SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATION ASSURANCE USING PASSIVE COMPUTATIONAL TAGS

• US 20140298035A1
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tredoux, Gavan L., Sweet, James M., Kibler, Wendell L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,515,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/178
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas

Abstract

In implementations, a computer-implemented method for location assurance is disclosed. The method can include receiving, by an application executing on a mobile computing device, an electronic token from a server, wherein the electronic token comprises a timestamp signed using a cryptographic signing algorithm; providing, by the application, the electronic token to a passive computational tag, wherein the electronic token is countersigned by the passive computational tag; receiving, by the application, the electronic token that was countersigned by the passive computational tag; and providing, by the application, the electronic token that was countersigned to the server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for location assurance comprising:

receiving, by an application executing on a mobile computing device, an electronic token from a server, wherein the electronic token comprises a timestamp signed using a cryptographic signing algorithm;

providing, by the application, the electronic token to a passive computational tag, wherein the electronic token is countersigned by the passive computational tag;

receiving, by the application, the electronic token that was countersigned by the passive computational tag; and

providing, by the application, the electronic token that was countersigned to the server.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the timestamp comprises timing information in coordinated universal time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cryptographic signing algorithm comprises an asymmetric encryption scheme and the timestamp is signed using a private key of the server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cryptographic signing algorithm comprises a symmetric encryption scheme and the timestamp is signed using a shared private key.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token that was countersigned is countersigned by a private key of the passive computational tag.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token that was countersigned comprises a first timestamp of when the electronic token was countersigned by the passive computational tag and a second timestamp of when the electronic token was received from the passive computational tag.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the providing, by the application, the electronic token to a passive computational tag comprises coupling the mobile computing device with the passive computational tag.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token comprises information related any, or combinations of, a random identifier, a cryptographic salt, and the server identifier.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token that is countersigned by the passive computational tag comprises a timestamp in a countersignature.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token received from the server is cryptographically signed using a private key of the server by applying the cryptographic signing algorithm to a cryptographic hash of contents of the electronic token and the timestamp.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the countersigned electronic token received from the passive computational tag is cryptographically signed used a private key of the passive computational tag by applying the cryptographic signing algorithm to a cryptographic hash of contents of the electronic token, the timestamp, and the electronic token that was signed by the server.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a continuous presence between the mobile computing device and a docketing station associated with passive computational tag; and

receiving a stream of tokens from the server based on the continuous presence that was determined.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic token that was countersigned to the server provides location assurance that the mobile computing device has a location within a predetermined range of the passive computational tag.

14. A device comprising:

one or mare processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising;

receiving an electronic token from a server, wherein the electronic token comprises a timestamp signed using a cryptographic signing algorithm;

providing the electronic token to a passive computational tag, wherein the electronic token is countersigned by the passive computational tag;

receiving the electronic token that was countersigned by the passive computational tag; and

providing the electronic token that was countersigned to the server.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the countersigned electronic token received from the passive computational tag is cryptographically signed used a private key of the passive computational tag by applying the cryptographic signing algorithm to a cryptographic hash of contents of the electronic token, the timestamp, and the electronic token that was signed by the server.

16. The device according to claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform determining a continuous presence between the mobile computing device and a docketing station associated with passive computational tag;

and receiving a stream of tokens from the server based on the continuous presence that was determined.

17. The device according to claim 14, wherein the electronic token that was countersigned to the server provides location assurance that the mobile computing device has a location within a predetermined range of the passive computational tag.

18. A computer-implemented method for location assurance comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a server, a request for an electronic token from a computing device;

generating the electronic token based on the request that was received, wherein the electronic token comprises information related to an identification of the server and information related to a time that the request was received;

signing the electronic token using a cryptographic signing algorithm;

providing the electronic token that was signed to the computing device;

receiving the electronic token that was countersigned by a passive computational tag; and

determining a time interval between when the request that was received and when the electronic token that was countersigned was received to determine a location duration of the computing device with respect to the passive computational tag.

19. The computer-implemented method according to claim 18, further comprising providing a stream of tokens to the computing device based on a continuous presence between the computing device and a docketing station associated with passive computational tag.