Method and system for controlling distant equipment

• US 8,115,596 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lund, Arnaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBINIYI, PAUL I
• Application Number:
  US11/945,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/4.61, 340/4.11, 340 101- 106, 340/12.22, 3405721-5729, 340/815.6
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42221 Transmission circuitry, e.g. infrared [IR] or radio frequency [RF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children

Abstract

A method and system for controlling distant equipment. A passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag within a Programmable Secure Remote Controller (PSRC) receives a radio frequency (RF) signal from a transmitter integrated in the distant equipment. The distant equipment is external to and remote from the PSRC. The PRSC does not include an internal source of energy and requires energy from an external source to operate. The PSRC is configured to distribute sufficient energy from the RF signal to components of the PSRC to enable the components to operate. The RFID tag is activated to generate information and the information is decoded to identify the distant equipment. A request to perform an operation that controls the distant equipment is received. After the request is received, a first predefined scenario is activated for performing the operation that controls the distant equipment.

Claims

1. A method for controlling distant equipment, said method comprising:

receiving, by a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprised by a Programmable Secure Remote Controller (PSRC), radio frequency (RF) signals from a transmitter integrated in the distant equipment, said distant equipment being external to and remote from the PSRC, said PRSC not comprising an internal source of energy and requiring energy from a source external to the PSRC in order to operate, said PSRC configured to distribute sufficient energy from the RF signals to components of the PSRC to enable the components to operate, said components comprising the RFID tag;

responsive to said receiving the RF signal, activating the RFID tag to generate information indicative of the distant equipment;

decoding the information generated by the RFID tag, said decoding the information identifying the distant equipment;

receiving a request to perform an operation that controls the distant equipment;

after said receiving the request, activating a first predefined scenario for performing the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said activating the RFID tag, said decoding the information, said receiving the request, and said activating the first predefined scenario are performed by the PSRC, wherein the PSRC comprises a memory in which a plurality of predefined scenarios are stored, wherein each predefined scenario specifies how the distant equipment is to be controlled; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, receiving a selection by a user of the first predefined scenario from the plurality of predefined scenarios stored in the memory, wherein said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario is performed by the PSRC,

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a user password inputted to the PSRC by the user;

validating the user password;

combining the validated user password with the tag identification to create a resultant polynomial;

generating a signature key based on a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) signature key logic, wherein said generating the signature key comprises using the resultant polynomial, and wherein the signature key facilitates operation by the PSRC in a flexible secure protocol; and

after said generating the signature key, granting the request to perform the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said receiving the user password, said validating the user password, said combining, and said generating the signature key, said granting the request are performed by the PSRC.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined scenarios of the plurality of predefined scenarios are stored in the memory as encrypted predefined scenarios, wherein a plurality of decryption algorithms are stored in the memory for decrypting the encrypted predefined scenarios, and wherein the method further comprises:

after said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario, retrieving the encrypted first predefined scenario from the memory; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, decrypting the retrieved encrypted first predefined scenario through use of a decryption algorithm of the plurality of decryption algorithms, wherein said retrieving and said decrypting are performed by the PSRC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the PSRC comprises a sensitive board on which matrix buttons are located, wherein a sequence of at least one button of the matrix of buttons is associated with the first predefined scenario, and wherein said receiving the selection by the user of the first predefined scenario comprises detecting a striking of the sequence of at least one button by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises encrypting the plurality of predefined scenarios into the memory during a chip design configuration phase of the PSRC.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the PSRC, an electromagnetic beam that causes massive destruction of the PSRC by erasing content of a dedicated register of the PSRC.

6. A program storage device readable by machine, said program storage device tangibly storing a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for controlling distant equipment, said machine being a Programmable Secure Remote Controller (PSRC), said method comprising:

receiving, by a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprised by the PSRC, radio frequency (RF) signals from a transmitter integrated in the distant equipment, said distant equipment being external to and remote from the PSRC, said PRSC not comprising an internal source of energy and requiring energy from a source external to the PSRC in order to operate, said PSRC configured to distribute sufficient energy from the RF signals to components of the PSRC to enable the components to operate, said components comprising the RFID tag;

responsive to said receiving the RF signal, activating the RFID tag to generate information indicative of the distant equipment;

decoding the information generated by the RFID tag, said decoding the information identifying the distant equipment;

receiving a request to perform an operation that controls the distant equipment;

after said receiving the request, activating a first predefined scenario for performing the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said activating the RFID tag, said decoding the information, said receiving the request, and said activating the first predefined scenario are performed by the PSRC, wherein the PSRC comprises a memory in which a plurality of predefined scenarios are stored, wherein each predefined scenario specifies how the distant equipment is to be controlled; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, receiving a selection by a user of the first predefined scenario from the plurality of predefined scenarios stored in the memory, wherein said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario is performed by the PSRC,

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a user password inputted to the PSRC by the user;

validating the user password;

combining the validated user password with the tag identification to create a resultant polynomial;

generating a signature key based on a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) signature key logic, wherein said generating the signature key comprises using the resultant polynomial, and wherein the signature key facilitates operation by the PSRC in a flexible secure protocol; and

after said generating the signature key, granting the request to perform the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said receiving the user password, said validating the user password, said combining, and said generating the signature key, said granting the request are performed by the PSRC.

7. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the predefined scenarios of the plurality of predefined scenarios are stored in the memory as encrypted predefined scenarios, wherein a plurality of decryption algorithms are stored in the memory for decrypting the encrypted predefined scenarios, and wherein the method further comprises:

after said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario, retrieving the encrypted first predefined scenario from the memory; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, decrypting the retrieved encrypted first predefined scenario through use of a decryption algorithm of the plurality of decryption algorithms, wherein said retrieving and said decrypting are performed by the PSRC.

8. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the PSRC comprises a sensitive board on which matrix buttons are located, wherein a sequence of at least one button of the matrix of buttons is associated with the first predefined scenario, and wherein said receiving the selection by the user of the first predefined scenario comprises detecting a striking of the sequence of at least one button by the user.

9. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises encrypting the plurality of predefined scenarios into the memory during a chip design configuration phase of the PSRC.

10. The program storage device of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the PSRC, an electromagnetic beam that causes massive destruction of the PSRC by erasing content of a dedicated register of the PSRC.

11. A system comprising a Programmable Secure Remote Controller (PSRC), said PSRC comprising a program storage device tangibly storing a program of instructions executable by the PSRC to perform a method for controlling distant equipment , said method comprising:

receiving, by a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprised by the PSRC, radio frequency (RF) signals from a transmitter integrated in the distant equipment, said distant equipment being external to and remote from the PSRC, said PRSC not comprising an internal source of energy and requiring energy from a source external to the PSRC in order to operate, said PSRC configured to distribute sufficient energy from the RF signals to components of the PSRC to enable the components to operate, said components comprising the RFID tag;

responsive to said receiving the RF signal, activating the RFID tag to generate information indicative of the distant equipment;

decoding the information generated by the RFID tag, said decoding the information identifying the distant equipment;

receiving a request to perform an operation that controls the distant equipment;

after said receiving the request, activating a first predefined scenario for performing the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said activating the RFID tag, said decoding the information, said receiving the request, and said activating the first predefined scenario are performed by the PSRC, wherein the PSRC comprises a memory in which a plurality of predefined scenarios are stored, wherein each predefined scenario specifies how the distant equipment is to be controlled; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, receiving a selection by a user of the first predefined scenario from the plurality of predefined scenarios stored in the memory, wherein said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario is performed by the PSRC,

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a user password inputted to the PSRC by the user;

validating the user password;

combining the validated user password with the tag identification to create a resultant polynomial;

generating a signature key based on a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) signature key logic, wherein said generating the signature key comprises using the resultant polynomial, and wherein the signature key facilitates operation by the PSRC in a flexible secure protocol; and

after said generating the signature key, granting the request to perform the operation that controls the distant equipment, wherein said receiving the user password, said validating the user password, said combining, and said generating the signature key, said granting the request are performed by the PSRC.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the predefined scenarios of the plurality of predefined scenarios are stored in the memory as encrypted predefined scenarios, wherein a plurality of decryption algorithms are stored in the memory for decrypting the encrypted predefined scenarios, and wherein the method further comprises:

after said receiving the selection of the first predefined scenario, retrieving the encrypted first predefined scenario from the memory; and

before said activating the first predefined scenario, decrypting the retrieved encrypted first predefined scenario through use of a decryption algorithm of the plurality of decryption algorithms, wherein said retrieving and said decrypting are performed by the PSRC.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the PSRC comprises a sensitive board on which matrix buttons are located, wherein a sequence of at least one button of the matrix of buttons is associated with the first predefined scenario, and wherein said receiving the selection by the user of the first predefined scenario comprises detecting a striking of the sequence of at least one button by the user.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises encrypting the plurality of predefined scenarios into the memory during a chip design configuration phase of the PSRC.