Establishing access to a secure network based on user-created credential indicia

• US 10,057,248 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NETGEAR, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NETGEAR, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Ye
• Primary Examiner(s): Lynch, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US15/062,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20160191496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/42 using separate channels for security data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

In various aspects, code-based indicia contain secured network access credentials. In some aspects, a computer processor receives user input that specifies secured network access credentials, and the computer processor creates or modifies credentials for establishing a secured network connection. In these aspects, the computer processor generates code-based indicia that contain at least part of the secured network access credentials. In other aspects, a computer processor scans the code-based indicia and extracts the network access credentials. In these aspects, the computer processor employs the network access credentials to establish the secured network connection. In additional aspects, a network router apparatus renders the code-based indicia to an active display. In further aspects, a network router apparatus conditions grant of network access to a device on receipt from the device of an answer to a security question included in the secured network access credentials.

Claims

1. An apparatus that scans code-based indicia and uses the scanned code-based indicia to establish a secure network connection, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and

a scanner communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

where

the non-transitory memory stores code that, when executed, causes operations comprising;

launching, using the one or more processors, an indicia scanning application in response to a user selection to scan code-based indicia containing network access credentials of the user for establishing the secured network connection with a printing device, wherein establishing the secured network connection comprises;

scanning, using the scanner, code-based indicia containing network access credentials comprising a two-dimensional matrix code for establishing the secured network connection;

extracting, using the one or more processors, the network access credentials from results of the scan;

decrypting, by the one or more processors, the network access credentials using an answer input by the user in response to a security question extracted from the code-based indicia; and

utilizing, using the one or more processors, a password from the extracted decrypted network access credentials and placing the password into a network password field of a user interface to establish the secured network connection;

in response to establishing the secured network connection displaying, via a graphical user interface, an interactive network access tool to a user, where the interactive tool allows the user to view and modify at least a portion of the network access credentials; and

printing, at the printing device, data received using the secured network connection that is associated with the code-based indicia or the network access credentials.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 where

the graphical user interface prompts a user to make the user selection to scan.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, where the one or more processors employs the user interface to receive a user selection to establish the secured network connection, and the prompting the user to provide the answer to the security question in response to receiving the user selection to establish the secured network connection.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the one or more processors employs the network access credentials to establish the secured network connection for a mobile device, and the one or more processors employs the indicia scanning application to interface with a camera of the mobile device in performing the scan of the code-based indicia.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, where the code-based indicia comprises a two-dimensional machine-readable optical label that contains information about the secured network connection and the apparatus on which it is displayed.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the security question is received from a router where the secured network connection is established, and the indicia scanning application further employs the answer to the security question to establish the secured network connection.

7. A method of establishing a secured network connection, the method comprising:

launching, using one or more processors, an indicia scanning application in response to a user selection to scan code-based indicia containing network access credentials of the user for establishing the secured network connection with a printing device, wherein establishing the secured network connection comprises;

scanning, using an indicia scanning application operating on one or more computer processors, code-based indicia containing network access credentials comprising a two-dimensional matrix code for establishing the secured network connection;

extracting the network access credentials, by the one or more computer processors, from results of the scan;

decrypting, by the one or more computer processors, the network access credentials using an answer input by the user in response to a security question extracted from the code-based indicia; and

utilizing a password from the extracted decrypted network access credentials, by the one or more computer processors, and placing the password into a network password filed of a user interface to establish the secured network connection;

in response to establishing the secured network connection displaying, via a graphical user interface, an interactive network access tool to a user, where the interactive tool allows the user to view and modify at least a portion of the network access credentials; and

printing, at the printing device, data received using the secured network connection that is associated with the code-based indicia or the network access credentials.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prompting the user to make a selection to scan code-based indicia containing the network access credentials for establishing the secured network connection.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user selection to establish the secured network connection, where the prompting occurs in response to the receiving the user selection to establish the secured network connection.

10. The method of claim 7, where the extracting includes receiving the network access credentials from the indicia scanning application.

11. The method of claim 7, where employing the network access credentials to establish the secured network connection includes establishing the connection for a mobile device, and where performing the scan includes interfacing with a camera of the mobile device to scan the code-based indicia.

12. The method of claim 7, where the code-based indicia comprises a two-dimensional machine-readable optical label that contains information about the secured network connection and an apparatus on which it is displayed.