Northern Telecom Limited

Channelware Inc.

David Ian Allan

Liam M Casey

Andre J Robert

Adrian D Jones

Gordon Edward Larose

A method to create, distribute and install on an installation computer a uniquely customized instance of a software application that is authenticable and traceable to a particular user. A secure distribution agent resident on a distribution computer collects identifying information, and calculates a cryptographic signature of the software application and identifying information. The identifying information and cryptographic signature are embedded in the software application by the secure distribution agent. The software application with embedded data is transmitted via a distribution channel to the installation computer. A user installation agent resident on the installation computer manages the installation of the software application with embedded data on the installation computer. Prior to installation, the user installation agent may use the cryptographic signature to verify that the software application, and the identifying information are authentic and have not been tampered with.

Method and system for networked installation of uniquely customized,

The invention provides for a E-Mux and a method for encapsulating/segmenting ATM cells into/from an Ethernet frame at the boundary between an ATM and an Ethernet network. An Ethernet end-station on the E-Mux is addressed using multiple MAC level identifiers, which are dynamically assigned according to the ATM virtual circuits which terminate on that end station, and have only transitory significance on the Ethernet. A unique ATM OUI identifies the frames carrying ATM-traffic.

Mechanism for multiplexing ATM AAL5 virtual circuits over ethernet

In a hybrid fiber-coax distribution network, communications between a central station and particular end stations are encrypted using a working key (WK) of a symmetric encryption scheme. The central station has a public and private key (PPK) of a PPK encryption scheme, and some of the end stations can also each have a respective PPK. To provide secure communications for each end station, if the end station has a PPK, then the respective WK is generated in the central station and communicated, encrypted using the end station's public key (PK), to the end station. Otherwise, the WK is generated in the end station and communicated, encrypted using the central station's PK, to the central station. An individual identifier for each end station, and a cryptographic signature at least for end stations not having a PPK, can be communicated to the central station for authentication of the end stations.

Facilitating secure communications in a distribution network

A distribution network groups television program signals into service tiers. To provide these from unsynchronized MPEG streams without resynchronization, each stream, representing a single program signal is encapsulated into ATM cells with a virtual path (VP) identification of each ATM cell corresponding to the service tier and a virtual channel (VC) identification corresponding to the respective program signal. Payloads in cells having the same VP are scrambled using a scrambling key allocated to that VP and hence to the corresponding service tier, and are unscrambled by entitled subscribers using the scrambling key which is supplied to them individually using public/private encryption techniques.

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Ottawa, Canada

David Ian Allan