Functionality and policies based on wireless device dynamic associations

• US 20040014423A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: Croome, Martin, Mills, Kevin J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Individual wireless devices communicate amongst each other exchanging identity information, authentication-state or both, thereby forming a collaborative-collection of wireless devices. This collaborative-collection of wireless devices offers improvements over individual wireless devices in three areas. First, device functions are affected by the group of devices that are active-members of the collaborative-collection, enabling improved functionality. Second, the times-of-membership and times-of-non-membership of the devices in the collaborative-collection are monitored and this information is used to affect the function of individual devices in the collaborative-collection, including improved security and authorization policies. Third, the authentication-state of the active-member devices in the collaborative-collection affects the function of the active-member devices in the collaborative-collection, also adding to imp roved security.

Claims

1. An enhanced wireless device for selective operation in a group of wireless devices, the enhanced wireless device comprising:

a wireless access mechanism;

storage for holding data and code,

the data including state information for the enhanced wireless device, the state information including mutually exclusive exchanged and non-exchanged authentication states with respect to at least one other wireless device of the group,

the code including routines to implement a wireless access communications protocol stack, selectively update the state information, and support dynamic selection between at. least a first function and a second function;

a processor for selectively executing the routines, the processor coupled to the wireless access mechanism and the storage; and

wherein the first function is selected when the exchanged authentication state becomes true and the second function is selected when the non-exchanged authentication state becomes true.