Portable electronic door opener device and method for secure door opening

• US 7,389,530 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Naravanaswami, Chandrasekhar, Raghunath, Mandayam Thondanur
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, ELLEN C
• Application Number:
  US10/661,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 713/185, 713/186, 713/155, 726/20, 726/9, 726/10, 726/2
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00388 code verification carried out according to the challenge/response method
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/65 using means for sensing the user's hand
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A portable computing device for opening a door (an electronic door opener) and a method for its use is disclosed. The computing device has a shared secret key, a standard certificate, means for communicating with the door, and a processor adapted for performing operations with shared secret keys and standard certificates. The door also possesses the same shared secret key. Under normal operation, messages encoded with the shared secret key serve to establish a right to open the door. The portable computing device'"'"'s standard certificate is used to respond to occasional challenges by the door, and to generate the shared secret key. Biometric capabilities of the portable computing device add an additional layer of security in screening the identity of the user of the device. A security system for controlling access, involving a first plurality of computing devices and a second plurality of doors, and operating based on shared secret keys and occasional challenges is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for secure unlocking of a door based on a shared secret key, comprising the steps of:

providing a portable computing device, wherein the computing device is equipped with a memory, and the memory holds shared secret keys with matching door identifiers and a first certificate, wherein the computing device is adapted for performing operations with shared secret keys and certificates, and wherein the computing device is adapted for communicating with the door;

the computing device communicating to the door a device identifier;

the door makes a decision to issue a challenge to the computing device, wherein the challenge is issued only on randomly selected occasions;

the computing device responding to the challenge by demonstrating possession of a private key of the first certificate;

after a successful response to a challenge and after receipt of computing device identifier when a challenge decision is not made the door responding with a door identifier and with an encrypted message, wherein the message is encrypted with the shared secret key, and wherein using the shared secret key for encrypting the message resulted from recognizing the device identifier communicated by the computing device;

the computing device responding with a signal attesting decryption of the message, wherein the message has been decrypted in the computing device by the shared secret key, and wherein using the shared secret key for decrypting the message resulted from recognizing the door identifier transmitted by the door; and

the door unlocking upon recognizing validity of the signal attesting decryption of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device identifier is a hash code of the first certificate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the door identifier is a simple identifier and it is sent without encryption.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the door has a second certificate, and the door identifier is a hash code of the second certificate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared secret key is generated by the door and communicated with the computing device in private using a public key of the first certificate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the private key of the first certificate is encrypted with a first biometric key, wherein the first biometric key belongs to a rightful owner of the computing device, and wherein the computing device is provided with a biometric device, and wherein the step of responding to the challenge further comprise the steps of:

taking a biometric reading of a user of the computing device;

generating a second biometric key using the biometric reading; and

decrypting the encrypted private key of the first certificate using the second biometric key, whereby if the first and second biometric keys are identical the decrypting using the second biometric key is successful, and the challenge can be successfully responded.

7. A security system for controlling access, comprising:

a plurality of doors and a plurality of portable computing devices for opening the plurality of doors;

wherein each computing device is equipped with a memory that holds a unique first certificate, door identifiers for all the doors out of the plurality of doors that the computing device is permitted to open, and shared secret keys that match each door identifier of the plurality of doors that the computing device is permitted to open;

wherein any one of the doors possesses a matching shared secret key for each computing device that is permitted to open the door,

wherein the matching information comprises a device identifier, wherein the device identifier is linked to a public key of the unique first certificate and the shared secret key, and wherein the plurality of doors and the plurality of computing devices have means for communicating between any device and any door and;

wherein the any one of the plurality of doors is adapted to recognize the device identifier, and further adapted to use the matching information to validate identicalness of the shared secret key, and to issue a challenge on randomly selected occasions to any computing device, using the public key of the unique first certificate.

8. The security system of claim 7, wherein the device identifier is a hash code of the unique first certificate.

9. The security system of claim 7, wherein the door identifier is a simple identifier and it is communicated without encryption.

10. The security system of claim 7, wherein the any one door further possesses a unique second certificate.

11. The security system of claim 10, wherein the door identifier is a hash code of the unique second certificate.

12. The security system of claim 7, wherein the unique first certificate is having a private key and the private key is being encrypted with a first biometric key, wherein the first biometric key belongs to a rightful owner of the computing device, wherein the any one computing device is further comprising a biometric device, wherein the any one computing device is further comprising a biometric device, wherein the biometric device is capable of generating a second biometric key, wherein the second biometric key belongs to a user of the any one computing device, and wherein the second biometric key is used to decrypt the private key of the unique first certificate.

13. The security system of claim 7, wherein the challenge by the any one door is successfully responded by demonstrating possession of a private key of the unique first certificate.

14. The security system of claim 7, wherein the any one door is further adapted to generate a shared secret key and communicate the shared key in private by using the public key of the unique first certificate.