Interactive appliance security system and method

• US 5,898,831 A
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Phillip Earl, Woodward, Ernest Earl, Harris, Jeffrey Martin, Borgstahl, Ronald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott T.
• Application Number:
  US08/766,652
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 395/188.01, 395/187.01, 395/186, 395/185.08, 395/200.59, 380/23, 380/25
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a personal area network, a method for including an appliance (121). The method includes steps of a) determining, by the personal area network (120), that the appliance (121) should be included in the personal area network (120); b) determining (253) that all individual members (121) of the personal area network (120) are in data communication with the personal area network (120); and c) when all individual members (121) of the personal area network (120) are in data communication with the personal area network (120), performing substeps of: i) selecting (259) a selected member (121) of the personal area network (120); ii) programming (261) security criteria relevant to the selected member (121) into the appliance (121); and iii) programming (263) security criteria relevant to the appliance (121) into the selected member (121).

Claims

1. In a dynamically configurable personal area network established by at least two autonomous peer to peer members being in proximity to one another at any given moment such that a communication link exists therebetween and which is not affected by additional peer members moving into or exiting from the personal area network, a method for including a peer appliance, said method comprising steps of:

a) determining, by said personal area network, that said peer appliance should be included in said personal area network by an individual one or ones of the peer members of the personal area network querying said peer appliance;

b) determining, by said personal area network, that individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network; and

c1) when individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) selecting a selected peer member of said personal area network;

ii) establishing a communication link to said peer appliance to determine if said peer appliance should be in a security group to which said selected peer member belongs;

iii) programming security criteria relevant to said selected member into said appliance from said selected peer member; and

iv) programming security criteria relevant to said peer appliance into said selected member from said peer appliance.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step a) includes a substep of determining that a person who is programming said peer appliance has authority to do so based on a first security code chosen from a group consisting of an ownership code and a password.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

c2) when not all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) waiting a first prescribed interval; and

ii) repeating said step b); and

c3) when all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) determining if any peer members of said personal area network have not been programmed with security criteria relevant to said peer appliance; and

ii) selecting one of said any peer members as said selected peer member; and

iii) performing substeps c1) iii), c1) iv) and c3) i) through iii) for said selected peer member.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a step of inhibiting said peer appliance from communicating with devices that are not members of said personal area network.

5. In an appliance, a method for becoming a peer member of a dynamically configurable personal area network that comprises two or more peer members, said method comprising the steps of:

a) determining, by said appliance, that said personal area network should be included by said appliance;

b) waiting for a signal from an individual one or ones of the peer members of the personal area network querying said appliance, said signal indicating that individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network; and

c1) when a signal from said personal area network indicates that individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) waiting for a signal indicating that a peer member of said personal area network has been designated as a selected member;

ii) accepting data including security criteria relevant to said selected member and storing said data in memory in said appliance; and

iii) providing security criteria relevant to said appliance to said personal area network.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said step a) includes a substep of determining that a person who is programming said appliance has authority to do so based on a first security code chosen from a group consisting of an ownership code and a password.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising steps of:

c2) when a signal from said personal area network indicates that not all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) waiting a first prescribed interval; and

ii) repeating said step b); and

c3) when a signal from said personal area network indicates that all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) waiting for a signal indicating when any peer members of said personal area network have not been programmed with security criteria relevant to said appliance; and

ii) waiting for a signal indicating that one of said any peer members has been selected as said selected member; and

iii) performing substeps c1) iii), c1) iv) and c3) i) through iii) for said selected member.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of inhibiting said appliance from communicating with devices that are not members of said personal area network.

9. An apparatus for including an appliance in a dynamically configurable personal area network consisting of two or more peer appliances, said apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving input data;

a transmitter for transmitting output data; and

an apparatus for interactively coupling said appliance to said personal area network, said interactive coupling apparatus coupled to said receiver and to said transmitter to effect data communication therewith, said interactive coupling apparatus for;

a) initiating a setup connection between said one appliance and at least one of said peer appliances of said network;

b) determining, by said appliance, that said personal area network should be included by said appliance;

c) waiting for a signal from an individual one or ones of the peer appliances of the personal area network querying said appliance, said signal indicating that individual peer appliances of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network; and

d1) when all individual peer appliances of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) waiting for a signal indicating that a peer appliance of said personal area network has been designated as a selected peer appliance;

ii) accepting data including security criteria relevant to said selected peer appliance and storing said data in memory in said appliance; and

iii) providing security criteria relevant to said appliance to said personal area network.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further including means for determining that a person who is programming said appliance has authority to do so based on a first security code chosen from a group consisting of an ownership code and a password.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said interactive coupling apparatus is further for:

d2) determining when a signal from said personal area network indicates that not all individual peer appliances of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network and then performing substeps of;

i) waiting a first prescribed interval; and

ii) repeating said step b); and

d3) determining when a signal from said personal area network indicates that all individual peer appliances of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network and then performing substeps of;

i) waiting for a signal indicating when any peer appliances of said personal area network have not been programmed with security criteria relevant to said appliance; and

ii) waiting for a signal indicating that one of said any peer appliances has been selected as said selected peer appliance; and

iii) performing substeps d1) ii), d1) iii) and d3) i) through d3) iii) for said selected member.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means for inhibiting said appliance from communicating with devices that are not members of said personal area network.

13. An apparatus for rendering an appliance a member of a dynamically configurable personal area network consisting entirely of individual peer members, said apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving input data;

a transmitter for transmitting output data; and

an apparatus for interactively coupling said appliance to said personal area network, said interactive coupling apparatus coupled to said receiver and to said transmitter to effect data communication therewith, said interactive coupling apparatus for;

a) determining, by said personal area network, that said appliance should be included in said personal area network by an individual one or ones of the peer members of the personal area network querying said appliance;

b) determining, by said personal area network, that individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network; and

c1) when individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network, performing substeps of;

i) selecting a selected peer member of said personal area network;

ii) programming security criteria relevant to said selected peer member into said appliance by said selected peer member; and

iii) programming security criteria relevant to said appliance into said selected peer member by said appliance.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said step a) includes a substep of determining that a person who is programming said appliance has authority to do so based on a first security code chosen from a group consisting of an ownership code and a password.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said interactive coupling apparatus is further for:

c2) determining when not all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network and then performing substeps of;

i) waiting a first prescribed interval; and

ii) repeating said step b); and

c3) determining when all individual peer members of said personal area network are in data communication with said personal area network and then performing substeps of;

i) determining if any peer members of said personal area network have not been programmed with security criteria relevant to said appliance; and

ii) selecting one of said any peer members as said selected member; and

iii) performing substeps c1) ii), c1) iii) and c3) i) through c3) iii) for said selected member.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising means for inhibiting said appliance from communicating with devices that are not peer members of said personal area network.

17. An apparatus for determining when an appliance has become separated from a security group of a dynamically configurable personal area network comprised solely of peer members of which said appliance is a member, said apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving input data;

a transmitter for transmitting output data; and

an apparatus for interactively coupling said appliance to said security group, said interactive coupling apparatus coupled to said receiver and to said transmitter to effect data communication therewith, said interactive coupling apparatus for;

polling an area surrounding said appliance with an interrogation signal from an individual one or ones of the peer members of the personal area network querying said appliance, said signal being directed to said personal area network;

waiting for a predetermined interval, said predetermined interval being in a range of from a few minutes to up to two weeks;

repeating said polling step; and

when said polling step does not result in receipt of a signal from said personal area network, initiating an alarm sequence.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said interactive coupling apparatus is further for:

determining if a suitable personal area network is in range for data communication; and

sending a message to said personal area network to communicate a distress state.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said interactive coupling apparatus is further for:

sending a message to determine if a personal area network is in range for data communication that includes access to a telephone;

receiving a message from a personal area network that is in range for data communication that includes access to a telephone; and

sending a message to said personal area network to request that a call be made to a central appliance authority, said call to include information identifying said appliance, said security group and information describing said personal area network.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said interactive coupling apparatus is further for initiating inhibition normal appliance functions while said appliance is initiating an alarm sequence.

21. A method for determining when an appliance has become separated from a security group of a dynamically configurable personal area network consisting only of a plurality of peer members of which said appliance is a member, said method comprising steps of:

polling all devices that are members of said security group with a signal from an individual one or ones of the peer members of the personal area network that are polling said appliance to determine if any of said devices are not in data communication with said security group;

determining from responses to said polling step if any of said devices are not in data communication with said security group;

waiting a predetermined interval;

repolling said devices that were determined not to be in data communication with said security group during said determining step;

redetermining if said devices that were determined not to be in data communication with said security group during said determining step are still not in data communication with said security group; and

notifying a central authority that said devices that were determined not to be in data communication with said security group during said determining and redetermining steps are missing.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further including steps of:

analyzing results from said polling step to determine if any devices not associated with said security group are in data communication with said security group; and

identifying when said any devices source messages indicate a distress state.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein, when said identifying step identifies a distress state, said method further includes steps of:

extracting information identifying said any devices from messages received from said any devices; and

notifying a central authority of the presence and identity of said any devices and a location of said personal area network.

24. A method for determining when an appliance has become separated from a first security group of which said appliance is a member, said method comprising steps of:

polling an area to determine if any devices not members of a second security group are in data communication with said second security group;

analyzing results from said polling step to determine if any devices not associated with said second security group are in data communication with said second security group; and

identifying when said any devices source messages indicate a distress state.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein, when said identifying step identifies a distress state, said method further includes steps of:

extracting information identifying said any device from messages received from said any device; and

notifying a central authority of the presence and identity of said any device and a location of said second security group.