OUTLET EXPANSION APPARATUS, AND DELEGATE AUTHENTICATION METHOD

• US 20110185197A1
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Asami, Kawamoto, Yohei, Matsuda, Seiichi, Tanaka, Yu, UKITA, Masakazu, Asano, Tomoyuki, Moriai, Shiho, Katagi, Masanobu
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

There is provided an outlet expansion apparatus including a first connection outlet to which an electronic appliance is to be connected, a second connection outlet that is for connecting to a power supply outlet that is to be a supply source of power, and a delegate authentication unit that carries out, in a case the electronic appliance not having a function of carrying out authentication with a power management apparatus managing an amount of power to be supplied to the electronic appliance is connected to the first connection outlet and the power supply outlet is connected to the second connection outlet, authentication to be carried out on the power management apparatus by the electronic appliance connected to the first connection outlet on behalf of the electronic appliance.

Claims

1. An outlet expansion apparatus comprising:

a first connection outlet to which an electronic appliance is to be connected;

a second connection outlet that is for connecting to a power supply outlet that is to be a supply source of power; and

a delegate authentication unit that carries out, in a case the electronic appliance not having a function of carrying out authentication with a power management apparatus managing an amount of power to be supplied to the electronic appliance is connected to the first connection outlet and the power supply outlet is connected to the second connection outlet, authentication to be carried out on the power management apparatus by the electronic appliance connected to the first connection outlet on behalf of the electronic appliance.

2. The outlet expansion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case there are a plurality of the first connection outlets, the delegate authentication unit carries out, on behalf of the electronic appliance connected to each of the first connection outlets, authentication to be carried out on the power management apparatus by the electronic appliance.

3. The outlet expansion apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the delegate authentication unit includes

a power receiving unit that receives, in a case the electronic appliance is connected to the first connection outlet and the power supply outlet is connected to the second connection outlet, power for authentication supplied from the power supply outlet based on control by the power management apparatus, and

an authentication processing unit that carries out an authentication process on the power management apparatus by using the power received by the power receiving unit.

4. The outlet expansion apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the authentication processing unit includes

a random number receiving unit that receives a random number from the power management apparatus,

a consumption pattern calculating unit that calculates a time-series pattern of power consumption based on the random number received by the random number receiving unit, and

a power consumption unit that consumes the power received by the power receiving unit in such a way that the time-series pattern of power consumption calculated by the consumption pattern calculating unit is observed by the power management apparatus.

5. The outlet expansion apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in a case the electronic appliance connected to the first connection outlet is capable of carrying out authentication on the power management apparatus, the delegate authentication unit does not carry out, on behalf of the electronic appliance, authentication to be carried out on the power management apparatus by the electronic appliance.

6. The outlet expansion apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a power-supply control unit that supplies, in a case authentication of the power management apparatus is completed by the delegate authentication unit or the electronic appliance connected to the first connection outlet, power supplied via the second connection outlet to the electronic appliance via the first connection outlet.

7. A delegate authentication method performed by an outlet expansion apparatus including a first connection outlet to which an electronic appliance is to be connected and a second connection outlet that is for connecting to a power supply outlet that is to be a supply source of power, comprising the step of:

carrying out, in a case the electronic appliance not having a function of carrying out authentication with a power management apparatus managing an amount of power to be supplied to the electronic appliance is connected to the first connection outlet and the power supply outlet is connected to the second connection outlet, authentication to be carried out on the power management apparatus by the electronic appliance connected to the first connection outlet on behalf of the electronic appliance.