SETUP OF MULTIPLE IOT NETWORK DEVICES

• US 20160088478A1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Ryan Yong, Zeira, Ohad
• Granted Patent: US 9,686,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to setup of IoT network devices, and specifically to setup of multiple similar IoT devices at substantially the same time using joint authentication. Embodiments include, for example, receiving, at an existing network device on a network, one or more communications, wherein the one or more communications include an indication that multiple new network devices are associated with the network; receiving an indication that the multiple new network devices have generated a setup access point; establishing a connection with the access point of each of the multiple new network devices; receiving identification information, wherein the identification information includes information identifying each of the multiple new network devices; and transmitting the identification information identifying each of the multiple new network devices, wherein when the identification information is received, the identification information facilitates generating an authentication query to authenticate one or more of the multiple new network devices.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at an existing network device on a network, an indication that a new network device of a set of new network devices has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection with the setup access point of the new network device;

receiving new network device identification information, wherein the new network device identification information includes information identifying the new network device; and

transmitting the new network device identification information, wherein when the new network device identification information is received, the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, wherein the new network device identification information and the additional identification information facilitate generating one or more authentication queries to authenticate one or more of the new network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting one or more authentication queries, wherein receiving authentication queries facilitates displaying identification information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, the new network device identification information is transmitted simultaneously with the additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more responses to the one or more authentication queries; and

transmitting network credentials corresponding to each of the responses to the one or more authentication queries, wherein network credentials facilitate joining the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting one or more association queries, wherein the one or more association queries include a request to determine whether the new network devices in the set of new network devices are associated with the network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the identification information identifying two or more new network devices of the set new network devices, wherein analyzing includes determining one or more capabilities common to the two or more new network devices; and

generating a grouping of network devices, wherein the grouping includes new network devices that share a common capability.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that an additional new network device of the set of new network devices has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection with the setup access point of the additional new network device;

receiving additional new network device identification information, wherein the additional new network device identification information includes information identifying the additional new network device; and

transmitting the additional new network device identification information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

aggregating received identification information, wherein the received identification information includes information associated with the new network device and the additional new network device.

9. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including;

receiving, at an existing network device on a network, an indication that a new network device of a set of new network devices has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection with the setup access point of the new network device;

receiving new network device identification information, wherein the new network device identification information includes information identifying the new network device; and

transmitting the new network device identification information, wherein when the new network device identification information is received, the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, wherein the new network device identification information and the additional identification information facilitate generating one or more authentication queries to authenticate one or more of the new network devices.

10. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

transmitting one or more authentication queries, wherein receiving authentication queries facilitates displaying identification information.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein when the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, the new network device identification information is transmitted simultaneously with the additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices.

12. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

receiving one or more responses to the one or more authentication queries; and

transmitting network credentials corresponding to each of the responses to the one or more authentication queries, wherein network credentials facilitate joining the network.

13. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

transmitting one or more association queries, wherein the one or more association queries include a request to determine whether the new network devices in the set of new network devices are associated with the network.

14. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

analyzing the identification information identifying two or more new network devices of the set new network devices, wherein analyzing includes determining one or more capabilities common to the two or more new network devices; and

generating a grouping of network devices, wherein the grouping includes new network devices that share a common capability.

15. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

receiving an indication that an additional new network device of the set of new network devices has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection with the setup access point of the additional new network device;

receiving additional new network device identification information, wherein the additional new network device identification information includes information identifying the additional new network device; and

transmitting the additional new network device identification information.

16. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform operations including:

aggregating received identification information, wherein the received identification information includes information associated with the new network device and the additional new network device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive, at an existing network device on a network, an indication that a new network device of a set of new network devices has generated a setup access point;

establish a connection with the setup access point of the new network device;

receive new network device identification information, wherein the new network device identification information includes information identifying the new network device; and

transmit the new network device identification information, wherein when the new network device identification information is received, the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, wherein the new network device identification information and the additional identification information facilitate generating one or more authentication queries to authenticate one or more of the new network devices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

transmit one or more authentication queries, wherein receiving authentication queries facilitates displaying identification information.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein when the new network device identification information is transmitted with additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices, the new network device identification information is transmitted simultaneously with the additional identification information identifying one or more additional new network devices of the set of new network devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive one or more responses to the one or more authentication queries; and

transmit network credentials corresponding to each of the responses to the one or more authentication queries, wherein network credentials facilitate joining the network.

21-24. -24. (canceled)