System and method for securely pairing a wireless device using wireless communication

• US 8,838,022 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Radeum, Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDIFORD, DEVAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/086,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0075 using inductive coupling transformers or inductances adapted for inductive coupling H01F38/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Various embodiments of an invention for pairing a plurality of wireless devices using wireless communications are disclosed. A method for pairing a wireless device comprises placing the wireless device in a pairing enclosure. The pairing enclosure includes a shielding layer to substantially attenuate a pairing signal emitted within the pairing enclosure. A pairing signal transmitted through the pairing enclosure is received at a pairing signal receiver configured to detect a power level of the pairing signal. An indication is made regarding whether the pairing procedure can begin, proceed, or be terminated based on the power level of the pairing signal detected by the paring signal receiver.

Claims

1. A system for securely pairing a wireless device using wireless communication, comprising:

a pairing enclosure having at least one shielding layer to substantially attenuate a pairing signal emitted within the pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure;

a test signal transmitter to transmit a test pairing signal through the pairing enclosure and a notification signal indicating that the test pairing signal has been transmitted through the pairing enclosure;

a pairing signal receiver to determine an amount of attenuation of the test pairing signal, upon receiving the notification signal from the test signal transmitter, by detecting a power level of the test pairing signal transmitted through the pairing enclosure to the pairing signal receiver; and

an indicator operable to receive a signal from the pairing signal receiver, the signal indicating when a power level of the test pairing signal measured by the pairing signal receiver is within a predetermined power level range in order to begin the pairing procedure, the signal indicating when the power level of the test pairing signal is outside the predetermined power level range and that the power level of the test pairing signal should be adjusted until the test pairing signal is within the predetermined power level range in order to begin the pairing procedure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal transmitter is located within the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located external to the pairing enclosure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal transmitter is integrated within the wireless device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal transmitter is configured to transmit pairing information to the wireless device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal transmitter is located at one of internal to the pairing enclosure and external to the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located at one of external to the pairing enclosure and internal to the pairing enclosure, respectively, to enable the pairing signal receiver to measure an attenuation of the test pairing signal transmitted by the test signal transmitter after the signal travels through the pairing enclosure.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a test signal receiver located on a same side of the pairing enclosure with the test signal transmitter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the test pairing signal is emitted as at least one of a single frequency, a plurality of frequencies, and a modulated signal to determine an amount of attenuation provided by the pairing enclosure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal transmitter is electrically connected to the pairing signal receiver and the indicator indicates one of a successful test and an unsuccessful test based on the predetermined power level.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a pairing transceiver located within the pairing enclosure, the pairing transceiver configured to communicate with the wireless device during the paring procedure.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the pairing transceiver is configured to transmit pairing information to the wireless device during the pairing procedure.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the pairing information is selected from the group consisting of a public encryption key, a private encryption key, a transmission frequency, a data channel, a pairing identification number, a pseudorandom noise (PN) code, a modulation scheme, a frequency hopping schedule, a software update, and a firmware update.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing signal is emitted by the wireless device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing signal is a radio frequency signal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing signal is a near field magnetic induction signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator is further operable to transmit a control signal indicating to the system when the pairing procedure can be initiated, proceed, or be terminated based on the power level of the pairing signal.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding layer is comprised of a radio frequency shielding material.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding layer is comprised of a magnetic field shielding material.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding layer is comprised of at least one of a foil shielding material and a mesh shielding material.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding layer is formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, aluminum, copper, nickel, Mu metal, ferrite tile, a radiation absorbing material, conductive carbon, doped semiconductor, metallized plastic, and metallized paper products.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure selected from the group consisting of a vehicle holding room, a walkable enclosure, a box, a dome, a sphere, a tent, a teepee, a poncho, and an overcoat.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure further comprises a window configured to enable a user to view the wireless devices within the pairing enclosure.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the window includes at least one of a layer of mesh conductive material and a layer of mesh material formed from a Mu metal to form at least one shielding layer to substantially attenuate at least one of a radio frequency signal and a magnetic field emitted from within the pairing enclosure.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical interface to enable a user to physically manipulate the wireless device located in the pairing enclosure.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the mechanical interface is used to initiate a pairing procedure for the wireless device in the pairing enclosure.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is a portable environment configured to enable a person to walk into.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is an enclosure with a lid that has a sufficient size to contain a plurality of the wireless devices.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the shielding layer further comprises a flexible shielding seal placed between the lid and the pairing enclosure and configured to minimize leakage of the pairing signal when the lid is secured against the pairing enclosure.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the pairing enclosure is wearable by a person.

29. The system of claim 1, further comprising a noise source configured to transmit a noise signal to mask the pairing signal transmitted in the pairing enclosure.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the noise source is configured to transmit the noise signal to mask the pairing signal when the pairing signal is measured by the pairing signal receiver to be greater than a predetermined power level.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator is a control unit configured to:

allow the pairing procedure to proceed when the power level is less than a predetermined power level; and

terminate the pairing procedure when the power level is greater than a predetermined power level.

32. A method for pairing a wireless device, comprising:

placing the wireless device in a pairing enclosure, wherein the pairing enclosure includes a shielding layer to substantially attenuate a test pairing signal emitted from a test signal transmitter within the pairing enclosure to a pairing signal receiver during a pairing procedure;

receiving the test pairing signal transmitted through the pairing enclosure at the pairing signal receiver and a notification signal indicating that the test pairing signal has been transmitted through the pairing enclosure, wherein the pairing signal receiver is configured to determine an amount of attenuation of the test pairing signal upon receiving the notification signal by detecting a power level of the test pairing signal; and

indicating that the pairing procedure is prohibited from beginning when the power level of the test pairing signal is outside a predefined range and that the power level of the test pairing signal should be adjusted so that the power level of the test pairing signal is within the predefined range in order to begin the pairing procedure.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the test signal transmitter is located within the pairing enclosure and the pairing signal receiver is located external to the pairing enclosure.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising transmitting pairing information to the wireless device in the pairing enclosure when the power level of the pairing signal at the pairing signal receiver is less than a predetermined power level.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the pairing information is selected from the group consisting of a public encryption key, a private encryption key, a transmission frequency, a data channel, a pairing identification number, a pseudorandom noise (PN) code, a modulation scheme, a frequency hopping schedule, a software update, and a firmware update.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising connecting the test signal transmitter and the pairing signal receiver to enable a signal to be sent from the test signal transmitter to the pairing signal receiver indicating that the test pairing signal has been transmitted.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising transmitting the pairing signal from at least one of the wireless device, the test signal transmitter, and a pairing transceiver.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein indicating further comprises sending a control signal such that that the pairing procedure can at least one of be prohibited from beginning, begin, proceed, and be terminated based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein indicating further comprises displaying a visual indication to enable a user to determine that the pairing procedure can at least one of be prohibited from beginning, begin, proceed, and be terminated based on the power level of the pairing signal that is detected by the pairing signal receiver.

40. A system for securely pairing a plurality of wireless devices using wireless communication, comprising:

a pairing enclosure having a shielding layer to substantially attenuate a pairing signal emitted within the pairing enclosure to a pairing signal receiver located external to the pairing enclosure during a pairing procedure; and

a test signal transmitter configured to transmit a test pairing signal and a notification signal through the pairing enclosure to the pairing signal receiver, the notification signal indicating that the test pairing signal has been transmitted through the pairing enclosure,

wherein the pairing signal receiver is configured to detect a power level of the test pairing signal upon receiving the notification signal,

wherein the pairing signal receiver is configured to indicate when the power level of the test pairing signal is greater than a predetermined power level and that the power level of the test pairing signal should be adjusted so that the power level of the test pairing signal is less than the predetermined power level, and

wherein the pairing procedure is started upon indication that the power level of the test pairing signal is less than the predetermined power level.