U.S. patent application number 14/071528 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-15 for security and authentication systems and methods for personalized portable devices and associated systems.
This patent application is currently assigned to BBY SOLUTIONS, INC. The applicant listed for this patent is BBY SOLUTIONS, INC.. Invention is credited to Andrew Shane Huang.
Application Number | 20140136847 14/071528 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49518185 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140136847 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huang; Andrew Shane |
May 15, 2014 |
SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERSONALIZED
PORTABLE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS
Abstract
Systems and methods for client authentication and verification
in a distributed client-server system are described. An
authentication and verification system may include a plurality of
client devices containing private keys, a first server configured
to interface with the plurality of client devices, and a second,
secure server configured to interface with the first server and
store public keys associated with the private keys on the client
devices. A method is further described for verifying client devices
in conjunction with the first and second servers. The first server
may contain secure tokens that can be decrypted in conjunction with
the authentication and verification method.
Inventors: |
Huang; Andrew Shane;
(Singapore, SG) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BBY SOLUTIONS, INC. |
Richfield |
MN |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BBY SOLUTIONS, INC
Richfield
MN
|
Family ID: |
49518185 |
Appl. No.: |
14/071528 |
Filed: |
November 4, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12131809 |
Jun 2, 2008 |
8583915 |
|
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14071528 |
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60941252 |
May 31, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
713/170 ;
713/168 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 9/006 20130101;
H04L 9/0825 20130101; H04L 9/3271 20130101; H04L 9/32 20130101;
H04L 9/3247 20130101; H04L 9/3234 20130101; H04L 63/0869 20130101;
H04L 9/321 20130101; H04L 63/1441 20130101; H04L 9/3236
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
713/170 ;
713/168 |
International
Class: |
H04L 9/32 20060101
H04L009/32 |
Claims
1. An authentication system comprising: a first server, said first
server including a first processor readable storage medium on which
is stored: a plurality of public keys, wherein ones of the public
keys are matched with ones of a corresponding plurality of private
keys stored individually on a plurality of client devices, the
client devices each including a user presence input mechanism for
performing an authentication transaction; and a first server
private key, said private key matched to a public key stored on the
plurality of client devices; and a second server configured to
store client device information associated with one or more of the
plurality of client devices and to electronically communicate with
the first server and the plurality of client devices, the
electronic communication being performed at least in part in
response to an indication from the user presence input mechanism;
wherein the second server includes a second processor readable
storage medium on which is stored the client device information,
the client device information including a first putative ID (PID)
associated with a first of the plurality of client devices, the PID
providing an identifier of the first of the plurality of client
devices, and the PID being associated with an authentication status
of the first of the plurality of client devices.
2. (canceled)
3. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein said client device
information further includes: a first owner key (OK) indexed to the
first PID; and a first security token indexed to the first PID,
wherein the first security token is associated with the first
OK.
4. The authentication system of claim 3, wherein the first security
token is encrypted with the first OK.
5. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein a hash table is
stored on the first storage medium, said hash table indexed on ones
of a plurality of PIDs associated with the plurality of client
devices.
6. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein the first server
is configured to communicate with the plurality of client devices
through a network connection to the second server.
7. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein the first server
may be accessed solely through a dedicated electronic connection
with the second server.
8. The authentication system of claim 7, wherein the first server
and second server are configured to communicate using a proprietary
interface.
9. The authentication system of claim 1, further comprising a third
server, said third server including a third processor readable
storage medium on which is stored a master private key, said master
private key matched to a master public key stored on one or more of
the client devices.
10. The authentication system of claim 9, wherein the third server
is isolated from all network connectivity.
11. The authentication system of claim 10, wherein the master
private key is further stored on the second server.
12. A client device for use in an authentication system,
comprising: a hardware processor; a user presence input mechanism;
and a processor readable storage medium on which is stored client
device information, said client device information including: a
putative ID (PID) associated with the client device, the PID
providing an identifier of the client device that is associated
with an authentication status of the client device, wherein the
authentication status is modified at least in part in response to
activation of the user presence input mechanism; a private key
matched to a corresponding public key, the corresponding public key
also being stored on a first server; a server public key matched to
a corresponding server private key stored on the first server; and
an owner key (OK), said OK associated with a security token (ST),
the ST being stored on a second server.
13. (canceled)
14. The client device of claim 12, wherein the first processor
comprises a cryptographic processor, the cryptographic processor
coupled to a processor readable read-only storage medium, the
read-only storage medium including the private key.
15. The client device of claim 14, wherein said processor is
electronically coupled to said crypto processor.
16. The client device of claim 15, wherein said core processor is
electronically coupled to said crypto processor through a serial
bus.
17. The client device of claim 12, wherein the processor readable
storage medium further contains a master public key, said master
public key matched to a master private key stored on a third
server, the third server being physically isolated from the first
server and the second server.
18. The client device of claim 12, wherein the device is configured
to delete the OK in response to a user actuated input.
19. (canceled)
20. (canceled)
21. (canceled)
22. The method of claim 37, wherein said owner key is encrypted
using a public key stored on the client device, said public key
corresponding to a private key stored on the server.
23. (canceled)
24. (canceled)
25. (canceled)
26. The method of claim 37, wherein the authentication request
includes a hash of the PID.
27. (canceled)
28. (canceled)
29. (canceled)
30. (canceled)
31. (canceled)
32. (canceled)
33. (canceled)
34. (canceled)
35. (canceled)
36. (canceled)
37. A method of authenticating a client device comprising
operations performed using a hardware processor and memory of the
client device, the operations including: generating an
authentication request at the client device, said authentication
request including a putative ID (PID), the PID providing an
identifier of the client device that is associated with an
authentication status of the client device; sending the
authentication request to a server; receiving, from the server, a
reply request, said reply request including a first random number
(Rn); testing, at the client device, for a user presence input;
generating a reply message, in response to a detected occurrence of
the user presence input, said reply message including an encrypted
owner key (OK), unsigned information, and signed information, said
signed information signed using a private key stored on the client
device, wherein said private key matches a public key stored on the
server; and sending the reply message to the server, wherein said
server is configured to verify the reply message.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein said signed information
includes: the encrypted OK; a first random number (Rn) provided in
the reply request; a second random number (Rm) generated at the
client device; and version information associated with the client
device.
39. (canceled)
40. The method of claim 37, further comprising verifying the reply
request using a master public key stored on the client device, said
master public key matched to a master private key stored on the
server.
41. The authentication system of claim 1, wherein the indication
from the user presence input mechanism is provided from actuation
of a button located on the respective client devices.
42. The client device of claim 12, wherein said user presence input
mechanism includes a physical switch on a surface of the client
device, said physical switch operably coupled to said
processor.
43. The client device of claim 14, wherein said user presence input
mechanism includes a physical switch on a surface of the client
device, said physical switch operably coupled to said crypto
processor.
44. The client device of claim 14, wherein said crypto processor
will only perform. an authentication including said PID and said OK
in response to an actuation of the physical switch.
45. The method of claim 37, further comprising: generating a second
random number (Rm) at the client device; wherein said unsigned
information includes: the encrypted OK; the Rm; and version
information associated with the client device.
46. The method of claim 37, wherein said owner key is encrypted
using a public key stored on the client device, said public key
corresponding private key stored on the server.
47. The method of claim 37, wherein the authentication request
includes a hash of the PID.
48. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising
instructions that when executed by a processor of a device causes
the device to: generate an authentication request at the client
device, said authentication request including a putative ID (PID),
the PID providing an identifier of the device that is associated
with an authentication status of the device; send the
authentication request to a server; receive, from the server, a
reply request, said reply request including a first random number
(Rn); test, at the client device, for a user presence input;
generating a reply message, in response to a detection of the user
presence input, said reply message including: an encrypted owner
key (OK), unsigned information, and signed information, said signed
information signed using a private key stored on the client device,
wherein said private key matches a public key stored on the server;
and sending the reply message to the server, wherein said server is
configured to verify the reply message.
49. The computer-readable storage media of claim 48, wherein said
signed information includes: the encrypted OK; a first random
number (Rn) provided in the reply request; a second random number
(Rm) generated at the client device; and version information
associated with the client device
50. The computer-readable storage media of claim 48, comprising
instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor
to: verify the reply request using a master public key stored on
the client device, said master public key matched to a master
private key stored on the server.
51. The computer-readable storage media of claim 48, comprising
instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor
to: generate a second random number (Rm) at the client device;
wherein said unsigned information includes: the encrypted OK; the
Rm; and version information associated with the client device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/131,809, filed Jun. 2, 2008, which claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
60/941,252, entitled SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR PERSONALIZED PORTABLE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS,
filed on May 31, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated by
reference herein for all purposes.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is related generally to user
authentication in a client-server system. More particularly but not
exclusively, the present invention relates to security and
authentication systems and methods that can be implemented on a
system comprised of a set of personalized audiovisual devices in
Internet-based communication with a service provider.
BACKGROUND
[0003] It is well known that broadband Internet connectivity is
becoming substantially more pervasive among consumers as a result
of competition among service providers utilizing various different
technologies (e.g., cable, digital subscriber line (DSL),
satellite). In many households personal computers (PCs) constitute
the primary users of the bandwidth furnished by these broadband
connections. In order to facilitate sharing of the Internet
connection among PCs in a given household, a variety of "wired" and
"wireless" home networking technologies have been utilized.
802.11b, or "% i-Fi", wireless networking standard may currently be
the most pervasive, versions of the 802.11 standard offering
increased bandwidth have been introduced and yet higher-bandwidth
approaches have been proposed.
[0004] The increased bandwidth available within the home has
increased the usage of a number of different services, such as
Internet-based delivery of digital audio, video and graphic
content. However, since many of these services are facilitated by a
desktop or notebook PC capable of communication over a broadband
Internet connection, users are forced to remain proximate to their
respective computers in order to utilize such services. Although
other strategies to leverage the availability of broadband Internet
connectivity within the home are currently being developed, many of
these approaches involve creation of a relatively powerful, costly
centralized communications "hub" (e.g., a PC with enhanced media
capabilities, or a multi-purpose cable set-top box). Unfortunately,
this typically requires either the purchase of an expensive
hardware device or extended subscription plan, and constrains the
extent to which Internet-enabled entertainment or other services
are enjoyed outside of the immediate vicinity of the centralized
hub device.
[0005] As use of these portable networked devices proliferates, the
portable devices and their associated networked systems will likely
be subject to a variety of security attacks. It will be desirable
to provide device security to prevent intrusion, malicious attacks,
store and protect privacy and other personal information, as well
as allow a user to easily authenticate him or herself to a
networked system. Accordingly, the widespread availability of
broadband networks creates an opportunity for networking of
personal devices wherein security systems and methods are
implemented to provide ease of access and use of the devices within
an open architecture, as well as providing for storage and
protection of users' private information as well as protecting
portable devices and associated systems from other forms of
malicious attacks.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one aspect, the present invention relates to an
authentication system comprising a first server including a first
processor readable medium which stores a plurality of public keys
matched with corresponding private keys stored on a plurality of
client devices, a first server private key matched to a public key
stored on the client devices, and a second server configured to
store client device information and electronically communicate with
the first server and client devices.
[0007] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a client
device for use in an authentication system including a first
processor and a processor readable medium storing a putative ID
(PID) associated with the client device, a private key matched to a
public key stored on a first server, a public key matched to a
corresponding private key stored on the first server, and an owner
key associated with a storage token stored on a second server.
[0008] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method
of authentication including receiving, at a first server, an
authentication request, including a PID associated with the device,
comparing the PID with a plurality of PIDs stored on the first
server, sending a reply request in response to the comparison to
the client device, receiving at the first server a reply message
including information signed by a private key stored on the client
device, the information including an owner key (OK), and verifying
the signed information using a public key stored on the first
server, the public key being matched to the private key stored on
the client device.
[0009] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method
of authentication of a client device, including generating an
authentication request at the device, including a PID, sending the
request to a second server, receiving a reply request from the
second server, including a first random number generated by a first
server electronically connected to the second server, generating a
reply message including signed and unsigned information, the signed
information signed using a private key stored on the client device
and matched to a public key stored on the first server, and sending
the reply message to the second server, wherein the message is then
forwarded to the first server for verification.
[0010] Additional aspects of the present invention are described
and illustrated in the following detailed description and
associated figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] The invention is more fully appreciated in connection with
the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a set of networked
components comprising an embodiment of a system in accordance with
aspects of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of portable devices in
accordance with aspects of the present invention distributed
throughout a residence or other building having a several
rooms.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagrammatic representation of the
principal components of an embodiment of a portable device in
accordance with aspects of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary user interface generated through a
screen of a portable device during operation of the portable device
in a control panel mode.
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates various views of an exemplary portable
device configured with a malleable housing.
[0017] FIGS. 6A-6D provide various partially transparent
perspective, side and plan views of an embodiment of a portable
device.
[0018] FIGS. 6E-6G depict the core electronics and other components
contained within the housing of a portable device, and the
arrangement of certain of these components within a housing of the
device, in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 7 provides a block diagrammatic representation of the
server components and other infrastructure which may be utilized to
facilitate the operations of a portable device service
provider.
[0020] FIG. 8 provides a database model diagram of an exemplary
object-oriented database schema utilized by a system database.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a signal flow diagram representative of one manner
in which a configuration is provided to a portable device by a
service provider.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram which represents one manner
in which a profile is provided to a portable device by a service
provider.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a signal flow diagram which depicts processing of
changes made to the parameters of a widget instance through the
interface of a portable device in which the widget is
instantiated.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary
widget instance download operation in which a service provider is
requested to push values of widget-specific parameters to a
requesting portable device.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a signal flow diagram which illustratively
represents the process of obtaining content from the service
provider for a widget executed on a portable device.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a flowchart which depicts an exemplary sequence
of operations performed by a portable device upon initial
power-up.
[0027] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary routine
used to calibrate a touchscreen of a portable device.
[0028] FIGS. 16A-16E provide a set of screen shots of the user
interface of a portable device being calibrated pursuant to the
routine of FIG. 15.
[0029] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the operations performed
in selecting a wireless base station upon initial power-up of a
portable device.
[0030] FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an exemplary account creation and
registration process.
[0031] FIG. 19 is a flowchart representative of an exemplary
Web-based interaction between a user and a service provider in
connection with associating a particular portable device with the
user's account.
[0032] FIG. 20 is a flowchart of an exemplary Web-based interaction
between a user and the service provider with regard to disabling a
portable device that has been previously associated with the user's
account.
[0033] FIG. 21 is a flowchart of an exemplary Web-based interaction
between a user and the service provider in connection with
"mirroring" portable devices.
[0034] FIG. 22 is a top-level flowchart of exemplary Web-based or
portable device-based interaction between a device user and the
service provider with regard to adding, removing and configuring
widget profiles relative to the user's portable device.
[0035] FIG. 23 is a flowchart representative of exemplary Web-based
or portable device-based interaction between a device user and the
service provider with respect to the addition of widgets to the
current configuration of the user's portable device.
[0036] FIG. 24 is a flowchart representative of exemplary Web-based
or portable device-based interaction between a device user and a
service provider in connection with the removal of widgets from a
channel, which may also be active on the user's portable
device.
[0037] FIG. 25 is a flowchart depicting an exemplary set of
operations involved in configuring parameters specific to of one or
more widgets currently associated with a given portable device.
[0038] FIGS. 26A-26E are screen shots of exemplary user interfaces
presented by a Web browser used to facilitate certain of the
processes described by FIGS. 22-25.
[0039] FIG. 27 is a signal flow diagram which illustratively
represents the process of downloading the code for a widget from a
service provider.
[0040] FIG. 28 provides an alternative illustration of a portable
device in which is identified a core electronics unit and flexible
housing of the device.
[0041] FIG. 29 illustrates various components interior to a
flexible housing of an exemplary portable device.
[0042] FIGS. 30-31 provide an example of a flat pattern used to
define the exterior structure of a flexible housing of an exemplary
portable device.
[0043] FIGS. 32-33 show exemplary user interface screens of a
portable device applicable to a process for calibration of one or
more bend sensors within the device.
[0044] FIG. 34 illustrates an embodiment of a portable device
motion sensing unit and CPU interface in accordance with aspects of
the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 35A illustrates one embodiment of a portable device
motion sensing low level hardware/software interface and driver in
accordance with aspects of the present invention.
[0046] FIG. 35B illustrates one embodiment of a portable device
motion sensing low level hardware/software interface and driver
with signal processing in accordance with aspects of the present
invention.
[0047] FIG. 36 illustrates one embodiment of portable device motion
sensing signal processing modules associated with motion detection,
processing, analysis, and tracking, in accordance with aspects of
the present invention.
[0048] FIG. 37 illustrates some types of motion associated with
gesture recognition in accordance with aspects of the present
invention.
[0049] FIG. 38 illustrates some additional types of motion
associated with gesture recognition in accordance with aspects of
the present invention.
[0050] FIG. 39A is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a
portable device training mode process for mapping device positions
in a defined area, in accordance with aspects of the present
invention.
[0051] FIG. 39B is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a
portable device running mode process for determining device
positions in a defined area in accordance with aspects of the
present invention.
[0052] FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a
portable device motion sensing calibration process in accordance
with aspects of the present invention.
[0053] FIG. 41 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a
workflow for configuration and interaction between a portable
device and a virtual world.
[0054] FIG. 42 is a flowchart illustrating the workflow of another
embodiment of aspects of the present invention directed towards
configuration of a virtual webcam widget on a web site.
[0055] FIG. 43 is a flowchart FIG. 43 illustrating an embodiment of
aspects of the present invention directed to portable device
interaction with a virtual world service provider.
[0056] FIG. 44 illustrated one embodiment of a system configured to
facilitate security and authentication in accordance with aspects
of the present invention.
[0057] FIG. 45 illustrates one embodiment of a system configured to
facilitate security and authentication in accordance with aspects
of the present invention, including an impersonating device.
[0058] FIG. 46 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of an
authentication protocol in accordance with aspects of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Overview
[0059] The present invention generally relates to security and
authentication systems and methods that can be implemented on a
system comprised of a set of personalized audiovisual devices in
Internet-based communication with a service provider as is further
described herein. It is anticipated that the personalized
audiovisual devices will be commercially distributed under the
trademark Chumby, and may also be referred to herein as "Chumby
devices" and/or portable devices. Likewise, associated networking
systems/servers may be referred to as the Chumby system/server or
the portable system/server respectively. Associated Chumby services
may also be provided through a Chumby service provider also denoted
herein as a service provider. In a typical system in accordance
with the present invention, a Chumby device communicates with a
service provider. During communication with the service provider,
each Chumby device periodically receives a set of application
programs, or "widgets", which are sequentially executed by the
Chumby device after being received from the service provider or
locally from a personal computer (e.g., via a USB connection).
Since each Chumby device is typically Internet-enabled, each may
also be remotely configured and otherwise personalized via the
Chumby service provider through a Web browser executed by a remote
terminal (e.g., a PC or wireless handset). Such personalization may
include, for example, specifying the set of widgets provided to a
given Chumby device as well as their sequence and priority of
execution.
[0060] As is described hereinafter, it is a feature of embodiments
of the invention that a user configuring a Chumby device via an
interface provided by the Chumby service provider may "drag and
drop" icons representative of various widgets onto a rectangular or
other portion of the interface representative of the screen of the
Chumby device being configured. In this way the "layout" of the
screen of the Chumby device may be remotely configured by the owner
of the device. Although each Chumby device will preferably be
capable of being configured in this manner, in certain embodiments
each may also come "loaded" with a default set of widgets (e.g., an
"alarm clock" widget) disposed to be executed by the Chumby device
upon its registration with the Chumby service provider. Once a
Chumby device has been configured (i.e., with either a "default" or
user-specified configuration), it will generally execute the
widgets defined by the configuration without user intervention.
[0061] The configuration of a Chumby device may also specify the
events or conditions under which the sequence of execution of
widgets is to be altered or interrupted, and allows certain widgets
to be accorded the highest available priority with respect to
execution. For example, an "alarm clock" widget could be granted
such priority in order to ensure that its alarm function would not
be prevented from being actuated at the scheduled time due to
contemporaneous execution of another widget. In one embodiment the
Web interface provided by the Chumby service provider is in the
form of a "timeline" enabling the sequence of execution of the
widgets associated with a given Chumby device to be controlled in
an intuitive manner. In an exemplary implementation the timeline
defines the order in which the widgets are to be played in a
constantly repeating sequence; that is, the timeline is
representative of the complete set of widgets played by a given
Chumby device as well as their relative order of execution.
However, certain widgets (e.g., the "alarm clock" widget) can be
specified to be actuated at a given time by appropriately setting
the applicable configuration element of such widgets.
[0062] Although in exemplary embodiments it is not contemplated
that more than a single "content-related" widget be operative at
any given time, a system configuration widget may be utilized to
run concurrently with each such content-related widget in order to,
for example, control the relative priority of execution of such
content-related widgets and system settings such as loudness,
brightness, navigation, and the like.
[0063] In one embodiment Chumby devices are each capable of
wireless communication in accordance with an accepted wireless
networking standard, such as the 802.11b or 802.11g standard.
Accordingly, in homes or other environments containing one or more
wireless access points, multiple Chumby devices may be distributed
throughout the coverage area of the access points.
[0064] Among the features of embodiments of the invention is the
capability of the interface presented by each Chumby device to
change in accordance with the nature of the widget currently being
executed by the device. For example, a "clock radio" widget could
be employed to produce audio and visual imagery consistent with a
conventional alarm clock at an appointed time in the morning. In
exemplary embodiments the clock radio widget would allow for the
selection of a standard "wake up" chime or choice of several
different audio programs. Later in the day the device interface
could be devoted to a rotating selection of several standard
information screens such as news headlines, local weather, sports
scores, stock market updates, horoscope and the like.
[0065] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, users of
Chumby devices may optionally participate in a "Chumby Network"
along with other users by logging on to a Web site (e.g.,
www.chumby.com) hosted by the Chumby service provider. At this site
(also referred to hereinafter as the "Chumby site") a user will be
able to register with the Chumby Network and access services
enabling the basic capabilities of the user's Chumby device to be
enhanced and refined. Such enhancements may comprise, for example,
the opportunity to send/receive widgets and other content to/from
other Chumby users, for improved personalization of the device's
generic information features, more detailed alarm-setting
capabilities, and better selection and configuration of audio
capabilities.
[0066] Registration with the Chumby Network, which would
potentially require payment of a periodic subscription fee, enables
members of the Network to access a wide array of additional
widgets. It is contemplated that certain of such widgets would be
developed by the entity operating the Chumby Network while other
widgets would be developed by independent developers. In addition,
members of the "Chumby Network would also be able to communicate
with the Chumby devices of other members, provided that permission
for such communication has been authorized by the other members.
Such communication could entail, for example, the sending of a
widget and corresponding data from the Chumby service provider to a
member of the Chumby Network (the "receiving member") in response
to a request sent to the Chumby service provider by another member
(the "sending member"). For example, a sending member could, after
receiving permission from a receiving member, request the Chumby
service provider to send a "photo-viewer" widget to the receiving
member. In addition, the sending member could specify that a link
be established between the photo-viewer widget and pictures
uploaded by the sending member to the Chumby service provider. In
this way the receiving member could, without any effort other than
providing authorization to the sending member, enable their Chumby
device to essentially automatically receive and display a sequence
of photos provided by the sending member. Similarly, while
traveling a sending member could send a personalized "wake up"
message to the Chumby device of a consenting receiving member.
Finally, a sending member could send widgets to a group of
receiving members included on a "buddy list" of the sending member,
which could be established after the receipt of suitable
permissions from those proposed to be included on the list.
[0067] In an exemplary embodiment members of the Chumby Network are
enabled to completely configure, through any Web browser, their
respective Chumby devices by specifying a set of "premium" widget
programs or content to play or be shown rotationally (or in some
other user-defined sequence) on their respective Chumby devices.
Such premium widgets and content may include, for example, webcam
shots, RSS readers, filtered news reports, personalized stock
performance data, short animations or movies, podcasts or audio
files to function as the audio sources for alarms or reminders
scheduled to be triggered at different times throughout the
day.
[0068] As is discussed further below, one exemplary implementation
of a Chumby device is comprised of a malleable housing attached to
a rigid "core" structure supporting a display screen and the
electrical components of the device. The malleable housing would
generally encompass all of the electrical components of the Chumby
device, and will preferably be filled with an appropriate material
or otherwise constructed to enable it to be "squeezed" or otherwise
deformed by a user. Moreover, the core structure is designed to be
capable of being removed from the housing and "snapped" in to a
different housing. A set of "bend sensors" are enclosed by the
malleable housing in order to permit the detection of such a
squeezing or similar action by a user. In this way a user is
afforded the opportunity of conveying information through physical
deformation of the Chumby device in addition to the more
conventional textual and other modes of communication facilitated
by the display screen. For example, in one exemplary system a user
could initiate the conveying of a "hug" to another user by
squeezing the housing of the user's Chumby device in a particular
manner. The electrical signals generated by the sensor array in
response to this squeeze would be appropriately interpreted and the
user's Chumby device would communicate, via the Chumby service
provider, a "hug" message to the intended recipient user. At this
point the recipient's Chumby device could register receipt of the
hug message by, for example, illuminating an indicator light or
sending a message to the display of the device.
[0069] In certain embodiments a Chumby device may include hardware,
software, or both for use in detecting and tracking device location
and relative position as well as for tracking physical contacts
with the device and for detecting and tracking motion. In one
exemplary embodiment, a Chumby device may include an accelerometer
and related hardware and software to implement a variety of motion
related functions including motion detection, position
identification and tracking, gesture recognition, and user contact
such as by squeezing or squishing the device.
[0070] In some embodiments a Chumby device may be configured and
operative to interface to one or more virtual worlds, such as the
virtual world known as Second Life.RTM., accessible at
http://www.secondlife.com. Features of such an interface may
include, but are not limited to, display of content from the
virtual world on a Chumby device, interaction through a Chumby
device with other users and features of the virtual world, display
and interaction with avatars on the Chumby device and in the
virtual world, monitoring of virtual world activities, and other
features and functions.
[0071] In some embodiments of a Chumby device and system, security
and authentication systems and methods may be provided to provide
protection of the user's privacy and security and protect against
malicious attacks. Because a networked device may inherently be a
part of an open architecture, it may become vulnerable to a wide
range of security breaches or delivery of undesirable and unwanted
content. Problems such as spam, phishing, trojan horse attacks, and
a wide variety of other problems may impact the device, render it
unusable, or cause loss of a user's private information.
Consequently, it may be desirable to employ one or more
authentication and security measures such as are described herein
to provide protection against these as well as other types of
attacks. In embodiments as described in further detail in
subsequent sections, systems and methods to implement, configure,
and employ security protection are described. In some embodiments
security systems and methods are provided to maintain an open
architecture wherein secrets are not hidden from a user and/or
users are not restricted from repurposing their portable device for
applications unrelated to primary services, such as those described
herein.
System Components
[0072] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a set of networked
components comprising an exemplary system 100 of the invention
within which the security and authentication systems and methods of
the invention may be implemented. As shown, the system 100
comprises one or more Chumby personal audiovisual devices 102 in
communication with a central service provider 106 via one or more
access networks 110 and the Internet 116. As those skilled in the
art will appreciate, the access networks 110 are representative of
various intermediary network routing and other elements between the
Internet 116 and the Chumby personal audiovisual devices 102. Such
intermediary elements may include, for example, gateways or other
server devices, and other network infrastructure provided by
Internet service providers (ISPs). As is discussed below, the
Chumby personal audiovisual devices 102 obtain application programs
("widgets") for execution from the central service provider 106 or
locally from a personal computer or other computing device. In this
regard the service provider 106 typically contains a repository of
widgets and has access to other content capable of being
communicated to a given Chumby device 102 upon the request of its
authorized user or another user to which appropriate permission has
been granted.
[0073] Referring again to FIG. 1, the system 100 also includes a
plurality of user computers 120 disposed for communication with the
service provider 106 via an access network (not shown) and the
Internet 116. Each user computer 120 executes a Web browser 122
capable of displaying Web pages generated by the service provider
106 through which a user may configure one or more Chumby personal
audiovisual devices 102. As mentioned above, such configuration may
include, for example, specifying a set of widgets to be sent to a
particular device 102 and their sequence of execution, adjusting
audio or visual parameters relating to such execution, defining and
managing a user's Chumby network (including, for example, defining
a "buddy list" comprised of other Chumby users with respect to
which the device 102 is permitted to communicate), and defining the
layout or other aspects of the user interface presented through the
screen of the device 102. To this end a given Web browser 122 may,
when in communication with the service provider 106, present a
rectangular configuration window corresponding to the display
screen of a corresponding Chumby device 102. By "dragging and
dropping" iconic representations of widgets or content files into
such a configuration window, a user may personalize the behavior
and user interface presented by the corresponding Chumby device
102. Moreover, users may access the service provider 106 via a Web
browser 122 for the purpose of sending widgets or other information
to other users for execution or display by their respective Chumby
devices 102. In one embodiment the service provider 106 maintains a
record of the permissions granted among users of Chumby devices in
order to determine which users are authorized to provide, via the
service provider 106, a given user with widgets, messages or other
information, and vice-versa. Such permissions may be granted or
withdrawn by a given user via appropriate pages presented by a Web
browser 122 in communication with the service provider 106.
[0074] In the exemplary embodiment a configuration window may be
utilized to configure one or more Chumby devices 102 consistent
with the permissions granted by the users of such devices 102. In
addition, a user of a given Chumby device 102 may elect to have the
interface of the device 102 "mirror" or otherwise replicate that of
another device 102 subject to the requisite permissions being
granted. Similarly, one or more Chumby devices 102 may be
configured to mirror the interface for a "virtual" Chumby device
(or vice-versa) defined via a configuration window.
[0075] Different users of a given Chumby device 102 may be accorded
different roles or privileges in configuring the device 102. For
example, a user granted supervisory privileges could be given the
authority to filter or monitor the widgets or content sent to the
Chumby device 102. This would enable, for example, parents to
manage and/or monitor the widgets and content executed and
displayed by the one or more Chumby devices 102 used by their
children. Moreover, administrators of the system 100 would
typically possess an elevated level of privilege relative to users
of Chumby devices 102 within the system 100. Also, if a specific
widget performs functions requiring communication with a web site
controlled by a third party in order to access content, the
developer of the widget may create a hierarchical user model to
regulate such access (and perhaps the functions of the widget).
[0076] Attention is now directed to FIG. 2, which illustrates an
exemplary distribution of Chumby devices 102 throughout a residence
200 or other building having a number of rooms 204. In the
embodiment of FIG. 2, each Chumby device 102 is equipped with
wireless transceiver (e.g., a Wi-Fi transceiver) to facilitate
communication with one or more access points 210. Each access point
is interconnected with an access network 110 by way of, for
example, a local area network, thereby enabling Internet-based
communication to be established between the service provider 106
and the devices within the residence 200.
[0077] Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagrammatic representation
is provided of the principal components of an embodiment of a
Chumby device of the present invention. As shown, the device
includes a central processing unit (CPU) 302, memory including
volatile (e.g., SDRAM) 306 and non-volatile memory 310 (e.g., flash
memory), an audio interface 312, a wireless communications
interface 314, and a sensor interface 370. In an exemplary
implementation the CPU 302 comprises a microprocessor (e.g., based
upon an ARM core) configured to run a Linux kernel and having
attendant capabilities for graphics rendering. The device may or
may not include a battery backup unit, which serves to preserve
real-time information in the event of a power outage, and may also
serve as a primary power source if the user desires untethered
operation. The battery may or may not be rechargeable. The
operating system is made aware of the power status and actively
configures the Chumby device and the running widget to either save
power or modify the user interface consistent with untethered
operation.
[0078] The device may or may not include a Security Module (not
shown) If included, the Security Module serves to store secrets and
compute authentication algorithms in a fashion that fully isolates
core security routines from otherwise unsecured code running on CPU
302. The secret storage and authentication capability may or may
not be used by the client-server communication protocol to enable
authenticated and encrypted communication capabilities for, among
other things, financial transactions. The Security Module is
initialized in such a way that there is no default mapping of the
secrets contained within the module versus the identity of the
hardware of the user. Furthermore, the secrets are revocable and a
routine exists for generating new secrets based upon a master
secret that is never associated with a specific user's profile.
This enables opt-in policies for privacy and a limited ability to
revoke identity information, barring forensic network analysis,
thereby enabling anonymity as well. The anonymous trust network can
be extended with a variety of client-server protocols to enable a
wide range of anonymous transactions, including but not limited to
cash and content transactions.
[0079] As shown, software comprising widgets 350 or other
applications received from the service provider 106 are stored in
memory 310 and loaded into SDRAM 306 or non-volatile memory 310 for
execution by the CPU 302. In one embodiment widgets are downloaded
from the service provider 106 to Chumby devices in the format of a
"Macromedia Flash" file, also referred to as a "Flash movie". As is
known by those skilled in the art, Flash movies are usually
accorded a ".swf" file extension and may be played by a Flash
Player developed and distributed by Adobe Systems. Accordingly, the
memory 310 also includes a Flash Player 360 as well as a copy of
the operating system 364 executed by the CPU 302. In other
embodiments widgets may be developed in accordance with other
formats and played by players compatible with such other
formats.
[0080] The Chumby device also includes a liquid crystal display
(LCD) 320 controlled by an LCD controller 322, which may or may not
be integrated into the CPU 302. The display 320 visually renders
iconic representations of the widget programs stored within the
Chumby device and images generated in connection with the execution
of such widgets by the CPU 302. In an exemplary implementation a
touchscreen 330 overlays the LCD 320 and is responsive to a
touchscreen controller 334. In one embodiment a user may induce the
Chumby device to enter a "user interface mode" or "U.I. mode" by
touching the touchscreen 330. When this occurs the touchscreen
controller 334 informs the CPU 302, which then instructs the LCD
320 to enter U.I. mode and display representations of arrows,
buttons and/or icons selectable by the user via the touchscreen
330. As is discussed below, selection of one or more of these
elements during operation in the U.I. mode enables the user to
control various aspects of the operation of the Chumby device. In
alternate implementations the LCD 320 and touchscreen 330 may
comprise an integral device controlled by an integrated
controller.
[0081] Turning to FIG. 4, there is shown an exemplary user
interface 400 generated by the LCD 320 during operation of the
Chumby device in U.I. mode. As shown, the interface 400 defines an
address book icon 404, a heart-shaped icon 408, a right arrow
button 412, a left arrow button 416, and an exit U.I. mode icon
420. Selection of the address book icon 404 brings up a
personalized list of other users of Chumby devices to which it may
be desired to send widgets or otherwise communicate. A user may,
from any Web browser 122, access a Web page generated by the
service provider 106 and designate a "favorite" widget.
Alternatively, a user may press a virtual, touchscreen-based button
on his or her Chumby device 102 to designate the current widget as
the new "favorite" widget. When the user then selects the
heart-shaped icon 408 on his or her Chumby device, an iconic
representation of this favorite widget (e.g., a clock widget)
replaces the heart-shaped icon 408 and enables the user to
immediately activate (i.e., cause the CPU 302 to execute) the
program instructions corresponding to such favorite widget.
Alternatively, selection of the heart-shaped icon 408 (or other
predefined icon) results in the Chumby device becoming configured
in accordance with a "favorite" or other profile rather than
executing a favorite widget. Of course, certain profiles may be
specified to include only a single widget such as, for example, an
"alarm clock" or "photo viewer widget.
[0082] Referring again to FIG. 4, selection of the right arrow
button 412 advances one widget in a user-defined (or default)
widget sequence, or just skips ahead in implementations in which
widgets are chosen to be displayed randomly. Similarly, selection
of the left arrow button 416 results in "going back" one widget in
the user-defined (or default) widget sequence. As the buttons 412
and 416 are selected, an iconic representation or avatar
corresponding to the currently active widget is displayed in a
display box 430. If it is desired to configure the currently active
widget, the exit U.I. mode icon 420 is selected and the U.I. mode
interface 400 changes to a screen though which the user may adjust
parameters of the active widget (e.g., set time or alarm in the
case of an active "clock" widget).
[0083] In certain embodiments a physical button element (not shown)
may be provided proximate the LCD screen 320 to enable navigation
through menus and the like presented by the LCD screen 320. In one
implementation this button element is cross-shaped in order to
facilitate two-dimensional navigation, and may further include a
smaller, dedicated button (e.g., in the center of the cross)
associated with a specific widget (e.g., clock widget). Pressing
this dedicated widget would interrupt the operation of all other
widgets.
[0084] In implementations in which two-dimensional navigation
through the user interface of the Chumby device is supported, users
may be provided with the ability to navigate forward and back in
the configured widget timeline. Similarly, users may navigate up
and down a stack of related widgets. This function depends on the
implementation of the concept of widget categories--i.e.,
associating widgets into logical categories that can be displayed
sequentially, if configured to be displayed. An example of a
category could be "News". Widgets included within this category
could include, for example, a local news widget, a sports news
widget, an entertainment news widget, a business news widget, and
the like. For each category, there would be a default widget, which
is designated by the user on the Chumby web site for each category
selected to be displayed by the user's Chumby device.
[0085] If more than one widget in a category is selected, then the
widgets are conceptually "stacked" with the default widget
being:
[0086] on the top of the stack; and
[0087] the widget that is displayed as the Chumby device
automatically cycles through configured widgets.
[0088] If a widget for a given category (e.g., "News") is displayed
and there exist additional widgets in the category which are also
configured for display, then in the exemplary embodiment these
additional widgets are "stacked" below the displayed widget. In
this case the user may take some predefined action with respect to
the user's Chumby device (e.g., perhaps selecting a control on the
touchscreen or accessing a function via the control panel, which is
instantiated via actuating the bend sensor) in order to cause the
next widget in the "stack" for that category to be displayed. The
Chumby device may be configured such that taking further predefined
actions of the same type will cause the widgets either above or
below in the stack to be displayed, as designated by the user. The
last widget that is displayed in the stack for the applicable
category when the Chumby device cycles to the next widget category
will be the widget displayed in the next cycle for the just exited
category (e.g, News).
[0089] The tabular illustration below provides a conceptual layout
of exemplary widget stacks in various categories:
TABLE-US-00001 ##STR00001##
[0090] The following provides a conceptual representation of the
case in which the user has navigated into widget stacks for News,
Entertainment and Sports:
TABLE-US-00002 ##STR00002##
[0091] Attention is now directed to FIG. 5, which provides various
perspective views of an exemplary Chumby device configured with a
malleable housing comprising a rubber-type frame in combination
with a fabric material. The housing surrounds a core structure and
a plush interior fill material (not shown in FIG. 5). The
rubber-type frame, fabric and fill materials collectively impart a
soft and malleable feel to users handling the Chumby device.
[0092] In one embodiment the rubber-type frame is composed of
Texin.TM., a soft, tactile, rubber-like material similar to TPE
(thermo plastic elastomer). The frame provides structure and form
to the housing and allows the core electronics unit to be replaced
and inserted. The frame will generally be manufactured in a
relatively flattened configuration and then manually flexed or
curved and stitched to the fabric when assembling the housing the
Chumby device.
[0093] FIG. 28 provides an alternative illustration of a Chumby
device in which are identified the core electronics unit and
flexible housing of the device. As opposed to existing wireless or
other consumer electronic devices in which the device electronics
are typically simply mounted into rigid plastic enclosures that are
not subject to any user modification or customization, in an
exemplary embodiment the flexible housing of a Chumby device may be
created using any number of exterior fabric materials such as those
used in soft-goods or plush toy manufacturing. Such materials may
include, for example, suede, Neoprene, rubber, vinyl, etc. Interior
to the flexible housing may be contained any number of fill
materials, such as Poly-Fil, polyester beads, gel, foam, etc., not
unlike a pillow, stuffed animal, or plush toy. Such interior fills
enable the Chumby device to be "squishable.". Moreover, such
interior fill enables the device to retain its shape after being
"squeezed" or "pressed" by a user in order to trigger an internal
bend sensor. (In other embodiments an electric field/capacitance
sensor may be used in lieu of a bend sensor to detect the
location/distance of a user's hand to the sensor; that is, since
the user's hand moves closer to the sensor as the user squeezes the
flexible housing of the Chumby device, the sensor is capable of
indicating that a "squeeze" event has occurred).
[0094] Turning now to FIG. 29, interior to the flexible housing of
an exemplary embodiment of the device there is included
daughterboard circuitry containing an external power switch,
external power supply connector, external headphone connector,
external USB connector, internal left and right speaker connectors,
internal 9V back-up battery connector, internal bend sensor
connector, and internal "Chumbilical" connector. In one
implementation the Chumbilical connector is used to connect all the
signals received/processed by the daughterboard to the core
electronics unit of the Chumby device, which is press-fit into the
soft TPE frame. Also positioned interior to the flexible housing
are a pair of speakers (for left and right audio output), as well
as a bend sensor and various cabling required to attach such
elements to the daughterboard.
[0095] Referring to FIG. 30, a flat pattern, commonly used in
soft-goods and garment manufacturing, is used to define the
exterior structure of the flexible housing or "bag" of an exemplary
Chumby device ("Chumby bag"). Any number of artistic/design
elements can be added to the exterior fabric material of the Chumby
bag to add dimension and visual features. The use of a fabric-type
enclosure for the Chumby device provides for unlimited
possibilities for product housing creation, both by the original
manufacturer and end-users (such as craftspeople, hobbyists, etc.),
and is believed to represent a novel approach in the design of
consumer electronic and/or wireless devices. Fabric tags, patches,
or other fabric/garment-related items can be stitched or otherwise
attached to the exterior housing of the Chumby device to convey
product or corporate information, such as a logo.
[0096] FIG. 31 provides a sample flat pattern drawing for the
flexible housing or "bag" of a Chumby device, showing individual
fabric panel shapes, stitching details, and design elements:
[0097] FIGS. 6A-6D provide various partially transparent
perspective, side and plan views of an embodiment of the Chumby
device. FIGS. 6E-6F depict the core electronics and other
components contained within the housing of the Chumby device, and
FIG. 6G illustrates the arrangement of certain of these elements
within the housing.
[0098] The core electronics module will generally include, for
example, a main circuit board, LCD display, touchscreen, ambient
light sensor, USB WiFi dongle, 9V backup battery, and an RF shield.
This core module is designed to be removable from the frame by the
user of the Chumby device. It is typically connected into the
housing Chumby device via a 22 pin cable assembly, referred to
hereinafter as a "Chumbilical.TM."
[0099] The WiFi dongle is a part of the core electronics module and
provides 802.11 wireless networking support. In an exemplary
embodiment, the WiFi dongle attaches externally to the core
electronics.
[0100] The backup battery, currently consisting as a standard 9V
alkaline, is used to provide backup/supplemental power to the
Chumby unit in the event of failure of the primary power supply.
The backup battery is mounted onto the RF shield and is meant to be
replaceable by the user. The RF shield is positioned on a back side
of the core electronics module.
[0101] The daughterboard provides connectors available to the user,
including power input, headphone output, and external USB-style
connector for future accessories and/or facilitating device
upgrades. The daughterboard is clamped to the fabric in between the
daughterboard front and rear bezel components, which are made of
rigid ABS-type plastic. The daughterboard connects to the core
electronics via the Chumbilical.TM.
[0102] In the exemplary embodiment the Chumby device includes a
pair of internally-mounted speakers to provide stereo sound. The
speakers are held in place using square pouches sewn into the
interior of the unit. The pouches each have a small drawstring to
keep the speakers in a relatively fixed position within the
interior of the Chumby device. Both speakers connect to the
daughterboard.
[0103] The bend sensor is connected to the daughterboard and may
comprise a flexible resistive element which varies in resistance
based upon the angle of flex of the sensor. Accordingly, the bend
sensor is capable of detecting physical "squeezing" of the soft
housing of the Chumby device. Signals from the bend sensor are
processed (e.g., by the core electronics module or dedicated
electronic circuitry) and generally will precipitate performance a
defined action, which may be dependent upon characteristics of the
currently active widget. The bend sensor connects to the
daughterboard. The bend sensor will generally be attached to the
inside of the Chumby bag and oriented parallel to the vertical
access of the Chumby device. In other embodiments, one or more
displacement sensors may be used to effect the same function.
[0104] Attention is now directed to the exemplary user interface
screens of a Chumby device shown in FIGS. 32-33, to which reference
will be made in describing a process for calibration of bend
sensors within the device. When a user "squeezes" the back of a
Chumby device and displaces the bend sensor beyond the calibrated
tolerance, the Control Panel function is activated and the
appropriate user interface is displayed (FIG. 32). From a
"settings" screen accessed via the Control Panel of FIG. 32, the
user can then access the "squeeze" calibration function (FIG. 33)
to recalibrate the bend sensor.
[0105] Although in certain embodiments the flexible or malleable
housing of each Chumby device is intended to be essentially
permanent and not replaced, in other embodiments such housings may
comprise interchangeable "skins" designed to be easily detached and
replaced at the discretion of the user. In such implementations the
Chumby device may be configured to operate in accordance with
various profiles depending upon the particular "skin" currently
attached to the underlying hardware "core" of the device.
Specifically, one or more sensors could be deployed upon the core
of the Chumby device in order to read electronic identifiers
embedded within the various skins disposed to be employed as the
housing for the Chumby device. Each identifier could consist of a
persistent (non-volatile) storage module containing unique
identifying information, and would be physically configured so as
to make electrical or radio contact with a corresponding sensor on
the core of the Chumby device upon its skin becoming attached to
the device core. The information read from such embedded
identifiers could be used to inform the control system of the
Chumby device of the identity of the skin currently enveloping the
core of the device. Certain of such skins could, for example,
include characteristics or features suggestive of various
applications (e.g., "clock radio", or "boom box") or intended
operating environments (e.g., "car", "kitchen", "workshop")
[0106] Once a new skin has been attached or otherwise secured to
the core of a Chumby device and the information from the embedded
identifier has been read, the Chumby device may send a message to
the service provider 106 indicative of its current skin (e.g.,
"skin #1"). In response, the service provider 106 may reply with a
message instructing the Chumby device to utilize a particular
profile (e.g., "profile #3"). It is contemplated that users may
elect to define, via a Web browser 122 in communication with the
service provider 106, profiles for each of their skins or simply
utilize default profiles available from the service provider 106.
Each profile could define, for example: (i) the widgets to be
executed, (ii) the configuration to be used for executing the
widgets, and (iii) the style and theme information (color schemes,
control decorations, fonts, backgrounds, etc) utilized in
presenting information via the LCD display 320.
Motion, Position, and Contact Detection Systems and
Applications
[0107] In some embodiments a portable device may include hardware,
software, or hardware and software in combination to implement
functionality related to acceleration, motion, and location
detection and tracking. Additional related applications and
functions are also envisioned, such as detection of contact with
the device including contact caused by persons or objects hitting
or squeezing the device, as well as contact caused by the device
impacting other surfaces or objects such as a floor, table, desk,
or other surface or object. In some applications, motion detection
and tracking may also be used to implement gesture recognition
where movement of the device in pitch or roll axes or in
rectilinear motion may be used to control device functionality. In
addition, motion matching may be used to identify when the portable
device is moving in a particular predefined way, such as based on a
particular type of vibration.
[0108] Referring now to FIG. 34, a block diagrammatic
representation of one embodiment of motion detection system
hardware (also denoted herein as a motion sensing unit) 3400 in
accordance with aspects of the present invention is shown. It is
understood that FIG. 34 is merely representative of one embodiment,
and that other configurations providing similar functionality are
possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0109] As illustrated in FIG. 34, motion sensing unit 3400 may be
implemented in one or more axes of motion by use of an
accelerometer and associated hardware. For example, accelerometer
3410 may be a three-axis accelerometer such as an Analog Devices
ADXL330 (which is an integrated acceleration to voltage converter),
Kionix KXP74-1050, or similar device providing detection of
acceleration and signal outputs in one or more axes of motion. The
output of accelerometer 3410 may consist of multiple analog signal
channels 3415 representing the acceleration in each of the
associated axes, such as three voltage signals corresponding to
orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes of motion.
[0110] The multiple axis analog signals may then be provided via
channels 3415 to a signal filtering network 3420 for signal
conditioning. Signal conditioning may include a variety of
functions related to improving the quality of the signals provided
to successive stages of signal processing. For example, signal
filtering network 3420 may comprise a lowpass filter to set the
time constant of the system response to changes in the
accelerometer output or to remove higher frequency acceleration
components or noise from the signal. Such a filter may be
implemented via a wide variety of circuits. For example, in one
embodiment a network of capacitors in parallel with the input
signals from each channel may be used.
[0111] The outputs from signal filtering network 3420 may then be
provided to an analog to digital converter 3430. Analog to digital
converter 3430 may then convert the filtered analog input signals
to one or more channels of digitized data representing
accelerations along the associated axes of motion of the device.
The output of the analog to digital converter may then be stored,
buffered, and transmitted to the portable device CPU 3440 (such as
CPU 302 as shown in FIG. 3) and processed by system software as
described in further detail below.
[0112] FIG. 35 illustrates embodiments of certain aspects of
interfaces and processing between the accelerometer hardware and
system software with respect to low level accelerometer signal
storage, buffering, and retrieval. As shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B,
data representing accelerations/motions along one or more axes of
motion may be provided to accelerometer driver software module 3510
from accelerometer hardware, such as motion sensing unit 3400 as
shown in FIG. 34.
[0113] The provided data may then be stored and buffered, as well
as further processed, in driver software module 3510. Storage of
data may be accomplished via a scheduled task running on the
device's operating system, such as a scheduled task running on a
linux operating system. Such a task may be run periodically or
asynchronously based on a time reference such as an operating
system clock, "tick," or other timing signal. In one embodiment, an
asynchronous task may be run approximately once every operating
system "tick" period, which may be set to occur at the rate of 100
Hz.
[0114] At each tick, the X, Y, and Z acceleration data may be
recorded and stored in a circular buffer 3520 which may be
configured in different lengths based on the desired amount of
stored data and system data retrieval timing. The circular buffer
may also have a data structure associated with it that keeps track
of relevant statistics. These may include aggregate statistics on
parameters related to the acceleration data such as mean and
variance of the signal. In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 35B,
driver software module 3510 may also implement higher level signal
processing functions, such as those higher level functions
described in further detail below, or others.
[0115] Driver software module 3510 will generally be configured to
interface with other system software modules to provide data
related to the accelerometer signals. In some embodiments, driver
software module 3510 may interface with the operating system and
other software modules within the portable device via an
application programming interface (API) 3530 as shown in FIGS. 35A
and 35B. The interface mechanism to higher level software may be
implemented in a variety of ways based on different types of
interfaces. One exemplary embodiment uses a file device interface
that dispatches to the accelerometer device driver. The file device
can be used to query the driver for any information that the driver
may contain, such as the instantaneous acceleration and
extrapolated velocity, or the current adaptive noise thresholds as
determined by the running average and variance of the data in the
sample buffer.
[0116] In addition to the conventional interface as described
previously, driver module 3510 may also serve as an interrupt
source, wherein an interrupt is generated based on the acceleration
data, processed results, buffer status, or other related
parameters. The driver module may also serve as a source of polled
data that can be used to emulate the interrupt event. In some
embodiments, a system integrator may use the interrupt mode of the
accelerometer to provide better response to certain events, such as
rapid changes in the portable device position.
[0117] In addition to low level software as described above, a
portable device may also include higher level software modules for
processing accelerometer data to extract related information. Such
software may apply a variety of signal processing algorithms to the
raw accelerometer data to extract useful information. This
information may include a range of related parameters such as
relative angle and position of the portable device, rate of angular
or rectilinear positional change, and other useful parameters. For
example, in some embodiments it may be desirable to measure the
relative angle of the device with respect to a previous or
reference position. In the case of a reference position,
determination of the reference position may be done by calibrating
the device as further described in detail in later sections of this
document discussing calibration. It will be noted that the relative
angle of the device with respect to a reference position may be
given in three dimensional coordinates x, y, and z, as (.theta.,
.phi., .phi.). Given a reference orientation defined as (g.sub.xo,
g.sub.yo, g.sub.zo), and a current orientation defined as (g.sub.x,
g.sub.y, g.sub.z), the relative angle may be approximately
determined simply by the following equation:
.theta.=sin.sup.-1(g.sub.x-g.sub.xo)
.phi.=sin.sup.-1(g.sub.y-g.sub.yo)
.phi.=sin.sup.-1(g.sub.z-g.sub.zo)
Where each of the terms of sin.sup.-1 may be saturated to +1 or -1
as appropriate. In order to improve the fidelity of this operation,
the values of g.sub.n recorded may be oversampled and averaged.
[0118] In some embodiments it may be desirable to determine
relative velocity and position of the device in one or more axes.
As is well known in the art, acceleration is the time derivative of
velocity and velocity is the time derivative of position.
Therefore, velocity, v(x,y,z), and position, p(x,y,z) may be
determined by integrating acceleration, a(x,y,z) as shown
below.
p(x,y,z)=.intg.v(x,y,z)dxdydz=.intg..intg.a(x,y,z)dxdydz
It will be noted that a system based on integration may be
sensitive to offsets in acceleration which may further enhance
errors in calculating velocity and position. Furthermore, when
implementing such a system with discrete time sampled data,
additional errors may be introduced, however, these errors may be
addressed by various means known in the art. In a digital system,
integration such as might be applied to determine velocity or
position may be implemented in the form of a Reimann sum:
.intg. f ( x ) x .apprxeq. i = 1 n f ( x i ) .DELTA. x
##EQU00001##
In such an implementation, the error term can be somewhat minimized
by applying the trapezoidal rule, which yields an error term that
is bounded as follows:
.intg. a b f ( x ) - A trap .ltoreq. M 2 ( b - a ) 3 ( 12 n 2 ) ,
##EQU00002##
where M.sub.2 is the maximum value of the absolute value of f''(x).
Eliminating errors due to the inherent limitations of Reimann
approximation as well as to systematic offsets in the electronics
is not a trivial task. However, as is known in the art, a variety
of techniques, including DC offset cancellation and heuristics to
disable cancellation in the case that an actual gesture is
identified, may be employed.
[0119] Referring now to FIG. 36, a block diagrammatic
representation of certain aspects of one embodiment of a
accelerometer signal processing system is provided. Data buffer
3610 may be used to provide storage and buffering of multiple
samples of raw accelerometer data. Accelerometer data may consist
of multiple samples of data in one or more axes of motion. Data
stored in buffer 3610 may then be provided to one or more signal
processing modules to provide various motion related information.
In some embodiments, data from buffer 3610 may be provided to a
heuristic trend analysis module 3620 configured as a noise offset
discriminator. The output of analysis module 3620, which may be an
offset suppression signal, may then be applied to low pass filter
modules 3642 and 3646 used in conjunction with integration modules
3644 and 3648 to calculate velocity and position data. In addition,
embodiments including heuristic trend analysis may also include a
time delay module 3630 to delay integration of the raw
accelerometer samples a sufficient amount of time to be in
synchronization with the output of heuristic trend analysis module
3620. It will be noted that the use of heuristic filters may
introduce some dead zones in the signal response of the system, but
this can be compensated at higher levels, such as by modifying the
states of the gesture recognition machine, or through the use of a
vector quantizer to snap the location of the portable device in 3
space to one of a small set of known possible locations.
[0120] As further shown in FIG. 36, some embodiments may contain
integration modules such as 3644 and 3648 that integrate
acceleration data to determine velocity based on a first
integration, and position based on a second integration. As
implemented in the embodiment shown in FIG. 36, acceleration
samples are provided to first integrator 3644 which provides an
output that is an approximation of the integral of the input
signal, such as by use of a Riemann sum algorithm or by other
discrete time integration algorithms known in the art. The output,
representative of the velocity of the device, may then be applied
to a lowpass filter module 3642 for purposes of noise and other
error correction. Lowpass filter module 3642 may also apply a
correction signal from heuristic trend analysis module 3620 to
improve noise and error performance. The output of lowpass filter
module 3642 may then be subtracted from the input acceleration
signals in a signal addition module 3632 as part of a closed loop
feedback system. A similar feedback loop, comprising second
integrator module 3648, lowpass filter module 3646, and signal
addition module 3645, may also be provided to integrate the
velocity data in order to provide position data.
[0121] In some embodiments a Kalman filter may be provided to
improve prediction of the device's position, velocity, and
acceleration in the presence of noise. As is known in the art,
Kalman filters are widely used in navigation systems to improve
performance in the presence of limited or inaccurate data samples
and noise. As shown in FIG. 36, a Kalman filter module 3660 may be
provided with acceleration, velocity, and position data from the
associated stages of the signal processing chain. For example,
acceleration data may be provided from data buffer 3610, velocity
data may be provided from the output of first integrator module
3644, and position data may be provided from the output of second
integrator module 3648. The Kalman filter module 3660 may then
process the input signals using filtering methods known in the art
to provide improved positional data. In some embodiments, as shown
in FIG. 36, interpolated position data output from Kalman filter
module 3660 may be provided to a position log 3662, which may also
be provided with a movement suppression signal output from
heuristic trend analysis module 3620. The output of position log
3662, representing an approximation of the relative position, may
then be combined in a vector quantization module 3666 with spacial
calibration data. Spacial calibration data, as described in further
detail in successive sections of this disclosure, may be provide
from a special calibration data module 3664. The vector
quantization module may include quantization routines to limit the
resulting output to a finite set of values, thereby reducing errors
that may be introduced through other processing steps such as
heuristic filters. The resulting output of vector quantization
module 3666, which is representative of the device's absolute
position, may then be provided to an implied position module where
it may be further used by applications or widgets to provide
position related functions.
[0122] In some embodiments a matched filter may be provided to
detect particular motion related signatures. As is known in the
art, a matched filter may be used to detect particular signals by
correlating an incoming signal with a sampled representation of a
desired target signal and making a decision on whether the desired
signal is present based on the output of the correlator. For
example, acceleration data, velocity, or positional data may be
provided to a matched filter module 3690 to detect a particular
motion event such as vibration of the portable device at a
particular frequency. Motion events may be based on either preset
or system programmed target events, or may be programmed by the
user. In some embodiments, matched filter module 3690 may be
provided with one or more reference signals corresponding to
targeted motion profiles such as acceleration, velocity, or
position profiles related to particular targeted movements. Matched
filter module 3690 may then correlate the incoming signals with the
target signals and signal a match when the correlation output
exceeds a preset threshold.
[0123] Alternately, the user may train the matched filter to detect
a particular motion sequence. For example, a user might train the
filter to monitor motion processes related to their washing
machine. The user might do this by selecting a training mode,
placing the device on the washing machine while it is operating
with a particularly desired motion for a specified amount of time,
perhaps 5 seconds, and then recording the motion signature. The
motion signature may then be stored in the matched filter module
3690 as a target signal and the incoming signal could then be
correlated with the target signal to detect the desired motion
signal. As is apparent, a wide variety of other motion related
matched filter applications are possible within the spirit and
scope of the present invention.
[0124] In some embodiments a gesture recognition module 3620 may be
included. Such a module may operate on position data, such as
interpolated position output data from Kalman filter module 3660 to
detect particular position sequences associated with motions of the
device caused by hand movement. A wide range of gesture
implementations are possible. For example, in one embodiment, a
dynamic programming algorithm such as the Viterbi algorithm or a
similar trellis algorithm may be used to determine the most likely
user intended gesture based on the input position profile. In this
implementation, a state diagram may be laid out consisting of the
various legal states and branching conditions that may occur. As
the user traces a trajectory through the state diagram, a maximum
likelihood predictor may be dynamically applied to determine which
gesture is implied by the transaction through state space.
[0125] To further illustrate one possible example, the device may
be configured with 4 control motions providing four different
functions based on rotation about 2 orthogonal axes X and Y.
Rotation in one direction about the X axis controls the first
motion, rotation in the opposite direction controls the second, and
likewise for the 2 directions along the Y axis. Applying the
positional data to the gesture recognition module 3650 results in
detection of both the corresponding axis and direction of rotation
for device movements. This information may then be provided to
other applications or widgets to provide associated
functionality.
[0126] As discussed previously with respect to FIG. 36, portable
devices may include modules implementing gesture recognition
functionality, such as through gesture recognition module 3680. A
wide range of gesture recognition applications are possible. In
some embodiments gesture recognition may be based on pitch and roll
axes of motion to control a pair of horizontal and vertical scroll
bars. As illustrated in FIG. 37, the portable device may be moved
as shown by the arrows and the associated device motion may be
detected. This process may be used in place of a keyboard or mouse
in widgets or applications where text scrolling is required.
Alternately, the portable device may be moved in a rectilinear
fashion as shown by the arrows in FIG. 38 where the device is used
to trace out the position on the screen, and then the device may be
moved up or down to emulate the equivalent of a mouse click.
Operation in the rectilinear mode may require sampling the
accelerometer at a high rate and double integrating the
acceleration data, as shown in FIG. 36, to derive the device
position.
[0127] A range of processing may be further applied such as
adaptive detection and cancellation of accelerometer drift and
static offsets within the integration process. There may also be
need for application of intelligence in interpreting the resultant
positional readings as these translate into screen coordinates,
because the human user's perception of linear motion is tempered by
the total range of linear motion allowed. For example, a common
problem when using a mouse is that the area for mouse usage is
smaller than the area traced on the screen, requiring the user to
pick up the mouse and replace it on the mouse pad. Intelligence
algorithms may be applied to monitor the acceleration profiles to
detect and correct differences between re-centering a device and
the actual movement and clicking motions made by the user.
[0128] Another mode of operation using gesture recognition may be
implemented using common gestures in a form of sign language. For
example, a series of sign language motions for particular words or
expressions could be predefined. Flipping a portable device upside
down and shaking it, like one might shake a piggy bank, could be
defined to switch the portable device to a stock portfolio
application or widget. Other common gestures, such as those
associated with frustration, affection, or simple symbols, could be
used as a method of activating a particular behavior on the device.
Other embodiments could allow the user to throw the device and
measure how fast it has been thrown, or acceleration data could be
stored on the device in non-volatile memory to indicate that the
device is no longer in warranty because it was thrown or dropped
too hard. It will be noted that all of the above profiles could be
used in a variety of applications from video game interfaces to
control panel configurations.
[0129] In certain embodiments portable devices may use a bend
sensor to detect when the device is squeezed by a user.
Alternately, the accelerometer and associated modules may also be
trained to recognize this type of gesture. In particular, there are
at least two types of motions that portable devices may be
configured to learn that are specific to soft devices. The first is
denoted here as the squeeze, and the second is denoted as the
squish. A squeeze motion occurs when a user takes the device and
compresses it in their hands, as may be done with a stress ball or
similar device. This may cause the accelerometer to deflect in a
characteristic velocity and tilt profile. As previously discussed
with reference to FIG. 36, a matched filter such as matched filter
3690 may be either pre-programmed based on calibrated squeeze
motions or user programmed based on their specific squeeze motion
to recognize the squeeze gesture. Subsequent squeeze motions may
then be detected based on correlating a squeeze motion with the
pre-programmed motion sequence in the matched filter. Such as
process could be used either in conjunction with bend sensors or as
a replacement for a bend sensor in certain embodiments.
[0130] A squish motion occurs when a user pushes a portable device
down on a hard surface, such as a table, similar to pushing off an
alarm clock sounding in the morning. This type of motion can be
detected through a variety of mechanisms, including matched
filtering, acceleration profiling, tilt detection, or by other
means. As defined, the difference in detection of a squeeze motion
versus a squish motion lies in the way the device is manipulated. A
squeeze motion compresses the device primarily depth-wise, while a
squish motion compresses the device height-wise. It will be
recognized, however, that both motions are related to the more
general motion related detection processes and systems described
previously.
[0131] In some embodiments, portable devices may use the
accelerometer and related modules to detect and track the position
of the device within a building. For example, in some embodiments
the device may be configured to detect and track which room it is
currently located in. In order to determine location in this way,
it is assumed that the device is fitted with proper hardware and
software to allow it to operate in a portable, mobile mode. In the
simplest implementation, the X, Y, and Z accelerations are double
integrated, such as is illustrated in FIG. 36, and position is
determined. As previously noted, absolute position determination
applying this approach may be difficult because of introduction of
noise and system errors. In particular, position errors may
accumulate rapidly because the double integral required to convert
acceleration into position tends to accumulate error factors at a
square law rate. Nevertheless, there are a variety of ways of
addressing these problems as discussed in further detail below.
[0132] With reference to FIGS. 39A & 39B, in one embodiment,
the portable device may be used in two distinct operating modes
related to location detection. The first mode is denoted as a
training mode, and the second is a running mode.
[0133] In the training mode, as illustrated in FIG. 39A, the user
holds the device at a reference position resting spot in step 3910,
such as in a reference position in the first room. The user then
makes a gesture initiating a training session in step 3912, by for
example, pressing the screen or squeezing the device to generate a
start signal. The device then performs a step 3914 of recording
data and computing position. The process may be continued by
picking up the device in step 3916 and moving to another position
such as a reference position in another room. Once in the next
position, the user again makes a gesture in step 3918 and continues
the training in step 3920 until completion of training is signaled
by a user supplied indication in step 3922 such as another gesture.
The device may then complete any associated training and
calibration calculations in step 3924. This process may be repeated
at step 3920 by returning to step 3916 until all rooms have been
trained. In one exemplary embodiment, there is a preference that
the user return to the first room and position, then notify the
device that it is in the original reference position, whereupon the
device determines overall drift and error factors over the entire
trajectory.
[0134] In the second mode, denoted the running mode, as illustrated
in FIG. 39B, the portable device may set a dead zone around the
accelerometer, which may be determined based on the overall drift
and error factors, so that it avoids integrating noise and static
offsets. As shown in FIG. 39B, a user may start operation by
picking up the device at step 3950, whereupon the device begins
determining position based on integrating acceleration in step
3952. There may also be additional intermediate movement steps as
the user moves the device around a room or other trained area.
[0135] As the user moves the device, various errors may place the
devices in a location that is not identical to any of the
previously trained locations. In this case, the device may
determine the nearest trained location in step 3956, by for
example, calculating the magnitude of the vector between the
current inferred location and the previously memorized locations.
The device may then apply processing to "snap" (i.e. quantize) the
position to the nearest trained location in step 3958. This
snapping process may be used to help eliminate some or all of the
drift factors that may accumulate over time and may be repeated as
the user moves the device from place to place. It will be noted
that this approach may have some weaknesses. For example, if the
user cannot decide where to place the device, it may end up in a
slightly different location each time it is put down. Presumably,
however, each room will be large compared to the relative error in
the placement of the device so the snapping routine will still
place the device close to the desired position. Further, it will be
noted that if the device is turned off, moved, then turned on again
in a different location, it will generally not know where it is, so
a user may be required to provide the current position to the
device. This may be done by telling the device, via a menu, which
of the previously trained locations it is closest to.
[0136] These motion tracking features may be used to implement a
number of clever and fun applications on a portable device,
especially if the device is coordinated with data from a central
server so that the device has some knowledge or awareness of other
the portable or similar devices in it's vicinity. In addition,
these motion tracking features can be used to implement security
features. For example, if a device is moved without a known user
entering a security code, it may be configured to sound an alarm.
Alternately, it could be hung on a door handle to provide an alarm
or door chime when moved.
[0137] As previously discussed with reference to FIG. 36, a
portable device may be trained to detect a particular motion
pattern using a matched filter. For example, a device may be
programmed to detect when motion on a washing machine stops and
then send a message to another device indicating that the washing
process is finished. The other device may then indicate to a user,
by a variety of means such as audible or visual indicators, that
the wash is finished. In other embodiments, a device may be
configured to detect a motion pattern associated with earth
movement, such as a vibration associated with a earthquake. In this
mode a seismometer widget could be continuously or intermittently
run so that when targeted earth movements occur the position, time,
magnitude, and other parameters could be reported to a central
server or local or remote user. This implementation might be used
by geologists or seismologists to create more detailed maps of
seismic activity than have been previously available.
[0138] In some embodiments it may be desirable to provide for
calibration of the portable device. It will be noted that there are
a variety of methods for calibrating a device either based on a
known reference position or relative to the current device
position. Due to natural static offsets in the accelerometer, it
may not be possible to determine, based on a particular analog
output such as a voltage, a representative fixed tilt angle. As a
consequence, in some embodiments it may only be possible to
reliably determine the relative angle of the device given an
initial starting point. Therefore, in some embodiments calibration
of the device may be an important step prior to operation.
[0139] In one exemplary embodiment of a calibration procedure as
illustrated in FIG. 40, a portable device may use the multimedia
capabilities described in other sections of this and other related
disclosures to aid in calibration. In this embodiment, the user
initiates the calibration process by, for example, providing an
initiation gesture in step 4010. Once the process has been started,
the device then instructs the user to place it on a surface, such
as by placing it down on a table as in step 4012. The device then
performs calibration calculations, determines the calibrated
position, and notifies the user in step 4012 by, for example,
making a beep or other sound or visual indication that the process
is complete. Following the notification of step 4012, the user may
then signal the device in step 4016, by, for example, squeezing the
device. The device may then notify the user to return it to an
upright position in step 4018. Because most tables in modern
countries are flat with respect to gravitational attractive forces,
this process can be used to establish a well-known, fixed geometry
with respect to the earth as a calibration or reference point.
Interfaces with Virtual Worlds
[0140] In some embodiments a Chumby device may be configured and
operative to interface to one or more virtual worlds, such as the
virtual world known as Second Life.RTM., accessible at
http://www.secondlife.com. Features of such an interface may
include, but are not limited to, display of content from the
virtual world on a Chumby device, interaction through a Chumby
device with other users and features of the virtual world, display
and interaction with avatars on the Chumby device and in the
virtual world, monitoring of virtual world activities, and other
features and functions.
[0141] Virtual worlds allow users to interact with other users,
typically using avatars to represent the users in the virtual
world. In a virtual world users may be presented with a type of
"virtual webcam," where virtual world services such as Second
Life.RTM., World of Warcraft, Toontown, Entropia Universe, and
others host a machine or group of network machines or servers to
render views into the virtual world from a variety of vantage
points. Virtual worlds may include rendered versions of practically
any feature of the real world, as well as fantasy features and
functions that do not or could not exist in the real world. Example
features include parks, meeting places, stores, battle areas, and a
wide variety of other public and private places. Users, in the form
of avatars, may be able to navigate the virtual world in a variety
of ways including by walking as in the real world, or by other ways
such as by flying.
[0142] User interaction with virtual worlds may be analogized to a
webcam that may be described as a "virtual webcam," providing a
webcam like view into the virtual world. Once the world is created
and user avatars are instantiated, the interaction may become much
like a real webcam, where images are streamed on demand to client
applications. Typical virtual world interaction is done via a
personal computer (PC) where the user accesses the virtual world
via a web browser interface or standalone desktop application and
navigates and interacts with the virtual world using PC controls
such as a mouse and keyboard.
[0143] Aspects of the present invention include extending
interaction with the virtual world to a mobile, and/or portable
device such as a Chumby device. In some embodiments there may be an
authentication process to allow a Chumby device to interface and
interact with the virtual world. Alternately, in some embodiments,
as is done with many webcams, no authentication may be necessary or
used. In some embodiments no user avatar may be provided in
conjunction with access via the portable device, however, in other
embodiments the normal user avatar or a unique device specific
avatar such as an avatar representing a camera, Chumby device, a
combination of camera and Chumby device, or another similar type of
avatar may be provided in the virtual world.
[0144] In some embodiments user access to a virtual world may be
limited to a fixed or stationary position wherein the user may be
able to see, hear, or otherwise sense activities in the virtual
world but may not be able to move around within the virtual world.
Alternately, in some embodiments an interface may be configured to
allow the user to move around within the virtual world using
controls provided on the portable device. For example, controls
associated with a Chumby device such as those described elsewhere
in this document may be configured and operative to allow the user
to move around within and interact with the virtual world in a
similar fashion to the movements and interactions effected via PC
based controls.
[0145] In some embodiments user interaction with the virtual world
via the portable device may be limited to monitoring activities for
those of interest to the user, wherein the user may then access the
virtual world through a PC or other access means to participate in
any available event or activities. For example, the portable device
may be configured and operative to monitor the virtual world for
some defined event, such as a big battle, unexpected crowd
activity, friends showing up, or other targeted activity, and then
notify the user through any available notification mechanism that
an event of interest is occurring. In response, the user may then
access the virtual world through their PC and engage in the
associated event or activity.
[0146] Alternately, in some embodiments the portable device may be
configured and operative to allow the user limited or full
engagement with the virtual world through control devices and
functions described herein as well as through audible and visual
display devices, such as speakers, buzzers, LEDs, LCDs, LCD display
panels, and/or other audible, visual, tactile or motion related
devices.
[0147] Many virtual worlds provide interfaces allowing users to
interact with the service provider using existing infrastructure.
Interfaces such as these may be used to allow a portable device to
interact with the virtual world without requiring changes to the
existing infrastructure. For example, Second Life.RTM. provides a
mechanism in which users can interact with custom in-game objects
via XML-RPC. In one embodiment, this interface and associated
protocols may be used to allow a portable device to interact with
objects and processes real-time information. Second Life provides a
representative example OSX dashboard widget, at
http://secondlife.com/devdown/detail.php?pid=00000005, designed by
Sweet Vitriol (http://www.sweetvitriol.com) that implements such
functionality.
[0148] In the following description and examples of systems and
methods for interaction with virtual worlds, steps and
configurations are shown in conjunction with devices, processes,
and methods associated with embodiments of the invention. It will
be recognized that a variety of alternate steps and configurations
may be used, and therefore those described and shown in the figures
are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not in any
way intended to be limiting unless explicitly so stated.
[0149] Attention is now directed to FIG. 41 which illustrates one
embodiment of a workflow for configuration and interaction between
a portable device such as a Chumby device and a virtual world such
as Second Life.RTM.. As shown in FIG. 41, a user may first be
provided with a means or option to select a virtual web cam widget
(VWCW) in step 4110 and add it to one of their widget "channels" as
described elsewhere herein. The widget may then be displayed on the
user's portable device in a fashion as described elsewhere
herein.
[0150] The user may be provided with a means or option to configure
the VWCW based on relevant configuration parameters in step 4115.
In one embodiment the configuration parameters may include the ID
of the virtual world. Alternately, there may be one or more
specific widgets for each virtual world where two or more virtual
worlds are accessed. Each widget may also be configured with
identification information for the virtual world being accessed.
For example, identification information may include a
username/password combination or some other type of security key,
token, or other identification means. In some virtual worlds
identification may not be needed or used to allow either limited or
full entry and access. For example, in some embodiments a user may
be able to gain limited or even full access to features and
functions of the virtual world without having to enter
identification information. In one embodiment a user may be able to
view a specific location such as a previous location, default
location, random location, neutral location, or other location in
the virtual world upon connection. Other variations on access and
initial user positioning within the virtual world are also
envisioned within the scope of the present invention.
[0151] The user may then be provided with a means for "playing" the
widget on the portable device. For example, in one embodiment, a
Chumby device may retrieve and instantiate a widget to be "played"
using a method such as those described herein, where playback
consists of execution of operations of the widget associated with
configuration, connection, and operation of the widget in
conjunction with the virtual world. Widget "playing" may be
executed on associated hardware, software, firmware, interface
devices, and other related elements. Once widget playing has begun,
the widget may then contact the virtual world in step 4120 over an
available interconnection pathway such as the Internet, wired or
wireless networks, or other networks such as the telecommunications
network. The access protocol will vary depending on the type of
connection and service. For example, in some embodiments the
XML-RPC protocol may be used.
[0152] The widget may then authenticate the user to the virtual
world service in step 4125. For example, the user may use the
secure identification proxy on the Chumby web site or authenticate
directly with the service at its web site, such as at
http://www.secondlife.com.
[0153] The widget may then retrieve information from the virtual
world site at step 4130. Such information may include data, files,
objects, application programs, controls, or other information
provided in such a way as to allow the widget to interact with the
virtual world and user. For example, the virtual world may provide
data to allow a Chumby device to render a view on a display screen
such as an LCD display on the device. The data may also allow
audible information, speech, music, videos, sounds, buzzers,
visible displays, or other content or indicators to be output by
the portable device. In some embodiments the information link may
be configured to provide data in a primarily unidirectional
fashion, wherein content associated with the virtual world is
displayed and/or played back audibly on the portable device.
Alternately, in some embodiments the information link may be
bi-directional allowing content delivery from the virtual world
site to the portable device as well as content and/or control
information to be sent from the portable device to the virtual
world site. For example, in some embodiments the portable device
and associated widget may be configured and operative to allow a
user to control operations in the virtual world such as changing
views, panning, tilting, zooming, or moving around within the
virtual world. In addition, in some embodiments users may be able
to upload content to the virtual world and signal or otherwise
interact with other users and associated avatars in the virtual
world.
[0154] FIG. 42 illustrates the workflow of another embodiment of
aspects of the present invention directed towards configuration of
a virtual webcam widget (VWCW) on a web site, such as a Chumby
device configuration website. As shown in FIG. 42, a portable
device such as a Chumby device first prompts a user to select a
VWCW from an available set of widgets in step 4210. The widget may
conform to a general virtual world interface and configuration or
may be associated with access to a particular virtual world or
virtual worlds, such as, for example, a widget configured for
operation specifically with Second Life.RTM.. The device may then
allow the user to add the selected VWCW to a widget channel in step
4215. The device may then configure the VWCW with configuration
parameters in step 4220. Such configuration parameters may include
a virtual world ID, authentication information for a user's account
in the virtual world such as a userid and password, or other
configuration parameters. The device may then accept the widget
configuration in step 4225 or the device may prompt the user or
system for additional or different configuration if the provided
information is inadequate. The device may then select the widget
channel in step 4230 to play on the user's portable device such as
the user's Chumby device.
[0155] FIG. 43 illustrates another embodiment of aspects of the
present invention related to portable device interaction with a
virtual world service provider. It is noted that the steps shown
and described with respect to FIG. 43 are illustrative only and not
intended to limit the scope of the invention, and that other step
orderings and combinations including some or all of the present
steps as well as additional steps not shown are envisioned. As
shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 43, operation may begin
with a portable device such as a Chumby device prompting the user
in step 4310 to execute an application program, i.e., "play" a
channel, which includes a virtual webcam widget (VWCW). The
portable device may then instantiate, i.e. load and play, one or
more VWCWs at step 4315. The VWCW s may be generally configured to
interact with virtual worlds and/or may be configured to interact
with a specific virtual world, such as the Second Life.RTM. virtual
world. In some embodiments multiple VWCWs may be provided to
interact sequentially or simultaneously with one or more virtual
worlds.
[0156] Once instantiated, the VWCW may send a request to a virtual
world service provider at step 4320, such as at a web page URL
associated with a virtual world. In one representative example, the
Second Life.RTM. top level domain, www.secondlife.com, may have one
or more associated URLs for access and interface to the virtual
world. The virtual world service (VWS) may be hosted on a range of
hardware and software, such as a virtual world server or servers
running one or more programs implementing the virtual world. The
request may be transmitted between the Chumby device and the
virtual world service by any available means of communication
included wired Internet connections, wireless connections such as
Wi-Fi, telecommunications interfaces, or other available wired or
wireless connection means. The request may use a standard
communications protocol, such as the XML-RPC protocol, which is a
simple protocol using XML to encode calls and HTTP as a transport
mechanism. For example, Second Life.RTM. provides a mechanism in
which users can interact with custom virtual world objects via
XML-RPC. It is also noted that other protocols may be used.
[0157] Once a request has been transmitted to the VWS, the VWS may
process the request according to a supported protocol and
procedures in step 4325. In some embodiments, the VWS may provide
for direct access without additional user identification. In other
embodiments, however, the VWS may require an identification and/or
authentication step 4330 prior to establish a connection.
Authentication may include typical authentication procedures based
on a userid and password, or may use other alternate identification
procedures. If ID/Authentication is used, the VWS may then send an
ID/Authorization request to the portable device requesting the
desired information. In some embodiments the portable device may be
configured to respond directly to the request, however, in other
embodiments such as that shown in FIG. 43, the ID/Authorization
request may be forwarded to a proxy in step 4335, such as a virtual
world authentication proxy on the Chumby web site. The proxy may
then retrieve authentication information from a database, such as a
VWCW database including ID/Authentication data or records for the
particular portable device and/or user seeking VWS access. The
proxy may then send a response to the VWS in step 4345, where it is
subsequently processed by the VWS at step 4350. At this point, the
VWS may process the request by rejecting authorization and
transferring execution to another step such as step 4330 as shown
in FIG. 43 to repeat the process, may accept the response and
transfer execution to another step such as step 4355, or may
execute alternate or additional steps (not shown in FIG. 43).
[0158] At this point, a session token may be generated and sent
from the VWS to the portable device in step 4355. The portable
device may then cache the token and request data from the virtual
world in step 4365. In one exemplary embodiment, the portable
device may request location or positional data from the VWS in step
4365 so that it may render an image of the present virtual world
location such as might be shown by a standard webcam. Additional or
alternate data may also be requested such as text, audible, other
visual, or similar types of data about the virtual world or other
virtual world users/avatars.
[0159] In step 4370 the VWS may process the data request, such as
by processing a request for location information, and then
retrieve, process, and send virtual world data, such as location
view data, to the portable device in step 4375. Once the data is
received at the personal device, the VWCW may then process the data
as necessary in step 4380, and render a view, other images, audio,
text, or related content at step 4384. In some embodiments this
process may be repeated until the user provides an input to stop or
change processing. In other embodiments, additional optional steps
such as step 4386 may be provided to allow user manipulation of the
interaction with the virtual world. For example, in a personal
device playing an appropriately configured widget, a user may be
able to effect controls such as zoom, pan, tilt, rotation,
translation, and other functions. The associated information may be
sent to the virtual world in order to enable the interaction, and
an associated request for new or additional data may be sent in
step 4388 to the VWS to update the personal device display and/or
output to reflect the user's manipulations. Process execution may
then return to step 4370 where new location or other data is
requested and sent to the personal device/NWCW.
Security and Authentication Systems and Methods
[0160] In some embodiments a Chumby device and associated system
may be configured to provide user authentication and security. It
is noted that the embodiments described herein are illustrative
only and not intended to be limiting. Other embodiments in keeping
within the spirit and scope of the invention are fully contemplated
herein.
[0161] In order to clarify some of the details of the embodiments
described herein, a number of acronyms or abbreviations, including
those described below, may be used, along with others known in the
art.
[0162] OAS Open Architecture Specification
[0163] P.sub.AQS,X Public Key number X of the widget server
[0164] P.sub.CC,X Public Key number X of the chumby client
[0165] S.sub.AQS,X Private Key number X of the widget server
[0166] S.sub.CC,x Private Key number X of the chumby client
[0167] WS Widget Server
[0168] AQS Authorization Query Server
[0169] ID The ID number for a Chumby device
[0170] PID A putative ID
[0171] CP Crypto Processor
[0172] CC Chumby Client (inclusive of CP)
[0173] RFSn Root Filesystem n
[0174] Kn Kernel n
[0175] PSP Persistent storage partition
[0176] BL Bootloader
[0177] ONSSA Off-Network Secure Signing Agent
[0178] BORE Break once everywhere
[0179] MITM Man-in-the-middle
[0180] DoS Denial of Service
[0181] Rx Random number X
[0182] Tx Time stamp X
[0183] RNG Random Number Generator
[0184] 3PS Third party server
[0185] OK.sub.x Owner key number X (symmetric key)
[0186] ST.sub.x Security Token number X
[0187] H(x) Hash of X, in an exemplary embodiment SHA-1 of X
[0188] E(x,k) x encrypted with key k
[0189] In typical embodiments, a Chumby device is an open
architecture Internet client for push-content delivery (as, for
example, is described elsewhere in this document with respect to
various embodiments). One advantage of such a device is that it can
simplify the Internet experience. However, a major technical
challenge is how to do this without compromising a user's privacy
or security. This presents challenges including ensuring that
authentic content is delivered to users (for example, anti-spam,
anti-phishing, anti-trojan), as well as how to proxy, in a secure
fashion, third-party authentication to the client (as would be
required if one wished to view their email, bank balance, or other
personal information on a portable device such as a Chumby client).
These tasks must be done without hiding secrets from the user or
restricting users from repurposing the Chumby for applications
unrelated to the primary service, such as those described elsewhere
herein.
[0190] For example, it may be undesirable for a Chumby device to
own or know about the user's email or bank passwords. In that
situation it is important that users ultimately retain control over
their third-party keys even though they may be stored physically on
a Chumby server in embodiments such as are described elsewhere
herein.
[0191] For exemplary embodiments of security systems and methods it
may be desirable to implement one or more of the following tasks:
authenticating a Chumby client while preserving, as much as
commercially possible, the privacy of users; enabling
authenticity/integrity checking of delivered content to a client;
enabling a revocable mechanism for lease of security authentication
facilities to third-party providers; enabling owner-override by
deleting all secrets in the system upon owner's request via a
hardware-enabled path; enabling owner token-revocation by
encrypting all security tokens in the Chumby database to keys
stored on the Chumby client only; as well as other tasks.
[0192] In order to address these needs, a basic authentication and
token transfer protocol may be used. In conjunction with the
particular security protocol used, basic assumptions may be made
regarding the security needs of the particular system. For example,
in one exemplary embodiment it will be assumed that the value of
secrets to be protected by the security system is less than $300,
and the mean duration of the secret value will be less than four
years. It is anticipated that secrets will typically expire due to
obsolescence, such as by obsolescence due to password changes,
hardware turnover, third party software migration, account changes,
or imposed password limits. An optional secondary mechanism
employing a force-flush of encrypted secrets at designated times or
time intervals may also be employed. It will be noted that the
systems and methods as described herein may be implemented in
similar or analogous fashion based on different assumptions from
those above.
[0193] Attention is now directed to FIG. 44, which illustrates a
typical client-server architecture for a Chumby or other device in
which may be implemented embodiments of systems and methods
consistent with the present invention.
Client Element
Open Client with Tamper-Resistant Crypto Processor
[0194] A typical Chumby system will include a Chumby device (Chumby
client) 4410 as shown in FIG. 44, capable of providing connectivity
via wired or wireless networks to one or more Chumby servers and/or
other networks and servers. A Chumby client may be configured to
consist of two parts: an open client based on a core processor
4412; and an open but lightly tamper-resistant cryptographic (also
denoted herein as crypto) processor 4414. The open client will
typically be considered to be untrusted, as it will typically be an
unmaintained, unverified linux host with open network ports. As a
result, no secrets should be placed on it. There may be, however, a
need or desire to provide a location for users to store secret
information such as passwords or other private information. It is
assumed that a user cannot simply trust Chumby services/servers
with security tokens since in a typical embodiment the Chumby
server is relatively closed and difficult for a user to inspect or
regulate. Moreover, a Chumby can potentially be compromised by
subpoena or hacker, or the user may wish to cancel an account or
subscription and be fairly sure that Chumby cannot later use these
tokens for other purposes. Therefore, other solutions are
required.
[0195] One approach is to include a lightly tamper-resistant crypto
processor (CP) 4414 in a Chumby device for use in facilitating
security and authentication of the device consistent with aspects
of the invention. A principle property of a typical implementation
of a CP such as CP 4414 is that its execution path should be in a
separate and unreachable domain from the core processor, making it
much more difficult to create software-only attacks that can
compromise secrets stored in the CP. The CP 4414 may also be
configured in an open way, and its entire source code,
specification and schematics may be published as well.
[0196] The CP 4414 may be configured to contain a set of Private
Keys (PRKs) and Owner Keys (OKs). Note that no third-party
authentication tokens will normally be stored in the CP. The CP
will typically be used as a front-line authentication device to a
Closed Server (CS), which can then store secrets in an environment
that is constantly monitored (such as a network operations center
(NOC)). This approach is not intended to be completely foolproof.
Rather, it is intended to provide a commercially reasonable
assurance that secrets cannot be abused, and more importantly
provide a quick and easy path for remedying and detecting most
security breaks.
[0197] In order to save on costs, in some embodiments the CP may be
configured so that it does not generate its own private keys, as
generating a large set of private keys requires a high-quality
entropy source and significant amounts of computational power. The
CP's keys may instead be generated by a testing machine in a
factory, and controls must be placed on the key generating machine
in the factory to ensure that it is not logging the private keys it
generates. It will nevertheless be apparent that other means of
generating and providing security keys as are known in the art may
also be used
Requirements of the CP
[0198] In typical embodiments of the present invention the CP
implements one or more of the following features (typically all of
the them). However, it should be understood that the principles of
the present invention are not limited to any particular combination
of such features.
[0199] the CP implements elements of RSA PKCS #1; the CP will
generally be configured to be capable of storing at least 16
1024-bit RSA key pairs (with an option to go up to 30 1024-bit key
pairs with tighter memory packing); the CP will generally be
capable of storing at least 16 128-bit symmetric keys; a pair of
pins used to implement a serial TTL level protocol to the Chumby
client processor; the serial protocol is implemented for
communication with the core processor per a serial protocol spec,
such as the one outlined in detail in a subsequent section; an
n-deep authentication queue with immediate response and delayed
flushing (i.e., the queries from the queue may be responded to
immediately, but the answered queries persist in the queue for at
least a few minutes before being flushed and queries that overflow
the queue are ignored); the reset pin of the CP is tied to the
client's reset pin in a method that is inconvenient to bypass (to
prevent resetting of the CP without resetting the core processor to
bypass the authentication query time-out); an external pin (the
"SETAC_ASTRONOMY" pin) is made available that enables a user to
destroy the secrets inside a CP (this is the equivalent of an
"owner override" feature in the presence of an environment where
the owner's identity cannot be easily established over an attacker,
assuming a hostile physical environment); and an optional "user
presence" pin which is connected to a button to verify the user's
physical presence at the device when necessary; all other pins may
be ignored or otherwise passivated on the CP. In addition, optional
features may include: a method for preventing back-door hardware
access to secure ROM contents (e.g., a security fuse to prevent
code/data readout via JTAG or programmer); the JTAG port may be
made available to test equipment so that it is easy to audit if the
CP implements the anti-JTAG readout ROM fuse.
[0200] As noted above, an immediate-response, delayed-flush
authentication queue feature may be implemented to meet one or both
of the following competing requirements: (1) A requirement that a
Chumby client rapidly authenticates itself to a server, even in an
environment where network connectivity is spotty and packets can be
dropped, thereby mandating a retry of the authentication sequence;
(2) A requirement that the Chumby client be robust against an
attack where a user can hack their Chumby and use their CP as a
query server so that other Chumbys can proxy their authentication
requests through the CP on the hacked Chumby.
[0201] The authentication queue's time-out may be configurable by
the system architect based upon the use model for the
authentication. The time-out essentially limits the rate of
"authentication leakage" to less than one unit every few minutes
minus the regular authentication queries mandated by the system
design. In one exemplary embodiment it is suggested that the server
re-authenticate a Chumby device once every 46 minutes, with a
time-out of 15 minutes. A depth three authentication queue may be
provided to help ensure that up to three queries can be immediately
and quickly serviced when network connectivity is spotty and the
authentication must retry several times due to excessive packet
loss.
[0202] Another feature that can be used in place of, or in addition
to, the immediate-response, delayed-flush authentication queue is
the "User Presence" input 4416. This feature also satisfies feature
(2), but in a different manner that enables a different range of
use models. The mode for usage may be configured in the factory
depending on the system architect's usage model. The User Presence
input may be connected to a simple button on the device. The
principle of operation is that the CP will not allow an
authentication to happen unless someone is present to push the User
Presence button. Since the User Presence button is connected
directly to the CP hardware, there is no way for an intruder that
has gained control of the primary CPU to spoof this signal. The
protocol is constructed so that when a high-confidence
authentication sequence is requested (such as prior to performing a
financial transaction), the user is required to push the User
Presence button. Pushing this button authorizes the CP to perform
exactly one authentication transaction. Therefore, a remote
attacker attempting to execute a relay attack on the system by
sending rogue authentication requests to the CP is typically
denied, because nobody is present to hit the User Presence button.
In the case that the attacker does manage to time an attack to
"steal" the single authentication sequence that the user has
authorized, then the legitimate user will be denied their
authentication and will be immediately informed about the breach.
Thus, one can see that while the system does not perfectly prevent
authentication theft, it is constructed such that it is unlikely a
user can have their identity stolen without being immediately
notified of the problem. Obviously, the system does not protect
against an attacker that is physically present to press the User
Presence button, although the use of two-factor authentication
(such as a PIN code entered via the touchscreen) can mitigate that
risk.
[0203] In a typical embodiment, the queue may be implemented as a
counter in the main loop of the code. Every time the loop executes,
it checks the real time clock and decrements an expiration timer.
Whenever the expiration timer runs out, the authentication count is
decremented until it hits a value of zero. Whenever an
authorization request is performed, the authorization count
variable is immediately incremented. Authorization requests are
denied if the count variable value exceeds the preset authorization
maximum value. Authorization count saturates at the maximum value;
it does not accumulate beyond the maximum value so as to prevent a
denial of service attack on the device from a rogue program
spamming the CP with authorization requests.
[0204] A depth 3 queue is suggested because it is highly unlikely
for a network request to fail three times in a row to the
authorization server. Higher or lower level queues may be used;
however, if the network connectivity is sufficiently poor that the
authorization request packet fails to return to the server three
times within 46 minutes then the network is likely performing
poorly enough that the user experience is not adequate anyway.
Server Element: Closed Server with Split Domains
[0205] In addition to the client side Chumby device, a typical
Chumby system will include one or more servers 4420 as shown in
FIG. 44. In a typical system, the preservation of user privacy is
an important goal of the authentication systems described herein,
and consequently a Closed Server (CS) with split domains may be
provided and configured to consist of two physically distinct
computers/servers. The use of two physically distinct computers
enables user authentication information to be strongly partitioned
from private user information. Although in typical embodiments such
a closed server system may be used, the invention is not intended
to be so limited, and other embodiments with more open connections
to and/or between the servers may also be used in some
applications.
[0206] One of these physically distinct computers is denoted herein
as a "Widget Server" (WS) 4422, and the other is denoted herein as
an Authentication Query Server (AQS) 4424. One embodiment of these
elements is illustrated as server system 4420 shown in FIG. 44. The
WS 4422 is the externally-visible server that every Chumby client
contacts to retrieve widgets as is described elsewhere in this
document. The AQS 4424 is an intranet-only server that can only be
contacted by the WS, typically through a dedicated protocol and
medium. The WS has no knowledge of any authentication tokens, but
it does contain all of the personal preferences and settings of the
users. The AQS has no knowledge of who/what a user is, but it can
verify the authenticity of tokens.
[0207] In a typical system embodiment, the public keys are all
stored and indexed on the AQS 4424, and the private keys are
distributed among Client Devices 4410.
[0208] A single piece of information a Putative ID (Pill)--may be
used to share the authentication status of a user. Each Chumby
client may have one or more PIDs stored on it, with the PIDs
typically independent from the device ID. A WS may index its
databases on the PID key, and the AQS may index its database on the
PID or a secure hash of the PID. The hash of the PID may be used to
index the AQS to increase the system's privacy robustness in the
case that an intruder compromises the AQS database. In a typical
transaction, the WS simply asks the AQS, "is this PID authentic?"
and the AQS simply responds with a yes or a no answer.
[0209] Alternately, if a user is disciplined about not divulging
private information, they may enjoy the benefits of using the
Chumby service to proxy passwords to their secure accounts, yet not
be identifiable as a particular individual. On the other hand,
certain practical conveniences are typically conferred through the
exchange of identifying information (such as credit card payments).
Corporate policy associated with deployment of Chumby systems may
be established such that owners are educated on the risks of such
conveniences. However, even if a user does divulge certain private
information, the fact that the widget server may be configured to
be oblivious to which exact physical Chumby is being authenticated
(only the AQS knows this, but the AQS is oblivious to which exact
user is being authenticated) creates a layer of possible
deniability in certain scenarios.
Server Element: Owner-Managed Token Database
[0210] In order for a WS to work as a proxy for security tokens,
the security tokens should typically be stored somewhere on the WS.
Accumulating millions of users' private security tokens and writing
them into a single database is problematic for many reasons,
including but not limited to the difficulty of maintaining the
security of something so valuable, the threat of a subpoena
intended for a single user inadvertently leading to the leak of all
the users tokens, and also the fact that this requires the user to
trust the Chumby network to manage his or her keys. In general, the
user should not be required to trust the Chumby network, as the
user would typically have no reason to do so. Therefore, in typical
embodiments users will be empowered to manage their own keys
remotely.
[0211] In order to facilitate this process, a set of "owner keys"
(OKs) may be stored on the CP. An OK may comprise a 128-bit
symmetric cipher key. The OKs may be used to encrypt the security
tokens that the user hands over to the Chumby network. Each client
may have or be provided with a set of unique OKs that are not
shared with any other client.
[0212] The WS only stores E(ST, OKx), where E(x,k) denotes the
encryption of message x with key k, so that even if the entire
security token (ST) database were compromised the attacker cannot
decrypt security tokens without first contacting every client in
the database and requesting the corresponding OK. This is
complicated by the fact that the client may not respond to queries
for the OK without first verifying authenticity through the
certifying public keys, which can only be done with the assistance
of the AQS. Therefore, the attacker must typically compromise the
AQS and the WS in order to "fool" a Chumby client into divulging
its OKs.
[0213] Finally, if a user decides he or she no longer wants to be a
part of the Chumby network, all she has to do is destroy OKx (i.e.,
the one OK used during her tenure with the Chumby network) and all
her tokens stored on the Chumby server as E(ST, OKx) become
essentially unrecoverable. If the Chumby client is then resold to
another customer, the next OK on the list may be used, and so on,
until the list is exhausted.
Server Element: Secure Server Off-Network Signing Authority
[0214] An additional component of the system may be an Off-Network
Secure Signing Agent (ONSSA) 4450 as shown in FIG. 44. This machine
may be used to sign data with Chumby's private keys, such as one or
more master private and associated public signage keys Sn, Pn, as
shown in FIG. 44. Because the corresponding public keys are
typically burned into every Chumby device, such as at the
manufacturing stage or delivery stage, the value of the private
keys is very high. Therefore it is desirable to provide a very
security conscious implementation of the ONSSA and the signing
protocols.
[0215] In exemplary embodiments the ONSSA includes an image signing
computer 4452 that is ideally entirely air-gapped or otherwise
physically disconnected from the network, and methods such as are
known in the art may be employed to split secret access across
multiple individuals so no individual can act alone to compromise
the contents of the ONSSA. A device such as USB dongle 4454 may be
used to sign master dongle images by, for example, physical
insertion in image signing computer 4452 to implement signing.
Exemplary Embodiments of Chumby Security and Authentication
Protocols
[0216] The following description illustrates exemplary embodiments
of system and protocol implementations to achieve one or more of
the above described security and authentication criteria. It will
be noted that these embodiments are provided for the purpose of
illustration and not limitation, and therefore other embodiments in
keeping within the spirit and scope of the invention are fully
contemplated.
Primitive--Generating Random Numbers on the Cryptographic
Processor
[0217] In typical implementations of the protocols as further
described in subsequent sections, it is desirable to generate a
random number on the CP. In a typical embodiment a CP will not have
a native hardware facility for generating random numbers, nor does
it have a facility for setting time in a secure fashion. In order
to facilitate the generation of random numbers, the following
procedures may be used:
[0218] Each CP, in the factory, is programmed with a seed entropy
list. This is not intended to be a long-term source of entropy but
it does guarantee a minimum amount of difference between each CP so
as to prevent easy BORE attacks.
[0219] Each CP samples with its internal analog to digital (A/D)
converter, which will typically be a noisy Sigma-Delta
implementation. The least significant bits (LSBs) of the A/D
converter are noisy. The LSBs of this sampling process are folded
into an entropy pool maintained by a running a secure hashing
algorithm (SHA-1) digest of the initial entropy pool and the
additional entropy of the A/D converter.
[0220] The value of the RTC is folded into the entropy pool once
every random number generator (RNG) request. Small variations in
the clock setting and random drift help add a little extra entropy
to the pool.
[0221] As a result, the RNG inside the Chumby is not so much a true
RNG (TRNG) but rather a pseudo RNG (PRNG) with several rather hard
to control and predict parameters.
Task 1: Authenticating a Chumby Client while Preserving, as Much as
Commercially Possible, the Privacy of the Users
[0222] The following procedures may be used to accomplish task
1.
Pre Shipping (Factory) Configuration/Test Steps
[0223] The following exemplary procedural steps may be used,
typically but not necessarily in the order shown, and would
typically be done in a factory prior to shipping a Chumby device to
a sales chain or user. Additional and/or alternate steps may also
be used. The factory/production environment is considered to be
mostly trusted, with the possible exception of unscrupulous factory
workers.
[0224] 1. A unique 128-bit sequence number, the device ID, is
assigned to the CP by the factory.
[0225] 2. The CP programmer/tester generates a set of private and
public key pairs {P.sub.CC,N, S.sub.CC,N}, and writes ID,
P.sub.CC,N, and S.sub.CC,N to internal memory of the CP, along with
the program code for the CP. All keys and the ID are stored as
binary numbers.
[0226] 3. An entropy pool is generated and programmed into the
CP.
[0227] 4. After programming and verification, the CP internal
memory may optionally be locked to prevent readout via JTAG (this
step may not add significantly to the robustness of the protocol,
however, it may nevertheless be beneficial).
[0228] 5. The P.sub.CC,N and SHA1 (ID) data is recorded to fixed
media, and S.sub.CC,N data is destroyed on the tester.
[0229] 6. Periodically, a list of P.sub.CC,N and SHA1(ID)'s are
forwarded to the AQS via a secure method such as a non-network
method. Use of a non-network method is not necessarily done to
insure the secrecy of the transmitted data, but rather to reduce
venues for remote attacks on the AQS database (minimize number of
ports open on the AQS).
User Authentication Transaction
[0230] Attention is directed to FIG. 46 which illustrates a
procedure 4600 for a user authentication transaction in accordance
with aspects of the present invention. At stage 4610, a Client
Device (Chumby) 4410 sends a request for authentication to the
Widget Server (WS) 4422 with a message including the PID (PIDX),
typically in the form of a hash of the PID (H(PIDX). As shown in
FIG. 44, one or more PIDs are stored in the Crypto Processor (CP)
4414, with the hash of PIDX typically being generated in the CP
4414.
[0231] The WS receives H(PIDX) and sends it to the Authorization
Query Server (AQS) 4424, which then checks for the hash of PIDX in
a local table of keys at stage 4620. If the hash of PIDX is not
present, the AQS 4424 then rejects the transaction at stage 4625.
Alternately, if the local table contains the hash of PIDX, a first
random number, Rn, may be generated and sent from the AQS 4424 to
WS 4422 and then to the Chumby 4410 at stage 4630.
[0232] At stage 4635, the Chumby receives Rn, and generates and
signs a Reply message. In an Exemplary embodiment, the Reply
message includes Rn, along with additional information including a
new random number, Rm, PIDX, a protocol version number and an owner
key (OKx), which is encrypted using the public key of the AQS 4424
(Paqs). The signing is done with the private key inside the CP 4414
of index X (Scc,x). Additional information may be returned in the
reply message in plaintext, including Rm, the OK encrypted using
the public key of AQS 4424 (Paqs), and the version strings. This
facilitates reconstructing the signed string and verifying the
signature at AQS 4424. The reply may be conditioned on actuation of
a User Presence button as described previously, coupled to a User
Presence input 4416 to CP 4414. If a user fails to actuate the User
Presence button, typically within a predefined time period of
transmission of Rn from the AQS 4424, the process may be terminated
without reply.
[0233] Once generated, the reply message may then be sent to the WS
4422 and then to the AQS 4424 at stage 4640. AQS 4424 then verifies
the signature using the public key of the CP of index x (Pcc,x)
(all public keys are typically stored inside the AQS and indexed by
PID as a sub-index of x) at stage 4645. In an exemplary embodiment,
the verification is implemented per PKCS #1. At stage 4650, the OKx
is decrypted at AQS 4424 using it's private key (Saqs). The AQS
then validates the result at stage 4655, and rejects the
transaction at stage 4658 if authentication fails, which may
include an invalid message sent to the WS. Alternately, if
verification passes, the AQS returns information to the WS at stage
4660. This typically includes a validation message as well as the
decrypted OKx, which may then be used by the WS to access the
secure tokens (STs) by decrypting them using OKx.
[0234] The following process stages illustrate additional details
of an exemplary embodiment of a user authentication transaction
according to aspects of the present invention: [0235] 1.
CP.fwdarw.WS.fwdarw.AQS: h(PID.sub.x), x using PIDX(x) [0236] 2.
AQS.fwdarw.WS.fwdarw.CP: r.sub.n [0237] 3. CP: authcount
authcount+1, proceed only if authcount<MAXAUTH [0238] 4.
CC.fwdarw.CP: CHAL(x, r.sub.n) [0239] 5. (optional) CP awaits user
presence button (must be pressed within a certain time-out window
(suggested to be within a few seconds) of the actual transaction
request). [0240] 6. CP.fwdarw.WS.fwdarw.AQS: r.sub.m,
P.sub.AQS(OK), vers, S.sub.CC,x (r.sub.n, r.sub.m, x, h(PID.sub.x),
P .sub.AQS (OK), vers)
[0241] 7. AQS.fwdarw.WS: verified_or_not [0242] 8. CP: every 1,000
seconds, authcount=authcount-1 The protocol is shepherded by the CC
and the WS. In step 4, the CHAL(x,r.sub.n) command involves the
following steps: [0243] A. Look up key associated with channel x
[0244] B. Generate P.sub.aqs(OK) by randomly padding and encrypting
OK as per RSAES-PKCS-v1.5 (section 7.2) [0245] C. Generate random
number r.sub.m [0246] D. Generate hash of data to sign; SHA-1
(x,H(PID.sub.x), r.sub.n, r.sub.m, P.sub.aqs(OK)) [0247] E.
Generate blinding factor B=r.sub.m.sup.e mod N [0248] F. Pad data
for message `m` with RSASSA-PKCS-v1.5 (static padding, encoding is
EMSA-PKCS1-V1.5-ENCODE, section 9.2) [0249] G. Blind padded data
with M=Bm mod N [0250] H. Perform RSA Privkey Op on blinded data,
using private key selected by x; S=M.sup.d mod N [0251] I. Check
that signature verifies. M'=S.sup.e mod N, byte compare M' with M.
Only output S if they match exactly, otherwise output all 0's. In
step 7, AQS response validation involves the following steps:
[0252] A. Read vers hint from received vers field; return ERROR if
out of bounds. [0253] B. Look up public key associated with channel
x and also H(PID.sub.x) [0254] C. Hash locally stored values (x,
H(PID.sub.x), r.sub.n) with received values (r.sub.m,
P.sub.aqs(OK), vers) [0255] D. Generate blinding factor inverse:
B.sub.inv=ExtEuclidAlg(r.sub.m, N) (essentially compute the
multiplicative inverse of r.sub.m mod N, aka gcd(r.sub.m, N))
[0256] E. Unblind message, S=B.sub.inv*M mod N [0257] F. Perform
RSA Pubkey Op on signature, using public key selected by x:
m=S.sup.e mod N [0258] G. Verify padding is correct based on
EMSA-PKCS-v1.5-ENCODE, section 9.2 [0259] H. Compare hash
calculated in step II with hash in LSB of message. If error, return
ERROR. This check also verifies the version hint. [0260] I. Decrypt
OK from P.sub.aqs(OK), checking padding as described in PKCS#1
[0261] J. If all above is correct, output SuccessVal, OK, and a
signature with AQS private key over (Success Val, CP_RecvdSig).
Else, return "ERROR". Do not return any extended error data to
Chumby (i.e., "padding incorrect") as that could lead to
Bleichenbacher's attack on the OK. [0262] K. WS verifies signature
on Success message and uses OK.
[0263] In this process, robustness against impersonation is
provided via the proof of knowledge of the secret public key
provided by the signature with appendix. This implementation relies
on random numbers instead of timestamps for robustness against
replay attacks. Timestamps are not practical in typical
implementations with Chumby devices because the clock on the client
side cannot be trusted. The use of two random numbers, r.sub.n and
r.sub.m, and ensuring that both of these numbers are referenced in
step 4 of the protocol, helps provide protection against
interleaving attacks. The protocol is also structurally sound
against reflection attacks due the asymmetric nature of the
protocol. The embedding of r.sub.n and r.sub.m in the optional step
5 may provide robustness against chosen-plaintext attacks. It will
also be noted that there may not be any protection against a
forced-delay attack inherent in the protocol, and consequently the
AQS should implement a timeout of its own. Although random numbers
are used in this embodiment, other approached may be used in
alternate implementations.
[0264] Because the CP typically has no ability to certify the
integrity of its connection to the AQS, there exists an opportunity
for a type of interleaving or relay attack where a CC is acting as
a reflector for authentication requests across multiple devices.
The use of the internal clock to measure relative time between
authorization requests may not solve the problem entirely but it
may be helpful in slowing the rate of leakage to limit damage.
Optional steps requiring the User Presence button to be pressed
within seconds of the authentication request may also help the
system notify the user if they are currently a victim of a relay
attack.
[0265] FIG. 45 illustrates one scenario for this type of attack. In
this situation two or more Chumby devices must collude to execute
the attack: an Impersonator device 4550, and a Colluding device
4540. The Colluding device 4540 acts as a message relay center to
the CP; the Impersonator Chumby forwards authentication traffic to
the Colluding Chumby via the network. This attack is possible
because there is typically no end-to-end authentication due to the
implementation of a typical Chumby system (i.e., the IP stack does
not extend to the CP). One method of mitigating this type of attack
is to rate-limit the answerable query rate for the CP, and to
require periodic re-authentication. Again, the optional step 5
where the User Presence button is required to be pressed within
seconds of the authentication request also helps the system notify
the user if they are currently a victim of this type of attack.
[0266] While potentially worrisome in some contexts, it may also be
a feature in other contexts, if one or more Chumbys (up to the
replication limit) wish to share content with each other. In other
words, a system could be designed so that this "attack" is actually
used as a weak (e.g., somewhat insecure) method for legitimately
sharing the authentication with a limited number of Chumbys.
Task 2: Enabling Authenticity/Integrity Checking of Delivered
Content to a Client
[0267] It will be noted that the following feature is optional, and
users will be generally free to opt-out of any
authenticity/integrity checking if they so desire by simply loading
the alternate code they wish to run on the client processor.
[0268] Basic operations that the content integrity mechanism may
implement are: (1) a method for implementing the ONSSA; (2) a
method for signing a given binary package; and (3) A method for
verifying the signature of a given binary package.
Off Network Secure Signing Agent Implementation
[0269] The ONSSA should be kept off-network in all ways and kept in
a secure, monitored location. The ONSSA typically stores a single
private key, although new keys may be rotated in at the expense of
having to do a lookup on the devices' PID to identify the correct
key.
Signing Mechanism
[0270] When presented with a block of data of a given length, the
ONSSA may execute a signature algorithm, such as the PKCS#1v12's
RSASSA-PSS algorithm (described in further detail below) using the
SHA-1 hash, and emit the signature as an octet stream.
Verification Mechanism
[0271] Verification of the signed data may be done on the client
using PKCS#1v12's RSASSA-PSS (described in further detail below).
The public key for verification may be selected by the index
specified in the first octet of the data stream requested for
verification. The index may first be checked against the revocation
list, as described below.
Task 3: Enabling a Revocable Mechanism for Lease of Security
Authentication Facilities to Third-Party Providers
[0272] Implementation may be done in a fashion similar or identical
to Task 1 (above) with the role of the Widget server (WS) being
played by a third-party provider.
[0273] The Chumby security mechanism has the potential to store
multiple public/private key pairs. Since one of the biggest
challenges in security is how to distribute keys, the Chumby system
provider's ownership of a database of somewhat hardened keys across
a large user base may be an asset. In some embodiments third
parties may be enabled to lease authentication keys from an
operator of the Chumby system in a fashion that is securely
revocable in the case that the third party ceases to require or pay
for the authentication service.
[0274] Put another way, this mechanism opens up the AQS to generic
queries from third-party servers (3PS) that may play the role of
the WS in the Task 1 protocol. The third party would thus be given
the explicit ability to read the PIDs out of Chumby clients (it
will be noted that in a typical embodiment any third party with the
right software can obtain this information since the PID is an open
piece of information), and the service Chumby may provide is to
authenticate PID's against an internal database of public keys
through yes/no queries via the AQS. In the situation where the
lease is revoked, the AQS may simply be configured to deny
answering requests from a particular source.
Task 4: Enable Owner-Override
[0275] In an exemplary embodiment the CP has a "SETAC ASTRONOMY"
pin. By asserting this pin, the CP enters an operational mode where
a command set is enabled that will allow the erasing of all secret
data inside the CP. This means that the CP is hiding no secrets
from the user, and it also means that the user can no longer enjoy
the authentication benefits of the network. This is a feature that
may be provided for owners who believe that the hardware should
never hide secrets from them, regardless of the potential benefit
to the owner.
Task 5: Enable Owner Token Revocation
[0276] The following process steps illustrate one embodiment of a
procedure for enabling owner token revocation.
In the Factory, Before Shipping
[0277] As part of the P.sub.AQS,X/P.sub.CC,Y/PID programming
process (described previously in Pre Shipping (Factory)
Configuration/Test Steps), a set of OK's are generated and also
burned into the same image.
Recording an Owner's Token
[0278] Widgets are typically configured via a web interface over
SSL (as described elsewhere herein). Some widgets may require a
security token to be presented to enable personalized access (for
example, accessing an owner's MySpace private messages). Recording
an owner's token may be done using the following steps:
[0279] 1. The OK is fetched periodically per step 4 of the process
shown previously (User Authentication Transaction). Note that the
OK may be sent encrypted to the AQS using P.sub.AQS.
[0280] 2. The OK is cached for the standard authorization interval
(30 minutes in one exemplary embodiment).
[0281] 3. When the ST is entered on the server web page it is
immediately encrypted using the OK and the plaintext version is
discarded.
[0282] Note that in order for this process to work the user must
leave their Chumby on and connected so that the OK is periodically
refreshed. If the target Chumby is turned off, the implementation
of the security token handling is defined by service provider
policy. In one implementation users are denied the ability to enter
an ST without the target Chumby being on and authenticated. An
alternate embodiment providing more convenience caches the ST in
the plain until the next authorization transaction occurs, and
updates the OK so that the ST can be encrypted for permanent
storage in the database. While more convenient, this approach does
introduce the possibility of the token being lost, stolen, or
abused for the duration of the interval between when the token is
entered and when the token is encrypted.
[0283] It will be noted that no matter which implementation is used
care must be exercised in implementing the caching of the STs and
OKs so that the cached values are securely erased after they have
been encrypted. For example, it may increase risk to use a
transactional database to store the temporary values so that the
retired ST and OKs remain in the transaction history of the
database and hence remain vulnerable to attack or loss through
unintended mechanisms (e.g., insecure disposal of broken hard
drives with sensitive information on them).
Owner Revocation
[0284] In exemplary embodiments the CP will include a command that
enables owner revocation. For example, the owner may request the CP
to delete a given OK. Two successive requests to delete the same OK
using different commands may be required to confirm deletion of a
given OK. Once the owner has deleted OKx, all of the keys held by
the WS may then become unrecoverable.
Miscellaneous Tasks
[0285] In some embodiments, as a practical cost matter the CP may
be configured to perform power management for the Chumby client. In
typically embodiments the CP is a general purpose microcontroller
and its presence enables the implementation of a "soft power on"
facility using techniques known in the art. It will, however, be
noted that feature creep of outside tasks into the CP represents a
potential venue for information leak about the internal state of
the CP and therefore careful consideration must be made before
providing other features on the CP.
Exemplary System Implementation
[0286] The following section provides a description of details of
one embodiment of a system implementation and query parser
according to aspects of the present invention.
[0287] CP Interface to Core Processor--
[0288] The CP interface to the core processor is via a TTL-level
serial link using asynchronous communication at a rate of 38400,
8-N-1. The format of the serial data is described below.
[0289] Query Formats--
[0290] The CP implementation consists of a state-machine driven by
a parser. The parser must first accept a query; once it is
accepted, an internal flush timer is set for the query and it is
entered into the query queue. The parser has a reset state which is
simply referred to as the Reset State.
[0291] The query parser must digest the following query sequence
strictly. All unrecognized formats and states must bring the parser
to the Reset State, and a clearing of all the parser internal
variables. The parser expects query data in a stream format, with
byte 0 being sent first, and all data is presented in ASCII format
with base-64 encoding.
[0292] The general format of a query stream is as follows:
TABLE-US-00003 CMD (4 characters) <data> (n characters, not
more than 380) EOF character (0xD) (1 character)
[0293] The following is the list of valid commands recognized by
the CP:
TABLE-US-00004 Command Meaning CHAL Challenge message from AQS CHUP
Challenge message from AQS requiring user presence AUTH
Authentication acknowledgement from the AQS DLK0 Permanently delete
an owner key DLK1 Confirmation of owner key deletion WIPE Wipe all
private information on the CP SURE Confirmation of private info
wipe PKEY Request for public key VERS Version string request of the
CP ALRM Set a wake-up time for the alarm DOWN Request to power down
the chumby RSET Request to reset the Chumby processor TIME Current
RTC clock offset CKEY Retrieve current key index of the owner key
SNUM Retrieve the device's serial number HWVR Retrieve hardware
version of attached core unit PIDX Retrieve the PID of key x
[0294] The following is the data portion format for each
command:
CHAL
TABLE-US-00005 [0295] Field Size Base64 characters X 2 bytes 4
characters + LF (5 total) r.sub.n 16 bytes 24 characters
[0296] The CP responds to a CHAL request with the following base-64
encoded sequence:
TABLE-US-00006 Field Size Base64 characters RESP 4 bytes N/A
(string constant) X | r.sub.m | r.sub.n | H(PID.sub.x) 58 bytes 72
characters + LF S.sub.CP, X(.) 256 bytes 344 characters + LF
P.sub.AQS(OK) 256 bytes 344 characters - can be valid, all 0's, or
P.sub.AQS(0). + LF EOF .sup. 1 byte N/A (constant: 0xD)
CHUP
[0297] CHUP is identical to CHAL except that the base64 version
field will return 1 in byte 3, instead of a 0. For version 1.3 of
the crypto protocol, the version field is coded as MAJOR, MINOR, 0,
0, (big-endian order). For version 1.4 of the crypto protocol, the
version code is MAJOR, MINOR, 1, 0 (big-endian order).
DLK0, DLK1
TABLE-US-00007 [0298] Field Size Base64 characters key 2 bytes 4
characters
[0299] The key field must be identical between two successive
requests of DLK0 and then DLK1 for the key deletion to happen.
WIPE, SURE
[0300] There is no data for WIPE and SURE. The two commands must be
issued back to back, and the SETAC ASTRONOMY pin must be
active.
PKEY
TABLE-US-00008 [0301] Field Size Base64 characters key 2 bytes 4
characters
[0302] The response to this is as follows:
RFC2440 section 5.5.2-compliant version 3 public key subkey packet,
terminated by
TABLE-US-00009 EOF 1 byte N/A (constant, 0xD)
VERS
[0303] There is no data associated with the request.
[0304] The response to this is as follows:
TABLE-US-00010 Field Size Base64 characters VRSR 4 bytes N/A
(string constant) version 6 bytes 8 characters EOF 1 byte.sup. N/A
(constant, 0xD)
ALRM
TABLE-US-00011 [0305] Field Size Base64 characters Offset time 4
bytes 8 characters
The alarm only sets the alarm time as the offset from the current
time in seconds. This is because the real time clock in the CP is
only relative to boot, and cannot be set to match absolute time. 4
bytes in seconds provides a little more than 118 years of forward
looking time alarm setting. The CP does not handle overflow on this
field. The possible responses from the CP on attempting to set the
alarm are:
TABLE-US-00012 Field Size Base64 characters OVFW 4 bytes N/A -Or-
ASET 4 bytes N/A
The string "OVFW" on return means that the alarm setting failed and
the field overflowed. The string ASET confirms that the alarm
setting was successful. Note that once the alarm is set, the host
gets rebooted even if the host is still on. This should not be used
as the "nominal wakeup" alarm. It should just be used as alarm to
power the system back on before going into deep sleep alarm.
DOWN, RSET
[0306] These commands have no data associated with them, and they
immediately take effect.
TIME
[0307] This command has no data associated with it. The response is
as follows:
TABLE-US-00013 Field Size Base64 characters TIME 4 bytes N/A Time 4
bytes 8 characters; uptime in seconds since boot EOF 1 byte.sup.
0xD
CKEY
[0308] This command has no data associated with it. The response is
as follows:
TABLE-US-00014 Field Size Base64 characters CKEY 4 bytes N/A
Current Key 4 bytes 8 characters EOF 1 byte.sup. 0xD
SNUM
[0309] This command has no data associated with it. The response is
as follows:
TABLE-US-00015 Field Size Base64 characters SNUM .sup. 4 bytes N/A
Serial Number 16 bytes.sup. 24 characters + LF EOF 1 byte 0xD
HWVR
[0310] This command has no data associated with it. The response is
as follows:
TABLE-US-00016 Field Size Base64 characters HVRS .sup. 4 bytes N/A
HW version 16 bytes.sup. 24 characters + LF EOF 1 byte 0xD
PIDX
TABLE-US-00017 [0311] Field Size Base64 characters key 2 bytes 4
characters
[0312] The response is as follows:
TABLE-US-00018 Field Size Base 64 characters PIDX .sup. 4 bytes N/A
PID of x 16 bytes.sup. 24 characters + LF EOF 1 byte 0xD
Unrecognized Commands
[0313] In the case of an unrecognized command, the CP responds with
the string "CMD?" if an unrecognized command is caught. Command
parsing is self-synchronizing to the EOF character, so only one
"CMD?" response will be received per malformed request.
[0314] Command requests that are too long are not honored even if
all the other fields are valid. The response to dishonored commands
is simply "CMD?" as well.
Backdoors and Test Routines
[0315] These routines may be included in the CP during test and
development. They should either be removed and verified and
removed, or evaluated as not a threat if they remain in place.
[0316] A random number can be retrieved from the CP by issuing a
"RAND" string similar to other commands. This isn't harmful per se
but it could facilitate attacks on the random number generator if
the implementation is flawed. It should be removed before
production.
[0317] The ADC value of channel 2 at the current time can be
requested by the CP for testing purposes by issuing an "ADVL"
string similar to other commands. The channel 2 ADC value is
significant because its LSBs are used in the random number
generator as an entropy source. The actually value used by the
random number generator is never retrieved, but there is a
possibility of some time correlation between the ADC value and the
value used by the random number generator. This should be removed
before production.
Specifics of CP Key Map
[0318] The CP as implemented for production (major version 3,
corresponding to spec 1.2) contains the following types of
keys:
24 (twenty four) 1024-bit private keys with CRT remainders +PID
pairs 128 (one hundred twenty eight) 16 byte OK's 1 (one) 2048-bit
AQS public key slot 16 (sixteen) 16 byte entropy seeds 1 (one) 16
byte hardware version code register 1 (one) 16 byte serial number
register 1 (one) 16 byte device unique ID
Server Systems and Applications
[0319] Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagrammatic representation
is provided of the server components and other infrastructure which
may be utilized to facilitate the operations of the Chumby service
provider 106. It is understood that the representation of FIG. 7 is
functional in nature, and single or multiple computers may be
adapted to execute software designed to perform one or more than
one of the functions described below. For example, the
functionality provided by the load balancers 704 may be provided by
a single computer or multiple computers. Similarly, each of the
servers represented in FIG. 7 may be realized using either a single
server computer or using a cluster comprised of primary, secondary
and backup server computers interconnected in configurations
familiar to those skilled in the art.
[0320] As shown in FIG. 7, one or more Web servers 710 are used to
define the Web interface presented by the Chumby service provider
106 to users or other interested parties. A system database 712 may
include, among other things, marketing materials, press
information, and contact information relating to the Chumby service
that is served by the Web servers 710. Also included may be
information relating to registration and first-level support.
[0321] A user account server 714 maintains user account data and
provides authentication services to the other servers depicted in
FIG. 7.
[0322] One or more widget servers 718 are used to serve widgets to
Chumby devices 102. Each widget server 718 will typically be
sufficiently powerful to encrypt and sign widgets on demand. In
addition, each server 718 will be configured to "store-and-forward"
widgets being sent from one user to another.
[0323] The service provider 106 may also utilize a number of
content servers 724 to provide information (e.g., new, weather,
stock market information) to Chumby devices 102. In an exemplary
embodiment all content servers function in a "pull" mode of
operation; that is, Chumby device 102 polls the applicable content
server 724 for new data on some periodic basis. Each response from
a content server 724 preferably contains the schedule and frequency
for subsequent polls. For example, a content server 724 disposed to
provide stock market information can change the polling frequency
to reflect whether or not the stock market is open. In other
implementations a Chumby device 102 may be provided with the 67
capability to change polling frequencies on the basis of, for
example, environmental conditions (e.g., ambient room brightness)
or other factors. One or more of the content servers 724 may be
used for serving certain types of content uploaded by users for use
on their own or other Chumby devices 102 and stored within the
system database 712.
[0324] The Chumby service provider 106 will typically maintain a
small number of load-balanced Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers
730 to provide time to Chumby devices 102. Each such server 730
will be configured to fetch their time from a "primary" NTP server,
which fetches time from an upstream external public NTP server. If
the primary NTP server 730 is inoperative, secondary NTP servers
730 will synchronize with a random selection of upstream servers.
If all servers 730 are unavailable, a Chumby device 102 will either
fetch time information from random public NTP servers or simply
have its time adjusted via user input. In one embodiment each
Chumby device 102 requests time upon connecting to the Internet and
at jittered intervals thereafter, no more frequently than once a
day.
[0325] Turning now to FIG. 8, an illustrative representation is
provided of an exemplary object-oriented database schema 800
utilized by the system database 712. As shown, the schema 800
includes the following tables: buddies, categories, Chumby devices,
parameters, profiles, skins, users, widget instance, widgets.
Although the type of information contained within a number of these
tables will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in view
of the discussion herein, a simplified example of various steps
performed during user registration and the adding of a widget to a
"profile" is provided in order to further illuminate the structure
of the database schema 800.
[0326] In one embodiment the user registration and account creation
process is initiated by a user through submission, via a Web
browser 122, of a Chumby ID so as to identify a particular Chumby
device 102. The act of creating a user account results in the
construction of a default profile and one or more widget instances,
each of which is automatically assigned to the Chumby device 102
(as identified by its Chumby ID) currently being registered. When a
user adds a widget to the user's profile, the user is presented
with a list of potential categories based upon information within
the categories table. The user then selects a category from the
categories table, and the user is presented with a list of widgets
belonging to the chosen category. After the user chooses a widget,
a widget instance is constructed and information is entered into
the appropriate fields (e.g., profile id, widget id, index). The
user is then presented a user interface via the Web browser 122 for
editing the widget-specific parameters associated with the selected
widget. In response to the user's parameter selections, records are
appropriately updated in the parameters table.
System Operation
Client-Server Communication Protocol
[0327] In general, it is contemplated that embodiments of the
invention will be implemented such that each Chumby device 102 will
function as a client relative to various servers existing within
the Chumby service provider 106. In these embodiments the Chumby
devices 102 do not engage in direct communication with each other,
but may do so via independent client-sever relationships
established with the service provider 106. In this way the service
provider 106 may facilitate the communication of a variety of
different types of executable files (e.g., widgets or other
computer programs, audio clips, short "Flash" movies, etc.) among
Chumby devices 102, subject to the permission of the content owner
and potential recipient. A user may designate that a widget or
other content be sent to another user, or to the members of a
user's "buddy list" or the like. This designation may be made via a
Web browser 122 in communication with the service provider 106, or
directly through the interface of the user's Chumby device 102.
[0328] In one embodiment executable files may be created by users
of Chumby devices 102 or other third parties and loaded within the
system database 712 after being approved by the entity operating
the service provider 106. Once a widget or other executable file
has been created and stored within the system database 712, it is
made available for use by all those users of Chumby devices 102
that have been granted the requisite permission. Various schemes
for granting permissions among and between users are possible. For
example, one such type of permission could entail that any user X
that is given permission by a user Y to send widgets to user Y's
Chumby device may select any widget for which user X has usage
rights and "send" such widget to user Y's Chumby device. Other
restrictions could be placed on the transferability of widgets or
other files from the service provider 106 to a Chumby device at the
request of another user. For example, a user could be provided with
the capability to "lock" certain widgets on only the user's Chumby
device, or a Chumby device could reach a "full" state and advertise
itself as being incapable of receiving any additional widgets.
[0329] Although widgets and other executable files could be
transferred between the service provider 106 and Chumby devices 102
in a number of different formats, in one embodiment such transfers
will occur in the Flash movie format (i.e., as .swf files, when not
signed or encrypted). In this case the process for downloading
widgets from the service provider 106 includes receiving a
notification at a Chumby device 102 that a "new" widget is ready
for downloading. Since in the exemplary embodiment each Chumby
device 102 acts in a "pull" mode, each device 102 periodically
polls the service provider and inquires as to whether any
configuration changes are available to load. In the case in which a
new widget is available for downloading, the Chumby device 102 will
generally use standard HTTP (or HTTPS) protocols in downloading the
applicable widget file.
[0330] Attention is now directed to FIGS. 9-13, which are a series
of signal flow diagrams representative of the client-server
communication protocol established between a Chumby device 102 and
the Chumby service provider 106. As mentioned above, each Chumby
device 102 functions as a client relative to the Chumby service
provider 106. In one embodiment the basic protocol established
between each Chumby device and the corresponding server entity of
the Chumby service provider 106 may be characterized as XML using a
Representational State Transfer (REST) architecture transmitted
using HTTP. In general, the Chumby device 102 issues periodic HTTP
GET or POST requests and the service provider 106 responds with a
block of XML. The Chumby device 102 will use HTTP GET for
relatively simple requests, and POST for more complex requests,
which will be in encapsulated in XML. Individual data elements are
uniquely identified by Global Unique Identifiers (GUID). In one
embodiment, there will be some form of cryptographic key exchange
and transactions will be encrypted using those keys. Furthermore,
XML may be compressed in order to facilitate transfer between the
Chumby device 102 and the Chumby service provider 106.
[0331] Each Chumby device 102 will have a unique GUID. Time codes
will be represented in ISO-8061 format.
[0332] Requesting a Chumby Configuration
[0333] Referring to FIG. 9, a signal flow diagram 900
illustratively represents one manner in which a "Chumby
configuration" is provided to a Chumby device 102 by the service
provider 106. In one embodiment each Chumby device 102 operates in
accordance with a configuration, which specifies the profile to be
loaded by the Chumby device 102 under various conditions. The user
specifies the profile for the Chumby device 102 via a web interface
at the Chumby web site. The profile contains several operational
parameters for the Chumby device 102.
[0334] As shown in FIG. 9, the requesting of a configuration is
initiated when the Chumby device 102 sends an HTTP GET request
containing the GUID of the requested configuration to a Chumby
configuration object within the system database 712 maintained by
the service provider 106 (stage 902). An example of such a request
is provided below:
http://server.chumby.com/xml/chumbies/CB6A8A20-DFB8-11DA-98FA-00306555C86-
4
The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 904), and
retrieves the requested configuration from the system database 712
(stage 908). If the requested configuration exists, the service
provider responds with an XML-based configuration; if not, the
service provider 106 responds with an XML-based error message
(stage 912). An exemplary XML-based response generated by the
service provider 106 is given below:
TABLE-US-00019 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<chumby id="CB6A8A20-DFB8-11DA-98FA-00306555C864">
<name> Bathroom</name> <profile
href="/xml/profiles/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"
name="Default" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<user username="Frank" href="/xml/users/00000000-0000-0000-0000
000000000001" id=" 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
</chumby>
Once the response is received by the Chumby device 102, it is
processed by the Master Controller (stage 916). If an error is
instead received, it is processed by the Master Controller as well
(stage 920).
[0335] Requesting a Profile
[0336] Referring to FIG. 10, a signal flow diagram 1000
illustratively represents one manner in which a "profile" is
provided to a Chumby device 102 by the service provider 106. In one
embodiment each Chumby device 102 operates in accordance with a
profile, which specifies the set of widgets to be executed by the
Chumby device 102 under various conditions. This enables a user to
specify that a certain subset of the available set of widgets is to
be instantiated and utilized during a particular time frame, based
upon the location of the user's Chumby device 102 or the skin (or
housing) within which the Chumby device 102 is currently seated.
For instance, the user may desire that local weather and traffic
information be provided while the user is located at home, but
would prefer that airline flight information be available from the
Chumby device 102 when the user is traveling.
[0337] As shown in FIG. 10, the requesting of a profile is
initiated when the Chumby device 102 sends an HTTP GET request
containing the GUID of the requested profile to a profile object
within the system database 712 maintained by the service provider
106 (stage 1002). An example of such a request is provided
below:
[0338]
http://server.chumby.com/xml/profiles/00000000-0000-0000-0000-00000-
0000001
The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 1004), and
retrieves the requested profile from the system database 712 (stage
1008). If the requested profile exists, the service provider
responds with an XML-based profile; if not, the service provider
106 responds with an XML-based error message (stage 1012). An
exemplary XML-based response generated by the service provider 106
is given below:
TABLE-US-00020 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<name> Default</name> <description> Default
profile for your Chumby</description> <user
usemame="chumby" href="/xml/users/00000000-0000-0000-0000-
000000000001" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<skin href="/xml/skins/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"
name="Standard" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<access access= "private" id="EC667B90-EC41-11DA-8774-
00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.-- instances>
<widget.sub.-- instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/B2BE8552-E7F2- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="B2BE8552-E7F2-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/033BFBC2-E794- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="033BFBC2-E794-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.--
instance href="/x ml/widgetinstances/94I77EI8-E777-II
DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="94I77E18-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/x ml/widgetinstances/9AA50336-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="9AA50336-E777-11DA-B4BD-003065550864"/> <widget.sub.--
instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/9E464 7F2-E777-
11DA-B4BD-00306555C864" id="9E464 7F2-E777-II
DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/7AC67832-E77D- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="7 AC67832-E77D-II DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/>
<widget_instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/B4C35F06-E777-
11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="B4C35F06-E777-IIDA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.--
instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/5D8I823A-E77D-
11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="5D8I823A-E77D-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> </widget.sub.--
instances> </profile>
Once the response is received by the Chumby device 102, it is
processed by the Master Controller (stage 916). If an error is
instead received, it is processed by the Master Controller as well
(stage 920).
[0339] Each Profile has a name, a description, a skin, and a list
of "Widget Instances". The Profile will be periodically refetched
in order to reflect changes made by the owner, for instance, adding
and removing Widget Instances.
[0340] The Chumby device 102 processes each Widget Instance in
turn, fetching the settings for each widget, and the Widget itself,
and displays the Widget with the settings encapsulated by the
Widget Instance.
[0341] A process similar to that described with reference to FIG. 9
may be used to change a profile. An example of an HTTP POST
containing an the GUID of the profile to modify and an XML-based
request to change a profile generated by the Chumby device 102 is
given below:
TABLE-US-00021
http://server.chumby.com/xml/profiles/00000000-0000-0000-0000-
000000000001 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<profile id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001">
<name> Default</name> <description>Default
profile for your Chumby</description> <user
username="Chumby" href="/xm l/users/00000000-0000-0000-
0000-000000000001" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<skin href="/xml/skins/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"
name="Standard" id=" 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<access access= "private" id="EC667B90-EC41-11DA-8774-
00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.-- instances>
<widget_instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/B2BE8552-E7F2-
11DA-B4BD-00306555C864" id="B2BE8552-E7F2-II
DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/033BFBC2-E794- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="033BFBC2-E794-II DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.--
instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/94177E18-
E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="94177E18-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/9AA50336-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="9AA50336-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/9E4647F2-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="9E4647F2-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/7AC67832-E77D- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="7AC67832-E77D-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/B4C35F06-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="B4C35F06-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget.sub.--
instance href="/xml/widgetinstances/10A66395-
8500-215E-81F0-003256F98257" id="10A66395-8500-215E-81
F0-003256F98257"/> </widget_instances>
</profile>
An exemplary XML-based response corresponding to such a request
which contains the updated profile could be provided by the service
provider 106 as follows:
TABLE-US-00022 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<profile id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001">
<name>Default</name> <description>Default profile
for your Chumby</description> <user usemame="chumby"
href="/xml/users/00000000-0000-0000- 0000-000000000001"
id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/> <skin
href="/xml/skins/00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"
name="Standard" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<access access="private" id="EC667B90-EC41-11DA-8774-
00306555C864"/> <widget_instances> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/B2BE8552-E7F2- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="B2BE8552-E7F2-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/033BFBC2-E794- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="033BFBC2-E794-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/94177E18-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="94177E18-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/9AA50336-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="9AA50336-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/9E4647F2-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="9E4647F2-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/7AC67832-E77D- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="7AC67832-E77D-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/xml/widgetinstances/B4C3SF06-E777- 11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"
id="B4C3SF06-E777-11DA-B4BD-00306555C864"/> <widget_instance
href="/x ml/widgetinstances/10A66395- 8500-215E-81F0-003256F98257"
id="10A66395-8500-215E-81F0-003256F98257"/> </widget.sub.--
instances> </profile>
Widget Instance Upload/Download
[0342] Turning now to FIGS. 11-12, there are shown signal flow
diagrams representative of the communication of widget instance
information from the Chumby device 102 to the service provider 106,
and vice-versa. In one embodiment the set of parameters associated
with a widget instance determine the user-specified manner in which
the behavior of the widget is modified when executed by a Chumby
device 102. That is, the parameters fetched by the Chumby device
102 from the service provider 106 for a given widget constitute the
user's "customized" settings, rather than dynamic content. For
example, in the case of a "stock ticker" widget the applicable
parameters could comprise the names and symbols of the stocks
within the user's portfolios, but would not define or relate to the
current prices of the stocks (which would be furnished by another
service supplied by the service provider 106).
[0343] FIG. 11 is a signal flow diagram which depicts processing of
changes made to the parameters of a widget instance through the
interface of the Chumby device 102 in which the widget is
instantiated. Examples of parameter changes could include changing
a location of interest in the case of a "weather" widget, or
adding/removing stock ticker symbols in the case of a "stock
market" widget. In the exemplary embodiment it is not necessary for
the user to set or otherwise modify all parameters of a given
widget, and the service provider 106 will effectively "expand" the
parameter change data into a full parameter record once received.
For instance, a zip code could be sufficient to uniquely identify a
location in the case of a weather widget, and the associated city,
state, etc. could be supplied to the applicable record during
processing of the parameter change request by the service provider
106.
[0344] As shown, the widget instance change operation is initiated
when the Chumby device 102 sends an HTTP POST and an XML request to
a widget instance object within the system database 712 maintained
by the service provider 106 (stage 1102). This type of "UPLOAD"
operation informs the service 106 that the parameters of a specific
widget instance have been updated by the applicable user. As shown,
the updated parameters are received by the service provider (stage
1104), and are attempted to be written to a corresponding widget
instance object within the system database 712 (stage 1108). If
this attempted write operation is unsuccessful (stage 1112), the
service provider 106 responds with an error message that is
processed by the requesting Chumby device 102 (stage 1120). If the
write operation is successful, the newly updated widget instance
are retrieved from the system database 712 (stage 1116) and sent to
the applicable Chumby device 102 (stage 1120).
[0345] Once received, the widget instance is processed by the
Chumby device 102 (stage 1124). In general, the processing of the
parameters contained in a widget instance are dependent upon the
characteristics of the particular widget. In certain cases the
parameters may be sufficient to enable the widget to display
information, while other widgets may use the parameters to fetch
content from another service. As an example of the former, consider
a "clock" widget capable of displaying information following
receipt of a parameter indicating a time zone. In contrast, a
"stock widget" may have stock symbols as parameters and use such
symbols to fetch quote information.
[0346] Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown a signal flow
diagram illustrating an exemplary widget instance download
operation in which the service provider 106 is requested to push
values of widget-specific parameters to a requesting Chumby device
102. The requesting of a parameter download is initiated when the
Chumby device 102 sends an HTTP GET containing the GUID of the
requested widget instance request to a parameter object within the
system database 712 maintained by the service provider 106 (stage
1202). An example of such a request in the case of a "weather"
widget is provided below:
http://server.chumby.com/xml/widgetinstances/5D81823A-E77D-11DA-B4BD-0030-
6555C864
The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 1204), and
retrieves the requested parameters from the system database 712
(stage 1208). If the requested parameters exist, the service
provider 106 responds with an XML-based widget instance message
(stage 1212). Using the example of a weather widget, which utilizes
a zip code to identify the location for which weather is to be
retrieved, such a message could comprise:
TABLE-US-00023 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<widget_instance id="5D81823A-E77D-11DA-B4BD- 00306555C864">
<widget href="/xml/widgets/BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82-
00306555C864" id="BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82-00306555C864"/>
<profile href="/xml/profiles/00000000-0000-0000-0000-
000000000001" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<access access= "private"/> <widget_parameters>
<widget_parameter id="BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82- 00306643C864">
<name>ZipCode</name> <value>92037</name>
</widget_parameter> </widget_parameters>
</widget_instance>
[0347] The Chumby device 102 uses the GUID in the "widget" tag to
fetch the information about the Widget to be displayed. Once the
widget has been started, it is passed the name/value pairs in the
"widget_parameters" section, in order to customize the behavior of
the widget.
[0348] If the requested parameters do not exist, a default widget
instance is attempted to be retrieved from the system database 712
(stage 1224). If such a widget instance exists (stage 1228), the
service provider 106 responds with an XML-based parameters message
that is processed by the Chumby device 102 upon receipt (stage
1220). If such a default widget instance does not exist, an error
message is returned to the Chumby device 102 (stage 1232).
[0349] Downloading a Widget
[0350] Referring now to FIG. 27, a signal flow diagram 2700 is
provided which illustratively represents the process of downloading
the code for a widget (e.g., a swf file) from the service provider
106 for execution on a Chumby device 102. The process is initiated
when the Chumby device 102 sends an HTTP GET request containing the
GUID of the requested widget to a specific widget description
object within the system database 712 maintained by the service
provider 106 (stage 1302). An example of such a request is provided
below:
http://server.chumby.com/xml/widgets/BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82-00306555C864
[0351] The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 2704),
and attempts to retrieve the requested widget description from the
system database 712 or other data source available to the service
provider 106 (stage 2708). If the requested widget description is
able to be retrieved, the service provider 106 responds with an
XML-based widget description message; if not, the service provider
106 responds with an XML-based error message (stage 2712). An
exemplary XML-based response generated by the service provider 106
is given below:
TABLE-US-00024 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<widget id="BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82-00306555C864">
<name>Time Zones</name> <description>A time zone
selector</description> <version>1.0</version>
<protection protection="none"/> <access
access="public"/> <user username="chumby"
href="/xml/users/00000000-0000-0000- 0000-000000000001"
id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/> <category
href="/xml/categories/00000000-0000-0000-0000- 000000000001"
name="Chumby" id="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"/>
<thumbnail contenttype="image/jpeg"
href="/xml/thumbnails/BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82- 00306555C864"/>
<template contenttype="text/xml" href="/xml/templates/BF4CE814-
DFB8-11DA-9C82-00306555C864"/> <movie
contenttype="application/x-shockwave-flash"
href="/xml/movies/BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA- 9C82-00306555C864"/>
</widget>
[0352] Once the requested widget description is received by the
Chumby device 102, the Chumby device 102 uses the URL referencing
the "movie" for the requested widget to download the movie (e.g.,
.swf) file from the service provider 106. The Chumby device 102
sends an HTTP GET request containing the GUID of the requested
movie to a specific movie object within the system database 712
maintained by the service provider 106 (stage 1320). An example of
such a request is provided below:
[0353]
http://server.chumby.com/xml/movies/BF4CE814-DFB8-11DA-9C82-0030655-
5C864
[0354] The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 2724),
and attempts to retrieve the requested movie from the system
database 712 or other data source available to the service provider
106 (stage 2728). If the requested movie is able to be retrieved,
the service provider 106 responds with the .swf file which
implements the movie; if not, the service provider 106 responds
with an XML-based error message (stage 2732). Once the requested
movie is received by the Chumby device 102, it is loaded by the
Master Controller and queued for subsequent execution (stage 2736).
If an error is instead received, it is processed accordingly (stage
2740).
[0355] Requesting Content
[0356] Referring now to FIG. 13, a signal flow diagram 1300 is
provided which illustratively represents the process of obtaining
content from the service provider 106 for a widget of a Chumby
device 102. The process is initiated when the Chumby device 102
sends an HTTP GET and an optional XML request to a specific content
object within the system database 712 maintained by the service
provider 106 (stage 1302). An example of such a request for content
for a "tide" widget is provided below:
http://content.chumby.com/tides/United%20States/National%20City%2C
%20San%20Diego%20Bay%2C%20California
[0357] The service provider 106 receives the request (stage 1304),
and attempts to retrieve the requested content from the system
database 712, internal content service, external content service or
other data source available to the service provider 106 (stage
1308). If the requested content is able to be retrieved, the
service provider 106 responds with an XML-based content message; if
not, the service provider 106 responds with an XML-based error
message (stage 1312). Once the requested content is received by the
Chumby device 102, corresponding audiovisual output is generated by
the device 102 for the benefit of its user (stage 1316). If an
error is instead received, it is processed accordingly (stage
1320). An exemplary XML-based response generated by the service
provider 106 is given below:
TABLE-US-00025 <tideitems> <tideitem
timestamp="2006-05-31T00:39:11Z"> <location>
<locationstring string="National City, San Diego Bay,
California"/> <station id="National City, San Diego Bay"/>
<state name="California"/> <country name="United
States"/> <coordinates lat="32.6667A.degree.N", Ion="117.1167
A.degree.W"/> </location> <tides> <tide
dateTime=`2006-05-31T12:44:00Z`, tidedescription="Low Tide",
tidelevel="0.85 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-05-31T02:50:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-05-31T06:30:00Z`,
tidedescription="Moonset"/> <tide date
Time=`2006-05-31T06:56:00Z`, tidedescription="High Tide",
tidelevel=" 1.80 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-05-31T24:41:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-05-31T14:46:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="-0.13 meters"/> <tide date
Time=`2006-05-31T16:38:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-05-31T21:55:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.14 meters"/> <tide date
Time=`2006-06-01T01.38:002`, tidedescription="Low Tide",
tidelevel="0.92 meters"/> <tide date
Time=`2006-06-01T02:50:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunset"/> <tide
date Time=`2006-06-0 1T07:06:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-01T07:41:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.64 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-01T24:41:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-01T15:37:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="-0.01 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-01T17:38:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-01T22:59:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.18 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-02T02:51:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-02T02:58:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="0.96 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-02T07:37:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-02T08:35:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.47 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-02T24:41:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-02T16:28:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="0.09 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-02T18:35:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-02T23:51:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.26 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-03T02:51:00Z`, tidedescription="Sunset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-03T04:44:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="0.93 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-03T08:04:00Z`, tidedescription="Moonset"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-03T09:46:00Z`, tidedescription="High
Tide", tidelevel="1.31 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-03T24:41 :00Z`, tidedescription="Sunrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-03T17:17:00Z`, tidedescription="Low
Tide", tidelevel="0.19 meters"/> <tide
dateTime=`2006-06-03T19:31:00Z`, tidedescription= "Moonrise"/>
<tide dateTime=`2006-06-03T23:06:00Z`, tidedescription="First
Quarter"/> <tide dateTime=`2006-06-04TI2:30:00Z`, tidedescri
ption="High Tide", tidelevel="1.35 meters"/> </tides>
</tideitem> </tideitems>
[0358] In the case where content is retrieved directly from an
external content service provider (i.e., from other than the
service provider 106), a series of web-based transactions (most
likely HTTP and/or XML-based) defined by such content service
provider will take place between the Chumby device 102 and such
provider.
Chumby Security Protocol
[0359] Chumby devices 102 may optionally include a hardware
security module, which in one implementation is accessed via a
character driver interface in the operating system ("OS") of the
device 102. The module may or may not be installed. When the module
is not installed, the OS preferably virtualizes the hardware
security module by emulating it in software. While losing all the
security benefits of a hardware module, this feature enables cost
reduction savings while maintaining protocol interoperability with
a secured system.
[0360] The hardware security module of a Chumby device 102 may be
implemented in a number of ways. As an example, the hardware
security module may be implemented using a cryptographic Smart Card
module. This module, or its emulated counterpart, is capable of at
a minimum, the following operations: (1) storage of secret numbers
in hardware; (2) the ability to compute public-key signatures; (3)
the ability to compute one-way cryptographic hashes; and (4) the
ability to generate crytographically trusted random numbers.
[0361] During the manufacturing process the hardware security
module, or its emulated counterpart, is initialized with a set of
secret numbers that are only known to the module and to the Chumby
service provider 106. These secret numbers may or may not consist
of public and private keys. If the numbers consist of public and
private keys, then a mutual key-pair is stored by both the Chumby
service provider 106 and the hardware module, along with a
putative, insecure identifier number for the pair. Furthermore,
these numbers are preferably not recorded by the Chumby service
provider 106 in association with any other identifying information,
such as the MAC address for the WLAN interface, or any other serial
numbers that are stored in insecure memory for customer service
purposes.
[0362] When the user or service wishes to initiate a strong
authenticated transaction, the Chumby device 102 sends the putative
insecure key-pair identifier to the service provider 106. The
service provider 106 looks up the putative insecure key-pair
identifier and issues a challenge to the hardware module,
consisting of a random number and time stamp encrypted by the
public key whose private key is stored only inside the target
hardware module. In particular, the challenge is packetized and
sent through the Internet to the Chumby device 102. The device 102
unpacks the challenge and passes it directly to the hardware
module. The hardware module decrypts the random number and time
stamp, optionally hashing it, adds another time stamp and encrypts
the entire message with the unique server public key associated
with the putative insecure key-pair identifier. Again, this message
is packetized and transmitted by the device 102 to the service
provider 106 over the Internet. Upon receipt, the service provider
106 decrypts the message and verifies that the random number or its
hash is valid, and that the timestamps are unique and increasing
within a reasonable error bound. At the conclusion of this
transaction, the service provider 106 has authenticated the device
102, and can fall back to any number of session keys that can be
either dynamically generated or statically stored for further
secured transactions. Advantageously, this authentication
transaction does not involve uniquely associating the hardware
module with user information. Rather, the service provider 106 is
simply aware of the existence of the approved hardware module and
upon completion of the authentication transaction may safely trust
the integrity of the secrets stored therein.
[0363] A user of the device 102 may opt-out of privacy mode and
provide identifying information, as required by some billing
services such as credit cards and banks Optionally, an anonymous
cash-based transaction network can be established where accounts
are opened and managed only by secrets contained within the
hardware module.
[0364] To enable limited revocation of user-identifying
information, the specific embodiment of the master authentication
protocol should operate on a set of clean-room servers with a
multiplicity of connections that are trusted by the Chumby service
provider 106, and authenticated session keys are then passed on
laterally to the content servers. Thus, the anonymity of the master
authentication key is nominally preserved, although it is possible
to recreate and correlate transactions from forensic logs and
transaction timings. The use of multiple servers and multiple
connections, along with network routing randomization techniques,
can be used to increase the anonymization resistance to forensic
logging (cf. Tor network), but this configuration is in no way
essential to the network's operation.
[0365] Chumby Device Calibration, Registration and Account
Management
[0366] Attention is now directed to FIGS. 14-21, which are a set of
flowcharts representative of the calibration, registration and
initial operation of a Chumby device and associated account
management functions.
[0367] Initial Power-Up
[0368] FIG. 14 is a flowchart 1400 which depicts an exemplary
sequence of operations performed by a Chumby device 102 upon
initial power-up. When a user initially connects a Chumby device
102 to a power source, the device 102 undergoes a touchscreen
calibration process described below with reference to FIGS. 15-16
(stage 1404). The device 102 then selects a wireless base station
in the manner described below with reference to FIG. 17 (stage
1408). If a proxy server is identified (stage 1412), then
information relating to the proxy server is configured into the
Chumby device 102 to enable it to with the Web site maintained by
the service provider 106 (as well as with the Web sites of content
providers) (stage 1416). At this point the user of the Chumby
device 102 is prompted to set the time zone in which the device 102
is located (stage 1420). If an NTP server is determined to be
available (stage 1430), then time is set automatically based upon
information acquired from such a server (stage 1440). If not, the
Chumby device 102 is referenced to a time set manually (stage
1444). After the time of the Chumby device 102 has been set, the
registration process described below with reference to FIG. 18 is
initiated (stage 1450).
[0369] In one embodiment a Chumby device downloads configuration
information from the service provider 106 each time it is powered
on or otherwise re-establishes communication with the service
provider 106. However, a minimal amount of widget and configuration
information may be locally stored on a Chumby device so that it may
continue to function in the absence of network connectivity. For
example, a clock widget may be permanently stored on a Chumby
device so that its clock function could remain operational at all
times. A Chumby device will typically include sufficient memory
capacity to hold configuration information received from the
service provider 106 for all of the widgets to be executed by the
device, up to some reasonable number of widgets. If a user changes
the configuration for a Chumby device through the Web site
maintained by the service provider 106, a polling function
implemented on the corresponding Chumby device will typically be
used to "pull" the modified configuration information from the
service provider 106. Alternatively, an operation may be manually
initiated via the interface of the corresponding Chumby device in
order to obtain this information (e.g., an "Update My Chumby Device
Now" operation).
[0370] Touchscreen Calibration
[0371] Turning now to FIG. 15, there is shown a flowchart which
illustrates an exemplary routine used to calibrate the touchscreen
of a Chumby device 102. FIGS. 16A-16E provide a set of screen shots
of the user interface of the Chumby device 102 being calibrated
pursuant to the routine of FIG. 15. As shown, the calibration
routine involves determining an upper left set point (stage 1502)
after the user has initiated the routine by touching the
touchscreen of the device 102 (FIG. 16A). This set point is
determined by generating a target 1602 (FIG. 16B) through the LCD
screen 320 which the user is then prompted to tap. A lower right
set point is then determined by prompting the user to tap a target
1604 depicted in FIG. 16C (stage 1506). Similarly, a center set
point is next determined by prompting the user to tap a target 1606
depicted in FIG. 16D (stage 1510). The results of the calibration
process are then stored (stage 1514). Based upon the coordinate
data received from the touchscreen 330 during each of stages 1502,
1506 and 1510, the CPU 302 executes a program to generate
calibration information used during subsequent operation of the
device 102. A screen is then displayed to the user indicating that
the calibration process has been completed (FIG. 16E).
[0372] Wireless Base Station Selection
[0373] FIG. 17 is flowchart illustrating the operations performed
in selecting a wireless base station upon initial power-up of the
device 102. As shown, the Wi-Fi communications interface 314 of the
device initially searches for one or more access points 210
emitting a beacon signal (stage 1702). If the device is configured
to search for access points not emitting a beacon signal (stage
1706), then a keyboard is accessed (stage 1710) and data
designating an access point is entered (stage 1714). The keyboard
may comprise a physical keyboard connected to the device 102 as a
peripheral component. Alternatively, an "onscreen" keyboard
generated by the LCD screen 320 and interacted with via the
touchscreen 330 may be utilized. At this point the user is given an
opportunity to enter a WEP key (stage 1720). If this option is
selected, a key size is selected (stage 1724) and is then entered
via the keyboard (stage 1728). A connection is then attempted to be
established with a detected or designated access point (stage
1730). If a connection is so established (stage 1734), then the
information relating to the connection is stored within memory of
the device 102 (stage 1740); otherwise, it is again attempted to
establish the connection.
[0374] During or prior to stage 1720 the user may also be provided
with the opportunity to enter a desired channel/frequency and to
select a mode of encryption (e.g., WEP, WPA, WPA2). Although FIG.
17 describes the case in which WEP has been selected as the desired
encryption methodology, those skilled in the art will recognize
that similar operations may be performed following selection of an
alternate encryption methodology.
[0375] Registration
[0376] Referring now to FIG. 18, a flowchart is provided of an
exemplary account creation and registration process 1450. The
process begins upon presentation by the device, via its LCD screen
320, of its serial number or other identifying information (stage
1802). The user then logs in, via a Web browser 122, to a web site
operated by the service provider 106 (e.g., www.chumby.com) (stage
1804). In one embodiment the user may then select a "create new
user account" tab or the like (stage 1808), and is prompted to
enter an email address (stage 1810), password (stage 1812), and
name (stage 1816). In certain implementations the user may also be
offered the opportunity to enter his or her address (stage 1820),
while in other implementations the user is not prompted to provide
an address until this information is required for some particular
purpose (e.g., to provide a billing information for a subscription
or shipping information for a product purchase). If this option is
selected, the user enters his or her address (stage 1824). At this
point the service provider 106 sends an email to the address
entered in stage 1810 which contains a "click through" account
activation hyperlink (stage 1830). If the user does not receive
this message (stage 1834), the user is provided with the
opportunity to take advantage of various customer service options
in order to remedy the account creation difficulties being
experienced (stages 1840-1841). In any event, the account creation
process is then finalized (stage 1850), and the Chumby device being
registered is associated within the system database 712 with a
particular user account in the manner described below (stage 1854).
Once this has occurred a default configuration and a number of
widget instances are established for the newly registered Chumby
device (stage 1860).
[0377] Account Association
[0378] FIG. 19 is a flowchart representative of exemplary Web-based
interaction occurring between a user and the service provider 106
in connection with associating a particular Chumby device with the
user's account. The process is initiated when the user logs in to a
Web site operated by the service provider 106 (stage 1902) and
selects an "Add Chumby device to my account" tab or the equivalent
(stage 1904). The user then enters the serial number of the user's
Chumby device into the Web page (stage 1908) and may also
optionally enter a description (e.g., bedroom, study, family room,
etc.) (stage 1910). An association is then created between the
user's Chumby device and the applicable account within the system
database 712.
[0379] In one embodiment user accounts are configured to be capable
of hosting and moderating sub-accounts.
[0380] Disabling a Chumby Device
[0381] Referring now to FIG. 20, a flowchart is provided of
exemplary Web-based interaction occurring between a user and the
service provider 106 with regard to disabling a Chumby device that
has been previously associated with the user's account. As shown,
the user logs in to the account via a Web browser 122 (stage 2002)
and selects a "Disable Chumby device" tab or the equivalent (stage
2004). The user then selects the Chumby device to be disabled from
a list based upon either the device's serial number or description
(stage 2006). Next the user is prompted to confirm the selection
(stage 2010), and if so all references to the disabled Chumby
device are removed from the directory maintained within the system
database 712 (stage 2014). The process is then completed whether or
not the selection is confirmed (stage 2020), at which point the
service provider 106 no longer responds to requests from the Chumby
device which has been disabled.
[0382] Mirroring a Chumby Device
[0383] FIG. 21 is a flowchart which represents exemplary Web-based
interaction occurring between a user and the service provider 106
in connection with "mirroring" Chumby devices; that is, enabling
one Chumby device to utilize the widget set and configuration of
another Chumby device. In one embodiment once a given Chumby device
(i.e., the "slave device") has been mirrored to another Chumby
device (i.e., the "master device"), widget-related changes made to
the master device are automatically reflected in the slave device.
As shown in FIG. 21, the user logs in to the applicable account via
a Web browser 122 (stage 2102) and selects a "Mirror this Chumby
device" tab or the equivalent (stage 2104). The user then selects
the Chumby device to be the "master" (stage 2108) and further
selects the Chumby device to the "slave" (stage 2112). In certain
embodiments the master Chumby device need not correspond to a
physical device, but could instead constitute a "virtual" Chumby
device defined within the system database 712. In this case changes
made to the widget set or configuration of the virtual Chumby
device would be mirrored by all of its slave Chumby devices. In
certain embodiments the slave Chumby device need not correspond to
a physical device, but could instead constitute a "virtual" Chumby
device defined within the system database 712.
Web-Based Widget Selection, Removal and Configuration
[0384] Attention is now directed to FIGS. 22-25, which are a set of
flowcharts representative of Web-based widget selection, removal
and configuration processes contemplated by embodiments of the
present invention. Screen shots of exemplary user interfaces
presented by the Web browser 122 used to facilitate certain of
these processes are illustrated in FIG. 26.
[0385] Overview of Widget Management Process
[0386] Turning now to FIG. 22, a top-level flowchart 2200 is
provided of exemplary Web-based interaction occurring between a
device user and the service provider 106 with regard to adding,
removing and configuring widget profiles relative to the user's
Chumby device. Although a user may have the impression that a
Chumby device itself is being configured through the process of
FIG. 22, in the exemplary embodiment a profile currently assigned
to the user's Chumby device is instead configured.
[0387] As shown in FIG. 22, the user logs in to the user's account
maintained with the service provider 106 via a Web browser 122
(stage 2202) and proceeds to the user's "home page" or the
equivalent (stage 2204). From this home page the user selects a
"Set Up" device tab or the like (stage 2208) and the Web browser
122 presents a corresponding "Set Up" page (stage 2210). The user
then selects the Chumby device profile to be configured from a list
based upon either the device's serial number or description (stage
2212). The current configuration for the selected device profile is
then retrieved from the system database 712 and loaded into the
device (stage 2216). Once this has occurred the user selects an
action to be performed, as is illustrated by FIG. 26A (stage 2220).
Such actions may include, for example, adding, deleting or editing
widget profiles. If the user opts to add widget profiles (stage
2224), then the Web browser 122 displays an "Add Widgets Page"
through which widget profiles may be added to the current
configuration of the applicable Chumby device in the manner
described below with reference to FIG. 23 (stage 2228). If the user
instead chooses to delete widget profiles from such current
configuration (stage 2232), then a "Delete Widgets Page" is
presented through which the deletion operation may be completed
consistent with the approach described below with reference to FIG.
24 (stage 2236). Alternatively, the user may select another Chumby
device profile to configure (stage 2240), or simply exit and return
to the user's home page (stage 2244).
[0388] Adding Widgets
[0389] FIG. 23 is a flowchart 2300 representative of exemplary
Web-based interaction occurring between a device user and the
service provider 106 with respect to the addition of widgets to the
current configuration of the user's Chumby device. In one
embodiment the user is provided with the opportunity to choose,
through an appropriate category selection page (see, e.g., FIG.
26B) presented by a Web browser 122, among various widget
categories retrieved from the categories table of the system
database 712 (stage 2302). After selecting a widget category (stage
2304), both the widgets included within the selected category and
the current widget configuration of the applicable through which
widgets may be added to the current configuration of the applicable
Chumby device are presented to the user (stage 2308). The user then
selects an action to perform (stage 2312) including, for example,
exiting the widget addition process (stage 2316) or navigating the
list of widgets presented for the selected category (stage 2320).
If the latter action is selected (see, e.g., FIGS. 26C-26D), the
user then selects a widget to be added to the current configuration
(e.g., by selecting a corresponding icon) and the service provider
106 constructs an instance of the selected widget (stage 2324). At
this point the user may also opt to add yet more widgets to the
current configuration (stage 2328). Once the user has indicated
that no additional widgets are to be added, a widget configuration
phase (stage 2332) may be entered (see, e.g., FIG. 26E). If the
user declines to select a widget while navigating the list of
widgets presented for a selected category during stage 2320, a new
category of widgets may be selected (stage 2340).
[0390] If the user decides to exit the process of adding widgets to
the current configuration, the user may perform one of several
actions, including, but not limited to: select another Chumby
device to configure; navigate to another page on the Chumby site;
log out from the Chumby site; or close the applicable browser
window (stage 2316). If the user instead chooses to save the
current widget configuration for the applicable Chumby device
(stage 2350), the user selects a "Submit", "Commit", "Ok" or
similar button to cause any changes made to be recorded in the
system database 712 (stage 2354). After either saving the current
widget configuration or electing to exit the process, the user may
be directed to a predefined page (stage 2360).
[0391] Widget Removal
[0392] Referring now to FIG. 24, a flowchart 2400 is provided which
is representative of exemplary Web-based interaction occurring
between a device user and the service provider 106 in connection
with the removal of widgets from the current configuration of the
user's Chumby device. Upon being presented with a "Remove Widget
Page" (stage 2402), the user may elect to either de-activate a
selected widget (stage 2406), delete a selected widget (stage
2410), or exit the process (stage 2414). If widget de-activation is
chosen, the user is prompted to confirm the choice (stage 2418).
Once such confirmation has been provided the widget is marked as
"inactive" on the page currently being rendered by the Web browser
122 (stage 2420). In addition, the widget configuration for the
Chumby device of interest is updated within the system database 712
(stage 2424). Similarly, if it is instead chosen to delete the
selected widget, the user is prompted to confirm the choice (stage
2438). Once such confirmation has been provided the widget is
marked as "deleted" on the page currently being rendered by the Web
browser 122 (stage 2440), and the widget configuration for the
Chumby device of interest is updated (stage 2424). If confirmation
to de-activate or delete the selected widget is not provided
(stages 2418 and 2438), the Web browser 122 goes to a "Choose
Widget Page" through which a different widget may be selected for
removal or de-activation.
[0393] Widget Configuration
[0394] FIG. 25 is a flowchart 2500 depicting an exemplary set of
operations involved in configuring parameters specific to of one or
more widgets currently associated with a given Chumby device. The
process is initiated by accessing the configuration of a selected
widget maintained within the system database (stage 2502). An
appropriate user interface through which the existing configuration
of the selected widget may be edited is then generated based upon
such existing configuration (stage 2504). This may involve, for
example, establishing various inter-field dependencies based upon
the existing configuration (stage 2508). Once the user interface
has been generated it is presented to the user via a Web browser
122 in order to enable desired changes to the configuration to be
made (stage 2512). If a user elects to edit one or more fields
presented by the interface (2516), the user interface defining the
widget configuration is correspondingly changed (stage 2520). If a
user elects to not edit any of these fields, the user is given the
option of selecting a "default configuration" (stage 2524). To the
extent this option is selected, all fields are reset to default
values (stage 2528); otherwise, the user is given the option to
exit the process or return to stage 2516 (stage 2540). When the
process is exited , the user is given the option of saving the
edited version of the configuration in the system database 712
(stage 2544). If this option is selected, the current widget
configuration is saved to the database 712 (stage 2550). A "Choose
Widget Page" is then presented to the user, irrespective of whether
or not the user elected to save the widget configuration (stage
2560).
[0395] In an exemplary embodiment the service provider 106
populates a corresponding widget and parameters tables within the
system database in accordance with the user's parameter selections.
In this regard the widget table may include an XML-based
"param_desc_xml" field containing instructions enabling the
construction of associated records in parameters table. For
example, for a "clock" widget the XML-based instructions could
indicate that a time zone should be a valid parameter, and could
also be utilized to create appropriate records in the parameters
table.
[0396] It is noted that in various embodiments the present
invention may relate to processes such as are described or
illustrated herein and/or in the related applications. These
processes are typically implemented in one or more modules
comprising systems as described herein and/or in the related
applications, and such modules may include computer software stored
on a computer readable medium including instructions configured to
be executed by one or more processors. It is further noted that,
while the processes described and illustrated herein and/or in the
related applications may include particular stages, it is apparent
that other processes including fewer, more, or different stages
than those described and shown are also within the spirit and scope
of the present invention. Accordingly, the processes shown herein
and in the related applications are provided for purposes of
illustration, not limitation.
[0397] As noted, some embodiments of the present invention may
include computer software and/or computer hardware/software
combinations configured to implement one or more processes or
functions associated with the present invention such as those
described above and/or in the related applications. These
embodiments may be in the form of modules implementing
functionality in software and/or hardware software combinations.
Embodiments may also take the form of a computer storage product
with a computer-readable medium having computer code thereon for
performing various computer-implemented operations, such as
operations related to functionality as describe herein. The media
and computer code may be those specially designed and constructed
for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the
kind well known and available to those having skill in the computer
software arts, or they may be a combination of both.
[0398] Examples of computer-readable media within the spirit and
scope of the present invention include, but are not limited to:
magnetic media such as hard disks; optical media such as CD-ROMs,
DVDs and holographic devices; magneto-optical media; and hardware
devices that are specially configured to store and execute program
code, such as programmable microcontrollers, application-specific
integrated circuits ("ASICs"), programmable logic devices ("PLDs")
and ROM and RAM devices. Examples of computer code may include
machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing
higher-level code that are executed by a computer using an
interpreter. Computer code may be comprised of one or more modules
executing a particular process or processes to provide useful
results, and the modules may communicate with one another via means
known in the art. For example, some embodiments of the invention
may be implemented using assembly language, Java, C, C#, C++, or
other programming languages and software development tools as are
known in the art. Other embodiments of the invention may be
implemented in hardwired circuitry in place of, or in combination
with, machine-executable software instructions.
[0399] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used
specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the
invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art
that specific details are not required in order to practice the
invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments
of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and
description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise forms disclosed; obviously, many
modifications and variations are possible in view of the above
teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the invention and its practical
applications, they thereby enable others skilled in the art to best
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It
is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define
the scope of the invention.
* * * * *
References