Message reception confirmation method, communications terminal and message reception confirmation system

• US 8,045,693 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Yao, Taketsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US11/220,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/220.01
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A message sending device sends a message. A message receiving device generates reception authentication information of the message when receiving the message, and further generates reception confirmation information of the message by using the reception authentication information of the message, to send the reception confirmation information of the message to a reception confirmation information verification device. The reception confirmation information verification device verifies the received reception confirmation information. The message sending device obtains a reception confirmation of the message for the message receiving device based on the verification result. This configuration reduces a processing load in each node as much as possible for confirming whether data to large numbers of nodes under a multihop environment have been received in each node.

Claims

1. A message reception confirmation method in which a message sending device obtains a reception confirmation of a message sent to a particular message receiving device under a multihop communication environment, comprising:

a first step of holding information in the particular message receiving device;

a second step of sending the message from the message sending device;

a third step of the particular message receiving device'"'"'s generating reception authentication information of the message;

a fourth step of the particular message receiving device'"'"'s generating a hash value as a reception confirmation information of the message by using the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the message as an input;

a fifth step of the particular message receiving device'"'"'s sending the reception confirmation information of the message to a reception confirmation information verification device;

a sixth step of the reception confirmation information verification device'"'"'s verifying the reception confirmation information received; and

a seventh step of the message sending device'"'"'s obtaining the reception confirmation of the particular message to the message receiving device based on the result of verification in the sixth step,

wherein the information held in the first step includes;

information for discriminating each message receiving device;

an authentication key that is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device one-to-one, in order to authenticate each message receiving device; and

route information from each message receiving device to the communications terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, where in the third step is conducted using the message received by the particular message receiving device and the authentication key.

2. A communications terminal for verifying reception confirmation information that is sent from a particular message receiving device and that indicates whether a message sent from a message sending device is received by the particular message receiving device under a multihop communication environment, comprising:

a receiving device information managing part for managing information of the particular message receiving device;

a receiving part for receiving the reception confirmation information; and

a verifying part for verifying the reception confirmation information received,

wherein the verifying part understands an authentication key of all message receiving devices verifying the reception confirmation and by what route the reception confirmation information generated by each message receiving device are sent, based on the sent message, the authentication key of each message receiving device and route information, calculates the reception confirmation information assumed to be received in the same manner as that each message receiving device generates the reception confirmation information, and judges whether the reception confirmation information calculated corresponds to the reception confirmation information received, and

wherein the receiving device information managing part holds;

information for discriminating each message receiving device;

the authentication key, wherein the authentication key is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device one-to-one, in order to authenticate each message receiving device; and

route information from each message receiving device to the communications terminal.

3. A communications terminal according to claim 2, comprising an undelivered receiving device information managing part for managing discrimination information of the message receiving device in which the reception of the message cannot be confirmed.

4. A communications terminal corresponding to a particular message receiving device for receiving a message sent from a message sending device and for generating reception confirmation information under a multihop communication environment, the particular message receiving device being one of a plurality of message receiving devices in a network, comprising:

a receiving part for receiving the message;

a reception authentication information generating part for generating reception authentication information of the message;

an adjacent device information managing part for managing information of an adjacent message receiving device;

a reception confirmation information generating part for generating the reception confirmation information of the message; and

a reception confirmation information sending part for sending the reception confirmation information,

wherein the reception confirmation information generating part generates a hash value as the reception confirmation information of the message by setting the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the communications terminal as an input, and

wherein the communication terminal holds information for discriminating each message receiving device, an authentication key that is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device, and route information from each message receiving device to the communication terminal,

wherein the reception authentication information generating part generates the reception authentication information of the message by using the message received and an authentication key shared with a communications terminal on a reception confirmation information verification side, and

wherein the reception authentication information generating part generates a MAC for the message as the reception authentication information of the message by using the authentication key shared with the communications terminal on a reception confirmation information verification side.

5. A communications terminal according to claim 4, wherein the adjacent device information managing part is capable of understanding whether an adjacent message receiving device is an end node or a router node in a tree structure providing a multihop communication environment, and manages discrimination information of the adjacent message receiving device to be a child node and information indicating whether the node is a router node or an end node.

6. A communications terminal according to claim 4, wherein the reception confirmation information generating part uses the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, for generating the reception confirmation information of the message, and the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, is generated by the message receiving device as the child node in the tree structure providing a multihop communication environment.

7. A message reception confirmation system comprising:

a plurality of message receiving devices for receiving a message; and

a communications terminal for verifying reception confirmation information that is sent from the message receiving devices under a multihop communication environment,

wherein each receiving device information managing part holds;

information for discriminating each message receiving device;

an authentication key, wherein the authentication key is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device one-to-one, in order to authenticate each message receiving device; and

route information from each message receiving device to the communications terminal;

wherein each message receiving device includes;

a receiving part for receiving the message;

a reception authentication information generating part for generating reception authentication information of the message;

an adjacent device information managing part for managing information of an adjacent communications terminal;

a reception confirmation information generating part for generating the reception confirmation information of the message, the reception confirmation information generating part generating a hash value as the reception confirmation information of the message by setting the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the communications terminal as an input; and

a reception confirmation information sending part for sending the reception confirmation information; and

wherein the communications terminal includes;

a receiving device information managing part for managing information of the message receiving devices;

a receiving part for receiving the reception confirmation information; and

a verifying part for verifying the reception confirmation information received.

8. A communications terminal corresponding to a particular message receiving device for receiving a message sent from a message sending device and for generating reception confirmation information under a multihop communication environment, the particular message receiving device being one of a plurality of message receiving devices in a network, comprising:

a receiving part for receiving the message;

a reception authentication information generating part for generating reception authentication information of the message;

an adjacent device information managing part for managing information of an adjacent message receiving device;

a reception confirmation information generating part for generating the reception confirmation information of the message; and

a reception confirmation information sending part for sending the reception confirmation information,

wherein the reception confirmation information generating part generates a hash value as the reception confirmation information of the message by setting the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the communications terminal as an input,

wherein the communication terminal holds information for discriminating each message receiving device, an authentication key that is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device, and route information from each message receiving device to the communication terminal,

wherein the reception confirmation information generating part generates the reception confirmation information of the message by using the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the communications terminal, and

wherein the reception confirmation information generating part uses the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, for generating the reception confirmation information of the message, and the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, is generated by the message receiving device as the child node in the tree structure providing a multihop communication environment.

9. A communications terminal corresponding to a particular message receiving device for receiving a message sent from a message sending device and for generating reception confirmation information under a multihop communication environment, the particular message receiving device being one of a plurality of message receiving devices in a network, comprising:

a receiving part for receiving the message;

a reception authentication information generating part for generating reception authentication information of the message;

an adjacent device information managing part for managing information of an adjacent message receiving device;

a reception confirmation information generating part for generating the reception confirmation information of the message; and

a reception confirmation information sending part for sending the reception confirmation information,

wherein the reception confirmation information generating part generates a hash value as the reception confirmation information of the message by setting the reception confirmation information of at least one other message receiving device, if any, and the reception authentication information of the communications terminal as an input,

wherein the communication terminal holds information for discriminating each message receiving device, an authentication key that is shared by the communications terminal and each message receiving device, and route information from each message receiving device to the communication terminal,

wherein the communication terminal further comprises a node discrimination information adding part for adding node discrimination information for other message receiving devices,

wherein the node discrimination information adding part sends the reception confirmation information of the communications terminal with zero or more of node discrimination information added, and

wherein zero or more of the node discrimination information added to the reception confirmation information of the communications terminal is the discrimination information of the child node in which the message receiving device cannot obtain the reception confirmation information in the message receiving devices as the child nodes in the tree structure providing a multihop communication environment.