Method and system for managing an electrical device over a power delivery network

• US 20070271383A1
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lingafelt, Charles S., Kim, Nathaniel W.
• Application Number:
  US11/436,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271383A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 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: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

Under the present invention, a data networking protocol is applied over a power delivery network to manage an electrical device. In a typical embodiment, the data networking protocol is 802.1X. To this extent, the present invention utilizes different configurations of a location component/function, an identification component/function (also known in the art as a “supplicant function”), an authentication component/function, and an authentication server to authenticate and manage power delivery to the electrical device.

Claims

1. A method for managing an electrical device over a power delivery network, comprising:

receiving a query within an identification component located within the electrical device from an authentication component;

providing at least one attribute for the electrical device from the identification component to the authentication component; and

providing the at least one attribute from the authentication component to an authentication server over the power delivery network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute comprises an identity of the electrical device and a location of the electrical device, and wherein the method further comprises providing the location from a location component located within the electrical device to the identification component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location component is selected from the group consisting of a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and an input device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication component is located within the electrical device, and wherein the electrical device is connected to the power delivery network via a power socket.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the electrical device on the authentication server using the at least one attribute of the electrical device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising activating the electrical device over the power delivery network after the authenticating.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a result of the authenticating in a database; and

storing information pertaining to the electrical device in the database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol, and wherein the data networking protocol comprises 802.1X.

9. A method for managing an electrical device over a power delivery network, comprising:

receiving a query within an identification component located within the electrical device from an authentication component located within the power delivery network;

providing an identity of the electrical device from the identification component to the authentication component; and

providing the identity of the electrical device and an identity of a power socket of the power delivery network to which the electrical device is connected from the authentication component to an authentication server over the power delivery network.

10. The method of claim 9, where the authentication component is located within the power socket.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the identity of the power socket in a location component contained on the authentication server; and

determining a location of the power socket by accessing a power socket location database.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating the electrical device on the authentication server based on the location of the power socket and the identity of the electrical device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising activating the electrical device over the power delivery network after the authenticating.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing a result of the authenticating in a devices information database; and

storing information pertaining to the electrical device in the devices information database.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol, and wherein the data networking protocol comprises 802.1X.

16. A system for managing an electrical device over a power delivery network, comprising:

an identification component located within the electrical device for receiving a query from an authentication component;

a location component located within the electric device for providing a location of the electrical device to the identification component; and

an authentication component located within the electrical device for receiving an identity of the electrical device and the location of the electrical device from the identification component, wherein the authentication component provides the identity and the location to an authentication server over the power delivery network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the location component comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the authentication server authenticates the electrical device using the location and the identity.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol, and wherein the data networking protocol comprises 802.1X.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the location component, the identification component, and the authentication component are each implemented using technology selected from the group consisting of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.