US 8291236

Here is a concise summary of US patent 8291236:

Title: Methods and apparatuses for secondary conditional access server

Assignee: VIDEOLABS Inc (Current Assignee as of 2023-05-05). The original assignee was Digital Keystone Inc.

Inventors: Luc Vantalon, Paolo Siccardo

Filing Date: 2004-12-07

Issue Date: 2012-10-16

Abstract: The patent describes conditional access to media content from primary security systems within a secondary networked environment. It details using a secondary conditional access (CA) server to provide services to various secondary CA clients (e.g., a bridge, a renderer, a storage, or combinations thereof) via network connections. This server holds subscriber data, recovers entitlement information and decryption keys (like service keys and control words) from a primary security system for protected content, and enforces conditional access for secondary CA clients based on the primary system's authorization. The system also supports delayed authorization, allowing content to be recorded for later authorized use, and broadcasts rights for use across multiple secondary CA clients.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a method for presenting content where a second Conditional Access (CA) server receives encrypted content from a first CA server. The second CA server, acting as a client to the first, is authorized to present this content and then uses its own set of cryptographic keys to protect and present the content at a user's request. Essentially, it's about a hierarchical authorization model where a secondary server acts as an authorized intermediary.

• Claim 10: This claim covers a method for a secondary CA server to process entitlement management messages (EMMs) received from a primary CA server. The secondary CA server then transmits "access controlled data," which is derived from these EMMs and is in an access-controlled format, to its secondary CA clients over a network connection. This implies the secondary server is responsible for translating and distributing authorization information.

• Claim 16: This claim outlines a method for a secondary CA client to receive "access controlled data" from a secondary CA server via a network connection. This data is in an access-controlled format and is partly derived from entitlement management messages originating from a primary security system. This describes the client-side reception of the authorization translated by the secondary server.

• Claim 22: This claim defines a secondary CA server apparatus. It includes a processor and memory with instructions to receive and process entitlement management messages (EMMs) from a primary security system. The server contains a user key to represent a subscriber and decrypts EMMs to obtain a service key. It then transmits access-controlled data, derived from these EMMs and in an access-controlled format, to a secondary CA client over a network. This claim focuses on the specific components and processes within the secondary CA server.

• Claim 27: This claim describes a system for conditional access comprising both a primary CA server and a secondary CA server. The primary server encrypts content using its own keys, while the secondary server is coupled to the primary server and acts as its client to gain authorization. The secondary server then uses its own set of cryptographic keys to protect and present the content, enabling a chained security domain.

• Claim 33: This claim describes a secondary CA client apparatus, including a processor and memory, which executes instructions to receive access-controlled data from a secondary CA server through a network. This data is in an access-controlled format and is partially derived from the primary security system's entitlement management messages. This claim defines the client hardware and its role in receiving translated authorization.

• Claim 37: This claim covers a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a secondary CA server, cause it to perform a method similar to Claim 22. This includes receiving and processing EMMs using a user key to obtain a service key, and then transmitting access-controlled data derived from these EMMs to a secondary CA client via a network. This claim focuses on the software aspect of the secondary CA server.

• Claim 41: This claim covers a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a secondary CA client, cause it to perform a method similar to Claim 33. This involves receiving access-controlled data, in an access-controlled format and derived from primary security system EMMs, from a secondary CA server over a network. This claim focuses on the software aspect of the secondary CA client.

USPTO and CAFC 2026 Docket Information:

US Patent 8291236 is currently active and is projected to expire on 2030-06-04.

The patent family has been involved in several litigation cases. As of the current date (April 26, 2026), the Google Patents record indicates the following:

PTAB Cases (Inter Partes Review):

• IPR2024-01023 (Filed: 2024) - Settlement
• IPR2024-01025 (Filed: 2024) - Settlement
• IPR2024-01024 (Filed: 2024) - Settlement
• IPR2025-00881 (Filed: 2025) - Not Instituted - Procedural
• IPR2025-00880 (Filed: 2025) - Not Instituted - Procedural
• IPR2025-00882 (Filed: 2025) - Not Instituted - Procedural
• IPR2025-00305 (Filed: 2025) - Procedural Termination
• IPR2025-00304 (Filed: 2025) - Procedural Termination
• IPR2025-00306 (Filed: 2025) - Procedural Termination

US District Court Cases:

• Texas Eastern District Court:
  • 2:24-cv-00904 (Filed: 2024)
  • 2:25-cv-00161 (Filed: 2025)
  • 2:25-cv-00704 (Filed: 2025)
• Texas Western District Court:
  • 6:23-cv-00641 (Filed: 2023)
  • 6:22-cv-00720 (Filed: 2022)
  • 6:23-cv-00640 (Filed: 2023)
• Delaware District Court:
  • 1:23-cv-01136 (Filed: 2023)

The provided authoritative information from Google Patents details various district court cases, some of which are ongoing. However, there is no explicit mention of cases specifically filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in 2026 within the provided data. Therefore, based on the provided authoritative patent text and its aggregated litigation data, I do not have authoritative information regarding any CAFC 2026 dockets specifically for US8291236.