U.S. patent number 9,271,151 [Application Number 14/318,444] was granted by the patent office on 2016-02-23 for fingerprinting a mobile device through near field communication.
This patent grant is currently assigned to NEXKEY, INC.. The grantee listed for this patent is NexKey, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jason Hart, Matthew Herscovitch, Gary Kremen.
United States Patent |
9,271,151 |
Kremen , et al. |
February 23, 2016 |
Fingerprinting a mobile device through near field communication
Abstract
Some embodiments include a method of operating an identity
receiver of a security system to process an authentication request.
The method can include detecting an energy signal from a mobile
device at the identity receiver using a first communication
protocol; generating a handover message at the identity receiver to
request a unique characteristic of the mobile device using the
first communication protocol, the unique characteristic associated
with a second communication protocol; receiving the unique
characteristic from the mobile device at the identity receiver; and
authorizing access through the security system by matching the
unique characteristic to an authorized identity stored in the
identity receiver.
Inventors: |
Kremen; Gary (Fremont, CA),
Hart; Jason (Fremont, CA), Herscovitch; Matthew
(Fremont, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NexKey, Inc. |
Menlo Park |
CA |
US |
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Assignee: |
NEXKEY, INC. (Menlo Park,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
52116073 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/318,444 |
Filed: |
June 27, 2014 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20150004937 A1 |
Jan 1, 2015 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61841238 |
Jun 28, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
12/08 (20130101); H04L 63/107 (20130101); H04B
5/0031 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
12/08 (20090101); H04B 5/00 (20060101); H04L
29/06 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/41.1,410,411,558 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
International Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Oct. 16,
2014, for International Application No. PCT/US2014/044739, 7 pages.
cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Bhattacharya; Sam
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Perkins Coie LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/841,238, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR
FINGERPRINTING A MOBILE DEVICE THROUGH NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION,"
which was filed on Jun. 28, 2013, which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An identity receiver of a security system, comprising: a near
field communication (NFC) receiver configured to receive an NFC
signal from a mobile device; a memory configured to store an
authorized identity; and an authorization engine, coupled to the
memory and the NFC receiver, configured to: generate an NFC data
exchange format (NDEF) record to request a wireless connection with
the mobile device, wherein the wireless connection utilizes a
protocol other than NFC; receive a network interface identifier of
the mobile device corresponding to the requesting of the wireless
connection, in response to the NDEF record; and authorize access
through the security system when the network interface identifier
matches the authorize identity.
2. The identity receiver of claim 1, further comprising: a locking
mechanism; and an actuator configured to disengage the locking
mechanism when access through the security system is
authorized.
3. The identity receiver of claim 1, wherein the authorization
engine is configured to abort connecting via the wireless
connection once the network interface identifier is received.
4. A method of operating a security system to process an
authentication request comprising: detecting an energy signal using
a first communication protocol from a mobile device at an identity
receiver; generating a handover message at the identity receiver to
request a unique characteristic of the mobile device, the unique
characteristic associated with a second communication protocol;
receiving the unique characteristic from the mobile device at the
identity receiver; and authorizing access through the security
system by matching the unique characteristic to an authorized
identity stored in the identity receiver.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, abandoning a handover
process initiated by the handover message in response to receiving
the unique characteristic.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising, in response to
authorizing access, sending a command to disengage a locking
mechanism that prevents movement of a barrier fixation device,
which prevents access through a barrier of the security system, or
to disengage the barrier fixation device directly.
7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first communication protocol
is a NFC-based communication protocol.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to
detecting the energy signal, initiating a NFC peer to peer mode at
the identity receiver.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the handover message
includes generating a first NDEF record to request a unique address
associated with a component of the mobile device used to
communicate using the second communication protocol.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the first NDEF record
includes formatting the first NDEF record to cause a NFC handover
process, wherein the first NDEF record indicates an intent to
switch to a second channel to communicate via the second
communication protocol.
11. The method of claim 4, wherein the unique characteristic is a
media control access (MAC) address of a radio.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique characteristic is
the MAC address of a Bluetooth network interface.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique characteristic is
the MAC address of a WiFi network interface.
14. The method of claim 4, wherein the mobile device is a
general-purpose mobile device with an operating system, wherein the
operating system restricts access to the unique characteristic via
a third party application running on the operating system.
15. The method of claim 4, wherein the identity receiver is or is
part of a NFC-enabled lock cylinder.
16. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating a link
message using the first communication protocol at the identity
receiver for the mobile device, the link message containing a URL
to indicate a status of the authentication request.
17. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating a link
message using the first communication protocol at the identity
receiver for the mobile device, the link message configured to
prompt the mobile device to install an application associated with
the identity receiver.
Description
RELATED FIELDS
This disclosure relates generally to a security system, and in
particular to providing a security system that authenticates access
through a mobile device.
BACKGROUND
A typical electronic security system prevents or allows access to a
goal in response to performing an authentication process. For
example, the goal can be a restricted physical space, restricted
information, or the execution of a desired task or the processing
of a software program call. A physical electronic security system
may include a barrier, barrier fixation hardware to secure the
barrier, and a security intelligence device that engages or
disengages the barrier fixation hardware. The security intelligence
device generally determines accessibility through the barrier based
on the identity of a user. The security intelligence device can
receive identity information from an electronic key possessed by
the user to determine the identity of the user. The identity
information has to be able to positively identify the electronic
key or at least the user.
The electronic key, for example, can take the form of a mobile
smart phone. A mobile smart phone is a general-purpose device with
an operating system to run multiple third-party software modules,
optionally including a key module to configure the mobile smart
phone as an electronic key (e.g., by presenting a digital
identification). In the modern day society, many people carry a
mobile smart phone, making it convenient to double as an electronic
key. However, the mobile smart phone may or may not have an
application that presents the digital identification, and/or a
handheld vendor (e.g., Apple.TM., Samsung.TM.) may limit access to
one or more unique identifiers of the mobile smart phone thus
making it difficult to present the digital identification.
DISCLOSURE OVERVIEW
Disclosed is a security system utilizing a handover message between
two communication protocols to retrieve a unique identifier of an
external device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, or other device).
The handover message is configured in accordance with a handover
protocol that was created to help devices switch between
communication channels to improve communication speed, performance,
or range and to avoid an additional complicated handshake mechanism
that needs to occur when opening a second communication channel.
The disclosed security system utilizes the handover protocol to
enable retrieval of the unique identifier to authenticate the
external device. Hence, the second communication channel is
abandoned when the unique identifier is received.
For example, the security system can utilize near field
communication (NFC) to uniquely identify a mobile device. This
enables the mobile device to serve as an electronic key when no
corresponding application (i.e., an application that generates
and/or presents a unique identifier) is running on an operating
system of the mobile device or when access to a preferred unique
identifier of the mobile device is restricted by the hardware or
operating system of the mobile device. The security system may
provide access through a barrier (e.g., physical or virtual) by
verifying the identity of a user via the mobile device. In
accordance with various embodiments, an identity receiver can cause
the mobile device to transfer its digital identity to the identity
receiver via the handover protocol. The digital identity can be
stored in the identity receiver during a key acquisition process
and matched against known authorized identities during a key
authentication process. For example, the identity receiver can be
in the form of an electronic locking cylinder, an electronic lock,
or a device coupled to an electronic lock.
The handover process involves at least two communication protocols.
In some embodiments, the first communication protocol used to
initiate the authentication process is the NFC protocol. The NFC
protocol is advantageous because of the proximity requirement
(i.e., because proximity is required to communicate, there is less
opportunity for security breaches from a third party intercepting
communications between the mobile device and the identity receiver)
and the built-in cryptographic features. In some embodiments, the
identity receiver may even derive its power fully or partially from
the NFC field generated by the mobile device.
In some embodiments, the authentication process begins when a user
of the mobile device holds the mobile device near the identity
receiver to gain access or entry through a barrier (e.g., a
physical or a virtual barrier) that is otherwise protected by the
security system. In the example of a physical barrier, the identity
receiver is coupled to a barrier fixation hardware (e.g., a
deadbolt, other barrier fixation hardware, latch, seal, etc.), that
prevents the movement of the barrier. The identity receiver can
actuate the barrier fixation hardware directly, or actuate a
locking mechanism that engages to prevent movement of the barrier
fixation hardware and disengage to allow free movement of the
barrier fixation hardware. In the latter case, once the locking
mechanism is disengaged, a user can manually disengage the barrier
fixation hardware. That is, the locking mechanism functions as a
secondary fixation hardware that indirectly prevents movement of
the barrier. In some embodiments, the locking mechanism can be a
tertiary fixation hardware or quaternary fixation hardware that
indirectly prevents movement of the barrier fixation hardware.
The identity receiver determines whether to grant access through
the security system based on the information it receives from the
mobile device. The disclosed security system enables extraction of
identity information by having a mobile device responding to a
handover message from one communication protocol to another. For
example, the mobile device may be an NFC enabled mobile device that
uses the NFC protocol to discover a unique identifier of the mobile
device, where the unique identifier is associated with a second
communication channel and protocol. For example, the unique
identifier can be a communication protocol ID (e.g., a media access
control (MAC) address), or the combination of such communication
protocol ID with other identifiers in the mobile device. "Unique"
as discussed in this disclosure refers to absolute uniqueness or
substantial uniqueness where the likelihood of two devices with the
same identifier is extremely low. Once access is granted, the
identity receiver can disengage the locking mechanism or the
barrier fixation hardware.
The disclosed security system involves a mechanism to extract an
identification of a general-purpose mobile device without requiring
specific software, and thus overcoming the problem of uncooperative
hardware vendor (e.g., one that does not expose access to unique
identifiers in the mobile device to third party applications or
devices). For example, the identity receiver can use identity data
based on connection/communication protocol information from the
mobile device to uniquely identify the mobile device. This would
enable the security system, and particularly the identity receiver,
to uniquely identify the general-purpose mobile device to either
grant or refuse access in situations where the handset vendors
prevent mobile applications associated with the identity receiver
to be executed or to extract device-specific information.
Some embodiments of this disclosure have other aspects, elements,
features, and steps in addition to or in place of what is described
above. These potential additions and replacements are described
throughout the rest of the specification
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system environment of a
security system, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example identity receiver, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a mobile device, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method of an identity receiver
acquiring a unique identifier from a mobile device, in accordance
with various embodiments.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method of the identity receiver
authenticating a mobile device, in accordance with various
embodiments.
FIG. 6A is a control flow illustrating an example of an NFC
handover process, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 6B is an example of an NFC handover message, in accordance
with various embodiments
The figures depict various embodiments of this disclosure for
purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily
recognize from the following discussion that alternative
embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be
employed without departing from the principles of the invention
described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example system environment of a
security system 100, in accordance with various embodiments. The
security system 100 is configured to authenticate a mobile device
102. Specifically, the mobile device 102 has been illustrated to
implement a NFC module 104. However, other communication module
operating under other communication protocol may be used in
accordance with various embodiments. The NFC module 104, for
example, can implement a standard NFC protocol, such as defined in
ISO/IEC 18092/ECMA-340 or ISO/IEC 21481/ECMA-352 or other standards
defined by the GSM Association, the Store Logistics and Payment
with NFC consortium, or the NFC Forum. In some embodiments, the
mobile device 102 may be the mobile device 300 of FIG. 3. The
mobile device 102 may be capable of near field communication
through the NFC module 104.
The NFC module 104 can communicate with an identity receiver 106.
For example, the NFC module 104 may communicate in at least two
different modes. In a passive communication mode, the NFC module
104 can generate a carrier field and the identity receiver 106 can
answer in response by modulating the carrier field. In some
embodiments, the identity receiver 106 can generate the carrier
field instead, and the NFC module 104 can answer by modulating that
field. In this mode, the identity receiver 106 may draw its
operating power from electromagnetic field provided by the NFC
module 104, thus making the identity receiver 106 a
transponder.
In an active communication mode, both the NFC module 104 and the
identity receiver 106 communicate by alternately generating their
own fields. A device deactivates its RF field while it is waiting
for data. In this mode, both devices may have power supplies.
The security system 100 is guarded by the identity receiver 106,
which can couple with the NFC module 104 wirelessly to receive
identifying information and to attempt to authenticate the
identifying information before granting access. The identity
receiver 106 may also be capable of NFC. The identity receiver 106
may be coupled directly or indirectly to a security mechanism 108.
The security mechanism 108 secure via a physical barrier, a virtual
barrier, or a combination thereof. For example, the security
mechanism 108 can include or be part of a lock, a door, a latch, or
other systems for securing access. The security mechanism 108
including a physical barrier can further include barrier fixation
hardware 110. The identity receiver 106 may be a component within
the security mechanism 108. For example, the security mechanism 108
can be a lock cylinder, and the identity receiver 106 can be
implemented within the lock cylinder. The identity receiver 106 may
be detachably coupled to the security mechanism 108. In the example
of the security mechanism 108 securing via a physical barrier, the
identity receiver 106 can cause disengagement of the barrier
fixation hardware 110 directly or indirectly enable the
disengagement of the barrier fixation hardware 110 (e.g., by
disengaging a locking mechanism that prevents movement of the
barrier fixation hardware 110).
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example identity receiver 200, in
accordance with various embodiments. The identity receiver 200 may
be the identity receiver 106 of FIG. 1. The identity receiver 200
may optionally include a power supply 202 and an actuator 204. The
power supply 202 can supply the power necessary to operate
electronic circuitry (e.g., an authentication module 214 and/or an
NFC module 210) for running the identity authentication process.
The power supply 202 can also supply power to drive the actuator
204. For example, the actuator 204 operates a locking mechanism 206
or a barrier fixation hardware 208. The barrier fixation hardware
208, when engaged, prevents access through a barrier; and when
disengaged, allows access through the barrier. The locking
mechanism 206, when engaged, prevents movement of the barrier
fixation hardware 208; and when disengaged, allows movement of the
barrier fixation hardware 208.
The power supply 202 may be an internal energy source, such as a
battery. Alternatively, the power supply 202 may be a converter for
connecting to an external energy source via a wire or wirelessly.
For example, the power supply 202 may derive its power from the
energy field generated by a nearby device, such as energy field
generated by the NFC module 104 of the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1
(e.g., without contacting the mobile device).
The identity receiver 200 may include the NFC module 210. The NFC
module 210 is configured to receive NFC signal from an external NFC
module, such as the NFC module 104 of FIG. 1. The NFC module 210
may be operating under either the active or passive mode as
described above. In some embodiments, the NFC module 210 operate as
the master, and generates the carrier field for the near field
communication with the external NFC module. In some embodiments,
the NFC module 210 operates as the slave, and modulates a carrier
field generated by the external NFC module. It is noted that the
NFC module 210 may transmit information as well as receive
information, either under the passive mode or the active mode. In
some embodiments, the NFC module 210 may be coupled to the power
supply 202, for example, to power NFC communication in the active
mode.
The identity receiver 200 may include a memory 212. The memory 212
may be preferably a non-volatile tangible storage. In some
examples, the memory 212 can be a volatile tangible storage. The
memory 212 can store one or more identities. The identities may be
represented as digital strings, such as MAC addresses of mobile
devices' Bluetooth radio or Wi-Fi adapter. Potential digital
strings that can serve to identify mobile devices may include: the
MAC address of Bluetooth radio, MAC address of Wi-Fi radio, UDID
(Apple iPhone's unique device identifier), Android ID (Android
operating system's unique ID), international mobile equipment
identity (IMEI), international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI),
or any combination thereof. The identity of the mobile device can
also include a hash of one or more of the above digital
strings.
The identity receiver 200 may include an authentication module 214.
The authentication module 214 is coupled to the NFC module 210.
When the NFC module 210 receives an energy field from a nearby
mobile device, the authentication module 214 may create an NFC data
exchange format (NDEF) record. An NFC enabled mobile device is
configured to read the NDEF record when its energy field (e.g.,
magnetic induction field of the NFC) has been changed by a nearby
receiver. The NDEF record may include information regarding how to
connect with the identity receiver 200 via a second channel, such
as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. When a mobile device attempts to connect
with the identity receiver 200 via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the mobile
device will send its Bluetooth or Wi-Fi MAC address. The
authentication module 214 then captures such MAC address via the
NFC module 210 and stores it as an identity (e.g., a digital
string).
The use of the NDEF record described above may be in accordance
with a handover protocol of the NFC protocol stack (e.g., according
to a NFC standard). The handover protocol may require transmission
of network access data and credentials (the carrier configuration
data) to allow one device to connect to a wireless network provided
by another device (e.g., Bluetooth or WiFi). Because of the close
proximity needed for communication between NFC devices and tags,
eavesdropping of carrier configuration data is difficult without
recognition by the legitimate owner of the devices. Thus carrier
configuration data can be transmitted between devices when brought
to close proximity of each other. The authentication module 214 can
store the received identity when configured in the key acquisition
mode.
Later on when the authentication module 214 detects the same
identity digital string, the authentication module 214 can instruct
the actuator 204 to open access to whatever the identity receiver
200 is securing (e.g., the locking mechanism 206 or the barrier
fixation hardware 208). In the case of a virtual security system,
the authentication module 214 can provide digital access (e.g.,
providing a secured channel for the authenticated mobile device to
access information). The authentication module 214 may also provide
a uniform resource locator (URL) through a NDEF record. The mobile
device can open the URL once the NDEF record is received. A Web
server (not shown) can then display the status of the
authentication request, including an access denial, an access
grant, a try again, or any other message. In some embodiments, the
identity receiver 200 can update in real time, periodically, or
according to a conditional schedule, the status of authentication
requests to the Web server, such as by communicating through a
wireless communication module 216. The identity receiver 200 can
also synchronize a control list of allowed or blacklisted
identities with the Web server, the mobile device, or both (either
synchronize from the identity receiver 200 or to the identity
receiver 200).
The modules described within may be implemented as hardware
modules, software modules, or any combination thereof. For example,
the modules described can be software modules implemented as
instructions on a tangible storage memory capable of being executed
by a controller on a machine. The tangible storage memory may be
non-transitory. Software modules may be operable when executed by
the controller, such as a single board chip, a processor, a field
programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a network capable computing device, a virtual machine, a
cloud-based computing terminal device, or any combination
thereof.
Each of the modules may operate individually and independently of
other modules. Some or all of the modules may be executed on the
same host device or on separate devices. The separate devices can
be coupled via a communication module to coordinate its operations.
Some or all of the modules may be combined as one module.
A single module may also be divided into sub-modules, each
sub-module performing separate method step or method steps of the
single module. In some embodiments, the modules can share access to
a memory space. One module may access data accessed by or
transformed by another module. The modules may be considered
"coupled" to one another. The modules can directly or indirectly
share a physical connection, a virtual connection, or both,
allowing data accessed or modified from one module to be accessed
in another module. In some embodiments, some or all of the modules
can be upgraded or modified remotely. The memory 212 can be coupled
to one or more of the modules. The identity receiver 200 may
include additional, fewer, or different modules for various
applications.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a mobile device 300, in
accordance with various embodiments. The mobile device 300 may be
the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1, although alternative embodiments
of those devices may include more or fewer components than the
mobile device 300.
Mobile device 300 may include one or more antenna systems 301.
Mobile device 300 may also include one or more digital and/or
analog radio frequency (RF) transceivers 302, coupled to the
antenna systems 301, to transmit and/or receive voice, digital data
and/or media signals through antenna systems 301.
Mobile device 300 may also include a digital processing system 303
to control the digital RF transceiver and to manage the voice,
digital data and/or media signals. Digital processing system 303
may be a general-purpose processing device, such as a
microprocessor or controller for example. Digital processing system
303 may also be a special purpose processing device, such as an
ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), FPGA
(field-programmable gate array) or DSP (digital signal processor).
Digital processing system 303 may also include other devices, as
are known in the art, to interface with other components of mobile
device 300. For example, digital processing system 303 may include
analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters to interface
with other components of mobile device 300. Digital processing
system 303 may include an operating system 309 implemented by a
general-purpose or special purpose processing device, such as a
processor and non-transitory tangible storage medium. For example,
the storage medium can store instructions that may be executed by
the processor to implement the operating system 309.
Mobile device 300 may also include a storage device 304, coupled to
the digital processing system, to store data and/or operating
programs for the mobile device 300. Storage device 304 may be, for
example, any type of solid-state or magnetic memory device.
Mobile device 300 may also include one or more input devices 305,
coupled to the digital processing system 303, to accept user inputs
(e.g., telephone numbers, names, addresses, media selections, etc.)
Input devices 305 may include, for example, one or more of a
keypad, a touchpad, a touch screen, a pointing device in
combination with a display device or similar input device.
Mobile device 300 may also include at least one display device 306,
coupled to the digital processing system 303, to display
information such as messages, telephone call information, contact
information, pictures, movies and/or titles or other indicators of
media being selected via the input devices 305. Display device 306
may be, for example, an LCD display device. In one embodiment, one
or more of the display device 306 and the input devices 305 may be
integrated together in the same device (e.g., a touch screen LCD
such as a multi-touch input panel which is integrated with a
display device, such as an LCD display device). The display device
306 may include a backlight 306A to illuminate the display device
306 under certain circumstances. It will be appreciated that the
Mobile device 300 may include multiple displays.
Mobile device 300 may also include a battery 307 to supply
operating power to components of the system including the
transceivers 302, digital processing system 303, storage device
304, input devices 305, microphone 305A, audio transducer 308,
operating system 309, sensor(s) 310, and display device 306.
Battery 307 may be, for example, a rechargeable or non-rechargeable
lithium or nickel metal hydride battery. Mobile device 300 may also
include the audio transducer 308, which may include one or more
speakers, and at least one microphone 305A. In certain embodiments
of the present disclosure, the mobile device 300 can be used to
implement at least some of the methods discussed in the present
disclosure.
The operating system 309 can implement various communication
protocols specific to various types of the transceivers 302,
including a NFC transceiver 312, a Bluetooth transceiver 314, a
Wi-Fi transceiver 316, or any combination thereof. The operating
system 309, for example, can be configured to generate an energy
field via the NFC transceiver 312. The operating system 309 can
configure the NFC transceiver 312 to monitor for modulations in an
observed energy field monitored by the NFC transceiver 312 (e.g., a
passive or an active modulation). The operating system 309 can
detect a NDEF record based on the modulation determined from the
observed energy field. The NDEF record can include information
regarding how to connect with an identity receiver (e.g. the
identity receiver 200) via a second channel, such as via the
Bluetooth transceiver 314 or the Wi-Fi transceiver 316. In
response, the operating system 309 can provide the MAC address of
the requested second channel via near field communication through
the NFC transceiver 312. The NDEF record can also include a URL. In
response, the operating system can launch a default browser of the
operating system 309 to retrieve a webpage from the URL.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 of an identity receiver
acquiring a unique identifier from a mobile device. The identity
receiver, for example, may be the identity receiver 106 of FIG. 1
or the identity receiver 200 of FIG. 2 that is part of a security
system (e.g., the security system 100 of FIG. 1). The mobile
device, for example, may be the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1 or the
mobile device 300 of FIG. 3. This method may be performed under a
key acquisition mode, where the identity receiver is waiting to
receive an unique characteristic of the mobile device to save as an
authorized identity. That is, prior to initiating the method 400,
the identity receiver may first be configured in the key
acquisition mode (e.g., by pressing a button or changing a switch
on the interior side of the identity receiver or by remote
configuration). The interior side refers to the direction towards
where access is prevented by a physical barrier security
system).
The method 400 may include step 402 of the mobile device sending a
first signal via a first communication protocol, such as the NFC
protocol. The first communication protocol can also be other
contactless or contact-based communication protocol. The method 400
may then include step 404 of the identity receiver receiving the
first signal. For example, step 404 can include the identity
receiver detecting an attempt of near field communication. Step 404
may optionally include powering the identity receiver with the
received first signal. Step 404 may also include the identity
receiver capturing the power received from the NFC signal to
further modulate the energy field of the NFC signal. The identity
receiver then initiates a key acquisition process in response to
the first signal (e.g., by initiating an NFC peer to peer mode) in
step 406. The key acquisition process begins with requesting, via a
handover message, the mobile device to communicate with the
identity receiver over a second channel using a second
communication protocol, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The handover
message is configured to request the mobile device to switch from
communicating via the first communication protocol to the second
communication protocol. To accomplish this, the identity receiver
can generate the handover message (e.g., a NDEF record) containing
information referencing the second communication protocol in step
408. In some embodiments, the second communication protocol are
related communication protocols. In other embodiments, the second
communication protocol and the first communication protocol are
completely unrelated. For example, the handover message may contain
a random Bluetooth adapter address. Other examples of the
communication protocols include iBeacon, ZigBee, Z-Wave,
WirelessHART/Dust Networks, ISA 100a, different WiFi standards
(e.g., 802.15.4 or 802.11), ISM-band-based channels, IMEI, ANT or
ANT+, or other methods of communication.
The mobile device can scan for a response after sending the first
signal, such as NFC modulation of the first signal. The mobile
device then receives the handover message in step 410. For example,
the mobile device can retrieve the information regarding the second
channel, such as Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE or Wi-Fi (e.g., regular
Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi Direct), from the NDEF record. The mobile device can
send a unique characteristic (e.g., a unique identifier) associated
with the second communication protocol (e.g., its Bluetooth and/or
Wi-Fi MAC address(s)) to the identity receiver in step 412. In some
embodiments, the mobile device operating system can automatically
send the MAC address when a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection is
requested.
Alternatively the mobile device can send any other characteristic
of the mobile device of which can uniquely identify the mobile
device. The identifying characteristic can be a digital number that
is embedded or stored within components of the mobile device. The
unique characteristic can be sent via the first channel or the
second channel.
Once the unique characteristic is received, the identity receiver
can record/store the unique characteristic (e.g., the unique
identifier) as an authenticated identity in step 414. In this
scenario, when the mobile device detects that the second channel
connection is aborted by the identity receiver in step 416, no
further instructions are performed in response.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method 500 of an identity receiver
authenticating a mobile device, in accordance with various
embodiments. The identity receiver, for example, may be the
identity receiver 106 of FIG. 1 or the identity receiver 200 of
FIG. 2 that is part of a security system (e.g., the security system
100 of FIG. 1). The mobile device, for example, may be the mobile
device 102 of FIG. 1 or the mobile device 300 of FIG. 3. The method
500 may include steps similar to the method 400. The mobile device
sends a first signal (e.g., NFC signal) via a first communication
protocol in step 502. The identity receiver receives the first
signal in step 504 and initiates an authentication process (e.g.,
by initiating the NFC peer-to-peer mode) in step 506. The identity
receiver then embeds information regarding a second channel in a
handover message (e.g., a NDEF record) to the mobile device via the
first communication protocol in step 508. The handover message is
configured to initiate a handover process to switch from
communicating via a first communication protocol to a second
communication protocol of the second channel.
The method 500 is implemented for the identity receiver to
authenticate the mobile device. However, in some embodiments, the
security system may implement a bi-directional authentication
process. Hence, in some embodiments, before steps 502, 504, or 506,
the mobile device can first attempt to authenticate the identity
receiver.
The mobile device can send its unique characteristic (e.g., a
unique identifier associated with the second channel) in response
to reading the handover message in step 510. The mobile device can
send one or more unique characteristics. When the identity receiver
receives the unique characteristics, the identity receiver can
abandon the handover process. That is, the handover message is
configured to cause the mobile device to send its one or more of
the unique characteristics, and not to actually switch to another
communication protocol. This feature takes advantage of the
handover message to solve the problem of a restrictive operating
system on the mobile device that prevents a third-party security
application running on the operating system to access to the unique
characteristics.
When the unique characteristics, such as a MAC address or a mobile
device identifier, match identifiers of an authorized digital
identity stored on the identity receiver, the identity receiver
grants access through a barrier (e.g., a physical or virtual
barrier) in step 512. For example, granting access can include
disengaging a barrier fixation hardware or a locking mechanism that
prevents movement of the barrier fixation hardware. When the unique
characteristics do not match an authorized digital identity, then
the identity receiver denies access. The identity receiver can
store a record of the attempt to gain access and whether access was
granted or denied. This record can be shared on a Web server
coupled to the identity receiver.
At a point during the authentication process of the method 500, the
identity receiver may generate a link message (e.g., a NDEF record)
with a URL pointing to the Web server coupled to the identity
receiver in step 514. For example, the identity receiver may be in
wireless communication with the web server. Alternatively, the
identity receiver can host its own web service server, such as via
wireless communication.
The web server can generate a webpage at the URL indicating the
status of the authentication process, such as granting, denying,
requesting further information, or requesting downloading of a
mobile application. Upon receiving the link message with the URL,
the mobile device can open the URL and see the status of its
authentication process at the URL in step 516.
Similar to the method 400, once the unique characteristic is
received, the identity receiver can use the unique characteristics
to authenticate the mobile device, such as in step 512. Afterwards,
the identity receiver can abort the second channel connection. In
some embodiments, when the mobile device detects that the second
channel connection is aborted by the identity receiver, no further
instructions are performed in response.
The key acquisition process of the method 400 and the
authentication process of the method 500 can be implemented to
facilitate the operations of a security. However, it is
contemplated by this disclosure that the same key acquisition
process and authentication process can apply to other use cases as
well, such as targeted advertising or license control.
While processes or blocks are presented in a given order in FIGS.
4-5, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or
employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some
processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided,
combined, and/or modified to provide alternative or
subcombinations. Each of these processes or blocks may be
implemented in a variety of different ways. In addition, while
processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in
series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in
parallel, or may be performed at different times.
FIG. 6A is a control flow illustrating an example of an NFC
handover process, in accordance with various embodiments. There are
multiple handover mechanisms specified by the NFC protocol stack.
FIG. 6A illustrates at least one of the mechanisms in the form of a
negotiated handover. In this case, a handover requester 602 (e.g.,
an initiator device) sends a request message 604 to a handover
selector 606 (e.g., a receiving device). The handover selector 606
sends a response message 608 to the handover requester 602. The
handover requester 602 can be the identity receiver 106 of FIG. 1
or the identity receiver 200 of FIG. 2. The handover selector 606
can be the mobile device 102 of FIG. 1 or the mobile device 300 of
FIG. 3.
The handover selector 606 may support multiple carrier channels
(e.g., Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) other than NFC. The response message
608 may include a list of the carrier channels. Conventionally,
when the response message 608 arrives to the handover requester
602, then the handover requester 602 can pick the best possible
carrier that matches for both devices. In embodiments, the handover
requester 602 extracts embedded identifiers associated with the
carrier channels for access authorization purposes.
FIG. 6B is an example of an NFC handover message (e.g., the request
message 604 or the response message 608), in accordance with
various embodiments. When an application need to use an alternative
carrier by using the NFC handover process, the handover requester
602 can construct the request message 604 that is transferred to
the handover selector 606. This request message 604 is constructed
by using the NDEF. The handover selector 606 constructs the
response message 608 where it describes the properties of its
alternative carrier(s). This alternative carrier information is
used by the handover requester 602 to connect to the handover
selector 606.
The handover message is composed of either a Handover Request
Record (NFC Forum Global Type "Hr") or a Handover Select Record
(NFC Forum Global Type "Hs"), followed by an arbitrary number of
other NDEF records. Within a Handover Request or Handover Select
Record, a sequence of Alternative Carrier Records (NFC Forum Local
Type "ac") defines the alternative carriers that are requested or
selected, respectively.
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