Bluetooth theft protection

• US 20070226778A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pietruszka, Jorg
• Application Number:
  US11/385,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20070226778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

A method and apparatus performs setting an operational state to one of a locked state to prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device or an unlocked state to allow establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device; and controlling whether the wireless communications device is able to establish a trusted relationship with a remote device according to the set operational state.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

setting an operational state of a wireless communications device to one of a locked state in which the wireless communications device is prevented from establishing a trusted relationship with a remote device or an unlocked state in which the wireless communications device is allowed to establish a trusted relationship with a remote device; and

controlling whether the wireless communications device is able to establish a trusted relationship with a remote device according to the set operational state.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device communicates with a remote device though short range (radio frequency) RF communications.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the wireless communications device communicates with a remote device through Bluetooth.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing with a remote device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the controlling operation prevents the wireless communications device from pairing with a remote device that does not share a common link key, when the wireless communications device is set to the locked state.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the controlling operation allows the wireless communications device to pair with a remote device that does not share a common link key, when the wireless communications device is set to the unlocked state.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the controlling operation allows the wireless communications device to establish communications connection with a remote device that is already paired to the wireless communications device, even through the wireless communications device is set to the locked state.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling operation allows the wireless communications device to establish a communications connection with a remote device that has already established a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device, even though the wireless communications device is set to the locked state.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising changing the operational state of the wireless communications device from one of the locked or unlocked state to the other of the locked or unlocked state.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein access to change or to set the operational state of the wireless communications device is password protected.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a number of password entry attempts or setting or changing attempts is limited to a predetermined number.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the operational state of the wireless communications device is set or changed through a remote device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the wireless communications device is a slave device and the remote device through which the operational state is changed is a master device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the operational state is set or changed through a security application resident on the master device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the master device and slave device are paired Bluetooth devices.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device is an accessory.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device is part of or used in connection with a car.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling or disabling one or more functions of the wireless communications device based on whether there is a remote device having a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device in a vicinity thereof.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein one or more functions of the wireless communications device are disabled if there are no remote devices having a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device in a vicinity thereof.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

setting which functions from a plurality of functions are to be enabled or disabled.

21. A method comprising:

conducting communications with a remote device, across a wireless medium; and

causing an operational state of the remote device to be set to one of a locked state in which the remote device is prevented from establishing a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device or an unlocked state in which the remote device is allowed to establish a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the causing to be set operation comprises transmitting one or more commands to the remote device to set the operational state of the remote device.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising transmitting a password to the remote device to enable setting of the operational state.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the password is provided by a user through a user interface.

25. The method according to claim 21, further comprising causing the operational state of the remote device to be changed from one of the locked or unlocked state to the other of the locked or unlocked state.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the causing to be changed operation comprises transmitting one or more commands to the remote device to change the operational state of remote device.

27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising transmitting a password to the remote device to enable changing of the operational state.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the causing to be set operation and the causing to be changed operation are performed through a security application.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein the communicating and the causing operations are performed by a master Bluetooth device and the remote device is a slave Bluetooth device.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the master and slave Bluetooth devices are paired.

31. The method according to claim 21, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing with a wireless communications device.

32. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

causing one or more functions of the remote device to be set to an enabled state or a disabled state, the enabled state or disabled state defining the operability of the one or more functions according to whether there is another device having a trusted relationship with the remote device in a vicinity thereof.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the one or more functions of the remote device are disabled if there are no other devices having a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device in a vicinity thereof.

34. A method comprising:

receiving a request to establish a trusted relationship with an unknown remote device, across a wireless medium;

checking on a current operational state to ascertain whether to allow or prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with the unknown remote device, the operational state being one of a locked state that prevents establishing of a trusted relationship or an unlocked state that allows establishing of a trusted relationship; and

allowing or preventing a trusted relationship to be established with the unknown remote device, according to the current operational state.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing.

36. The method according to claim 34, further comprising notifying the unknown remote device that the request has been denied when the current operational state is the locked state.

37. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with one or more remote devices across a wireless medium;

a memory;

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory for;

setting an operational state to one of a locked state to prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device or an unlocked state to allow establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device; and

controlling whether to establish a trusted relationship with a remote device according to the set operational state.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with a remote device though short range (radio frequency) RF communications.

39. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing with a remote device.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the controlling operation prevents pairing with a remote device that does not share a common link key, when the operational state is set to the locked state.

41. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the controlling operation allows pairing with a remote device that does not share a common link key, when the operational state is set to the unlocked state.

42. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the controlling operation allows communications connection to be established with a remote device which has already been paired with the apparatus, even though the operational state is set to the locked state.

43. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the controlling operation allows a communications connection to be established with a remote device to which a trusted relationship has already been established, even though the operational state is set to the locked state.

44. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

changing the operational state of the wireless communications device from one of the locked or unlocked state to the other of the locked or unlocked state.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein access to change or to set the operational state of the wireless communications device is password protected.

46. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein a number of password entry attempts or setting or changing attempts is limited to a predetermined number.

47. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the operational state of the wireless communications device is set or changed through a remote device.

48. The apparatus according to claim 47, wherein the apparatus is a slave device and the remote device through which the operational state is changed is a master device.

49. The apparatus according to claim 48, wherein the operational state is set or changed through a security application resident on the master device.

50. The apparatus according to claim 48, wherein the master device and slave device are paired Bluetooth devices.

51. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

enabling or disabling one or more functions based on whether there is a remote device having a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device in a vicinity thereof.

52. The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the one or more functions are disabled if there are no remote devices having a trusted relationship in a vicinity.

53. The apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

setting which functions from a plurality of functions are to be enabled or disabled.

54. A apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with one or more remote devices across a wireless medium;

a memory;

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory for;

conducting communications with a remote device, across a wireless medium; and

causing an operational state of the remote device to be set to one of a locked state in which the remote device is prevented from establishing a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device or an unlocked state in which the remote device is allowed to establish a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device.

55. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the causing to be set operation comprises transmitting one or more commands to the remote device to set the operational state of the remote device.

56. The apparatus according to claim 55, further comprising transmitting a password to the remote device to enable setting of the operational state.

57. The apparatus according to claim 56, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

providing a user interface through which a user provides the password.

58. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

causing the operational state of the remote device to be changed from one of the locked or unlocked state to the other of the locked or unlocked state.

59. The apparatus according to claim 58, wherein the causing to be changed operation comprises transmitting one or more commands to the remote device to change the operational state of remote device.

60. The apparatus according to claim 59, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

transmitting a password to the remote device to enable changing of the operational state.

61. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the apparatus is a master Bluetooth device and the remote device is a slave Bluetooth device.

62. The apparatus according to claim 61, wherein the master and slave Bluetooth devices are paired.

63. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing with a wireless communications device.

64. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

causing one or more functions of the remote device to be set to an enabled state or a disabled state, the enabled state or disabled state defining the operability of the one or more functions according to whether there is another device having a trusted relationship with the remote device in a vicinity thereof.

65. The apparatus according to claim 64, wherein the one or more functions of the remote device are disabled if there are no other devices having a trusted relationship with the wireless communications device in a vicinity thereof.

66. A apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate with one or more remote devices across a wireless medium;

a memory;

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory for;

checking on a current operational state to ascertain whether to allow or prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with an unknown remote device from which a request is received to establish a trusted relationship with the unknown remote device, the operational state being one of a locked state that prevents establishing of a trusted relationship or an unlocked state that allows establishing of a trusted relationship; and

allowing or preventing a trusted relationship to be established with the unknown remote device, according to the current operational state.

67. The apparatus according to claim 66, wherein the trusted relationship to be established comprises a Bluetooth pairing.

68. The apparatus according to claim 66 wherein the processor further executes instructions stored in the memory for:

notifying the unknown remote device that the request has been denied when the current operational state is the locked state.

69. A tangible computer medium having computer executable code which when executed by a processor in a wireless communications device performs the following method:

setting an operational state to one of a locked state to prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device or an unlocked state to allow establishing of a trusted relationship with a remote device; and

controlling whether the wireless communications device is able to establish a trusted relationship with a remote device according to the set operational state.

70. A tangible computer medium having computer executable code which when executed by a processor in a wireless communications device performs the following method:

conducting communications with a remote device, across a wireless medium; and

causing an operational state of the remote device to be set to one of a locked state in which the remote device is prevented from establishing a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device or an unlocked state in which the remote device is allowed to establish a trusted relationship with a wireless communications device.

71. A tangible computer medium having computer executable code which when executed by a processor in a wireless communications device performs the following method:

checking on a current operational state to ascertain whether to allow or prevent establishing of a trusted relationship with an unknown remote device from which a request is received to establish a trusted relationship with the unknown remote device, the operational state being one of a locked state that prevents establishing of a trusted relationship or an unlocked state that allows establishing of a trusted relationship; and

allowing or preventing a trusted relationship to be established with the unknown remote device, according to the current operational state.