Secure access systems

Claim 2

In a CATV system, wherein CATV programs are transmitted via a CATV network in encrypted form to a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a CATV decoder, and at least part of the CATV programs are rated for viewing under parental control, a CATV parental control system comprising: a first IC card including at least one of decryption seeds, decryption keys and algorithms for decryption of programs which are not rated for viewing under parental control; a second IC card including at least one of decryption seeds, decryption keys and algorithms for decryption of programs which are rated for viewing under parental control; an IC card reader and writer coupled to said CATV decoder; first and second IC card receptacles coupled to said IC card reader and writer, wherein said first and second IC cards communicate with said IC card reader and writer when inserted in the respected IC card receptacles; and a decrypter decrypting said programs which are not rated for viewing under parental control in response to receiving said at least one of decryption seeds, decryption keys and algorithms for decryption from said first IC card, and decrypting said programs which are rated for viewing under parental control in response to receiving said at least one of decryption seeds, decryption keys and algorithms for deception from said first IC card and said at least one of decryption seeds, decryption keys and algorithms for decryption from said second IC card.

Claim 3

For use with a CATV system, wherein CATV programs are transmitted via a CATV network in encrypted form to a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a CATV decoder, and at least part of the CATV programs are rated for viewing under parental control, a method of exercising parental control comprising: providing an IC card reader and writer coupled to said CATV decoder; inserting a first IC card in a first IC card receptacle coupled to said CATV reader and writer; addressing said first IC card via said CATV reader and writer to provide at least one of authentication, verification, validation and program entitlements of said first IC card; enabling decryption of programs which do not require parental control in response to providing said at least one of authentication, verification, validation and program entitlements of said first IC card; inserting a second IC card in a second IC card receptacle coupled to said CATV reader and writer; verifying that said first IC card is in said first IC card receptacle; addressing said second IC card via said CATV reader and writer to provide at least one of authentication, verification, validation and program entitlements of said second IC card; and enabling decryption of programs which require parental control in response to providing said at least one of authentication, verification, validation and program entitlements of said first IC card and of said second IC card.

Claim 4

For use in a CATV system, wherein CATV programs are transmitted via a CATV network to a multiplicity of subscriber units, each including a CATV decoder, a CATV access method comprising: providing an IC card reader and writer, coupled to said CATV decoder, and to two separate IC card receptacles; and separately addressing IC cards inserted into said two separate IC card receptacles to provide data enabling access to CATV transmissions.

Claim 5

A method of exercising parental control according to claim 3 and also comprising: storing in said first IC card billing data corresponding to viewing of programs which do not require parental control and of programs which require parental control.

Claim 6

In a CATV system wherein access to CATV transmissions is provided by two IC cards, at least one of which being replaced at selected time periods, and wherein replaced cards are provided without valuable data stored therein, an IC card initialization system comprising: a communicator communicating between a first IC card and a second IC card and providing data from a first IC card to a second IC card.

Claim 7

An area access system comprising: an identifier station including two separate card receptacles, wherein cards inserted into said two separate card receptacles are addressed by said identifier station; an identification element including personal and official information; and an application element including at least one of access keys, access seeds, and algorithms for enabling access to said information in said identification element, wherein said identification element and said application element are addressed by said identifier station to enable access to a restricted area in accordance with said information and said at least one of access keys, access seeds, and algorithms for enabling access to said information.

Claim 9

A data access system comprising: a processor; a memory card reader and writer, coupled to said processor, and including a memory card receptacle, wherein a memory card carrying information to be accessed is inserted into said memory card receptacle and addressed by said memory card reader and writer; and an IC card reader and writer, coupled to said processors and including an IC card receptacle, wherein an IC card, inserted into said IC card receptacle and addressed by said IC card reader and writer, provides access codes to enable access to said information carried in said memory card.

Claim 10

A data access system comprising: a CATV network; and apparatus for transmitting over said CATV network CATV transmissions to a multiplicity of subscriber units, each including: a CATV decoder; a memory device reader and writer, coupled to said CATV decoder, and including a memory device receptacle, wherein a memory device carrying information to be accessed which is inserted by a subscriber into said memory device receptacle is addressed by said memory device reader and writer; and an IC card reader and writer, coupled to said CATV decoder and to said memory device reader and writer, and including an IC card receptacle, wherein an IC card, inserted by said subscriber into said IC card receptacle and addressed by said IC card reader and writer, provides access codes enabling access to said information carried in said memory device and to said CATV transmissions.

Claim 13

In a CATV network, wherein CATV transmissions are transmitted to a multiplicity of subscriber units, each including a CATV decoder and a television, a method for accessing data comprising: inserting an IC card into an IC card receptacle forming part of an IC card reader and writer coupled to said CATV decoder; addressing said IC card to enable access to video data data stored in a memory embodied in said IC card by communicating any any of seeds, keys and access control algorithms with said CATV decoder; reading said data stared in said memory; and providing said data to said television.

Claim 14

A CATV system comprising: a CATV network; and apparatus for transmitting over said CATV network information to a multiplicity of subscriber units, each including: a CATV decoder; and an IC card reader and writer, coupled to said CATV decoder, said IC card reader and writer including one IC card receptacle which accepts one IC card with two separate integrated circuits embodied within, wherein each of said separate integrated circuits is separately accessed by said IC card reader and writer.