Spatially enabled secure communications

• US 10,122,414 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Freelinc Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard, Abrams, Michael Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US15/645,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20180123644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Spatially Enabled Communication technologies are disclosed. A proximity boundary can be defined by a communication range of one or more SRC devices configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI) using at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity. A data block can be securely communicated by interspersing the data between an short range communication (SRC) device for near field magnetic induction (NFMI) communication within the proximity boundary and a radio frequency (RF) radio for RF communication. Data received on the SRC device and the RF radio can be reassembled to form the data block.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a Short Range Communication (SRC) device, the apparatus configured to:

define a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a selected communication range of the SRC device, wherein the SRC device is configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), wherein the SRC device and a radio frequency (RF) radio are configured to be coupled to a mobile computing device;

transmit a proximity signal in the proximity boundary, wherein the SRC device includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity;

form a spatially secure NFMI data link with a second SRC device and an RF data link with a second RF radio;

identify a data block to be transmitted within the proximity boundary; and

intersperse data in the data block between the RF radio and the SRC device of the mobile computing device for transmission to the second RF radio and the second SRC device, respectively, of a second mobile computing device on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to:

intersperse the data in the data block using a selected algorithm to form RF data and NFMI data;

transmit the NFMI data on the spatially secure NFMI data link; and

transmit the RF data on the RF data link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further configured to transmit the RF data on the RF data link, wherein the RF data link comprises one or more of a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio or a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further configured to transmit the RF data on the RF data link and the NFMI data on the spatially secure NFMI data link synchronously or asynchronously.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further configured to receive, at the second mobile computing device, the NFMI data on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data on the RF data link and reassembling the data based on the selected algorithm used to intersperse the data.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, further configured to select the algorithm to intersperse the data, at least in part, based on a quality of service (QOS) for the data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to transmit the data on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link using an acknowledgement, non-acknowledgement (ACK-NACK) scheme to verify that the data transmitted is received.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to:

determine a bandwidth ratio of the RF radio to the SRC device or the second RF radio to the second SRC device; and

intersperse selected data in the data block between the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link, wherein the selected data is interspersed based on the bandwidth ratio.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to intersperse the data in the data block to the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link at one or more of a physical layer, a medium access control layer, a data link layer, or a network layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to change the interspersing of the data in the data block between the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link based on a feedback of channel quality indications for the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link to provide a selected quality of service.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to select the interspersing of the data in the data block between the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link based on a selected security level.

12. An apparatus of a Short Range Communication (SRC) device, the apparatus configured to:

define a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a selected communication range of the SRC device, wherein the SRC device is configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), wherein the SRC device and a radio frequency (RF) radio are configured to be coupled to a mobile computing device;

receive a proximity signal in the proximity boundary, wherein the SRC device includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity;

form a spatially secure NFMI data link with a second SRC device and an RF data link with a second RF radio,

identify an interspersed data to be received within the proximity boundary on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link; and

reassemble the interspersed data that is received on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the RF data link comprises one or more of a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio or a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the RF data link and the spatially secure NFMI data link are further configured to communicate the RF data and the NFMI data synchronously or asynchronously.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further configured to reassemble data received on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link based on a selected algorithm.

16. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for performing spatially enabled secure communications, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device perform the following:

define a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a selected communication range of the SRC device, wherein the SRC device is configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), wherein the SRC device and a radio frequency (RF) radio are configured to be coupled to a mobile computing device;

transmit a proximity signal in the proximity boundary, wherein the SRC device includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity;

form a spatially secure NFMI data link with a second SRC device and an RF data link with a second RF radio;

identify a data block to be transmitted within the proximity boundary; and

intersperse data in the data block between the RF radio and the SRC device of the mobile computing device for transmission to the second RF radio and the second SRC device, respectively, of a second mobile computing device on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link.

17. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device further perform the following:

intersperse the data in the data block using a selected algorithm to form the RF data and the NFMI data; and

transmit the NFMI data on the spatially secure NFMI data link; and

transmit the RF data on the RF data link.

18. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device further perform the following:

transmit the RF data using the RF radio and the NFMI data on a spatially secure NFMI data link synchronously or asynchronously.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device further perform the following:

determine a bandwidth ratio of the RF radio to the SRC device; and

intersperse selected data for communication from the RF radio and the SRC device, wherein the selected data is interspersed based on the bandwidth ratio.

20. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 16, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device further perform the following:

reassemble the interspersed data based on a selected algorithm used to intersperse the data.

21. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for performing spatially enabled secure communications, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device perform the following:

define a proximity boundary with dimensions defined by a selected communication range of the SRC device, wherein the SRC device is configured to communicate using near field magnetic induction (NFMI), wherein the SRC device and a radio frequency (RF) radio are configured to be coupled to a mobile computing device;

receive a proximity signal in the proximity boundary, wherein the SRC device includes at least two antennas to provide magnetic induction diversity;

form a spatially secure NFMI data link with a second SRC device and an RF data link with a second RF radio,

identify an interspersed data to be received within the proximity boundary on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link; and

reassemble the interspersed data that is received on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link.

22. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the RF data link comprises one or more of a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio or a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio.

23. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the RF data link and the spatially secure NFMI data link are further configured to communicate the RF data and the NFMI data synchronously or asynchronously.

24. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 21, the instructions when executed by a mobile computing device further perform the following:

reassemble data received on the spatially secure NFMI data link and the RF data link based on a selected algorithm.