Micro-payment scheme encouraging collaboration in multi-hop cellular networks

• US 20050165696A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Jakobsson, Bjorn Markus, Hubaux, Jean-Pierre, Buttyan, Levente
• Granted Patent: US 10,171,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/65
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/29 characterised by micropayments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

In a communication system having a number of base stations and user devices, a sending user device comprising a processor and a memory is configured to generate a packet or other communication for forwarding to a receiving user device via one or more intermediary user devices of the system. The forwarding path of the communication may involve one or more of the base stations. A payment token is associated with the communication, such that at least one of the intermediary user devices can generate a payment claim based on the payment token. The payment token is independent of the particular identities of the one or more intermediary user devices of the system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in a communication system having a plurality of user devices configured to communicate with one or more base stations, the apparatus comprising:

a sending user device comprising a processor and a memory, the sending user device being configured to generate a communication for forwarding to a receiving user device via one or more intermediary user devices of the system;

wherein a payment token is associated with the communication, such that at least one of the intermediary user devices can generate a payment claim based on the payment token;

wherein the payment token is independent of identities of the one or more intermediary user devices of the system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication comprises a packet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the payment token is independent of a total number of the one or more intermediary user devices of the system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sending user device is unaware of the identities and total number of the one or more intermediary devices involved in forwarding the communication from the sending user device to the receiving user device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a particular payment claim generated by a given intermediary user device comprises an aggregation of multiple payment claims each associated with a different payment token.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the particular payment claim requires substantially fewer bits of storage than its associated payment tokens.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more intermediary user devices comprise a plurality of intermediary user devices in a multi-hop uplink path between the sending user device and a particular one of the base stations.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication is delivered by a particular one of the base stations to the receiving user device of the system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the communication is delivered by the base station to the receiving user device via a single-hop downlink path not involving any additional intermediary user device of the system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the communication is delivered by the base station to the receiving user device via a multi-hop downlink path involving one or more additional intermediary user devices of the system.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a given one of the user devices aggregates a plurality of payment claims and periodically transmits said aggregated payment claims to a particular one of the base stations of the system.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of a plurality of base stations of the system forwards its received payment claims to an accounting entity of the system.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein a given one of the base stations forwards network statistics relating to packet transmission to the accounting entity.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the accounting entity is operative to detect particular types of improper behavior by one or more of the user devices based on the payment claims and the network statistics.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the payment token is given by μ

=MAC_Kuo (p, L), where p is at least a portion of the communication, L is indicative of a payment level that would be available if a forwarding intermediary device is entitled to a payment claim, MA C denotes a message authentication code, and K_uo is a secret key associated with the sending user device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein a particular one of the base stations upon receipt of the communication from a given one of the intermediary devices determines the secret key K_uo of the sending user device, and verifies that μ

=MAC_Kuo (p, L).

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a given one of the intermediary devices upon forwarding the communication determines if the associated payment token entitles that intermediary device to a payment claim by applying a predetermined function to the payment token and a symmetric key associated with the given intermediary device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the predetermined function is based at least in part on a Hamming distance between a payment token μ

and a symmetric key K_u associated with the given intermediary device.

19. A method for use in a communication system having a plurality of user devices configured to communicate with one or more base stations, the method comprising:

generating in a sending user device of the system a communication for forwarding to a receiving user device of the system via one or more intermediary user devices of the system; and

associating a payment token with the communication, such that at least one of the intermediary user devices can generate a payment claim based on the payment token;

wherein the payment token is independent of identities of the one or more intermediary user devices of the system.

20. An apparatus for use in a communication system having a plurality of user devices configured to communicate with one or more base stations, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving user device comprising a processor and a memory, the receiving user device being configured to receive a communication forwarded from a sending user device via one or more intermediary user devices of the system;

wherein a payment token is associated with the communication, such that at least one of the intermediary user devices can generate a payment claim based on the payment token;

wherein the payment token is independent of identities of the one or more intermediary user devices of the system.