INFORMATION TERMINAL HAVING RECONFIGURABLE MEMORY.

摘要

An information terminal includes a secure microprocessor (204) and secure non-volatile memory (206). Data such as authorization data and other service provider related data for subscription information services are certified as to source, and portions thereof decrypted as necessary by the secure processor according to a service provider key and loaded into secure non-volatile memory. The secure data is loaded by multiple service providers or by subscribers themselves, each service provider being adaptably allocated a number of non-volatile storage cells of predetermined length. In this manner, scarce non-volatile memory resources may be conserved and yet made accessible to multiple information service providers upon demand or as requirements change. Once certified by a trusted entity, several information service providers may individually change or modify the reconfigurable memory of the present invention by remote, addressed communication without the intervention of head-end apparatus.