Systems and methods for authenticating devices by complying with wireless guidelines based on device location

• US 9,479,998 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Halperin, Guy, Birnbaum, David, Shaliv, Adi, Friedlander, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THONG P
• Application Number:
  US13/537,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for authenticating a user device that uses a wireless local area network, determining the location of the device, and complying with wireless guidelines based at least in part on the location. The user device may communicate with a location server to determine the user device'"'"'s location. The user device will determine which wireless guidelines are applicable to that location and configure the wireless system or any device feature to comply with the guidelines. For example, some locations prohibit the operation of wireless devices with a frequency of greater than 5 GHz. If the location of the user device dictates compliance with that guideline, the user device will not transmit wireless signals with a frequency of greater than 5 GHz.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more memories comprising an operating system that includes one or more processor-executable instructions;

a processor to implement the operating system by executing the one or more computer executable instructions;

a location driver module of the operating system to;

cause to receive a scan list comprising a location of at least one access point;

determine the location of the device, based at least in part on the location of the at least one access point relative to the location of the device; and

generate an authentication block comprising;

an identifier of the device, the location of the device, and a time stamp corresponding to when the authentication block is generated; and

a compliance module to receive the location and to comply with wireless network guidelines and wireless regulatory guidelines based at least in part on the location, wherein;

the wireless regulatory guidelines have priority over the wireless network guidelines, and

the wireless network guidelines comprise transmission frequency limitations to a frequency band based at least in part on one or more interfering signals.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an encryption module to generate an encrypted authentication block;

a network interface module to incorporate the encrypted authentication block into an unencrypted periodic message provided to a wireless network; and

an encryption key module to generate one or more encryption keys to encrypt the authentication block and provide the one or more encryption keys to a location server.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a wireless local area network driver of the operating system to establish a secure connection to the location server using the network interface module, wherein the encryption key module uses the secure connection to provide the one or more encryption keys.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the frequency band comprises greater than 5 gigahertz.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the frequency band comprises Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure channels 52-64 and 100-140.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the frequency band comprises a frequency band for providing voice communications.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the request for the location comprises a request for an authenticated scan list of access points of a wireless network.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the request for the location comprises a request for a country or a region name associated with the location of the device.

9. A device comprising:

one or more memories comprising an operating system that includes one or more processor-executable instructions;

a processor to implement the operating system by executing the one or more processor-executable instructions;

an embedded location module comprising a microcontroller and embedded memory to store processor-executable instructions that are executable on the microcontroller to;

cause to receive a scan list comprising a location of at least one access point;

determine the location of the device, based at least in part on the location of the at least one access point relative to the location of the device; and

generate an authentication block based at least in part on the location information, an identifier of the device, and a time stamp corresponding to when the authentication block is generated; and

a regulatory module to receive the location information and to comply with wireless regulatory rules associated with a location of the device, and wireless network guidelines, wherein;

the wireless regulatory rules comprise limiting transmissions by the device to a time window, and

the wireless network guidelines comprise transmission frequency limitations to the frequency band based at least in part on one or more interfering signals.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the wireless regulatory rules comprise transmission frequency limitations to a frequency band.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the frequency band comprises greater than 5 gigahertz.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the frequency band comprises Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure channels 52-64 and 100-140.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the embedded location module directly provides the authentication block the network interface module and a microcontroller that operates independently of the operating system.

14. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

an encryption module to generate an encrypted authentication block;

a network interface module to incorporate the encrypted authentication block into an unencrypted periodic message provided to a network; and

an encryption key module to generate one or more encryption keys to encrypt the authentication block and provide the one or more encryption keys to a location server.

15. A method comprising:

requesting a location determination for a computing device using a wireless network interface device that can communicate with an access point of a wireless local area network;

receiving the location determination using the wireless network interface device;

determining, using a processor, two or more applicable wireless network guidelines to use based at least in part on the location determination, wherein the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines comprise transmission frequency limitations to a frequency band based at least in part on one or more interfering signals;

determining a conflict between the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines;

resolving the conflict using respective priorities associated with the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines;

disabling or enabling one or more features of a computing device based at least in part on the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines stored in memory and the location determination; and

generating an authentication block comprising;

an identifier of the device, the location of the device, and a time stamp corresponding to when the authentication block is generated.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

requesting a secure session with the location server;

providing an encryption key to the location server via the secure session;

generating an encrypted identification block comprising an identifier for the computing device and an element associated with the identification block using a processor;

appending the encrypted identification block with a recurring message comprising an unencrypted portion;

providing the recurring message comprising an encrypted portion and the unencrypted portion to a location server using a wireless network interface device; and

receiving an authentication acknowledgment of the encrypted portion of the recurring message at the computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the disabling of the one or more features comprises preventing frequency transmissions of greater than 5 Gigahertz from the computing device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the disabling of the one or more features comprises preventing frequency transmissions on Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure channels 52-64 and 100-140.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the request of the location determination is generated by an operating system stored in memory of the computing device.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the request of the location determination is generated by an embedded chip set comprising a microcontroller and a first memory in the computing device comprising a second memory that includes an operating system.

21. One or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement a method comprising:

requesting a location determination for a computing device using a wireless network interface device that can communicate with an access point for a wireless local area network;

receiving the location determination using the wireless network interface device;

determining, using a processor, two or more applicable wireless network guidelines to use based at least in part on the location determination, wherein the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines comprise transmission frequency limitations to a frequency band based at least in part on one or more interfering signals;

determining a conflict between the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines;

resolving the conflict using respective priorities associated with the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines; and

disabling or enabling one or more features of a computing device based at least in part on the two or more applicable wireless network guidelines stored in memory and the location determination; and

generating an authentication block comprising;

an identifier of the device, the location of the device, and a time stamp corresponding to when the authentication block is generated.

22. The one or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 21, further comprising:

requesting a secure session with the location server;

providing an encryption key to the location server via the secure session;

generating an encrypted identification block comprising an identifier for the computing device and an element associated with the identification block using a processor;

appending the encrypted identification block with a recurring message comprising an unencrypted portion;

providing the recurring message comprising an encrypted portion and the unencrypted portion to a location server using a wireless network interface device; and

receiving an authentication acknowledgment of the encrypted portion of the recurring message at the computing device.

23. The one or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the disabling of the one or more features comprises preventing frequency transmissions of greater than 5 Gigahertz from the computing device.

24. The one or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the disabling of the one or more features comprises preventing frequency transmissions on Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure channels 52-64 and 100-140.

25. The one or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the request of the location determination is generated by an operating system stored in memory of the computing device.

26. The one or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage media of claim 21, wherein the request of the location determination is generated by an embedded chip set comprising a microcontroller and a first memory in the computing device comprising a second memory that includes an operating system.