COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20070286425A1
• Filed: 08/10/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmira Wireless AG
• Original Assignee: Kiyoshi Toshimitsu, Tomoko Adachi
• Inventors: Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi, Adachi, Tomoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/274
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/67 Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In a communication system, a first wireless communication apparatuses belonging to a communication group receives a connection request frame including a notifying security level from a second communication apparatus outside of the communication group. The first communication apparatus stores a reference security level peculiar to the communication group, which is selected from security levels depending on one of encryption methods including non-encryption and encryption strengths. In the first communication apparatus, the notifying security level is compared with the reference level, and a response frame including one of a connect rejection and a connection permission is described, is generated and transferred to the second communication apparatus. The connect rejection represents a rejection of connection to the second communication apparatus and the connection permission represents a permission of connection to the second communication apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus which belongs to a wireless communication group, comprising:

a receiver unit configured to receive a first transmission frame from a wireless communication unit outside of the wireless communication group, the first transmission frame having a first field in which a notifying security level is described;

a reference memory configured to store a reference security level assigned to the wireless communication group, the reference security level being selected from security levels which depend on one of encryption methods including non-encryption and encryption strengths;

a frame generating unit, comparing the notifying security level with the reference security level, configured to determine either one of a connect rejection representing a rejection of connection to the communication unit and a connect permission representing a permission of connection to the communication unit using the notifying security level, and configured to generate a second transmission frame having a second field in which the one of the connect rejection and the connection permission is described; and

a transmitting unit configure to transmit the second transmission frame directing to the wireless communication unit.

2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference security level is selected from first, second and third security levels of the security levels, the first security level corresponding to the non-encryption, the second security level corresponding to a first encryption depending on the first encryption method and a first encryption strength of the first encryption, and the third security level corresponding to a second encryption depending on the first encryption method and a second encryption strength of the first encryption.

3. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame generating unit determines the connect rejection if the notifying security level is lower than the reference security level, and the connect permission if the notifying security level is not lower than the reference security level.

4. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference memory stores a unit address, the notifying security level relating to the wireless communication unit, if the connect permission is determined.

5. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second transmission frame includes a third field in which an address identifying the first group is described.

6. A wireless communication system comprising:

first and second wireless communication apparatuses which belong to a wireless communication group and outside of the wireless communication group, respectively, the first wireless communication apparatus including;

a first receiver unit configured to receive a first transmission frame from the second wireless communication apparatus, the first transmission frame having a first field in which a notifying security level is described;

a first reference memory configured to store a reference security level assigned to the wireless communication group, the reference security level being selected from security levels which depend on one of encryption methods including non-encryption and encryption strengths;

a frame generating unit, comparing the notifying security level with the reference security level, configured to determine either one of a connect rejection representing a rejection of connection to the second wireless communication apparatus and a connect permission representing a permission of connection to the second wireless communication apparatus using the notifying security level, and configured to generate a second transmission frame having a second field in which the one of the connect rejection and the connection permission is described; and

a transmitting unit configure to transmit the second transmission frame to the second wireless communication apparatus.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the reference security level is selected from first, second and third security levels of the security levels, the first security level corresponding to the non-encryption, the second security level corresponding to a first encryption depending on the first encryption method and a first encryption strength of the first encryption, and the third security level corresponding to a second encryption depending on the first encryption method and a second encryption strength of the first encryption.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the frame generating unit determines the connect rejection if the notifying security level is lower than the reference security level, and the connect permission if the notifying security level is not lower than the reference security level.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the first transmission frame having a third field in which a second unit address identifying the second wireless communication apparatus is described, and the reference memory stores the notifying security level and the second unit address, if the connect permission is determined.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the second transmission frame includes an third field in which a group address identifying the first group is described.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the second wireless communication apparatus includes a second memory configured to store the reference security level and the group address.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the second wireless communication apparatus transmits a third transmission frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, the third transmission frame having a fourth field in which a second notifying security level is described, if the second wireless communication apparatus receives the second transmission frame having the second field in which the connect rejection is described, the second notifying security level is selected from the security levels.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the first reference memory stores the security levels which are supported by the first communication unit, the reference security level selected from the supported security levels, and encryption parameters which relate to the encryption levels, respectively.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein the second wireless communication apparatus transmits a fourth transmission frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, the fourth transmission frame having a fifth field in which a encryption data are stored, if the second wireless communication apparatus receives the second transmission frame having the second field in which the connect permission is described, and the first wireless communication apparatus decrypts the encryption data using one the encryption parameters.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein the first transmission frame has the first field in which a notification security levels including the first notification security level and supported by the first transmission unit are described, the frame generating unit compares the notifying security levels with the reference security level, respectively, and determines the connect permission if at least one of the notifying security levels is not lower than the reference security level and the connect rejection if the notifying security levels are lower than the reference security level.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein the notification security level corresponds to maximum one of notification security levels supported by the first transmission unit.

17. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a third wireless communication apparatus outside of the first wireless communication group and communicated with the second wireless communication apparatus at the notifying security level.

18. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a third wireless communication apparatus belonging to the first wireless communication group and communicated with the second wireless communication apparatus at one of the security levels which is not lower than the reference security level.

19. The wireless communication system according to claim 17, wherein one of the first and third wireless communication apparatuses corresponds to an access point.

20. The wireless communication system according to claim 17, wherein one of the first and third wireless communication apparatus corresponds to a wireless communication terminal.

21. The wireless communication system according to claim 18, wherein the second and third wireless communication apparatus corresponds to wireless communication terminals.

22. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a third wireless communication apparatus outside of the first wireless communication group and communicated with the second wireless communication apparatus at the notifying security level, and

a fifth wireless communication apparatus belong to the first wireless communication group and communicated with the second wireless communication apparatus at one of the security levels which is not lower than the reference security level.

23. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein the first wireless communication apparatus transmits a beacon frame to the second communication apparatus to request a transmission of the first transmission frame, the beacon frame has a field in which the security levels including the reference security level are described, the security levels being supported by the first communication apparatus and not lower than the reference security level.

24. The wireless communication system according to claim 22, wherein the second wireless communication apparatus includes;

a second reference memory configured to store second security levels including the notification security level, the second security level being selected from security levels which depend on one of the encryption methods including non-encryption and the encryption strengths;

a second frame generating unit, comparing the second security level with the reference security level, configured to determine one of the security levels as the notification security level, and configured to generate the first transmission frame; and

a second transmission unit configure to transmit the first transmission frame to the first wireless communication apparatus.

25. A wireless communication method of determining a connection to a wireless communication unit with a reference security level peculiar to a wireless communication group, the method comprising:

receiving a first transmission frame having a field in which a notifying security level is described;

storing the reference security level, the reference security level being selected from security levels which depend on one of encryption methods including non-encryption and encryption strengths;

generating a second transmission frame having a second field in which one of a connect rejection and a connection permission is described, the one of the connect rejection and the connect permission being determined by comparing the notifying security level with the reference security level, the connect rejection representing a rejection of connection to the communication unit and the connection permission representing a permission of connection to the communication unit using the notifying security level; and

transmitting the second transmission frame to the wireless communication apparatus.