SB DMRs
attempts to authenticate itself based on the identification of the
at least one other SB DMR in the group.
[0009] According to this aspect, in some embodiments, if not all of
the other SB DMRs can be identified, a viewer is denied access to
the content associated with the subscription in the first SB DMR.
In some embodiments, the range is specified as a term of the
subscription. In some embodiments the identification of the first
SB DMR is transmitted periodically. The frequency of transmission
may be determined by the digital media service. In some
embodiments, the method further includes comparing the received
identifications to identifications stored in a database of the
first SB DMR to authenticate the first SB DMR as a part of the
group of SB DMRs.
[0010] According to yet another aspect, the invention provides a
method of restricting availability of a digital media service to a
group of subscription-based digital media receivers, SB DMRs, where
each SB DMR has a unique identifier. The method includes
determining a power of transmission from a first one of the SB
DMRs. The determined power enables a transmission of an identifier
to reach each of the other SB DMRs in the group, while precluding
the transmission from reaching SB DMRs not in the group. The method
further includes transmitting the identifier from the first one of
the SB DMRs to the other SB DMRs in the group. The method also
includes receiving from at least one of the other SB DMRs in the
group an identification of the at least one other SB DMR. The
method also includes attempting to authenticate the first one of
the SB DMRs based on the received identifications. The
authentication of the first one of the SB DMRs is successful if the
identification of at least one other SB DMR in the group has been
received.
[0011] According to this aspect, in some embodiments, the method
further includes enabling play of content of a digital broadcast
signal by the first one of the SB DMRs only if authentication is
successful. In some embodiments, the power is determined prior to
receiving the digital broadcast signal. Alternatively, the power
may be controlled by the digital broadcast signal. In some
embodiments, the method includes denying play of content of a
digital broadcast signal by the first one of the SB DMRs if
authentication is unsuccessful.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] A more complete understanding of the present invention, and
the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily
understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
wherein
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a satellite communication system
constructed in accordance with principles of the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary SB DMR constructed
in accordance with principles of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for activating
a subscription that authorizes a group of SB DMRs to authenticate
themselves;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of
transmitting information between SB DMRs to enable
self-authentication of an SB DMR;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of
authentication of an SB DMR; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of another
embodiment for authentication of SB DMRs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments that are
in accordance with the present invention, it is noted that the
embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus
components and processing steps related to restricting use of a
digital media service to a group of subscription based digital
media receivers. Accordingly, the system and method components have
been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the
drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to
understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to
obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent
to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the
description herein.
[0020] As used herein, relational terms, such as "first" and
"second," "top" and "bottom," and the like, may be used solely to
distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element
without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical
relationship or order between such entities or elements.
[0021] Embodiments described herein include set top boxes, STB, and
Internet Protocol Television, IPTV, terminal functions, ITF, that
are subscribed to a DBS satellite service, and as such, the STBs
and ITFs are referred to herein as subscription based digital media
receivers, SB DMRs. An SB DMR will have information regarding the
identity of other peer SB DMRs included in the subscription. For
example, a home may have several SB DMRs in different rooms within
the home, where each authenticated SB DMR enables viewing of
content received from the satellite signal. In some embodiments,
during an activation phase, each SB DMR is provided with an
identification number of the other SB DMRs within the subscription
for the home. This identification information may be updated at a
later time through the satellite broadcast channel.
[0022] In one embodiment, each SB DMR is equipped with a radio
frequency, RF, transceiver to transmit its identification to the
other SB DMRs and to receive the identifications of the other SB
DMRs. The range of these transceivers is limited to reach only SB
DMRs in proximity to each other, and to exclude SB DMRs outside the
range. In some embodiments, the transceivers may be WiFi
transceivers operating within a home WiFi network. In some
embodiments, the transceivers are set to operate at a carrier
frequency that is specific to the group of SB DMRs within the
subscription. Since the functions of the RF transceiver, as
described herein, may be relatively simple, a low cost RF
transceiver may be employed.
[0023] When an SB DMR receives identifications from the other SB
DMRs within the group, it compares the received identifications to
a set of identifications stored in its database. If all SB DMR
identifications in the group have been received, the SB DMR is
enabled so that the user of the SB DMR may view content provided by
the satellite signal. In other words, the SB DMR is authenticated
to allow its decoding of satellite signals for the subscribed
channels when all other SB DMRs are in proximity, i.e., within the
home. If not all SB DMR identifications in the group are received,
the SB DMR may be disabled to deny content to the user of the SB
DMR. In this way, the subscription is limited to only the intended
SB DMRs within the home, since an unauthorized SB DMR outside the
home will be outside the transmit range of the SB DMRs within the
home. Note that in some embodiments, receipt of a specified one or
more, but less than all, of the identifications of the other SB
DMRs may be sufficient to enable an SB DMR. In other embodiments,
there may be a master SB DMR and subordinate SB DMRs. A subordinate
SB DMR is authenticated, if and only if, it is within proximity to
the master SB DMR and therefore able to receive its
identification.
[0024] Referring now to the drawing figures, there is shown in FIG.
1 a diagram of a satellite communication system 10 having a
satellite 12 in communication with SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c,
constructed in accordance with principles of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c, referred to collectively
herein as SB DMRs 14, are within range of each other, whereas the
SB DMR 14d is out of range of the SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c. For
example, the SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c may be within a first house
located in separate rooms and the SB DMR 14d may be located in a
second house. The shaded subscription area 15 in FIG. 1 thus
represents the area in which SM DMSs can be authenticated to share
a subscription. Thus, SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c that are within the
same subscription group, and SB DMR 14d is not within the
subscription area 15.
[0025] When a new subscription is activated, the power of each SB
DMR is set so that its transmission range is limited to reach only
those SB DMRs within the subscription. Thus, a SB DMR may have a
transmitter that has a variable power output that can be controlled
by a signal from the satellite or may be set at the time of
installation of the SB DMR. Further, the database of each SB DMR is
loaded with the identifications of the other SB DMRs within the
group of SB DMRs within the subscription zone. The identification
of an SB DMR may be its media access control, MAC, address, a
TCP/IP address, or any other unique address. Each SB DMR may
periodically transmit its identification, which is received by the
other SB DMRs within its range. The transmission of an
identification of one SB DMR to another SB DMR may be initiated in
response to a control signal carried by the satellite signal. Thus,
for example, the satellite may broadcast a control signal. In
response to the control signal or expiration of a timer, an SB DMR
may transmit its identification, and wait for a predetermined time
to receive identifications from the other SB DMRs within the
subscription group. Therefore, if an activated and authenticated SB
DMR is subsequently moved out of range of the other SB DMRs it will
no longer be able to self-authenticate, when the next periodic
authentication round occurs. Upon failing to self-authenticate, the
SB DMR will cease decoding the satellite signal content, and
thereby disable the playing of content to the user.
[0026] In an alternative embodiment, each SB DMR may perform a
self-authentication process by determining if at least one SB DMR
identification in its database that is associated with a group is
matched to an SB DMR identification received from an SB DMR in the
group. If the identification of at least one SB DMRs in the group
is received, the SB DMR self-authentication process is successful,
and the SB DMR is activated to provide content to a user. If the at
least one identification of the SB DMRs of the group is not
received, then the self-authentication process is unsuccessful, and
the SB DMR is at least partially disabled so that content carried
by the satellite signal is denied to the user. In some embodiments,
the SB DMRs 14a, 14b and 14c are connected by wires, rather than by
radio, in which case, the authentication process involves receiving
identifications over the wires. Devices to be excluded are not
connected to the devices to be included.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary SB DMR 14
constructed in accordance with principles of the present invention.
The SB DMR 14 includes a satellite radio receiver 16, a processor
18, a local radio transceiver 20 and a memory 22. The satellite
radio receiver 16 receives a satellite signal from a satellite 12.
The satellite signal contains encoded content that is intended for
SB DMRs having a subscription to the satellite service. The
satellite signal is broadcast, but only SB DMRs that have a
subscription are able to decode the satellite signal. Thus, for
example, a user in a first household may have three SB DMR for
which a subscription is paid, and each of the three SB DMRs are
enabled to decode the satellite signal if authenticated according
to the methods described herein.
[0028] The satellite signal may also contain the identifications of
the SB DMRs within a subscription. These identifications can be
received by an SB DMR and stored within its database. The satellite
signal may further include a frequency at which the local radio
transceiver operates. The satellite signal may further include a
transmission control signal that controls the transmission range of
the local radio transceiver 20. Thus, in addition to setting the
identifications of the SB DMRs, the frequency at which they
transmit, and the transmission range of each SB DMR, at the time of
activation of the subscription, this information may be updated
periodically via the satellite signal. Or alternatively, each SB
DMR may be connected to the Internet, and this information can be
transmitted to each SB DMR from the service provider via the
Internet.
[0029] The local radio transceiver 20, which may be a WiFi
receiver, receives identifications from other SB DMRs and transmits
its own identification to other SB DMRs. The memory 22 may be
arranged as a database that stores identifications of SB DMRs
within a subscription. The memory may also store software for
execution by the processor 18. Such software may include satellite
signal decoding algorithms and software for implementing a
graphical user interface, for example. The processor 18, operating
under the direction of software, compares an identification
received from an SB DMR to an SB DMR identification from its
database memory 22. If all--or in some embodiments, less than all
but at least one--of the identifications of a group are matched to
a received identification, then the SB DMR is self-authenticated,
and content from the satellite is enabled to be played at each
authenticated SB DMR.
[0030] The processor 18 may also set the frequency and/or the range
of the local radio transceiver 20 in response to these parameters
being specified by the satellite signal. Also, in the event that an
SB DMR ceases to function properly, a fault signal may be
transmitted to the other SB DMRs in the subscription group. Each SB
DMR receiving the fault signal may then remove the identification
of the faulty SB DMR from its database, so that it no longer needs
to be matched for self-authentication to be achieved. In an
alternative embodiment, the satellite signal updates the databases
of the remaining operative SB DMRs with a set of identifications
that excludes the identification of the faulty SB DMR, so that the
excluded identification is not needed for authentication. The
signal updates may also be received via the Internet. Thus, for
example, the DBS service provider may transmit a signal, via
satellite or the Internet, to the user prompting the user to enter
one or more codes for each SB DMR that is operational. These codes
may, for example, be entered using a remote control. Upon receipt
of the code(s) the DBS service provider may download the
identifications of the SB DMRs within the subscription for which
the codes are received. The codes may also be provided
telephonically by a representative of the service provider.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for activating
a subscription that authorizes a group of SB DMRs to receive and
play content from a satellite signal received from a satellite of a
digital media service. A frequency of transmission of a first SB
DMR is specified (block S100). Thus, in some embodiments, SB DMRs
that do not operate at the specified frequency may be excluded,
i.e., the SB DMRs cannot self-authenticate because they are not
"listening" at the right frequency to receive the identifications.
The transmission range of the first SB DMR is limited to a
predetermined value (block S102). Therefore, an SB DMR that is not
within range may be excluded. The transmit range of an SB DMR may
be set by a technician upon initial installation and may be based,
for example, on the size of the home.
[0032] A database of the first SB DMR is loaded with the
identifications of the other SB DMRs included in the subscription
(block S104). The identifications loaded in the database may be
compared to identifications received from other SB DMRs to
determine whether the first SB DMR is authorized to decode the
received satellite signal. Note that this process may be performed
for every SB DMR within a subscription group so that all SB DMRs
are activated and are able to self-authenticate. This process may
be performed periodically, every day for example, to invalidate the
authorization of an SB DMR that is relocated out of range of the
other SB DMRs.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of
transmitting information between SB DMRs to enable
self-authentication of an SB DMR. A first SB DMR transmits an
identification to other SB DMRs in a subscription group (block
S106). The identification may be sent according to a suitable
protocol that embeds the identification in a carrier signal or a
packet that is carried by the carrier signal. The first SB DMR
receives identifications of other SB DMRs in the group (block
S108). Based on the received identifications, the first SB DMR
attempts to authenticate itself (block S110). If authentication is
unsuccessful, the viewer is denied content by the first SB DMR
(block S112). If authentication is successful the viewer is granted
access to the content (block S113).
[0034] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for
authentication of an SB DMR. Identifications are received by a
first SB DMR from the other SB DMRs in a group (block S114). The
received identifications are compared to identifications stored in
a database of the first SB DMR (block S116). The first SB DMR
determines whether all identifications of the SB DMRs of the group
have been received (block S118). If not all of the identifications
have been received, the viewer is denied access to content
associated with the subscription (block S120). If, on the other
hand, all identifications have been received, the viewer is granted
access to the content associated with the subscription (block
S122). In an alternative, a SB DMR may be self-authenticated if it
does not receive all of the identifications of the other SB DMRs in
the group, but receives one or more than one of those
identifications.
[0035] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of an
embodiment for authentication of SB DMRs. In one embodiment, a
master SB DMR 14 is in communication with a DBS service provider
via satellite and the Internet. Via the satellite signal or the
Internet, the master SB DMR receives an identification (block
S124). The master SB DMR also may receive from the DBS service
provider the identifications of subordinate SB DMRs included in the
subscription (block S126). The subordinate SB DMR identifications
may be transmitted to the respective SB DMRs (block S128).
Periodically, the subordinate SB DMRs poll the master for its
identification in order to self-authenticate (block S130). Thus, if
a subordinate SB DMR is moved outside the range of the master SB
DMR it will not be able to self-authenticate. In some embodiments,
the master SB DMR may periodically poll the subordinate SB DMRs and
if one or more is missing because it has moved out of range, the
master SB DMR may report this to the DBS service provider via the
Internet, for example.
[0036] Thus, embodiments enable the prevention of fraudulent use of
DBS satellite signals and protect the satellite service provider
from such fraudulent use. In embodiments described herein, an SB
DMR that is not within range of the authorized SB DMRs cannot
self-authenticate and the user of that SB DMR is denied access to
the content that would otherwise be played by the SB DMR. In some
embodiments, the identifications of SB DMRs included in a
subscription may be specified and loaded into a database of each of
the SB DMRs. This may be done initially at the time of activation
of the subscription, and/or later via the satellite signal.
Further, the range of each SB DMR is limited to reach only the SB
DMRs within a predefined range, such as the SB DMRs within a
household. An SB DMR outside this range is excluded and cannot
self-authenticate to the subscription and is therefore denied
access to the content of the satellite signal.
[0037] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that
the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly
shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was
made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the
accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is
limited only by the following claims.
* * * * *