Method and device for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks, and a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium

• US 20050195778A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Djamshid Tavangarian, Magnus H. Bergs
• Original Assignee: Djamshid Tavangarian, Magnus H. Bergs
• Inventors: Tavangarian, Djamshid, Bergs, Magnus H.
• Application Number:
  US10/932,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks, and a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium, which can be used, in particular, to set up a secure access to WLAN networks. It is proposed to employ a device for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks, wherein the device includes a unit for setting up a connection with an integrated authentication and/or identification module, wherein the authentication and/or identification module is configured so that authentication and/or identification for access to the data and/or communication network via the authentication and/or identification module is performed independent of the operating system of the communication terminal.

Claims

1. Method for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks,

characterized in that

links are established by a unit for setting up connections having an integrated authentication and/or identification module, wherein the authentication and/or identification for access to the data and/or communication network is performed by the authentication and/or identification module independent of the operating system of the communication terminal.

3. Method according to one of the claim 1,

characterized in that

secret information such as, for example, private keys do not leave the secure memory region of the authentication and/or identification module.

4. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

at least a portion of the EAPOL packets is filtered from the received the data and processed by the authentication and/or identification module.

6. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the secret information is rendered useless in the event of an unauthorized access to the authentication and/or identification module.

8. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

for authentication and/or identification by the authentication and/or identification module, data are exchanged with a SIM-card or a smartcard, and that the authentication is performed with data stored on the SIM-card or the smartcard.

11. Method according to claim 8,

characterized in that

the component having the SIM-card or the smartcard are connected with the communication terminal by way of a dongle.

12. Method according to claim 8,

characterized in that

a first component of the authentication and/or identification module together with the unit for setting up the connection are installed in a first communication terminal, and a second component of the authentication and/or identification module having the SIM-card or the smartcard are installed in a second communication terminal that is different from the first communication terminal.

2. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. Device for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks,

characterized in that

the device comprises a unit for setting up a connection with an integrated authentication and/or identification module, wherein the authentication and/or identification module is configured so that authentication and/or identification for access to the data and/or communication network via the authentication and/or identification module is performed independent of the operating system of the communication terminal.

16. Device according to claim 14,

characterized in that

the device is configured as a WLAN interface card with inherent smartcard functionality.

17. Device according to claim 16,

characterized in that

the authentication and/or identification module is implemented as a hardware solution or as a firmware solution.

18. Device according to claim 14,

characterized in that

a FPGA component is used for implementing the authentication and/or identification module.

19. Device according to claim 14,

characterized in that

the device comprises

a compression module,

a GPS module and/or

a module for packet-oriented voice services, for example telephony via Voice-over-IP (VOIP).

20. Device according to one of the claim 14,

characterized in that

the authentication and/or identification module comprises several components.

21. Device according to claim 20,

characterized in that

a component of the authentication and/or identification module is implemented as a dongle.

22. Device according to claim 20,

characterized in that

a component of the authentication and/or identification module comprises a SIM-card or a smartcard.

23. Device according to claim 14,

characterized in that

the device comprises an interface for data exchange with a SIM-card or a smartcard.

15. Device for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks,

characterized in that

the device comprises a VoIP-module in addition to a unit for setting up the connection, wherein the VoIP-module can be used independent of the communication terminal.

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. Computer program which enables a computer, after the computer program is loaded into the memory of the computer, to execute a process for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks, in such a way that links are established by a unit for setting up connections with an integrated authentication and/or identification module, wherein the authentication and/or identification for access to the data and/or communication network is performed by the authentication and/or identification module independent of the operating system of the communication terminal.

29. Method, wherein a computer program according to claim 27 is downloaded from an electronic data network, for example from the Internet, to a data processing device connected to the data network.

28. Computer-readable storage medium which stores a program that enables a computer, after the program is loaded into the memory of the computer, to perform a process for setting up connections between communication terminals and data and/or communication networks having wireless transmission links, such as, for example, wireless local area networks (WLAN) and/or mobile telephone networks, in such a way that links are established by a unit for setting up connections having an integrated authentication and/or identification module, wherein the authentication and/or identification for access to the data and/or communication network is performed by the authentication and/or identification module independent of the operating system of the communication terminal.