Production line boot sector lock
US7360077B2 · kind B2 · utility
0Cited by
1References
18Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 19, 2003 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/4432
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Hacking of a class of Set-Top Boxes known as Integrated Receiver-Decoders (IRDs) used to receive satellite broadcasts for display on television sets is prevented by use of connections to the reprogramming enable pin of a flash memory. If a user attempts to reprogram the boot sector of the flash memory in order to obtain free service via privacy, the set-top box is destroyed. The invention relates to the design and manufacture of IRDs that are resistant to hacking via unauthorized reprogramming.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.