Setup of multiple IoT network devices

• US 9,713,003 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• 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: Zeira, Ohad, Kim, Ryan Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Simitoski, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/947,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• 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:

generating, at a new network device, a setup access point of the new network device;

receiving a communication including a request to connect to the setup access point of the new network device;

establishing a connection between the setup access point of the new network device and an existing network device on a network, wherein the network includes a gateway, the gateway having previously provided the existing network device with access to the network;

generating new network device identification information, wherein the identification information includes information identifying the new network device;

receiving a communication including an indication that an additional new network device has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection between the new network device and 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;

analyzing the new network device identification information and the received additional new network device identification information to determine a characteristic associated with the new network device and the additional new network device;

establishing a network device group, wherein the network device group includes network devices associated with the characteristic, and wherein the network device group includes the new network device and the additional new network device; and

transmitting identification information of the new network devices in the network device group, wherein when the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group are received, the identification information facilitates generating one or more authorization queries to authorize the new network devices in the network device group to join the network, and wherein the new network devices in the network device group join the network using the one or more authorization queries.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the received identification information of the new network devices in the network device group is aggregated before it is transmitted.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group includes transmitting the aggregated identification information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identification information associated with subsequent additional new network devices are added to the aggregated received identification information when the additional new network device connects to the network.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification information associated with an additional new network device is received at the same time as identification information associated with different additional new network devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group includes transmitting the new network device identification information simultaneously with the additional new network device identification information.

7. 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 new network devices in the network device group joining the network.

8. 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;

generating, at a new network device, a setup access point of the new network device;

receiving a communication including a request to connect to the setup access point of the new network device;

establishing a connection between the setup access point of the new network device and an existing network device on a network, wherein the network includes a gateway, the gateway having previously provided the existing network device with access to the network;

generating new network device identification information, wherein the identification information includes information identifying the new network device;

receiving a communication including an indication that an additional new network device has generated a setup access point;

establishing a connection between the new network device and 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;

analyzing the new network device identification information and the received additional new network device identification information to determine a characteristic associated with the new network device and the additional new network device;

establishing a network device group, wherein the network device group includes network devices associated with the characteristic, and wherein the network device group includes the new network device and the additional new network device; and

transmitting identification information of the new network devices in the network device group, wherein when the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group are received, the identification information facilitates generating one or more authorization queries to authorize the new network devices in the network device group to join the network, and wherein the new network devices in the network device group join the network using the one or more authorization queries.

9. The computing device of claim 8,

wherein the received identification information of the new network devices in the network device group is aggregated before it is transmitted.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group includes transmitting the aggregated identification information.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein identification information associated with subsequent additional new network devices are added to the aggregated received identification information when the additional new network device connects to the network.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the identification information associated with an additional new network device is received at the same time as identification information associated with different additional new network devices.

13. The computing device of claim 8, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group transmitting the new network device identification information simultaneously with the additional new network device identification information.

14. The computing device of claim 8, 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 new network devices in the network device group joining the network.

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

generate, at a new network device, a setup access point of the new network device;

receive a communication including a request to connect to the setup access point of the new network device;

establish a connection between the setup access point of the new network device and an existing network device on a network, wherein the network includes a gateway, the gateway having previously provided the existing network device with access to the network;

generate new network device identification information, wherein the identification information includes information identifying the new network device;

receive a communication including an indication that an additional new network device has generated a setup access point;

establish a connection between the new network device and the setup access point of the additional new network device;

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

analyze the new network device identification information and the received additional new network device identification information to determine a characteristic associated with the new network device and the additional new network device;

establish a network device group, wherein the network device group includes network devices associated with the characteristic, and wherein the network device group includes the new network device and the additional new network device; and

transmit identification information of the new network devices in the network device group, wherein when the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group are received, the identification information facilitates generating one or more authorization queries to authorize the new network devices in the network device group to join the network, and wherein the new network devices in the network device group join the network using the one or more authorization queries.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,

wherein the received identification information of the new network devices in the network device group is aggregated before it is transmitted.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group includes transmitting the aggregated identification information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein identification information associated with subsequent additional new network devices are added to the aggregated received identification information when the additional new network device connects to the network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the identification information associated with an additional new network device is received at the same time as identification information associated with different additional new network devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein transmitting the identification information of the new network devices in the network device group includes transmitting the new network device identification information simultaneously with the additional new network device identification information.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, 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 new network devices in the network device group joining the network.