DEVICE IDENTITY MATCHING

• US 20110047598A1
• Filed: 08/24/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Timothy B., Lindley, Gregory Charles, Bachman, William Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Devices are identified by their owners and authorization to network two or more devices is based on device ownership. Data structures such as address books can store information about an owner of a device and maintain an entry indicating that a particular entry identifies the owner of the device. Other entries in the address book are contacts of the owner. A host device can authorize a client for communication with the host based on a relationship between the owner of the client and the owner of the host as indicated by the presence of the contact information of the client'"'"'s owner in the host'"'"'s address book. Devices and can enable communication and sharing of services and levels of access permissions based on the relationship of the owners'"'"' of the respective devices.

Claims

1. A method of accepting communications from a second device based on the ownership of the second device comprising:

receiving a communication request on a first device from a second device having an owner, the communication request comprising information identifying the owner of the second device;

authorizing communication with the second device if it is determined that the owner of the second device is represented as a contact in an address book stored on the first device, the address book stored comprises an entry having information identifying the owner of the first device and at least one contact of the owner; and

sending configuration information to the second device if communication is authorized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the owner of the second device is the owner of the first device, and being commonly owned results in sharing of information about the owner between the two devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the owner includes information about the owner'"'"'s preferences.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the owner includes information about the owner'"'"'s characteristics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a level of access permissions given to the second device is determined based on the level of access permissions associated with the owner of the second device as designated with the contact in the address book.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes data about connecting to services offered by the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes information about sharing of location information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes information about to establish instant messaging communications between the devices.

9. A system for authenticating a client device for communication with a host device comprising:

a client device having a memory configured to store vcards, at least one vcard identifying an owner of the client device, the vcard comprising contact information for the owner of the client device, and

a host device having a memory configured to store vcards, one vcard identifying an owner of the host device and at least one vcard identifying a contact, the vcards comprising contact information;

the host electronic device further comprising a communications interface configured to receive a communications request including information identifying the owner of the client device from the client device, a processor configured to correlate the owner of the client device with the owner or contact identified by one of the vcards stored in the memory of the host device, the processor further configured to authorize communications with the client device based on a positive correlation.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of client electronic devices.

11. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for implementing a method on a device, the method comprising:

receiving data comprising information identifying an owner of the device;

detecting a second device on a network having the same owner; and

establishing trusted communications with the second device based on the common ownership of the two devices.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the detecting is conducted using a service discovery protocol.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the trusted communications include receiving information regarding the owner'"'"'s preferences.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises configuring the device to accept remote control commands from the second device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the trusted communications include sharing multimedia library information.

16. A device comprising:

a memory configured for storing entries in an address book comprising information associated with contacts, the memory information comprising an identifier of one of the contacts as the owner of the device;

a network interface configured for receiving information about other devices on a network; and

a processor configured for using a service discovery protocol over the network to receive, via the network interface, information about services offered by and ownership of the other devices on the network, and for accepting a connection request with one of the other devices on the network based on a positive correlation of the ownership of the other device and the entries in the address book.

17. A method of accepting device communications based on ownership thereof, comprising:

sending a communication request from a client device to a host device having an owner, the communication request comprising information identifying an owner of the client device;

receiving configuration information from the host device if the host device recognizes the owner of the client device as a contact of the owner of the host device; and

configuring the client device to operate in accordance with the received configuration information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information identifying the owner of the client device comprises anonymous data which the host device can match to the identity of the owner of the client device.