Internet of things (IoT) apparatus and method for coin operated devices

• US 10,362,114 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Afero, Inc.
• Inventors: Britt, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phy Anh T
• Application Number:
  US14/967,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20170171314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 5/00 Ciphering apparatus or methods not provided for in the preceding groups, e.g. involving the concealment or deformation of graphic data such as designs, written or printed messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1467 involving prepayment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0478 applying multiple layers of encryption, e.g. nested tunnels or encrypting the content with a first key and then with at least a second key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0877 using additional device, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard, USB or hardware security module [HSM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/023 Circuit arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/026 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• 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 76/10 : Connection setup

Abstract

A system and method are described for an Internet of Things (IoT) coin operated machine. For example, one embodiment of a system comprises: an Internet of Things (IoT) device comprising a local wireless communication interface to establish a local wireless communication link with one or more IoT hubs or client devices and a microcontroller unit (MCU) to execute program code; a secure communication module to establish a secure communication channel between the IoT device and an IoT service over the Internet using the local wireless communication link; a machine/coin acceptor interface comprising a first interface to communicatively couple the IoT device to a coin acceptor device and a second interface to communicatively couple the IoT device to a machine control unit to control operations of a coin operated machine, the machine/coin acceptor interface to receive signals from the coin acceptor device over the first interface when coins are inserted into the coin acceptor device and to transmit a signal to the machine control unit over the second interface to cause the coin operated machine to perform operations when a specified number of coins have been inserted; and the machine/coin acceptor interface to further transmit a signal to the machine control unit over the second interface to cause the coin operated machine to perform operations in response to a command transmitted from the IoT service to the IoT device through the secure communication channel.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more Internet of Things (IoT) hubs;

an IoT service comprising a first encryption engine;

an IoT device comprising a local wireless communication interface including a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) link to establish a local wireless communication link with the one or more IoT hubs or client devices and a microcontroller unit (MCU) to execute program code, the IoT device further comprising;

secure communication circuitry, including a second encryption engine, to establish a secure communication channel between the IoT device and the IoT service over the Internet using the local wireless communication link by connecting to an IoT hub;

a machine/coin acceptor interface comprising a first connector with a slot to electrically and communicatively couple the IoT device to a cable of a coin acceptor device and a second connector comprising a cable to electrically and communicatively couple the IoT device to a slot of a machine control unit to control operations of a coin operated machine;

the machine/coin acceptor interface to receive first signals from the coin acceptor device over the first connector when coins are inserted into the coin acceptor device and to reproduce the first signals over the second connector to the machine control unit, the reproduced first signals to cause the machine control unit to enable the coin operated machine to perform the operations when a specified number of coins have been inserted;

the machine/coin acceptor interface further comprising an input to receive second signals from the MCU including a signal generated by the MCU in response to receiving a command from an IoT service over the secure communication channel, the command received from the IoT service is a result of a unique identification code associated with the coin operated machine sent to the IoT service by a client device, the command includes a number of credits to be applied for use of the coin operated machine, the command encrypted by the first encryption engine using a counter value associated with the IoT service and a secret derived from an elliptic curve encryption, wherein upon receiving the encrypted command, the second encryption engine on the IoT device decrypts the encrypted command using a counter value associated with the IoT device and the secret derived from the elliptic curve encryption, based on the decrypted command, the machine/coin acceptor interface to responsively generate third signals over the second connector indicating to the machine control unit that the number of credits received is equivalent to a specified number of coins have been inserted, the third signals including a number of pulses equal to the specified number of coins required to use the coin operated machine, the third signals to cause the machine control unit to enable the coin operated machine to perform the operations, the third signals further mimic the first signals from the coin acceptor device; and

the one or more IoT hubs comprising a second secure communication circuitry including connection logic to communicatively couple to the IoT service over the Internet and a wireless networking interface to establish the secure communication channel with the IoT device.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the second connector is configured to be plugged into a connector slot of the machine control unit.

3. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

an application executed on the client device to determine the unique identification code associated with the coin operated machine.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein the application determines the unique identification (ID) code from the client device reading a QR code or a barcode from the coin operated machine or providing the user a field into which to enter the unique ID code associated with the coin operated machine.

5. The system as in claim 4, wherein the IoT service further comprises:

a payment transaction circuitry to implement a payment transaction to pay for use of the coin operated machine; and

authorization logic to responsively transmit the command upon completion of the payment transaction.

6. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

data collection logic implemented by the IoT device to collect data related to the use of the coin operated machine, the data collection logic to transmit the collected data to the IoT service.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein the collected data related to the use of the coin operated machine comprises information related to a frequency of the use of the coin operated machine at different times of the day or week, an average time between usages, a number of coins inserted in the coin operated machine, and/or a number of coins in the coin operated machine reaching a threshold value.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the secure communication channel between the IoT device and the IoT service is established by performing the operations of:

generating a service public key and a service private key by key generation logic of the first encryption engine on the IoT service;

generating a device public key and a device private key by key generation logic of the second encryption engine on the IoT device;

transmitting the service public key from the first encryption engine to the second encryption engine and transmitting the device public key from the second encryption engine to the first encryption engine;

generating a secret using the device public key and the service private key;

generating the same secret using the service public key and the device private key; and

encrypting and decrypting data packets transmitted between the first encryption engine and the second encryption engine using the secret or using data structures derived from the secret.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the key generation logic of the first and second encryption engines comprises a hardware security module (HSM).

10. The system as in claim 8, wherein the data structures derived from the secret comprise a first key stream generated by the first encryption engine and a second key stream generated by the second encryption engine.

11. The system as in claim 10, wherein a first counter is associated with the first encryption engine and a second counter is associated with the second encryption engine, the first encryption engine incrementing the first counter responsive to each data packet transmitted to the second encryption engine and the second encryption engine incrementing the second counter responsive to each data packet transmitted to the first encryption engine.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the first encryption engine generates the first key stream using a current counter value of the first counter and the secret and the second encryption engine generates the second key stream using a current counter value of the second counter and the secret.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein the first encryption engine comprises an elliptic curve method (ECM) module to generate the first key stream using the first counter value and the secret and the second encryption engine comprises an ECM module to generate the second key stream using the first counter value and the first secret.