Systems and methods for device registration using optical transmission

• US 7,689,825 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwamura, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reza; Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US11/388,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 713/171, 380/273, 380/278
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0838 Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0863 involving passwords or one-time passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for using one-time keys in a packet data network H04L63/067
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A client device is registered with a network server by having the network server generate a key number and emit an optical representation of the key number for optical reception by the client device. The client device determines the key number from the received optical representation, and encrypts or decrypts a communication using the key number, or a value based on the key number. In one embodiment, the optical representation may be either an infrared signal or visible light signal.

Claims

1. A method for registering a client device with a network server for enabling secured communication between the client device and the network server over a network comprising:

generating a key number by the network server;

emitting an optical representation of the key number;

receiving said optical representation of the key number by the client device;

determining, by the client device, the key number from the optical representation prior to having any communication with the network server over the network;

encrypting, by the network server, an encryption key using a hashed value of the key number;

sending the encryption key in an encrypted form over the network from the network server to the client device;

registering the client device with the network server without having transmitted any unencrypted information over the network; and

decrypting said encryption key, by the client device, using the hash value of the key number;

encrypting and decrypting communications between the network server and the client device using the encryption key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is one of a powerline communication network and a radio frequency network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein emitting the optical representation comprises emitting an infrared signal generated by the network server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein emitting the optical representation comprises emitting a light signal generated by the network server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving comprises receiving said optical representation using an infrared reception interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises converting the optical representation to the key number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising entering a registration mode prior to said generating the key number.

8. A system comprising:

a network;

a network server coupled to the network, wherein the network server is to,

generate a key number,

emit an optical representation of the key number, and

encrypt an encryption key using a hashed value of the key number,

send the encryption key in an encrypted form over the network for use in client device registrations,

register the client device with the network server without transmitting any unencrypted information over the network; and

a client device coupled to the network, wherein the client device is to,

receive said optical representation of the key number,

determine the key number from the optical representation prior to having any communication with the network server over the network, and

decrypt the encryption key using the hashed value of the key number, wherein the encryption key is used to encrypt and decrypt communications between the network server and the client device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the network is one of a powerline communication network and a radio frequency network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the optical representation is an infrared signal.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the optical representation is a light signal.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the client device includes an infrared reception interface to receive said optical representation.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the network server enters a registration mode prior to generating the key number.