Secure communication connection formation

• US 9,775,042 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Nicholls, Michael John, Adler, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): MAPA, MICHAEL Y
• Application Number:
  US14/974,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 4554042, 455410-411, 4554141, 455418-420, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In some examples, method includes positioning a first electronic device in a target orientation with respect to a second electronic device and moving the first and second electronic devices in at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device. The method may also include operating the first electronic device while the first and second electronic devices share a secure communication connection that is based on a first numerical value and a second numerical value. The first numerical value may be based on data that describes the movement of the first electronic device while maintained in the target orientation, and the second numerical value may be based on data that describes the movement of the second electronic device while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to form a secure communication connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device;

sending an initial connection message from the first electronic device to the second electronic device;

creating a first timestamp of when the initial connection message is sent;

deriving a first numerical value based on data that describes motion of the first electronic device, wherein the motion of the first electronic device includes at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in a target orientation with respect to the second electronic device, and wherein the target orientation includes physical contact;

obtaining a second numerical value based on data that describes motion of the second electronic device, wherein the motion of the second electronic device includes at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device; and

forming the secure communication connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on a first message that includes the first numerical value and the first timestamp, and a second message that includes the second numerical value and a second timestamp of when the initial connection message is received by the second electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first numerical value and the second numerical value are approximately equal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device and the second electronic device are moved approximately simultaneously through approximately identical motions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data that describes the motion of the first electronic device includes at least nine axes of motion based on four degrees of freedom of motion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the secure communication connection includes forming the secure communication connection through BLUETOOTH technology.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the secure communication connection further comprises replacing a private key with the first numerical value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data that describes the motion of the first electronic device is generated by one or more motion sensors, and wherein the one or more motion sensors include one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a magnometer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating sensory feedback to indicate that the data upon which the first numerical value is based is completely collected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the initial connection message from the first electronic device to the second electronic device includes sending the initial connection message to a second electronic device that has limited capability to manually and directly enter data into the second electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the secure communication connection is further based on an elapsed time from the first timestamp until the motion of the first electronic device is started.

11. A first electronic device, comprising:

an input device configured to receive a request to form a secure communication connection between the first electronic device and a second electronic device;

one or more motion sensors;

one or more processors coupled to the input device and to the one or more sensors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and that includes computer-readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the one or more processors to perform or control performance of operations, the operations comprising;

in response to the request to form the secure communication connection, determine a first numerical value based on data from the one or more motion sensors that describes motion of the first electronic device as the first electronic device is moved through at least two degrees of freedom of motion while maintained in a target orientation with respect to the second electronic device, wherein the target orientation includes physical contact;

receive a second numerical value from the second electronic device based on data that describes motion of the second electronic device, wherein the motion of the second electronic device includes at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device; and

form the secure communication connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on a first message that includes the first numerical value and a first timestamp of when an initial connection message is sent from the first electronic device to the second electronic device and a second message that includes the second numerical value and a second timestamp of when the initial connection message is received by the second electronic device.

12. The first electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a clock coupled to the one or more processors and configured to generate the first timestamp.

13. The first electronic device of claim 11, wherein the data from the one or more motion sensors includes nine axes of motion as the first electronic device is moved through four degrees of freedom of motion.

14. The first electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a feedback component configured to generate sensory feedback to indicate that the data upon which the first numerical value is based is completely collected.

15. The first electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more motion sensors includes one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a magnometer.

16. A method, comprising:

positioning a first electronic device in a target orientation with respect to a second electronic device;

moving the first electronic device and the second electronic device in at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device; and

operating the first electronic device while the first electronic device and the second electronic device share a secure communication connection, wherein the secure communication connection is based on a first message that includes a first numerical value and a timestamp of when the first electronic device and the second electronic device first acknowledged each other, and based on a second message that includes a second numerical value and the timestamp, wherein the first numerical value is based on data that describes the movement of the first electronic device while maintained in the target orientation, and wherein the second numerical value is based on data that describes the movement of the second electronic device while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

positioning the first electronic device in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device comprises placing the first electronic device and the second electronic device in physical contact in the target orientation; and

moving the first electronic device and the second device in the at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation comprises maintaining physical contact between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein

the data that describes the movement of the first electronic device is approximately equal to the data that describes the movement of the second electronic device, and

the movement of the first electronic device and the movement of the second electronic device occur approximately simultaneously and are approximately identical movements.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising establishing the secure communication connection through BLUETOOTH technology.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first numerical value replaces a private key in formation of the secure communication connection.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the data that describes the movement of the first electronic device is generated by one or more motion sensors, and wherein the one or more motion sensors includes one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a magnometer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein moving the first electronic device and the second electronic device includes moving the first electronic device and the second electronic device in four degrees of freedom of motion, and wherein the one or more motion sensors generate data that includes at least nine axes of motion.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein moving the first electronic device includes moving the first electronic device for between approximately one half of a second and ten seconds.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving sensory feedback from the first electronic device to indicate that the data upon which the first numerical value is based is completely collected.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein positioning the first electronic device in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device includes positioning the first electronic device in the target orientation with respect to a second electronic device that has limited capability to manually and directly enter data into the second electronic device.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising requesting the secure communication connection prior to moving the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

27. A first electronic device, comprising:

an input device configured to receive a request to form a secure communication connection between the first electronic device and a second electronic device;

one or more motion sensors configured to sense motion of the first electronic device in at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in a target orientation with respect to the second electronic device, and convert the sensed motion into data that describes the sensed motion;

a communication device configured to communicate with the second electronic device and via which a secure communication connection is formed, wherein the communication device is configured to receive a second numerical value based on data that describes motion of the second electronic device as the second electronic device is moved through at least two degrees of freedom of motion while the first electronic device is maintained in the target orientation with respect to the second electronic device; and

one or more processors coupled to the input device and to the one or more motion sensors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform or control performance of;

in response to the request to form the secure communication connection, determine a first numerical value based on the data that describes the sensed motion, and form the secure communication connection between the first electronic device and the second electronic device via the communication device based on a first message that includes the first numerical value and a timestamp of when the first electronic device and the second electronic device first acknowledged each other and based on a second message that includes the second numerical value and the timestamp.

28. The first electronic device of claim 27, further comprising a clock coupled to the one or more processors and configured to generate the timestamp.

29. The first electronic device of claim 27, further comprising a feedback component configured to generate sensory feedback to indicate that the data upon which the first numerical value is based is completely collected.