Enhanced cell broadcast service via secure group broadcast

• US 10,659,959 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Netto, John David, Chen, Shu-Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Zachary A.
• Application Number:
  US14/539,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20160135042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/601 Broadcast encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• 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 12/0433 Key management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/76 Group identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A secure cell broadcast method entails defining a group of mobile devices, reserving a channel for the group, associating cryptographic key material with the group, notifying the mobile devices of the channel for the group, securely providing the key material to the mobile devices of the group, and broadcasting on the channel a secure broadcast message that is encrypted such that the mobile devices of the group receiving on the channel can receive and decrypt the secure broadcast message using the key material.

Claims

1. A secure cell broadcast method comprising:

defining a group of mobile devices, wherein each mobile device in the group has first client software responsible for displaying secure broadcast messages and second client software responsible for displaying unsecure broadcast messages, the first client software being different than the second client software, the first client software being a dedicated client for the secure broadcast messages;

reserving a channel for the group, said reserving comprising selecting the channel from amongst a set of channels used exclusively for broadcasting the secure broadcast messages;

receiving a membership request from a new mobile device requesting membership in the group and adding the new mobile device to the group;

in response to receiving the membership request, provisioning the first client software on the new mobile device for displaying the secure broadcast messages;

associating cryptographic key material with the group;

notifying the mobile devices of the channel for the group;

securely providing the key material to the mobile devices of the group, the key material including a decryption key;

receiving, from a device running the first client software under a group administrator account, the secure broadcast messages; and

broadcasting on the channel the secure broadcast messages that are encrypted such that the mobile devices of the group receiving on the channel can receive and decrypt the secure broadcast messages using the key material, wherein the mobile devices of the group display the secure broadcast messages using the first client software.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising publishing the availability of the group.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising specifying an expiry time for the group.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a parameter defining a geographical area for receiving the secure broadcast messages.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code, which, when loaded into a memory and executed by a processor of one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to:

define a group of mobile devices, wherein each mobile device in the group has first client software responsible for displaying secure broadcast messages and second client software responsible for displaying unsecure broadcast messages, the first client software being different than the second client software, the first client software being a dedicated client for the secure broadcast messages;

reserve a channel for the group by selecting the channel from amongst a set of channels used exclusively for broadcasting the secure broadcast messages;

receive a membership request from a new mobile device requesting membership in the group and add the new mobile device to the group;

in response to receiving the membership request, provision the first client software on the new mobile device for displaying the secure broadcast messages;

associate cryptographic key material with the group;

notify the mobile devices of the channel for the group;

securely provide the key material to the mobile devices of the group, the key material including a decryption key;

receive, from a device running the first client software under a group administrator account, the secure broadcast messages; and

broadcast on the channel the secure broadcast messages that are encrypted such that the mobile devices of the group receiving on the channel can receive and decrypt the secure broadcast messages using the key material, wherein the mobile devices of the group display the secure broadcast messages using the first client software.

6. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 5, further comprising code for publishing of an availability of the group.

7. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 5, further comprising code specifying an expiry time for the group.

8. A secure cell broadcast system comprising:

one or more computing devices each having a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to;

define a group of mobile devices, wherein each mobile device in the group has first client software responsible for displaying secure broadcast messages and second client software responsible for displaying unsecure broadcast messages, the first client software being different than the second client software, the first client software being a dedicated client for the secure broadcast messages;

reserve a channel for the group by selecting the channel from amongst a set of channels used exclusively for broadcasting the secure broadcast messages;

receive a membership request from a new mobile device requesting membership in the group and to add the new mobile device to the group;

in response to receiving the membership request, provision the first client software on the new mobile device for displaying the secure broadcast messages;

associate cryptographic key material with the group;

notify the mobile devices of the channel for the group;

securely provide the key material to the mobile devices of the group, the key material including a decryption key;

receive, from a device running the first client software under a group administrator account, the secure broadcast messages; and

broadcast on the channel the secure broadcast messages that are encrypted such that the mobile devices of the group receiving on the channel can receive and decrypt the secure broadcast messages using the key material, wherein the mobile devices of the group display the secure broadcast messages using the first client software.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one processor is configured to publish an availability of the group.

10. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one processor is configured to specify an expiry time for the group.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the key material comprises a public/private key pair and the decryption key comprises a private key of the public/private key pair.

12. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the decryption key comprises a symmetric key.