Relay service for communication between controllers and accessories

• US 10,057,062 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2017
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nadathur, Anush G., Thirumalai, Gokul P., McLaughlin, Kevin P., Lucas, Matthew C., Burks, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Moorthy, Aravind K
• Application Number:
  US15/618,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 713175, 713168, 726 6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2818 from a device located outside both the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/006 involving public key infrastructure [PKI] trust models network architecture or network communication protocol for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

A relay service can relay messages between controllers and electronically controllable accessory devices that may be located remotely from the controllers. Relaying of messages by the relay service can be decoupled from any knowledge of the functionality of the accessory or the content of the messages. Device identification and relaying of messages can be managed using “relay aliases” that are meaningful only to the relay service and the endpoint devices (the controller and accessory). The endpoint devices can implement end-to-end security for messages transported by the relay service.

Claims

1. A method performed by a new controller for enabling the new controller to control one or more accessories controlled by a first controller, comprising:

receiving, from the first controller, a request for consent to add the new controller to control the one or more accessories;

determining whether consent is to be granted;

obtaining an operator relay alias;

transmitting, to an identity service, a request for a consent token using the operator relay alias;

receiving, from the identity service, the consent token;

transmitting, to the first controller, a first message that includes the consent token; and

receiving, from the first controller, a second message that includes one or more access tokens and one or more accessory relay aliases.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the one or more access tokens.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising controlling the one or more accessories based at least in part on the one or more access tokens.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more accessory identifiers for each accessory relay alias of the one or more received accessory relay aliases.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the one or more accessory identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first controller and the new controller communicate via a controller courier service.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the controller courier service comprises a controller-to-controller messaging service.

8. A method performed by an identity service for enabling a new controller to control one or more accessories controlled by a first controller, comprising:

receiving, from the new controller, a request for a consent token;

generating a consent token based at least in part on the request;

transmitting, to the new controller, the consent token;

receiving, from the first controller, a request to retrieve an access token for the new controller;

generating a new access token for the new controller; and

transmitting, to the first controller, the new access token for the new controller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first controller is an administrator controller configured the new controller access to the one or more accessories.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request for the consent token includes an operator relay alias associated with the administrator controller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the consent token is generated further based at least in part on the operator relay alias.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the request to retrieve the access token includes the consent token.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising verifying the consent token.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating an accessory relay alias for each accessory of the one or more accessories.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting each accessory relay alias to the first controller.

16. A method performed by a first controller for enabling a new controller to control one or more accessories controlled by the first controller, comprising:

transmitting, to the new controller, a request for consent to authorize the new controller to control the one or more accessories controlled by the first controller;

receiving, from the new controller, a first message that includes a consent token generated by an identity service;

transmitting, to the identity service, a request to receive an access token for the new controller;

receiving, from the identity service, one or more new access tokens;

transmitting, to each accessory of the one or more accessories, a respective new access token of the one or more new access tokens; and

transmitting, to the new controller, a second message that includes the one or more new access tokens.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the consent token is generated in response to a request from the new controller that includes an operator relay alias.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the request from the new controller is based at least in part on a second request from the first controller.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the request to receive the access token includes the consent token.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein second message further includes one or more respective accessory relay aliases corresponding to the one or more accessories.