Method For Protecting User Privacy in Short Range Communication

• US 20080059476A1
• Filed: 09/05/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Alrabady, Ansaf I.
• Application Number:
  US11/469,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059476A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/75 Temporary identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method of communicating information between an object and an information collection point via a short-range wireless network while protecting the privacy of a user of the object. Initially, a prompt is sent from the information collection point via the wireless network. The object detects the prompt and establishes a session by generating a random identifier for temporarily identifying the object, and sending the random identifier to the information collection point. The same random identifier is used throughout the session. No information permanently identifying the object is communicated to the information collection point until the information collection point is successfully authenticated to the object. Once this occurs, the object authenticates itself to the information collection point and communicates the information.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information between an object and an information collection point via a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a prompt from the information collection point via the wireless network;

(b) detecting the prompt at the object;

(c) establishing a session by responding to the detected prompt by generating a random identifier for temporarily identifying the object, and sending the random identifier to the information collection point; and

(d) successfully authenticating the information collection point to the object prior to authenticating the object to the information collection point.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the method is performed substantially automatically and without substantial interaction by a user of the object.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the information includes one or more state-of-health parameters.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the object includes one or more sensors for providing the one or more state-of-health parameters.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the object is an automobile and the information collection point is a service center.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including, in step (c), using the same random identifier throughout the session.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of—

(e) communicating the information to the information collection point upon successful authentication of the information collection point to the object and of the object to the information collection point.

8. A method of communicating information, including one or more state-of-health parameters, between an object and an information collection point via a short-range wireless network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a prompt from the information collection point via the short-range wireless network;

(b) detecting the prompt at the object;

(c) establishing a session by responding to the detected prompt by generating a random identifier for temporarily identifying the object, and sending the random identifier to the information collection point;

(d) using the same random identifier throughout the session;

(e) successfully authenticating the information collection point to the object prior to authenticating the object to the information collection point; and

(f) communicating the information, including the one or more state-of-health parameters, to the information collection point upon successful authentication of the information collection point to the object and of the object to the information collection point.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the method is performed substantially automatically and without substantial interaction by a user of the object.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the object includes one or more sensors for providing the one or more state-of-health parameters.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the object is a vehicle and the information collection point is a service center.

12. A method of communicating information between a vehicle and a service center via a short-range wireless network, wherein the information includes one or more state-of-health parameters provided by one or more sensors on the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a prompt from the service center via the short-range wireless network;

(b) detecting the prompt at the vehicle;

(c) establishing a session by responding to the detected prompt by generating a random identifier for temporarily identifying the vehicle, and sending the random identifier to the service center;

(d) successfully authenticating the service center to the vehicle prior to authenticating the vehicle to the service center; and

(e) communicating the information, including the one or more state-of-health parameters provided by the one or more sensors on the vehicle, to the service center upon successful authentication of the service center to the vehicle and of the vehicle to the service center,

wherein the method is performed substantially automatically and without substantial interaction by a driver of the vehicle.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including, in step (c), using the same random identifier throughout the session.

14. A method of communicating state-of-health information between an object and an information collection point via a wireless network, the method comprising the steps, in order, of:

(a) identifying the object to the information collection point using a temporary identifier;

(b) authenticating the information collection point to the object;

(c) authenticating the object to the information collection point by identifying the object to the information collection point using a permanent identifier; and

(d) communicating the state-of-health information to the information collection point.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the method is performed substantially automatically and without substantial interaction by a user of the object.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the state-of-health information is collected by one or more sensors on the object.

17. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the object is an automobile and the information collection point is a service center.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14, further including, in step (a), using the same temporary identifier throughout the session.