Key assignment for a brand

• US 10,182,350 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ruckus IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sheu, Ming-Jye, Ranade, Prashant
• Primary Examiner(s): Gracia, Gary S
• Application Number:
  US14/692,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20150257009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1, 726 6, 726 3, 380 28, 380 44, 713169, 713170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0819 Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing secured network access are provided. A user device located within range of a branded hotspot initiates a request for the secured network access. The request concerns secured network access at the hotspot by the user device and includes a unique pre-shared key. A query regarding the unique pre-shared key is sent to a database, which retrieves information regarding a corresponding pre-shared key. That information is sent to the hotspot controller, which allows the user device secured network access as governed by one or more parameters associated with the pre-shared key.

Claims

1. A method for providing secured communication network access, the method comprising:

storing information about a plurality of hotspots in a cloud brand database, each hotspot associated with a same brand and located at a different location;

receiving a request for access to a secured communication network, the request initiated over an open communication network by a requesting user device located within a range of a first hotspot of the plurality of stored hotspots associated with said same brand;

generating, in response to the request for secured communication network access, a unique pre-shared encryption key, the unique pre-shared encryption key being unique to the requesting user device and being associated with the requesting user device based on information regarding the requesting user device;

providing, in response to the request for secured communication network access, the unique pre-shared encryption key associated with the requesting user device, the unique pre-shared encryption key providing the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the first hotspot, by authenticating the requesting user device to the secured communication network;

sending the unique pre-shared encryption key to the cloud brand database for storage, the cloud brand database storing a plurality of pre-shared encryption keys generated at a plurality of different hotspots associated with the same brand, wherein each pre-shared encryption key is different and is unique to an associated user device;

receiving a subsequent request for access to said secured communication network from the requesting user device when the requesting user device is located within a range of a second hotspot associated with the same brand, the second hotspot being located at a different location from the first hotspot and being new to the requesting user device;

sending a query to the cloud brand database to determine whether the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot and associated with the same brand;

receiving a response to the query including the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot associated with the same brand, when it is determined that the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key; and

providing the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the second hotspot, using the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initially displaying an offer regarding access to the secured communication network, wherein the request is received in response to the offer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising initially determining that the user device is not already associated with any pre-shared key.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating the unique pre-shared encryption key, based on determination that the user device is not already associated with any pre-shared key.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the unique pre-shared encryption key in association with policies and parameters provided in the request sent over the open communication network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the unique pre-shared encryption key in association with an allotted bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the allotted bandwidth based on a reward system associated with the same brand.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing the associated policies and parameters for storage in the cloud brand database.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the allotted bandwidth for storage in the cloud brand database.

10. A system for providing secured communication network access, the system comprising:

a first hotspot associated with a same brand that receives a request for secured communication network access, the request initiated over an open communication network by a requesting user device located within a range of the first hotspot and that generates, in response to the request for secured communication access, a unique pre-shared encryption key, the unique pre-shared encryption key being unique to the requesting user device and being associated with the requesting user device based on information regarding the requesting user device;

a web server that provides, in response to the request for secured communication network access, the unique pre-shared encryption key providing the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the first hotspot, by authenticating the requesting user device to the secured communication network;

a cloud brand database that stores information about a plurality of hotspots, each hotspot associated with a same brand and located at a different location and a plurality of pre-shared encryption keys generated at a plurality of different hotspots associated with the same brand, wherein each pre-shared encryption key is different and is unique to an associated user device;

a second hotspot located at a different location from the first hotspot and being new to the requesting user device and associated with the same brand that receives a subsequent request for access to said secured communication network from the requesting user device when the requesting user device is located within a range of the second hotspot; and

a hotspot controller that

sends a query to the cloud brand database to determine whether the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot and associated with the same brand,

receives a response to the query including the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot associated with the same brand, when it is determined that the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key, and

provides the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the second hotspot, using the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first hotspot initially provides a displayed offer regarding access to the secured communication network, wherein the request is received in response to the offer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first hotspot initially determines that the user device is not already associated with any pre-shared key.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the hotspot controller generates the unique pre-shared encryption key.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the hotspot controller stores the unique pre-shared encryption key in association with policies and parameters provided in the request sent over the open communication network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the hotspot controller further stores the unique pre-shared encryption key in association with an allotted bandwidth.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the hotspot controller further adjusts the allotted bandwidth based on a reward system associated with the same brand.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the hotspot controller further provides the unique pre-shared encryption key for storage in the cloud brand database.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the hotspot controller further provides the allotted bandwidth for storage in the cloud brand database.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for providing secured communication network access, the method comprising:

storing information about a plurality of hotspots in a cloud brand database, each hotspot associated with a same brand and located at a different location;

receiving a request for access to a secured communication network, the request initiated over an open communication network by a requesting user device located within a range of a first hotspot of the plurality of stored hotspots associated with said same brand;

generating, in response to the request for secured communication network access, a unique pre-shared encryption key, the unique pre-shared encryption key being unique to the requesting user device and being associated with the requesting user device based on information regarding the requesting user device;

providing, in response to the request for secured communication network access, the unique pre-shared encryption key associated with the requesting user device, the unique pre-shared encryption key providing the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the first hotspot, by authenticating the requesting user device to the secured communication network;

sending the unique pre-shared encryption key to the cloud brand database for storage, the cloud brand database storing a plurality of pre-shared encryption keys generated at a plurality of different hotspots associated with the same brand, wherein each pre-shared encryption key is different and is unique to an associated user device;

receiving a subsequent request for access to said secured communication network from the requesting user device when the requesting user device is located within a range of a second hotspot associated with the same brand, the second hotspot being located at a different location from the first hotspot and being new to the requesting user device;

sending a query to the cloud brand database to determine whether the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot and associated with the same brand;

receiving a response to the query including the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot associated with the same brand, when it is determined that the requesting user device is already associated with the unique pre-shared encryption key; and

providing the requesting user device with access to the secured communication network via the second hotspot, using the unique pre-shared encryption key that had been generated during prior use at the first hotspot.