Method and apparatus of antenna detection and authentication

• US 20040127247A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Reece, John K., Fox, Brian L., Reese, Timothy L., Scott, Doug D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use

Abstract

Briefly, a method and apparatus for decoding and authenticating an antenna is disclosed. The method may include detecting attachment of an antenna to a transmitter by authenticating a cipher received from the antenna. The method further includes suspending transmission if the antenna is not attached to the transmitter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting attachment of an antenna to a transmitter by authenticating a cipher received from the antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a characteristic of said antenna; and

controlling a conducted power of said transmitter based on said determined antenna characteristic.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the antenna characteristic comprises:

determining a gain of said antenna and generating a gain code corresponding to said antenna gain.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein controlling further comprises:

sending said gain code; and

suspending said power conduction when no valid response received for the sending of said gain code and wherein, lack of said valid response indicates a fault condition or unattached antenna.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein controlling further comprises:

suspending said power conduction if said antenna is not authenticated by a detecting an authentication circuitry.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising decoding said cipher.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising digitally signing an antenna serial number to produce said cipher.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating said cipher by generating an encrypted random challenge.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving the cipher generated based on said random challenge from said antenna;

independently computing a further cipher;

comparing said independently computed further cipher with the cipher received from said antenna; and

authenticating said antenna, if the further cipher is substantially similar to the received cipher.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising suspending conducted power if said independently computed cipher does not match said cipher.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein generating said cipher comprises:

generating said cipher by a hash; and

computing said random challenge using a key.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a serial number from said antenna for selecting said key from a pre-stored set of keys.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein independently computing said further cipher comprises computing said further cipher using a copy of said key.

32. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said cipher unit comprises a secure hash algorithm (SHA-1) engine.

14. A method comprising:

detecting attachment of an antenna to a transmitter by authenticating an indicator received from the antenna.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a characteristic of said antenna;

generating said indicator based on said antenna characteristic; and

controlling a conducted power of said transmitter based on said indicator.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the antenna characteristic comprises:

determining a gain of said antenna and generating said indicator corresponding to said antenna gain.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein controlling further comprises:

suspending said power conduction when indicator that indicates that said antenna is unattached is received form said antenna.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter operably coupled to an antenna circuitry; and

an antenna detection circuit to detect attachment of said antenna circuitry to said transmitter by authenticating a cipher received from the antenna circuitry.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said antenna circuitry has a determinable characteristic, and further comprising

processing circuitry able to receive a code corresponding to said characteristic and to control a conducted power of said transmitter based on said code.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said characteristic is a gain of said antenna.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said antenna circuitry further comprises a memory chip for storing said code corresponding to said gain.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said processing circuitry is configured to suspend said conducted power when said code corresponds to a value of said gain that indicates a short circuit.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said processing circuitry is configured to suspend said conducted power when said code corresponds to a value of said gain that indicates an open circuit.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said memory chip of said antenna circuitry comprises a cipher unit to generate a cipher, and wherein said processing circuitry is configured to authenticate said antenna based on said cipher.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the antenna circuitry comprises a key and said cipher unit is configured to compute the cipher based on said key.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said transmitter further comprises:

a random number generator to generate a random challenge; and

a copy key set to provide a copy of a key corresponding to said cipher received from the antenna circuitry, wherein said processing circuitry is configured to compute an independent cipher based on the key copy.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said processing circuitry is configured to compare said received cipher to said independent computed cipher, and to suspend transmission of said transmitter if the independent cipher does not match the received cipher.

28. A apparatus comprising

antenna circuitry which comprises an antenna element and a cipher unit configured to generate a cipher;

and

a transmitter operably coupled to said antenna circuitry, wherein said transmitter comprises processing circuitry configured to authenticate said antenna circuitry based on said cipher.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said processing circuitry is configured to decode said cipher.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said antenna circuitry further comprises a key for generating said cipher.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a public key database to store a plurality of public keys to be used by said processing circuitry to compute an independent cipher.

33. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing platform, result in:

detecting attachment of an antenna to a transmitter by authenticating an indicator received from the antenna.

34. The article of claim 33, wherein the instructions when executed further result in:

determining a characteristic of said antenna;

generating said indicator based on said antenna characteristic; and

controlling a conducted power of said transmitter based on said indicator.

35. The article of claim 34, wherein the instruction of determining the antenna characteristic when executed results in:

determining a gain of said antenna and generating said indicator corresponding to said antenna gain.

36. The article of claim 34, wherein the instruction of controlling when executed results in:

suspending said power conduction when indicator that indicates that said antenna is unattached is received form said antenna.