Abstract: In a transmitter, information for transmission is received in the form of a digital signal, electrical or optical, which is converted into short signal fragments, each of which is assigned an index. A transmitter module distributes these fragments to one or more receivers through a number of available communication channels, the choice of channel depending on the capacity and availability of the particular transmission channel. In the receiver, the signal fragments are coordinated according as they are controlled by means of their indices, to produce a signal capable of generating an information display.

Abstract: The present invention allows for the electronic management and enforcement of software licenses. The present invention can be used in a network or non-network environment to facilitate product licensing and upgrades. Further, the present invention accommodates the use of compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM) product distribution. Further, the present invention can retain useful, after-market information. The present invention provides the ability to implement a license policy. Further, the license policy can be implemented or modified without requiring a new version of the associated product. The present invention provides the ability to create electronic licenses. Further, the present invention provides the ability to extract and transfer licenses from an inventory of licenses to a final distribution media. Licenses can be transferred to a reseller in batches. A reseller can extract unused licenses from these batches to generate licenses. An optional companion license can be generated.

Abstract: A cable ready television receiver includes a set back decoder that communicates with the microprocessor in the television receiver via its own microprocessor. A synchronous demodulator in the television receiver is operated normally for unscrambled television signals and is operated to quadrature demodulate scrambled television signals. The quadrature demodulation develops only high frequency video, modulated chroma, FM modulated audio and DC. The demodulator output is applied to the audio circuit and to the AGC circuit in the television receiver. A descrambler in the decoder develops the video signal for application to the video circuitry in the television receiver.

Abstract: A system for automatically encrypting and decrypting data packet sent from a source host to a destination host across a public internetwork. A tunnelling bridge is positioned at each network, and intercepts all packets transmitted to or from its associated network. The tunnelling bridge includes tables indicated pairs of hosts or pairs of networks between which packets should be encrypted. When a packet is transmitted from a first host, the tunnelling bridge of that host's network intercepts the packet, and determines from its header information whether packets from that host that are directed to the specified destination host should be encrypted; or, alternatively, whether packets from the source host's network that are directed to the destination host's network should be encrypted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the remanent noise in a magnetic medium by, for example, DC saturation of a region thereof and measurement of the remaining DC magnetization. A conventional magnetic recording transducer may be used to determine the remanent noise. Upon determination, the remanent noise may then be digitized and recorded on the same magnetic medium to thereby "fingerprint" the magnetic medium. This "fingerprint" may then be later used to verify and authenticate the magnetic medium as being an original. The magnetic medium may be of a type adapted to record information magnetically or, even more broadly, any magnetic surface or substance that can be sensed through its magnetic field. In such manner, any magnetic medium, or any object having an associated magnetic medium, may be "fingerprinted" including credit cards, computer program diskettes, magneto-optic discs, videotapes, cassette tapes, bank checks, stock certificates, etc.

Abstract: The network and each user i share an encryption algorithm EK.sub.i () using his authentication key K.sub.i as a cipher key, its inverse function EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (), a specific function F() and its inverse function F.sup.-1 (), and a function G(). The network calculates C.sub.1 =EK.sub.i (F(r.sub.n, r.sub.u)), using a random number r.sub.n generated by the user and a random number by the network, and sends it to the user. The user calculates (d.sub.1, d.sub.2)=F.sup.-1 (EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (C.sub.1)) and, if d.sub.1 =r.sub.n, judges the network to be an authorized one. The user generates a random number r.sub.c and sends C.sub.2 =EK.sub.i (F(d.sub.2, r.sub.c)) to the network. The network calculates (d.sub.3, d.sub.4)=F.sup.-1 (EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (C.sub.2)) and, if d.sub.3 =r.sub.u, judges the user to be an authorized one.

Abstract: In order to transform enciphered instructions stored in an external memory into the original ones while a microcomputer executes the same, the instructions have been enciphered and stored in the memory such as to be logically partitioned into a plurality of groups. The enciphered instructions are read out of the memory for decipherment. A first instruction located at an initial storage address of a group is initially deciphered using a first value. Thereafter, the following instructions in the group are sequentially deciphered using a second value which is determined by transforming an immediately preceding instruction. If the microcomputer executes a branch instruction, the execution control is transferred to a branched address. Subsequently, a first instruction located at the group, which includes the branched address, is deciphered using the first value.

Abstract: In a receiver (100), an encrypted communication (104) is decrypted using a decryptor (101) and a key (107) to produce a decrypted communication (105). A comparator (103) compares decrypted symbol patterns in the decrypted communication against a set of predetermined symbol patterns (108). When the decrypted symbol patterns are distributed non-uniformly relative to the set of predetermined symbol patterns, the receiver is identified as a target of the encrypted communication.

Abstract: A scrambled document or image generating method first divides a page of digitized electronic document into multiple segments arranged in a first order. The digitized electronic document is scrambled in a pseudo-random manner using a scrambling algorithm to produce a scrambled document in digitized electronic form, which can be used to print out a hard copy or visually examined on a display. In one embodiment, the scrambling algorithm receives as input one or more keys, which can be entered through a keyboard, or read from a storage medium. Descrambling of a scrambled digitized electronic document is accomplished by the original positions of the scrambled segments. The scrambled document in its digitized electronic form, or in its physically viewable form retain all information of the original image, and can therefore each be used as a source of the scrambled image.

Abstract: A public key cryptographic system is implemented as follows. In an enrolment apparatus, the unique number for use in generating the public key and private key of the system is generated by manipulation of fingerprint information of a subscriber. A filter is then generated which is a function both of the Fourier transform of the subscriber's fingerprint(s) and of the unique number. This filter is stored on a subscriber card. When the subscriber wishes to generate his public or private key, he inputs his card to a card reader of an apparatus and places his finger(s) on a fingerprint input. The apparatus generates an optical Fourier transform from the fingerprint input. The Fourier transform signal is incident on to a spatial light modulator programmed with the filter information from the card. An inverse transform is generated from the filtered signal and this is used to regenerate the unique number. The apparatus also has a subsystem for utilizing the private key to decrypt an input encrypted message.

Abstract: A key control method is for use in an electronic cashless transaction system including at least a bank center, a store transaction terminal and an IC card being used as an electronic cashless transaction medium.

Abstract: A video recorder system adapted to receive subscription television services is of the type which controls access to the subscription services by means of a smart card. Where payment is due for each program received, the viewer is required to make a positive affirmation of purchase by pressing an affirmation button as the program is received. To enable reception in the absence of the viewer by use of the programmer in the recorder, the programmer is provided with means actuable by the viewer when a programmer is being set into the programmer. An indication of whether an affirmation of payment is associated with the program to be recorded is stored in the programmer, and when the program to be recorded is received, automatically authorises the descrambler control circuit, which charges the card and enables the descrambler as though the affirmation button had been pressed.

Abstract: A system and method for adaptive-power control of a spread-spectrum transmitter of a mobile station operating in a cellular-communications network using spread-spectrum modulation. A mobile station transmits a first spread-spectrum signal. A base station has an automatic-gain-control circuit for generating an AGC-output signal, from a received signal. The received signal includes the first spread-spectrum signal and an interfering signal. The base station also has a correlator for despreading the AGC-output signal, a power-measurement circuit responsive to processing the received signal with the despread AGC-output signal for generating a received-power level, a comparator coupled to the power-measurement circuit for generating a comparison signal by comparing the received-power level to a threshold level, a transmitter for transmitting a second spread-spectrum signal, and an antenna.

Abstract: In a system, such as a system utilizing a Kerberos protocol, system users each have an associated asymmetric crypto-key. The security of communications over the system is enhanced by a first user generating a temporary asymmetric crypto-key having a first temporary key portion and an associated second temporary key portion. The second temporary key portion is encrypted by the first user with the first private key portion of the first user crypto-key to form a first encrypted message. Another user, preferably an authentication server, applies the second private key portion and the public key portion of the first user crypto-key to the first encrypted message to decrypt the second temporary key portion and thereby authenticate the first user to the security server. The authentication server then encrypts the first encrypted message with the second private key portion of the first user crypto-key to form a second encrypted message.

Abstract: Computer implemented trading cards are disclosed. Trading card software is stored on a removable medium in a copy protected form. The trading card software includes trading card data and an executable computer program. Each removable medium contains trading card data that is specific to a particular individual or character or any other person, place, or thing. The trading card software is interactive. The computer user is able to select one of a number of predetermined displays by selecting interactivity areas on each display. A combination of copy protect schemes are utilized, including non-standard data formatting, encryption and sector modification. After use of the computer program is stopped, trading card data transferred to any storage device of the user's computer system during operation is then removed to prevent storing of the trading card data on any medium other than the removable medium.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a Secured Processing Unit (SPU) chip, a microprocessor designed especially for secure data processing. By integrating keys, encryption/decryption engines and algorithms in the SPU, the entire security process is rendered portable and easily distributed across physical boundaries. The invention is based on the orchestration of three interrelated systems: (i) detectors, which alert the SPU to the existence, and help characterize the nature, of a security attack; (ii) filters, which correlate the data from the various detectors, weighing the severity of the attack against the risk to the SPU's integrity, both to its secret data and to the design itself; and (iii) responses, which are countermeasures, calculated by the filters to be most appropriate under the circumstances, to deal with the attack or attacks present.

Abstract: In a one embodiment of a spread spectrum communication system, an unmodulated synchronization wavetrain and one or more modulated intelligence wavetrains are generated in timed relation and are concurrently propagated but separately detected in a receiver. In another embodiment, wavetrains are modulated by opposite phases of an intelligence signal and so detected in a receiver as to produce a synchronization control signal and an intelligence signal by summing and comparing two received signals. Under microprocessor control, the phase of operation of the sequence generators of the receiver is adjusted to obtain phase and frequency information for effecting phase control for synchronization and also to controllably swallow cycles and accurately adjust the effective frequency of the clock signal.

Abstract: This invention concerns a key protection device for smart cards and is characterized by the fact that:each input user key is coded using a random key and stored;protection data that corresponds to each coded user key's dependant data is generated and associated to each coded user key;a detection device is installed on the card that allows the user to verify the stored user key's integrity by comparing the protection data to verification data that is generated using the card's stored user key; andan interlock device that allows the user to block any further calculation using the stored key in the event that the verification data is not identical to the protection data.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for electronically configuring hardware features and options. A computer chip encoding method is provided in which a predetermined code or encryption sequence is uniquely associated with a computer chip. This code is used to modify a hardware configuration by enabling new features or options. The systems and methods reduce manufacturing and inventory costs by allowing a generic product to be produced which is then customized to meet the needs of the user. In addition, features and options of a data processing system can be dynamically upgraded without interruption of service or hardware replacement.

Abstract: A video-on-demand system in which catalog data is periodically transferred to the user sites, where it is stored. This catalog data includes listings of the video products available at the central station, so-called trailers or previews for certain of the video products, and lead-ins for the initial portions of certain products to provide a seamless lead in to program material ordered from the central station. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, menu driven software allows a user to control the display of catalog data and to order video products from the central station interactively with displayed catalog material.