Device, system, method and computer readable medium for identifying and authenticating a cellular device using a short-range radio address

• US 7,366,901 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shachak, Amit, Hapamas, Ziv
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIN HON
• Application Number:
  US10/632,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 713/155, 380/247, 380/270, 455/410, 455/411, 455/41.2, 455/517, 455/466
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A device, method, system and computer readable medium allows for using a short-range address, such as a Bluetooth™ address, to identify a cellular device and authenticate cellular messages to the cellular device. In an embodiment of the present invention, a first short-range radio address for a cellular device is stored in a processing device, such as a server coupled to a cellular network. An authentication message is obtained by the processing device. A second short-range radio address is stored in the cellular device. A first message digest is calculated responsive to the authentication message and first short-range radio address. A cellular message, including the authentication message and the first message digest, is transmitted to the cellular device. The cellular device receives the cellular message and calculates a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address stored in the cellular device. The cellular device authenticates the cellular message responsive to comparing the first message digest to a second message digest. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a processing device compares a second digest message from a cellular device and a first digest message calculated by the processing device in order authenticate the cellular message. In still a further embodiment of the present invention, a short-range radio address is used to encrypt and decrypt cellular messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing in a processing device a first short-range radio address associated with a short-range radio transceiver embedded in a cellular device, wherein the processing device manages authentication and identification of messages communicated to a cellular device from said processing device, independent from a communication protocol used to communicate the messages;

obtaining an authentication message using the processing device;

providing a second short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver to be stored in the cellular device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

calculating, using the processing device, a first message digest responsive to the authentication message and a first short-range radio address;

transmitting, over a cellular network coupled to the processing device, a cellular message comprising the authentication message and the first message digest;

wherein the cellular message is received by the cellular device;

calculating a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address; and

,

wherein the cellular device compares the first message digest with a second message digest to authenticate the cellular message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication message is randomly calculated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message digest is a 128-bit value calculated by a one-way hash software component.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one-way hash software component is a MD5 software component.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses each comprise a Bluetooth™

address.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device is in a short-distance wireless network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the cellular device is in a short-distance wireless network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the short-distance wireless network is an 802.11 wireless local area network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are 48-bit values.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a server.

12. A method for authenticating a message communicated from a cellular device to a processing device using a short-range radio address, the method comprising:

storing a first short-range radio address, associated with a short-range radio transceiver embedded in a cellular device, in a processing device wherein the processing device manages authentication and identification of messages communicated to a cellular device from the processing device, independent from a communication protocol used to communicate the messages;

obtaining an authentication message in the processing device;

storing a second short-range radio address, associated with said short-range radio transceiver, in the cellular device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

calculating, by the processing device, a first message digest responsive to the authentication message and first short-range radio address;

transmitting, over a cellular network coupled to the processing device, a cellular message including the authentication message to the cellular device;

calculating a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address;

wherein the second message digest is transmitted by the cellular device; and

,

comparing, by the processing device, the first message digest to a second message digest to authenticate the cellular message.

13. A universal method for encrypting and decrypting a cellular message communicated from a processing device to a cellular device using a short-range radio address associated with a short-range radio transceiver embedded in said cellular device, the method comprising:

storing a first short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver in the cellular device;

storing a second short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver in a processing device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

encrypting the cellular message, by the processing device, using the second short-range radio address;

transmitting, over a cellular network coupled to the processing device, the encrypted cellular message to the cellular device; and

decrypting the encrypted cellular message, by the cellular device, using the first short-range radio address.

14. A universal method for encrypting and decrypting a cellular message communicated from a cellular device to a processing device using a short-range radio address associated with a short-range radio transceiver embedded in said cellular device, the method comprising:

storing a first short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver in a cellular device;

storing a second short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver in a processing device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range address are the same;

encrypting the cellular message, by the cellular device, using the first short-range radio address;

transmitting, over a cellular network coupled to the cellular device, the encrypted cellular message to the processing device; and

decrypting the encrypted cellular message, by the processing device, using the second short-range radio address.

15. A universal method for identifying a cellular device comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the cellular device, a first message requesting a cellular device identifier;

reading, by the cellular device, a first short-range radio address associated with a short-range radio transceiver embedded in said cellular device;

transmitting, by the cellular device, over a cellular network coupled to the cellular device, a second cellular message including the first short-range radio address;

storing a second short-range radio address associated with said short-range radio transceiver in a processing device which is independent of communication protocol used to communicate the first and second cellular messages; and

,

comparing the first short-range radio address to the second short-range radio address to uniquely identify the cellular device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are Bluetooth™

addresses.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the cellular device is in a short-distance wireless network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the short-distance wireless network is a Bluetooth™

wireless network.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the short-distance wireless network is an 802.11 wireless local area network.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the reading step includes executing a host controller command.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the host controller command is HCI_Read_BD_ADDR and the short-range radio address is BD_ADDR.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are 48-bit values.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of receiving a third cellular message responsive to the second cellular message.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first, second and third cellular messages are generated by a cellular network coupled to a processing device storing the second short-range radio address corresponding to the cellular device.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the first, second and third cellular messages are in a Global System for Mobile communications (“

GSM”

) protocol.