System and method for exchanging encryption keys between a mobile device and a peripheral output device

• US 20070266247A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Brown, Michael, Kirkup, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method for providing additional security for data being transmitted across a wireless connection that has been established using a known wireless protocol (e.g. Bluetooth) are described. An encryption key is exchanged between a computing device (e.g. a mobile device) and a wireless peripheral output device (e.g. a printer, a headset). In exemplary embodiments, the encryption key is generated at the peripheral output device. Data associated with the encryption key is output at the peripheral output device, which can be input by the user at the computing device. The encryption key is then recovered at the computing device from the input, thereby completing the key exchange. The encryption key can then be used to encrypt and decrypt data transmitted over the established wireless connection, providing additional security.

Claims

1. A method of exchanging an encryption key between a computing device and a peripheral device, the method comprising the steps of:

generating an encryption key at the peripheral device;

outputting data associated with the encryption key to a user at the peripheral device;

receiving the data associated with the encryption key input by the user at the computing device;

recovering the encryption key at the computing device from the data associated with the encryption key input by the user; and

transmitting data encrypted with the encryption key over a wireless connection between the computing device and the peripheral device, the wireless connection established in accordance with a wireless protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting step is performed after the generating step, and wherein the data associated with the encryption key comprises the encryption key.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of converting the encryption key generated at the generating step into new data, wherein the converting step is performed after the generating step and the outputting step is performed after the converting step, and wherein the data associated with the encryption key comprises the new data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the new data is a string.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a string, said step preceding the step of generating the encryption key, wherein the encryption key is generated from the string at the step of generating the encryption key, and wherein the data associated with the encryption key that is output at the outputting step comprises the string.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a headset.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of converting the encryption key generated at the headset into a string, wherein the converting step is performed after the generating step and the outputting step is performed after the converting step, and wherein the data associated with the encryption key comprises the string.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a printer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of converting the encryption key generated at the printer into a string, wherein the converting step is performed after the generating step and the outputting step is performed after the converting step, and wherein the data associated with the encryption key comprises the string.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of placing the computing device and the peripheral device into an additional security operational mode.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing the wireless connection in accordance with the wireless protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the generating, outputting, receiving and recovering steps is performed before the establishing step.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless protocol is Bluetooth.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

15. A system for exchanging an encryption key comprising a computing device and a peripheral device coupled thereto by a wireless connection established in accordance with a wireless protocol, wherein the peripheral device is adapted to perform the generating and outputting steps of the method of claim 1, and wherein the computing device is adapted to perform the receiving and recovering steps of the method of claim 1.

16. A computer-readable medium on which a plurality of executable instructions is stored, the instructions for performing the generating and outputting steps of the method of claim 1.

17. A computer-readable medium on which a plurality of executable instructions is stored, the instructions for performing the receiving and recovering steps of the method of claim 1.