APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SHARING OF AN ENCRYPTION KEY IN AN AD-HOC NETWORK

• US 20100332828A1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Goto, Fumihide
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

It is so arranged that an encryption key can be shared with a communication apparatus that participates in a network anew, even in an ad-hoc-mode type of environment. In order to achieve this, a communication apparatus determines whether it possesses an encryption key shared with another communication apparatus and, in accordance with the result of the determination, initiates sharing process for sharing the encryption key with a first communication apparatus from the communication apparatus after the sharing process for sharing the encryption key has been initiated from the first communication apparatus.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a sharing unit operable to execute a sharing process for sharing an encryption key with a first communication apparatus, wherein an apparatus that initiates the sharing process provides the encryption key in the sharing process;

a determination unit operable to determine whether the encryption key is possessed by a second communication apparatus; and

a control unit operable to, initiate the sharing process with the first communication apparatus based on the result of the determination by said determination unit and after the sharing process has been initiated by the first communication apparatus.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit determines whether a network with the second communication apparatus has been created.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit initiates the sharing process after the first communication apparatus initiates the sharing process and provides the encryption key.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit suspends the sharing process initiated by the first communication apparatus and initiates another sharing process, then the first communication apparatus resumes the sharing process initiated by the first communication apparatus.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the other sharing process has been initiated by said control unit, said sharing unit provides the first communication apparatus with the encryption key that is being shared with the second communication apparatus.

6. The apparatus according to 4, wherein in a case where the sharing process has been initiated by the control unit, said sharing unit provides the first communication apparatus with an encryption key different from an encryption key shared with the second communication apparatus and provides this encryption key to the second communication apparatus.

7. A communication method in a communication apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

accepting an encryption-key sharing process from a first communication apparatus, wherein an apparatus that initiates the sharing process provides the encryption key in the sharing process;

determining whether said communication apparatus already possesses an encryption key possessed by a second communication apparatus; and

initiating, by the communication apparatus, the sharing process in accordance with result of the determination at said determination step.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, a program for causing a communication apparatus to execute a communication method, the communication method comprising the steps of:

accepting an encryption-key sharing process from a first communication apparatus, wherein an apparatus that initiates the sharing process provides the encryption key in the sharing process;

determining whether said communication apparatus already possesses an encryption key possessed by a second communication apparatus; and

initiating, by the communication apparatus, the sharing process in accordance with result of the determination at said determination step.

9. (canceled)