Installation of network devices using secure broadcasting systems and methods from remote intelligent devices

• US 9,425,979 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartlabs
• Original Assignee: Smartlabs
• Inventors: Cregg, Daniel Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, CHAU D
• Application Number:
  US14/539,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• 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 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• 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 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data

Abstract

Secure installation of a new device onto a home-control network uses pairing with an intelligent device. The new device receives a private key for secure communications on the home-control network from the intelligent device. For security, the private key is transmitted over a second network different from the home-control network using a communication medium such as such as optical pulses, audible tones, or short-range radio frequency signals. The new device decodes the transmission and is capable to securely communicate with other network devices and a network controller over the home-control network using the private key.

Claims

1. A system to install a network device into a home-control network, the system comprising:

an intelligent device configured to request a network key associated with a home-control network over communication channels of a second network different from the home-control network, the network key permitting secure communications over the home-control network;

at least one cloud server configured to communicate with the intelligent device over the communication channels of the second network, the at least one cloud server further configured to receive the request from the intelligent device, to retrieve the network key associated with the home-control network, and to transmit the network key to the intelligent device over the communication channels;

the intelligent device further configured to receive the network key over the communication channels of the second network, the intelligent device comprising a transmitter configured to announce the network key over a third network different from the second network and the home-control network; and

a network device comprising a receiver configured to receive the network key over the third network, the network key permitting the network device to send and receive messages over the home-control network.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network key comprises an encryption code unique to the home-control network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the home-control network comprises a mesh network configured to propagate messages using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent device comprises a smartphone.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the network device is configured to receive the network key over the third network after a user performs a physical action to place the network device in an enrollment mode.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the announcements are radio frequency (RF) announcements broadcast into air and the network device comprises an RF receiver configured to receive the RF announcements, the network device further configured to decode the network key from the received RF announcements.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the announcements are light pulses and the network device comprises an optical receiver configured to receive the light pulses, the network device further configured to decode the network key from the received light pulses.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the announcements are audible tones and the network device comprises a microphone configured to receive the audible tones, the network device further configured to decode the network key from the received audible tones.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the announcements are ultrasonic signals and the network device comprises an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the ultrasonic signals, the network device further configured to decode the network key from the received ultrasonic signals.

11. A method to install a network device into a home-control network, the method comprising:

requesting a network key associated with a home-control network that permits secure communications over the home-control network, the request being transmitted from an intelligent device over a second network different from the home-control network;

receiving the request for the network key by at least one cloud server configured to communicate with the intelligent device over the second network;

retrieving the network key associated with the home-control network and transmitting the network key from the at least one cloud server to the intelligent device over the second network;

receiving the network key by the intelligent device over the second network, and transmitting the network key from the intelligent device to a network device over a third network different from the second network and the home-control network; and

receiving the network key over the third network by the network device, the network key permitting the network device to send and receive messages comprising the network key over the home-control network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the network key comprises an encryption code unique to the home-control network.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the home-control network comprises a mesh network configured to propagate messages using powerline signaling and radio frequency (RF) signaling.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the powerline signaling comprises message data modulated onto a carrier signal and the modulated carrier signal is added to a powerline waveform, and wherein the RF signaling comprises the message data modulated onto an RF waveform.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the intelligent device comprises a smartphone.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising performing a physical action to the network device to place the network device in an enrollment mode prior to the network device receiving the network key from the intelligent device over the third network.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the announcements are radio frequency (RF) announcements broadcast into air and the network device comprises an RF receiver configured to receive the RF announcements, the method further comprising decoding the network key from the received RF announcements.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the announcements are light pulses and the network device comprises an optical receiver configured to receive the light pulses, the method further comprising decoding the network key from the received light pulses.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the announcements are audible tones and the network device comprises a microphone configured to receive the audible tones, the method further comprising decoding the network key from the received audible tones.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the announcements are ultrasonic signals and the network device comprises an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the ultrasonic signals, the method further comprising decoding the network key from the received ultrasonic signals.