Method and apparatus for geographically limiting sevice in a conditional access system

A conditional access system for selectively providing service instances to viewers, the conditional access system comprising:

• a plurality of set top terminals located at geographic locations for selectively providing for display of the service instances, the set top terminals comprising:
• a port for receiving an encrypted service instance and entitlement information associated therewith;
• a memory for storing a geographic coordinate system on which is plotted a geographic indicator indicative of a location of a terminal;
• a secure element for decoding geographic location information and for plotting the geographic location information on the geographic coordinate system to determine whether the terminal is entitled to the service instance;
• and
• a microprocessor coupled to the secure element and the memory activating display of the service instance when the terminal is entitled to the service instance;
• and
• an entitlement agent coupled to the plurality of receivers for providing the encrypted service instance and the entitlement information.

A service origination component of a cable television system, the service origination component comprising:

• a bitmap representing a geographic coordinate system;
• assigning means for assigning a geographic limitation for a service instance and for representing the geographic limitation as an x centroid, a y centroid, and a radius value, all of which define a square geographic region located on the geographic coordinate system;
• an encryptor for encrypting the service instance;
• and
• a transmitter for transmitting the service instance and geographic information, including the geographic limitation, to a service reception component.

A method for providing selective viewing of a service instance in a conditional access system comprising a receiver for selectively activating display of the service instance and an entitlement agent coupled to the receiver for selectively entitling the receiver to display the service instance based on a geographic location of the receiver, the method comprising, in the receiver, the steps of:

• receiving bit map information for generating and storing a geographic coordinate system and for plotting thereon a geographic indicator indicative of a geographic location of the receiver;
• receiving an encrypted service instance and entitlement information from the entitlement agent;
• decoding geographic location information from the entitlement information;
• plotting the geographic location information on the geographic coordinate system;
• determining from any intersection between the geographic location information and the geographic indicator whether the receiver is entitled to display the service instance;
• and
• decrypting, when the receiver is entitled to display the service instance, the encrypted service instance.