Back to results
US 4,465,901 AGranted
Crypto microprocessor that executes enciphered programs
OwnerRobert M. Bestinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerRobert M. Bestinventor
Estimating the term…
A microprocessor for executing computer programs which are stored in cipher to prevent software piracy. Such a crypto-microprocessor deciphers the enciphered program piecemeal as it executes it, so that a large enciphered program can be securely executed without disclosing the deciphered program or associated data to persons who have access to the wiring of the computer in which the crypto-microprocessor is a component. Such a device may process valuable proprietary programs and data files which are distributed in cipher on videodiscs, semiconductor memory, or other media without risk of software piracy. Various methods of encryption may be used including methods which result in the cipher of a byte being a complicated function of the byte's address in memory. Each crypto-microprocessor chip may use a unique cipher key or tables for deciphering the program, so that a program that can be executed in one chip cannot be run in any other microprocessor.
A method of protecting a program of executable instructions during execution, comprising the steps of:
A cryptographic microprocessor apparatus constructed as an integrated circuit chip for executing a computer program of instructions received from a digital radio broadcast in enciphered form as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the apparatus comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as addressable portions of enciphered program information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as addressable portions of enciphered program information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic system of at least two microprocessors for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as a plurality of portions of enciphered program information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic system of at least two microprocessors for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as a plurality of portions of enciphered program information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic system of at least two microprocessors for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered program information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor apparatus for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as addressable portions of enciphered information, the sytem comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor apparatus for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as addressable portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor system for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form on a record carrier means as a plurality of portions of enciphered information, the system comprising:
A method of protecting a computer program of executable instructions, comprising the steps of:
A cryptographic microprocessor for executing a computer program of instructions stored in enciphered form as a plurality of addressable portions of enciphered program information, each addressable portion having a digital address, the apparatus comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor apparatus for executing computer programs of instructions addressably stored in enciphered form as portions of enciphered program information, the apparatus comprising:
A cryptographic microprocessor apparatus for executing computer programs of instructions stored in enciphered form as addressable portions of enciphered program information, each portion being stored at a memory location specified by a digital address, the apparatus comprising:
In an improved microprocessor apparatus fabricated as an integrated circuit chip having an electrically alterable memory for storing a plurality of executable program instructions and processing circuitry for fetching program instructions from said memory and for executing the fetched instructions and for addressing in said memory successor instructions, and an external conductor for controlling loading of a predetermined number of integers into electrically alterable memory means in said chip, the improvement for protecting program instructions in said chip comprising:
In an improved microprocessor apparatus fabricated as an integrated circuit chip having an electrically alterable memory for storing a plurality of executable program instructions and processing circuitry for fetching program instructions from said memory and for executing the fetched instructions and for addressing successor instructions in said memory, and an external conductor for controlling loading of a predetermined number of integers into electrically alterable memory means in said chip, the improvement for protecting program instructions in said chip comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.