Method, apparatus and computer program to generate a unique node identifier

• US 20100054242A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Honkola, Jukka, Oliver, Ian Justin
• Application Number:
  US12/231,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054242A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A method includes receiving a request for a node identifier, the request including a first information element. In response, the method further includes generating a unique node identifier that includes a plurality of second information elements and the first information element; and responding to the request with the generated unique node identifier. Also disclosed are apparatus for performing the method, as well as a computer program embodied on a computer-readable media for executing the method.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a node identifier, the request including a first information element;

in response, generating a unique node identifier that includes a plurality of second information elements and the first information element; and

responding to the request with the generated unique node identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first information element comprises static information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the generated unique node identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a temporal information element.

5. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a serial number associated with the node.

6. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a random number.

7. The method of claim 6, where the random number is a universal unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a characteristic of a data processor or a data processor instruction set associated with the node.

9. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a hardware element that forms a part of, or that is coupled with, the node.

10. The method of claim 1, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, where generating comprises executing a function using the plurality of second information elements and the first information element.

12. The method of claim 11, where the function is concatenation.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising executing a hashing operation on a result of the execution of the function.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising encrypting a result of the hashing operation.

15. The method of claim 1, where in response to responding further comprising including the generated unique node identifier in a message.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending the message to a semantic information broker.

17. The method of claim 15, where the message is a smartspace application protocol message.

18. The method of claim 15, where the message is a resource description framework message.

19. The method of claim 18, where the resource description framework message is associated with a blank node.

20. A computer-readable memory media that stores a computer program instructions, where execution of the computer program instructions results in the performance of operations that comprise:

receiving a request for a node identifier, the request including a first information element;

in response, generating a unique node identifier that includes a plurality of second information elements and the first information element; and

responding to the request with the generated unique node identifier.

21. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the first information element comprises static information.

22. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, further comprising an operation of encrypting the generated unique node identifier.

23. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a temporal information element.

24. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a serial number associated with the node.

25. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a random number.

26. The computer-readable memory media of claim 25, where the random number is a universal unique identifier.

27. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a characteristic of a data processor or a data processor instruction set associated with the node.

28. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a hardware element that forms a part of, or that is coupled with, the node.

29. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the second information elements comprise a value obtained from a sensor.

30. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where the operation of generating comprises executing a function using the plurality of second information elements and the first information element.

31. The computer-readable memory media of claim 30, where the function is concatenation.

32. The computer-readable memory media of claim 30, further comprising executing a hashing operation on a result of the execution of the function.

33. The computer-readable memory media of claim 32, further comprising encrypting a result of the hashing operation.

34. The computer-readable memory media of claim 20, where in response to responding further comprising including the generated unique node identifier in a message.

35. The computer-readable memory media of claim 34, further comprising sending the message to a semantic information broker.

36. The computer-readable memory media of claim 34, where the message is a smartspace application protocol message.

37. The computer-readable memory media of claim 34, where the message is a resource description framework message.

38. The computer-readable memory media of claim 37, where the resource description framework message is associated with a blank node.

39. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request for a node identifier, the request including a first information element;

a generator configured to respond to the received request to produce a unique node identifier that includes a plurality of second information elements and the first information element; and

a transmitter configured to send the generated unique node identifier.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, where the first information element comprises static information.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising an encryption engine configured to encrypt the generated unique node identifier prior to the identifier being sent.

42. The apparatus of claim 39, where the second information elements comprise at least one of a temporal information element, a serial number associated with the node, a random number, a value obtained from a characteristic of a data processor or a data processor instruction set, a value obtained from a hardware element that forms a part of, or that is coupled with, the node, and a value obtained from a sensor.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, where the random number is a universal unique identifier.

44. The apparatus of claim 39, where said generator is configured to execute a function using the plurality of second information elements and the first information element.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, where the function is concatenation.

46. The apparatus of claim 44, said generator being further configured to execute a hashing operation on a result of the execution of the function.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising an encryption engine configured to encrypt a result of the hashing operation prior to the identifier being sent.

48. The apparatus of claim 39, where the generated unique node identifier is included as part of a message that is sent by said transmitter.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, where said transmitter sends the message to a semantic information broker.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, where the message is a smartspace application protocol message.

51. The apparatus of claim 48, where the message is a resource description framework message.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, where the resource description framework message is associated with a blank node.