Linking ad hoc networks

• US 9,489,506 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tyson, Hugo Mark, Graube, Nicolas Guy Albert, Heydon, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose, Derrick V
• Application Number:
  US14/297,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 : Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• 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 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 : using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device capable of communicating according to two communication protocols, the device being configured to: in response to receiving a first message according to a first one of the protocols, the first message including data defining a payload, automatically retransmit a second message according to the first protocol, the second message comprising data defining an identical payload to that of the first message; and in response to receiving the first message, automatically transmit a third message according to the second protocol, the second message also comprising data defining an identical payload to the first message.

Claims

1. A communication device configured to communicate according to two communication protocols, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first message according to a first protocol associated with a first network, the first message including a payload,

apply a first network authentication key and a first portion of the first message to an authentication algorithm to produce an authentication output;

determine that the first message is authenticated in response to the authentication output matching a second portion of the first message;

automatically transmit a second message according to the first protocol, the second message comprising an identical payload to the payload of the first message;

generate a third message by modifying the second portion of the first message such that authenticating the third message requires a second network authentication key; and

automatically transmit the third message according to the second protocol associated with the second network, the third message also comprising an identical payload to the payload of the first message.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the second message only if the first message is authenticated.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the third message only if the first message is authenticated.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the first and second messages are of identical formats.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the first and third messages each include a retransmission indicator, and the processor is configured to transmit the third message only if the retransmission indicator of the first message indicates that retransmission is permitted.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the first and third messages each include a retransmission indicator, and the processor is configured to:

modify the retransmission indicator of the third message to indicate that fewer retransmissions of the third message are permitted than the number of permitted retransmissions of the first message indicated by the retransmission indicator of the first message.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the first and second messages include a network indicator field that indicates a logical network to which the respective message belongs.

8. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the network indicator field of the second message indicates the same logical network as the network indicator field of the first message.

9. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the network indicator field of the second message indicates a different logical network than the network indicator field of the first message.

10. The communication device as claimed in any of claim 7, wherein the third message includes a network indicator field that indicates the logical network to which the third message belongs.

11. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the network indicator field of the third message indicates the same logical network as the network indicator field of the first message.

12. The communication device of claim 10, wherein the network indicator field of the third message indicates a different logical network than the network indicator field of the first message.

14. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the first network is a mesh network and the first protocol is a mesh network protocol.

15. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations such that the third message is transmitted to a communication device that is not a logical part of either the first network or the second network.

13. A method for relaying communication messages by a communication device, comprising:

receiving a first message by the communication device, wherein the first message is received according to a first protocol associated with a first network and includes a payload;

applying a first network authentication key and a first portion of the first message to an authentication algorithm to produce an authentication output;

determining that the first message is authenticated in response to the authentication output matching a second portion of the first message;

automatically transmitting a second message according to the first protocol, the second message comprising an identical payload to the payload of the first message;

generating a third message by modifying the second portion of the first message such that authenticating the third message requires a second authentication key associated with a second network; and

automatically transmitting a third message according to the second protocol associated with a second network, the third message also comprising an identical payload to the payload of the first message.