Multi-tier wireless home mesh network with a secure network discovery protocol

• US 8,687,553 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Jing, Xiangpeng, Patil, Abhishek, Liu, Aixin, Nguyen, Djung N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US13/102,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20110211566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/254, 370/338, 370/331, 370/390, 370/312, 370/465, 709/217, 709/200, 709/227, 725/32, 725/109
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a multi-tier wireless home mesh network is described. The method may include formation of an infrastructure-less wireless home mesh networking environment comprising a collection of nodes that operate as a decentralized, ad hoc wireless network with multiple sub-networks or tiers that are responsible for different functions within the network. Each node of the multi-tier network is configured to forward data to other nodes and is assigned to a particular tier based on the node'"'"'s performance capabilities. A further embodiment includes identification of a wireless home mesh network. Once identified, one or more proprietary messages may be exchanged in a secure manner to establish connections with a home electronics device as either a mobile node or a stationary node of the home network. A home electronics device may wirelessly communicate to route data within one or more nodes of the wireless home mesh network. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a stationary node of a wireless home mesh network (WHMN), a discovery request including credential information from an electronics device, wherein credential information includes a secret key combined with an extended service set identification (ESSID) of a network;

verifying, by the stationary node, credential information received from the electronics device to determine if the electronics device is one of a mobile node and a stationary node of the WHMN, wherein the electronics device is verified as one of the mobile node and the stationary node of the WHMN if the credential information is determined by the stationary node as being proprietary to the WHMN, wherein the credential information is recognizable by nodes that are included in the WHMN when the credential information is proprietary to WHMN; and

if the credential information is verified by the stationary node to establish the electronics device as one of a mobile node and a stationary node of the WHMN, unicasting a discovery response to the electronics device.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

establishing a wireless link with a mobile electronics device to join the mobile electronics device to the WHMN as a mobile node;

sharing services and content with the mobile node; and

providing access to a wired network via the wireless link with the mobile node.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request for high definition (HD) video stored within a stationary node; and

streaming the HD video via a backhaul of stationary nodes over the WHMN.