Secure open-air communication system utilizing multi-channel decoyed transmission
First Claim
1. A method of providing secure, open-air transmission of at least one true data signal in a multi-channel communication system, the method comprising the steps of:
- generating a plurality of decoy data signals along a plurality of separate communication channels;
applying the plurality of decoy data signals and the at least one true data signal as parallel channel inputs to a scrambling unit, having an original set of parallel channel assignments;
scrambling the original set of parallel channel assignments for sequential packets of both the at least one true data signal and the plurality of decoy data signals to form a plurality of scrambled signals using a predefined channel assignment scrambling key; and
applying the plurality of scrambled signals to as separate, parallel inputs along a plurality of input channels to a multi-channel open-air transmitter; and
transmitting the plurality of scrambled signals across an open-air communication system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A secure, open-air communication system utilizes a plurality of “decoy” data signals to hide one or more true data signals. The true data signal(s) are channel hopped with the plurality of decoy data signals to form a multi-channel “scrambled” output signal that is thereafter transmitted in an open-air communication system. The greater the number of decoy signals, the greater the security provided to the open-air system. Further security may be provided by encrypting both the true and decoy signals prior to scrambling and/or by utilizing a spatially diverse set of transmitters and receivers. Without the knowledge of the channel assignment(s) for the true signal(s), an eavesdropper may be able to intercept (and, with time, perhaps descramble) the open-air transmitted signals, will not be able to distinguish the true data from the decoys without also knowing the channel assignment(s).
254 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of providing secure, open-air transmission of at least one true data signal in a multi-channel communication system, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a plurality of decoy data signals along a plurality of separate communication channels; applying the plurality of decoy data signals and the at least one true data signal as parallel channel inputs to a scrambling unit, having an original set of parallel channel assignments; scrambling the original set of parallel channel assignments for sequential packets of both the at least one true data signal and the plurality of decoy data signals to form a plurality of scrambled signals using a predefined channel assignment scrambling key; and applying the plurality of scrambled signals to as separate, parallel inputs along a plurality of input channels to a multi-channel open-air transmitter; and transmitting the plurality of scrambled signals across an open-air communication system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of recovering at least one true data signal from a plurality of open-air scrambled signals received in a multi-channel communication system, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving the plurality of open-air scrambled signals at separate inputs of a multi-channel receiver; applying the plurality of received scrambled signals as separate inputs to a descrambling unit; descrambling a set of received channel assignments associated with the plurality of scrambled signals using a predefined channel descrambling key; recovering the at least one true data signal from a plurality of decoy data signals using a known true data signal channel(s) assignment identity. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An open-air communication system including a multi-channel, secure open-air transmitter for simultaneously communicating at least one true data signal and a plurality of decoy data signals, the transmitter comprising
a channel scrambler having as separate inputs, along a plurality of input signal channels, the plurality of decoy data signals and the at least one true data signal, the channel scrambler also having as an input a scrambling key for changing a set of original channel assignments of sequential packets of each input signal, in accordance with a provided scrambling key, such that the plurality of scrambled signals each include packets of both true data and decoy data; - and
a multi-channel open-air transmitter coupled to the output of the channel scrambler for forming as an output a plurality of scrambled signals for simultaneous open-air transmission to a known receiver over a plurality of separate communication channels. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A secure, open-air communication system including
a spatially diverse transmitting arrangement comprising a plurality of multi-channel, secure channel-hopping transmitters, positioned at physically disparate locations; - and
a channel scrambler coupled to each channel-hopping transmitter and controlled by a scrambling key so as to hop an original channel and transmitter assignments for sequential packets of both the at least one true data signal and the plurality of decoy data input signals; and a spatially diverse receiving arrangement comprising a plurality of multi-channel, secure channel-hopping receivers, each receiver responsive on separate, parallel input channels to the plurality of scrambled signals generated by each channel-hopping transmitter; and a channel de-scrambler coupled to each channel-hopping receiver and controlled by a de-scrambling key so as to recover the at least one true data signal from the plurality of scrambled signals.
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Specification