Communication system, wireless communication apparatus, and communication method

• US 8,588,419 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Palmira Wireless AG
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Tomoko, Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US12/875,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20100329462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 380/270
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/67 Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In a communication system, a first wireless communication apparatuses belonging to a communication group receives a connection request frame including a notifying security level from a second communication apparatus outside of the communication group. The first communication apparatus stores a reference security level peculiar to the communication group, which is selected from security levels depending on one of encryption methods including non-encryption and encryption strengths. In the first communication apparatus, the notifying security level is compared with the reference level, and a response frame including one of a connect rejection and a connection permission is described, is generated and transferred to the second communication apparatus. The connect rejection represents a rejection of connection to the second communication apparatus and the connection permission represents a permission of connection to the second communication apparatus.

Claims

1. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless communication circuit including;

a receiver configured to receive, via the antenna, a first frame from a first wireless communication apparatus belonging to a first communication group, the first frame including first security information indicating a first encryption method, the first encryption method to be applied to transmission of data frames within the first communication group, the first communication group consisting of a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses including the first wireless communication apparatus, and

a transmitter configured to transmit, via the antenna, a second frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, after a determination that a second encryption method is usable in the first communication group based on the first security information, the second frame requesting a permission to communicate within the first communication group and including second security information indicating the second encryption method which is supported by the wireless communication circuit, and configured to transmit a data frame after the permission is obtained, the data frame including a frame body and the frame body including data encrypted by the second encryption method.

2. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the transmitter does not transmit the second frame, after a determination that the second encryption method is not usable in the first communication group based on the first security information.

3. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the transmitter transmits the data frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, after transmitting the second frame and receiving a third frame, the third frame being for permitting communication of the wireless communication terminal with the first wireless communication apparatus.

4. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the first encryption method corresponds to one of non-encryption method and various encryption methods, and the second encryption method corresponds to one of non-encryption method and various encryption methods.

5. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the first encryption method corresponds to one of a first encryption algorithm having a first encryption strength and the first encryption algorithm having a second encryption strength different from the first encryption strength, and

the second encryption method corresponds to one of the first encryption algorithm having the first encryption strength and the first encryption algorithm having the second encryption strength.

6. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second encryption method is the highest encryption strength in a plurality of encryption methods which is supported by the wireless communication circuit.

7. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the third frame includes an address indicating the first communication group.

8. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second encryption method becomes usable in the first communication group, if the first encryption method overlaps with the second encryption method.

9. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first encryption method corresponds to a first encryption strength and the second encryption method corresponds to a second encryption strength, and

the second encryption method becomes usable in the first communication group, if the second encryption strength is higher or equal to the first encryption strength.

10. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first frame is either a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and the second frame is an association request frame.

11. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the receiver of the wireless communication circuit receives the first frame through the antenna, and the transmitter of the wireless communication circuit transmits the second frame and the data frame through the antenna.

12. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor;

wherein the processor generates a transmit data and sends the transmit data to the wireless communication circuit, and the transmitter of the wireless communication circuit transmits the transmit data included by the frame body in the data frame to the first wireless communication apparatus.

13. A wireless communication terminal comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless communication circuit including;

a receiver configured to receive, via the antenna, at least one of a beacon frame and a probe response frame from a first wireless communication apparatus belonging to a first communication group, at least one of the beacon frame and the probe response frame including first security information indicating a first encryption method, the first encryption method to be applied to transmission of data frames within the first communication group, the first communication group consisting of a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses including the first wireless communication apparatus, and

a transmitter configured to transmit, via the antenna, an association request frame to the first wireless communication apparatus, after a determination that a second encryption method is usable in the first communication group based on the first security information, the association request frame including second security information indicating the second encryption method which is supported by the wireless communication circuit, and configured to transmit a data frame after an association response frame including a status code that indicates success is received from the first wireless communication apparatus via the receiver, the data frame including a frame body and the frame body including data encrypted by the second encryption method,

wherein the beacon frame, the probe response frame, the association request frame and the association response frame are management frames each including a frame body, the frame body of the at least one of the beacon frame and the probe response frame including the first security information and the frame body of the association request frame including the second security information.

14. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 13,

wherein the transmitter does not transmit the second frame, after a determination that the second encryption method is not usable in the first communication group based on the first security information.

15. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 13, further comprising:

a processor configured to transmit first information to be included in the data frame via the transmitter of the wireless communication circuit and the antenna, and to receive second information included in a second data frame from the first wireless communication apparatus via the receiver of the wireless communication circuit and the antenna.

16. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display,

wherein the processor is configured to display at least part of the second information on the display.