Multi-broadcast beacon signals

• US 9,866,389 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Footmarks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Footmarks, Inc.
• Inventors: Reed, Ryan Preston, Graika, Casey Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Potratz, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/603,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• 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 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

Disclosed herein are techniques and systems for transmitting a multi-broadcast signal from a wireless broadcasting device (or beacon) as part of a beacon recognition process. Specifically, the multi-broadcast signal may be in the form of multiple packets that are broadcast from the beacon within a recognition time period. A process may include creating a first packet having a first identifier (ID) and a randomly generated value, broadcasting the first packet from the beacon, generating a second ID based at least in part on the randomly generated value included in the first packet, and broadcasting, within a period of time from the broadcast of the first packet, a second packet having the second ID and a device ID that uniquely identifies the beacon. A mobile device in proximity to the beacon may include logic to detect and interpret a multi-broadcast signal from the beacon.

Claims

1. A wireless broadcasting device comprising:

one or more processors;

a transceiver;

one or more memories storing a device identifier (ID) that uniquely identifies the wireless broadcasting device and computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform acts comprising;

creating a first packet having;

(i) a first ID and (ii) a randomly generated value;

broadcasting, via the transceiver, the first packet;

generating a second, different ID based at least in part on the randomly generated value included in the first packet;

creating a second packet having;

(i) the second ID and (ii) the device ID; and

broadcasting, via the transceiver, the second packet,

wherein the first packet and the second packet are continuously re-broadcast for a period of time from broadcasting the first packet, the acts further comprising, upon expiration of the period of time;

generating a new randomly generated value;

broadcasting a third packet that includes the first ID and the new randomly generated value;

generating a third ID based at least in part on the new randomly generated value included in the third packet; and

broadcasting a fourth packet that includes the third ID and the device ID.

2. The wireless broadcasting device of claim 1, wherein the wireless broadcasting device comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon.

3. The wireless broadcasting device of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories further store a Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) to generate the randomly generated value.

4. The wireless broadcasting device of claim 3, wherein the PRNG is further configured to, at multiple different times:

generate a random value for the device ID; and

assign the random value to the wireless broadcasting device as the device ID that is to be included in the second packet.

5. The wireless broadcasting device of claim 1, wherein the generating the second ID comprises using the randomly generated value as a seed for a hashing algorithm that is used to generate the second ID.

6. The wireless broadcasting device of claim 5, wherein the using the randomly generated value as a seed for the hashing algorithm comprises:

replicating the randomly generated value a predetermined number of times to obtain a value constituted of the replicated randomly generated value; and

encrypting the value with a cryptographic key to form the second ID.

7. A computer-implemented method to be performed by a wireless broadcasting device, the method comprising:

creating, by the wireless broadcasting device, a first packet having;

(i) a first identifier (ID) and (ii) a randomly generated value;

broadcasting, by the wireless broadcasting device, the first packet;

generating, by the wireless broadcasting device, a second, different ID based at least in part on the randomly generated value included in the first packet;

creating, by the wireless broadcasting device, a second packet having;

(i) the second ID and (ii) a device ID that uniquely identifies the wireless broadcasting device; and

broadcasting, by the wireless broadcasting device, the second packet,

wherein the first packet and the second packet are continuously broadcast for a period of time from the broadcasting of the first packet, the method further comprising, upon expiration of the period of time;

generating a new randomly generated value;

broadcasting a third packet that includes the first ID and the new randomly generated value;

generating a third ID based at least in part on the new randomly generated value included in the third packet; and

broadcasting a fourth packet that includes the third ID and the device ID.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the device ID comprises a randomly generated device ID, the method further comprising, prior to broadcasting the second packet, assigning the randomly generated device ID to the wireless broadcasting device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating the second ID comprises using the randomly generated value as a seed for a hashing algorithm that is used to generate the second ID.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the using the randomly generated value as a seed for the hashing algorithm comprises:

replicating the randomly generated value a predetermined number of times to obtain a value constituted of the replicated randomly generated value; and

encrypting the value with a cryptographic key to form the second ID.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating the second ID comprises encrypting the randomly generated value with a symmetric key.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a write command from a mobile device, the write command comprising a command to update a characteristic of the wireless broadcasting device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising authenticating the write command by:

extracting a characteristic from a message carrying the received write command;

calculating a hash of the characteristic using a hashing algorithm;

extracting a characteristic hash from the message;

comparing the calculated hash of the characteristic to the extracted characteristic hash;

authenticating the write command if the calculated hash of the characteristic matches the extracted characteristic hash; and

rejecting the write command if the calculated hash of the characteristic does not match the extracted characteristic hash.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

parsing a pre-validation value associated with the write command;

comparing the pre-validation value to a predetermined value;

rejecting the write command if the pre-validation value does not equal the predetermined value; and

processing the write command if the pre-validation value equals the predetermined value.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless broadcasting device, perform acts comprising:

creating a first packet having;

(i) a first identifier (ID) and (ii) a randomly generated value;

broadcasting, via a transceiver of the wireless broadcasting device, the first packet;

generating a second, different ID based at least in part on the randomly generated value included in the first packet;

creating a second packet having;

(i) the second ID and (ii) a device ID that uniquely identifies the wireless broadcasting device; and

broadcasting, via the transceiver, the second packet,

wherein the first packet and the second packet are continuously re-broadcast for a period of time from broadcasting the first packet, the acts further comprising, upon expiration of the period of time;

generating a new randomly generated value;

broadcasting, via the transceiver, a third packet that includes the first ID and the new randomly generated value;

generating a third ID based at least in part on the new randomly generated value included in the third packet; and

broadcasting, via the transceiver, a fourth packet that includes the third ID and the device ID.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the wireless broadcasting device comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further storing a Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG) to generate the randomly generated value.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the PRNG is further configured to, at multiple different times:

generate a random value for the device ID; and

assign the random value to the wireless broadcasting device as the device ID that is to be included in the second packet.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the generating the second ID comprises using the randomly generated value as a seed for a hashing algorithm that is used to generate the second ID.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the using the randomly generated value as a seed for the hashing algorithm comprises:

replicating the randomly generated value a predetermined number of times to obtain a value constituted of the replicated randomly generated value; and

encrypting the value with a cryptographic key to form the second ID.