Wireless communication device having battery authentication, and associated method

• US 20060178170A1
• Filed: 02/08/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Herle, Sudhindra P., Webb, Ronald J., Chung, Yong-Woo
• Application Number:
  US11/053,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178170A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4221 with battery type recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

There is disclosed a wireless communication device having battery authentication and associated method. The wireless communication device comprises a battery compartment and a battery authenticator capable of authenticating an authentic battery received in the battery compartment and capable of rejecting an unauthentic battery received in the battery compartment. A battery authentication server is capable of receiving a rejection notification message from the wireless communication device and capable of transmitting a rejection reply message to the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. For use in a wireless communication network, a wireless communication device capable of authenticating a battery, said wireless communication device comprising:

a battery compartment capable of receiving a battery; and

a battery authenticator capable of authenticating an authentic battery received in said battery compartment and rejecting an unauthentic battery received in said battery compartment.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein said battery further comprises an authentication chip capable of communicating with said battery authenticator.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein said battery authenticator reads a battery signature from said authentication chip and generates authentication data to append to said battery signature.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein said battery signature is a battery serial number stored into said battery signature at the time of manufacture.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein said battery authenticator randomly generates said authentication data.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein said authentication chip comprises a battery identifier that reads said authentication data and encrypts said authentication data with a private authentication key.

7. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein said private authentication key comprises a plurality of electrical fuses, and wherein a subset of said electrical fuses is capable of being burned at the time of manufacture to provide a private key for signing the authentication data.

8. The wireless communication device according to claim 6, wherein said battery authenticator decrypts said authentication data using a public authentication key.

9. A wireless communication network, comprising:

a wireless communication device capable of authenticating a battery;

a battery compartment in said wireless communication device capable of receiving a battery;

a battery authenticator in said wireless communication device capable of authenticating an authentic battery received in said battery compartment and rejecting an unauthentic battery received in said battery compartment; and

a battery authentication server capable of receiving a rejection notification message from said wireless communication device and capable of transmitting a rejection reply message to said wireless communication device.

10. The wireless communication network according to claim 9, wherein said battery further comprises an authentication chip capable of communicating with said battery authenticator.

11. The wireless communication network according to claim 10, wherein said battery authenticator reads a battery signature from said authentication chip and generates authentication data to append to said battery signature.

12. The wireless communication network according to claim 11, wherein said battery signature is a battery serial number stored into said battery signature at the time of manufacture.

13. The wireless communication network according to claim 11, wherein said battery authenticator randomly generates said authentication data.

14. The wireless communication network according to claim 11, wherein said authentication chip comprises a battery identifier that reads said authentication data and encrypts said authentication data with a private authentication key.

15. The wireless communication network according to claim 14, wherein said private authentication key comprises a plurality of electrical fuses, and wherein a subset of the electrical fuses is capable of being burned at the time of manufacture to provide a private key for signing the authentication data.

16. The wireless communication network according to claim 14, wherein said battery authenticator decrypts said authentication data using a public authentication key.

17. For use in a wireless communication network, a method of authenticating a battery in a wireless communication device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a battery into a battery compartment of said wireless communication device;

detecting the insertion of said battery into said battery compartment;

reading a battery signature from an authentication chip of said battery; and

generating authentication data to append to said battery signature.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of generating authentication data further comprises:

generating a new and unique random generation of data to append to said battery signature.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

reading said authentication data;

encrypting said authentication data with a private authentication key; and

decrypting said authentication data using a public authentication key.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said battery authenticator rejects said authentication data as unauthentic and further comprises the steps of:

displaying an unauthorized battery rejection message on said wireless communication device;

providing a rejection notification message to a battery authentication server;

receiving a rejection reply message from said battery authentication server; and

powering said wireless communication device off.