METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REMOTE SECURITY TOKEN EXTENSION

• US 20080120712A1
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telos Identity Management Solutions LLC (Telos Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telos Corporation
• Inventors: Ayers, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/943,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120712A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234

Abstract

A method and system for extending the range of a security token allow a system to have a security token be utilized remotely from the system that will receive information and signals from that security token. A remote token extender can interface with a security token (such as an identity (or ID) token), configure the signals and information associated with that security token into a format for transmission across a selected media (such as a network), and transmit those signals and information across that media. At the receiving end, a local token extender can reconstitute those signals and information for use by a complementary device (such as an ID card reader) at the local system.

Claims

1. A method for extending the range of a security token comprising:

receiving a security token into a remote system;

extending one or more characteristics of the security token across a transmission media via a remote token extender;

receiving the characteristics at a local token extender coupled to a local system; and

securely enabling remote access to resources at the local system without revealing any information about a data format of the token.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the security token is an identity token.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein the security token is a proximity card.

4. A method as in claim 2 wherein the security token is a smart card.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the security token is a dongle.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the characteristics further comprise signals.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the characteristics further comprise data.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the resources include information in a protected database.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the security token at the remote token extender contains an interface type different from a reader having a different interface type at the local token extender.

10. A system for extending the range of a security token comprising:

a remote token extender; and

a local token extender, wherein the remote token extender and the local token extender cause one or more characteristics of the security token to be extended across a transmission media.

11. A system as in claim 10, wherein the remote token extender comprises:

an interface module that receives data and signals from a security token located remotely from a local system;

a data module that converts the received data and signals into a form usable by a media module; and

a media module that packages the converted data and signals into a form appropriate for transmission across a particular media.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the interface module comprises a serial port.

13. A system as in claim 11, wherein the interface module comprises a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART).

14. A system as in claim 10 wherein a security token at the remote token extender contains an interface type different from a reader with a different interface type at the local token extender.

15. A method for permitting physical access to a protected space at a remote location, comprising:

presenting a security token at a remote reader;

extending one or more characteristics of the security token across a transmission media via a remote token extender;

receiving the characteristics at a local token extender coupled to a local system containing access rights information for the protected space; and

securely enabling access by a user of the remote system to the protected space without revealing any information about a data format of the token.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein the security token is an identity token.

17. A method as in claim 16 wherein the security token is a proximity card.

18. A method as in claim 16 wherein the security token is a smart card.

19. A method as in claim 15 wherein the characteristics further comprise signals.

20. A method as in claim 15 wherein the characteristics further comprise data.

21. A method as in claim 15 wherein the security token at the remote token extender contains an interface type different from a reader having a different interface type at the local token extender.