NETWORKED DEVICE AUTHENTICATION, PAIRING AND RESOURCE SHARING

• US 20110314153A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bathiche, Steven N., Meistrich, Jason Alexander, Hinckley, Kenneth, Multerer, Boyd Cannon, Saretto, Cesare John, Cox, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 10,104,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for pairing computing devices using an authentication protocol that allows an initiating computing device to gain access to a secure, encrypted network of a target computing device.

Claims

1. A method of pairing a first computing device to a second computing device, comprising:

a) receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with the second computing device;

b) negotiating the pairing of the first computing device with the second computing device, including the steps of receiving an identification of at least one of the user and the first computing device and receiving an authentication token authenticating an association of the user with the first computing device;

c) granting the first computing device access to secure resources available to the second computing device if the identification and authentication steps of said step b) verify an association between the user and the first computing device; and

d) denying the first computing device access to secure resources available to the second computing device if the identification and authentication steps of said step b) fail to verify an association between the user and the first computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a mobile computing device and the second computing device is a public terminal having a connection to a backend server with secure user records, said step a) of receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with the second computing device comprising the step of receiving an indication that the first computing device was bumped against the second computing device, the method further comprising the step of at least some of the functions of the public terminal in accessing and displaying the user records being performed by the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, said step a) of receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with the second computing device further comprising the step e) of receiving an indication of parameters to be associated with the pairing of the first computing device with the second computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, said step e) of receiving an indication of parameters to be associated with the pairing comprising the step of receiving an indication of a gesture performed with the first computing device in combination with the indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with the second computing device

5. The method of claim 1, communications between the first and second computing devices in said steps b) and c) taking place directly between the first and second computing devices via at least one of:

Bluetooth communication, infrared communications, radiofrequency communications and near field communications.

6. The method of claim 1, communications between the first and second computing devices in said steps b) and c) taking place indirectly between the first and second computing devices via an intermediary through a network connection between the first computing device, the second computing device and the intermediary.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step f) of receiving an indication of restrictions on the pairing, in addition to the identification and authentication of the user, and denying the first computing device access to secure resources available to the second computing device if the restrictions are not satisfied.

8. The method of claim 1, said steps a) and b) performed in a single combined step of bumping the first computing device against the second computing device while simultaneously providing the authentication token authenticating an association of the user with the first computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, said authentication token provided by providing a fingerprint of the user.

10. A method of pairing a first computing device to a second computing device, comprising:

a) receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with another computing device;

b) identifying the second computing device as a computing device with which the first computing device may pair;

c) sending a request from the first computing device to the second computing device for the first computing device to pair with the second computing device, the request from the first computing device including both identification and authentication information relating to the first computing device and a user of the first computing device;

d) granting the first computing device access to secure resources available to the second computing device if the first computing device and user are authenticated;

e) denying the first computing device access to secure resources available to the second computing device if the first computing device and user are not authenticated; and

f) decaying a pairing between the first and second computing devices if granted in said step d) upon detection of one or more predefined termination indicators.

11. The method of claim 10, said step a) of receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with another computing device comprising the step of receiving an indication that the user desires to pair with a specific computing device, the specific computing device being the second computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, said step a) of receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with another computing device comprising the step of the user searching for another computing device to pair with.

13. The method of claim 10, said step f) of decaying a pairing between the first and second computing devices if granted in said step d) upon detection of one or more predefined termination indicators comprising at least one of:

f1) an owner of the second computing device indicating that the pairing is to terminate upon passage of a predetermined period of time;

f2) an indication that the pairing is to terminate if a distance between the first and second computing devices exceeds a threshold distance;

f3) an indication that the pairing is to terminate if an idle period of no communication between the first and second computing devices exceeds some predetermined period of time.

14. The method of claim 10, the second computing device comprising a public terminal associated with a secure server, the secure server having secure information relating to the user of the first device, the pairing including at least one of distributing a user interface between the first and second computing devices and cooperation between the first and second computing devices to interact with an application running on the first and/or second computing devices.

15. The method of claim 14, the first computing device comprising a mobile telephone, said step c) of sending a request from the first computing device to the second computing device for the first computing device to pair with the second computing device comprising bumping the mobile phone against the public terminal or bumping the mobile phone in an area adjacent to the public terminal

16. A method of pairing a first computing device to a second computing device, comprising:

a) receiving an indication that a user desires to pair the first computing device with the second computing device;

b) pairing of the first computing device with the second computing device;

c) joining the first computing device to a gaming session that the second computing device engaged with upon pairing of the first and second computing devices; and

d) integrating the first computing device into the gaming session that the second computing device is engaged with by providing the first computing device current state information for the gaming session.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of negotiating the pairing of the first computing device with the second computing device, including the steps of receiving an identification of at least one of the user and the first computing device and receiving an authentication token authenticating an association of the user with the first computing device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of downloading to the first computing device a version of the gaming application being played by the second computing device if it is determined that the first computing device does not have a version of the game upon pairing with the second computing device.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of the steps of distributing a user interface between the first and second computing devices, and sharing tasks relating to interaction with the gaming application.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of terminating the pairing and handing off the gaming session to the first computing device for the first computing device to continue playing the game without the second computing device.