COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20140307874A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmira Wireless AG
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: ADACHI, Tomoko, TOSHIMITSU, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/67 Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless communication circuit includes a receiver to receive at least one of a beacon frame and a probe response frame from a first wireless communication apparatus belonging to a first communication group, at least one of the beacon frame and the probe response frame including first security information indicating a first encryption method. The circuit includes a transmitter to transmit an association request frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, the association request frame including second security information indicating a second encryption method which is supported by the wireless communication circuit, after a determination that the second encryption method overlaps with the first encryption method. The transmitter declines to associate with the first wireless communication apparatus if the first encryption method fails to overlap with the second encryption method. The transmitter transmits a data frame including a frame body after a reception of an association response frame.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A wireless communication terminal that belongs to a first group of wireless communication apparatuses and configured to communicate with at least one of the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the wireless communication terminal comprising:

an antenna; and

a circuit coupled to the antenna and configured to

transmit, via the antenna, a first frame including first security information indicating a first encryption method, the first encryption method applying to data to be transmitted to the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the first frame to be received by a first wireless communication apparatus,

receive, via the antenna, a second frame from the first wireless communication apparatus, the second frame requesting permission to communicate with wireless communication apparatuses of the first group and including second security information indicating a second encryption method,

transmit, via the antenna, a third frame to the first wireless communication apparatus after determining that the first wireless communication apparatus is permitted to communicate with the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, and

receive, via the antenna, data frames including data encrypted by the second encryption method from the first wireless communication apparatus after a transmission of the third frame.

3. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the second frame is an association request frame.

4. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the circuit is further configured to transmit a fourth frame to reject a request for permission to communicate with the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the request for permission being received from the first wireless communication apparatus, the circuit transmitting the fourth frame after a determination that the second encryption method is not usable in the first group.

5. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and the third frame is an association response frame.

6. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the second encryption method is supported by the first wireless communication apparatus.

7. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first encryption method is selected from a plurality of encryption methods supported by the wireless communication terminal, and the first encryption method has a highest encryption strength of the plurality of encryption methods.

8. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first encryption method is selected from a plurality of encryption methods supported by the wireless communication terminal, one of the plurality of encryption methods corresponds to a first encryption algorithm having a first encryption strength, and another of the plurality of encryption methods corresponds to the first encryption algorithm having a second encryption strength different from the first encryption strength.

9. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the third frame includes an address corresponding to the first group.

10. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame, the second frame is an association request frame, the third frame is an association response frame, the association request frame includes a frame control field and a frame body, the frame control field includes a type field, and the type field includes information indicating that the association request frame is classified as a management frame.

11. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein the frame control field further includes a protected frame field and the protected frame field includes information indicating whether the frame body includes encrypted information.

12. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising:

a processor configured to receive information included in the data frame by using the antenna and the circuit, and to transmit information to be included in a second data frame using the antenna and the circuit.

13. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

a wired network interface coupled to the processor, the processor being further configured to receive information via the wired network interface.

14. A method at least partially implemented by an electronic circuit of a wireless communication terminal that belongs to a first group of wireless communication apparatuses and configured to communicate with at least one of the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the method comprising:

transmitting, via an antenna, a first frame including first security information indicating a first encryption method, the first encryption method applying to data to be transmitted to the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the first frame to be received by a first wireless communication apparatus;

receiving, via the antenna, a second frame from the first wireless communication apparatus, the second frame requesting permission to communicate with the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group and including second security information indicating a second encryption method;

transmitting, via the antenna, a third frame to the first wireless communication apparatus after determining that the first wireless communication apparatus is permitted to communicate with the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group; and

receiving, via the antenna, data frames including data encrypted by the second encryption method from the first wireless communication apparatus after a transmission of the third frame.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second frame is an association request frame.

16. The method according to claim 14 further comprising:

transmitting a fourth frame to reject a request for permission to communicate with the wireless communication apparatuses of the first group, the request for permission being received from the first wireless communication apparatus, the fourth frame being transmitted after a determination that the second encryption method is not usable in the first group.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and the third frame is an association response frame.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second encryption method is supported by the first wireless communication apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first encryption method is selected from a plurality of encryption methods supported by the wireless communication terminal, and the first encryption method has a highest encryption strength of the plurality of encryption methods.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first encryption method is selected from a plurality of encryption methods supported by the wireless communication terminal, one of the plurality of encryption methods corresponds to a first encryption algorithm having a first encryption strength, and another of the plurality of encryption methods corresponds to the first encryption algorithm having a second encryption strength different from the first encryption strength.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the third frame includes an address corresponding to the first group.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame, the second frame is an association request frame, the third frame is an association response frame, the association request frame includes a frame control field and a frame body, the frame control field includes a type field, and the type field includes information indicating that the association request frame is classified as a management frame.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the frame control field further includes a protected frame field and the protected frame field includes information indicating whether the frame body includes encrypted information.

24. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by a processor of the wireless communication terminal, information included in the data frame via the antenna; and

transmitting information to be included in a second data frame via the antenna.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

receiving, at the processor, information via a wired network interface.