Authentication of the geographic location of wireless communication devices

• US 8,195,817 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Xue, Wen, Green, Douglas R., Santharam, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US12/369,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/223, 455/411, 380/258, 713/169, 713/170
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/104 Location integrity, e.g. secure geotagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless communication network to authenticate a geographic location of a wireless communication device. The method includes transferring an authentication key for delivery to a service node, obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device, and authenticating the geographic location to create authenticated location information for the wireless communication device. The method also includes wirelessly transferring the authenticated location information to the wireless communication device, wirelessly receiving the authenticated location information from the wireless communication device for delivery to the service node, and transferring the authenticated location information for delivery to the service node, wherein the service node processes authenticated location information and the authentication key to identify the geographic location of the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication network having a public key and a private key to authenticate a geographic location of a wireless communication device, the method comprising:

obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device and authenticating the geographic location to create authenticated location information for the wireless communication device;

digitally signing the authenticated location information with the private key for the wireless communication network to create digitally-signed and authenticated location information for the wireless communication device;

wirelessly transferring the digitally-signed and authenticated location information to the wireless communication device;

wirelessly receiving the digitally-signed and authenticated location information from the wireless communication device for delivery to a service node; and

transferring the digitally-signed and authenticated location information for delivery to the service node, wherein the service node processes the digitally-signed and authenticated location information and the public key for the wireless communication network to identify the geographic location of the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device comprises wirelessly receiving the geographic location from the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device comprises determining the geographic location based on a wireless access node serving the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device comprises determining the geographic location based on a wireless communication sector containing the wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining the geographic location of the wireless communication device comprises determining the geographic location based on contemporaneously receiving wireless signals from the wireless communication device in multiple wireless access nodes of the wireless communication network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein authenticating the geographic location comprises validating the geographic location based on a wireless access node serving the wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein authenticating the geographic location comprises validating the geographic location based on a wireless communication sector containing the wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein authenticating the geographic location comprises validating the geographic location based on contemporaneously receiving wireless signals from the wireless communication device in multiple wireless access nodes of the wireless communication network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein wirelessly receiving the digitally-signed and authenticated location information from the wireless communication device for delivery to the service node comprises receiving an internet protocol packet addressed to the service node and including the digitally-signed and authenticated location information.

10. A wireless communication network having a public key and a private key, comprising:

an access node configured to obtain a geographic location of a wireless communication device;

a processing node configured to authenticate the geographic location to create authenticated location information for the wireless communication device and to digitally sign the authenticated location information with the private key for the wireless communication network to create digitally-signed and authenticated location information for the wireless communication device;

the access node configured to wirelessly transfer the digitally-signed and authenticated location information to the wireless communication device; and

the access node configured to wirelessly receive the digitally-signed and authenticated location information from the wireless communication device for delivery to a service node, and transfer the digitally-signed and authenticated location information for delivery to the service node, wherein the service node processes the digitally-signed and authenticated location information and the public key for the wireless communication network to identify the geographic location of the wireless communication device.

11. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the access node is configured to wirelessly receive the geographic location from the wireless communication device.

12. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the access node is configured to determine the geographic location based on a wireless access node serving the wireless communication device.

13. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the processing node is configured to determine the geographic location based on a wireless communication sector containing the wireless communication device.

14. The wireless communication network of claim 10, further comprising:

multiple access nodes configured to receive wireless signals from the wireless communication device; and

wherein the processing node is configured to determine the geographic location based on contemporaneously receiving wireless signals from the wireless communication device in the multiple access nodes.

15. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the processing node is configured to authenticate the geographic location by validating the geographic location based on a wireless access node serving the wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the processing node is configured to authenticate the geographic location by validating the geographic location based on a wireless communication sector containing the wireless communication device.

17. The wireless communication network of claim 10, further comprising:

multiple access nodes configured to receive wireless signals from the wireless communication device; and

wherein the processing node is configured to authenticate the geographic location by validating the geographic location based on contemporaneously receiving wireless signals from the wireless communication device in the multiple wireless access nodes.

18. The wireless communication network of claim 10, wherein the access node is configured to wirelessly receive the digitally-signed and authenticated location information from the wireless communication device for delivery to the service node by receiving an internet protocol packet addressed to the service node and including the digitally-signed and authenticated location information.