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

• US 9,444,639 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• 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 P., Liu, Aixin, Nguyen, Djung N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US14/856,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20160006575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/254, 370/338, 370/390, 370/312, 370/465, 709/217, 709/200, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

issuing, by an electronics device, a discovery message to one or more wireless ad hoc networks;

identifying, by the electronics device, a wireless mesh network from among the one or more wireless ad hoc networks based on a response received in response to said issuing said discovery message; and

joining, by the electronics device, the wireless mesh network to establish the electronics device as one of a first mobile node or a second stationary node of the wireless mesh network, the wireless mesh network including at least one stationary electronics device as a first stationary node of the wireless mesh network,

wherein the electronics device wirelessly communicates with the first stationary node of the wireless mesh network, and

wherein said joining further comprises;

automatically discovering the stationary electronics device as the first stationary node of the wireless mesh network,

issuing a connection request message to the discovered first stationary node,

establishing a wireless link with the first stationary node to join the wireless mesh network as the first mobile node,

sharing services and content with the first stationary node, and

accessing a wired network via the wireless link with the first stationary node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said joining further comprises:

exchanging one or more proprietary messages to establish the electronics device as one of the first mobile node or the second stationary node of the identified wireless mesh network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said joining further comprises:

scanning one or more channels to detect a presence of available wireless networks according to detected wireless beacons;

detecting the one or more wireless ad hoc networks from the wireless networks;

preparing a proprietary challenge text;

issuing the discovery message to the detected one or more wireless ad hoc networks, including the proprietary challenge text; and

identifying the wireless mesh network from among the one of more wireless ad hoc networks if the response is received from a node of the wireless mesh network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the discovery message includes the proprietary challenge text including a private key embedded within the electronics device, and

the response includes a MAC address of a neighbor node and a private key embedded within the neighbor node of the wireless mesh network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a new wireless mesh network if the response is not received in response to the discovery message issued to the one or more wireless ad hoc networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said joining further comprises:

discovering the one or more wireless ad hoc networks.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

wirelessly interconnecting the one or more stationary electronics devices to form a backhaul of the wireless mesh network; and

wirelessly exchanging high definition (HD) video content between one or more stationary nodes of the wireless mesh network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

streaming the HD video via a backhaul of stationary nodes over the wireless mesh network.

9. A method, comprising:

establishing a gateway node, communicably coupled to an external network, as a first tier of a wireless mesh network;

classifying one or more stationary electronics devices into a second tier of stationary nodes of the wireless mesh network;

classifying one or more mobile electronics devices into a third tier of mobile nodes of the wireless mesh network;

wirelessly communicating with one or more nodes to receive a service within the wireless mesh network;

automatically discovering a stationary electronics device as a stationary node of the wireless mesh network;

establishing a wireless link with the stationary node to join the wireless mesh network; and

wirelessly sharing features and content with the stationary node of the wireless mesh network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

accessing, by a mobile node, digital content from the stationary node of the wireless mesh network; and

accessing a wired network via a wireless communications link with a node of the wireless mesh network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more stationary electronics devices wirelessly interconnect to form a backhaul of the wireless mesh network.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless communications interface; and

circuitry configured to implement;

a controller, including network initialization logic, to establish a wireless mesh network; and

network discovery logic to enable exchange of one or more proprietary messages to join an identified wireless mesh network as one of a mobile node or a stationary node of the wireless mesh network,

wherein mobile nodes and stationary nodes of the wireless mesh network wirelessly communicate to share features and content within the wireless mesh network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises one of a mobile electronics device, a game console, or a digital television.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the network discovery logic is to display a list of one or more detected wireless mesh networks and to join a selected wireless mesh network.

15. A system comprising:

a wireless gateway coupled to a wired network to operate as a gateway node of a wireless mesh network;

a stationary electronics device including a wireless interface to communicate with the wireless gateway and to operate as a stationary node of the wireless mesh network; and

a mobile electronics device including a wireless interface to communicate with the stationary node to join the wireless mesh network as a mobile node,

wherein the stationary node and the mobile node of the wireless mesh network wirelessly communicate to share content and network services between mobile nodes and stationary nodes of the wireless mesh network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the stationary electronics device is one of a digital television, a game console, or a desktop computer.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more stationary electronics devices wirelessly interconnect to form a backhaul of the wireless mesh network.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the stationary nodes further comprise:

circuitry configured to implement streaming logic to wirelessly exchange high definition (HD) video content between the stationary nodes of the wireless mesh network.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, by a stationary node of a wireless mesh network, a discovery request including credential information from an electronics device;

verifying, by the stationary node, the credential information received from the electronics device;

unicasting a discovery response to the electronics device if the credential information is verified by the stationary node to establish the electronics device as one of a mobile node or a stationary node of the wireless mesh network;

establishing a wireless link with a mobile electronics device for the mobile electronics device to join the wireless mesh network as a respective mobile node;

sharing services and content with the respective mobile node; and

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