Methods and apparatus for dynamic identification (ID) assignment in wireless networks

• US 8,711,751 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mueck, Markus, Schmidt, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US12/567,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20110076991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0031 Multiple signaling transmission H04L1/1664, F15 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 Without explicit signalling

Abstract

Methods and apparatus that reduce user identification overhead for communications. In one aspect of the invention, a reciprocal transmission channel characteristic (e.g., the channel impulse response) is used to derive shared and anonymous user identification between two wireless devices. In one embodiment, subscription-less data transmissions are broadcast from a base station to multiple user equipment, each user equipment receiving its correspondingly identified subscription-less data. The use of quantization levels and/or levels of tolerance for compensating for non-ideal differences in recipient and transmitter channel characteristics are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for anonymously providing a subscription-less data service to a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving a first communication from the wireless device;

determining a first pseudonym based at least in part on a first channel impulse response (CIR) of the first communication;

associating the subscription-less data service with the first pseudonym;

transmitting the subscription-less data service and the first pseudonym to the wireless device in a second communication; and

at the wireless device;

determining a second pseudonym based at least in part on a second CIR of the second communication;

comparing the first pseudonym to the second pseudonym;

determining whether the first pseudonym is substantially similar to the second pseudonym; and

in response to determining that the first pseudonym is substantially similar to the second pseudonym, decoding the second communication comprising the subscription-less data service,

wherein the second communication comprising the subscription-less data service is an anonymous communication without a security key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second pseudonym is determined at the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device compares the first pseudonym to the second pseudonym to determine whether the second communication comprising the subscription-less data service is intended for the wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication comprises a request for the subscription-less data service, and

wherein the second communication comprising the subscription-less data service is a broadcast communication that is receivable by a plurality of different devices, including the wireless device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of different devices are mobile cellular communication devices that are configured to receive broadcast communications from a cellular network base station.

6. A network apparatus for anonymously providing a subscription-less data service to a wireless device, the network apparatus comprising:

at least one radio transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio transceiver; and

a memory component coupled to the one or more processors and storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network apparatus to;

generate a pseudonym for the wireless device based at least in part on a channel impulse response (CIR) of a communication received from the wireless device,

wherein the CIR is associated with a plurality of in-band carrier gain coefficients of the communication received from the wireless device, and

wherein the communication received from the wireless device comprises a request for the subscription-less data service;

associate the subscription-less data service with the generated pseudonym to indicate the wireless device as an intended broadcast communication recipient;

and

transmit the subscription-less data service and the generated pseudonym to the wireless device within a broadcast communication that is receivable by a plurality of different devices, including the wireless device,

wherein the broadcast communication does not include a security key.

7. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pseudonym is generated at the network apparatus subsequent to the receipt of the communication comprising the request for the subscription-less data service.

8. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CIR includes a multipath signature that is unique to the communication received from the wireless device.

9. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pseudonym generated by the network apparatus is discarded by the network apparatus after the transmission of the subscription-less data service and the generated pseudonym to the wireless device within the broadcast communication.

10. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CIR is a time-domain representation of one or more communication channel characteristics associated with the communication received from the wireless device.

11. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CIR is a frequency-domain representation of one or more communication channel characteristics associated with the communication received from the wireless device.

12. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pseudonym is generated by the network apparatus based at least in part on a differential representation of the CIR of the communication received from the wireless device.

13. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pseudonym is generated by the network apparatus based at least in part on a relative representation of the CIR of the communication received from the wireless device.

14. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CIR is associated with an array of time-domain channel components separated in time.

15. The network apparatus of claim 14, wherein time separations between the time-domain channel components are associated with phase differences in the frequency-domain.

16. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the generated pseudonym indicating the wireless device as the intended broadcast communication recipient is periodically updated at the network apparatus.

17. Then network apparatus of claim 6, wherein the pseudonym is generated by the network apparatus based on one or more quantized radio channel characteristics.

18. A wireless device for receiving a subscription-less data service via broadcast communications, the wireless device comprising:

at least one radio transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio transceiver; and

a memory component coupled to the one or more processors and storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the wireless device to;

receive a broadcast communication from a network device including a subscription-less data service and a first pseudonym, wherein the broadcast communication does not include a security key;

generate a second pseudonym based at least in part on a channel impulse response (CIR) of the received broadcast communication, wherein the CIR is associated with a quantized radio channel characteristic, comprising one or more radio signal magnitudes or one or more discrete time-domain signal values, specific to the broadcast communication received from the network device;

compare the first pseudonym to the second pseudonym; and

decode the received broadcast communication when the first pseudonym is substantially similar to the second pseudonym.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the CIR is associated with a quantization parameter of the received broadcast communication.

20. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the quantized radio channel characteristic further comprises one or more frequency-domain signal values.

21. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the quantized radio channel characteristic further comprises one or more phase difference values represented in the time-domain or the frequency-domain.

22. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the broadcast communication is received in response to a request for the subscription-less data service emanating from the wireless device.

23. The wireless device of claim 22, wherein the request for the subscription-less data service does not contain information explicitly identifying the wireless device.

24. A method for anonymously receiving data services at a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving a first pseudonym within a broadcast communication from a network device

wherein the broadcast communication does not include a security key;

indentifying a channel impulse response (CIR) of the broadcast communication,

wherein the CIR is associated with a quantized radio channel characteristic comprising one or more radio signal magnitudes or one or more discrete time-domain signal values, specific to the broadcast communication received from the network device;

generating a second pseudonym that is derived from the CIR associated with the broadcast communication;

comparing the first pseudonym to the second pseudonym to determine whether at least a portion of the broadcast communication is intended for the wireless device; and

in response to determining that at least a portion of the broadcast communication is intended for the wireless device, decoding a corresponding portion of the broadcast communication at the wireless device,

wherein the second pseudonym is generated at the wireless device without considering the first pseudonym received within the broadcast communication.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the broadcast communication is received at the wireless device in response to a request for a subscription-less data service emanating from the wireless device.

26. A mobile device, comprising:

at least one wireless transceiver;

one or more processors coupled to the at least one wireless transceiver; and

a memory component coupled to the one more processors and storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the mobile device to;

receive a first pseudonym within a broadcast communication from a network device,

wherein the broadcast communication does not include a security key;

identify a channel impulse response (CIR) of the broadcast communication, wherein the CIR is associated with a quantized radio channel characteristic comprising one or more radio signal magnitudes or one or more discrete time-domain signal values, specific to the broadcast communication received from the network device;

generate a second pseudonym that is derived from the CIR associated with the broadcast communication;

compare the first pseudonym to the second pseudonym to determine whether at least a portion of the broadcast communication is intended for the mobile device; and

in response to determining that at least a portion of the broadcast communication is intended for the mobile device, decoding a corresponding portion of the broadcast communication at the mobile device.