Method and apparatus for authentication and identity management of communicating devices

• US 9,967,173 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gross, David, Lackey, Joshua, Levy, Donald E., Piqueras Jover, Roger, Ramachandran, Jayaraman, Serban, Cristina
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US14/814,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 375256-295, 702150, 398 5
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/126 minimising geographical or physical path length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a network device that accesses internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices where the network device is a closest network device to the group of end point devices, and transmitting data to another network device responsive to a determination that an internet protocol address associated with the data from an end point device is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A first waveguide system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving data from an end point device;

accessing internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices, wherein the first waveguide system is physically closest, among a group of waveguide systems including a second waveguide system, to the group of end point devices;

determining whether an internet protocol address associated with the data is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices; and

responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, electromagnetic waves containing the data, wherein the transmitting is across a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring an electrical return path between the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring a flow of opposing currents on an electrical return path between the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

2. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating metadata identifying the first waveguide system as the physically closest waveguide system to the group of end point devices,

wherein the electromagnetic waves transmitted to the second waveguide system contain the metadata.

3. The first waveguide system of claim 2, wherein the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves containing the metadata causes the second waveguide system to determine a validity of the internet protocol address of the end point device according to the metadata.

4. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the transmission medium comprises power lines, and wherein the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices are stored in the memory.

5. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a network server, an identification of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices.

6. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring communications of the group of end point devices; and

determining the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices according to the monitoring.

7. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, blocking the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves containing the data to the second waveguide system.

8. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, analyzing the data to identify a type of data.

9. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, accessing information stored remotely, wherein the information is associated with a registration for the internet protocol address.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first network device, communications that include data originated at a first end point device and directed to a second end point device;

responsive to a detection, by the first network device, of metadata contained in the communications and inserted by a second network device that identifies the second network device along a path of the communications, determining whether the second network device is a physically closest network device to the first end point device according to network topology information; and

responsive to a determination that the second network device is the physically closest network device to the first end point device, transmitting, by the first network device, the data towards the second end point device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first network device is a first waveguide system, wherein the second network device is a second waveguide system, wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system transmit and receive electromagnetic waves across a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the metadata is inserted into the communications by the second network device responsive to a determination by the second network device that an internet protocol address associated with the communications is one of internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices for which the second network device is the physically closest network device.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising:

responsive to a determination that the metadata is not contained in the communications, blocking, by the first network device, the transmitting of the data towards the second end point device.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising:

responsive to a determination that the second network device is not the physically closest network device to the first end point device, accessing information stored remotely, wherein the information is associated with a registration for an internet protocol address associated with the communications.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising:

responsive to one of a determination that the metadata is not contained in the communications, a determination that the second network device is not the physically closest network device to the first end point device, or a combination thereof;

transmitting an alert to a network server.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first network device, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving communications that include data originated at a first end point device and directed to a second end point device;

responsive to a detection of metadata contained in the communications and inserted by a second network device that identifies the second network device along a path of the communications, determining whether the second network device is a physically closest network device to the first end point device according to network topology information; and

responsive to a determination that the second network device is the physically closest network device to the first end point device, transmitting the data towards the second end point device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first network device is a first waveguide system, wherein the second network device is a second waveguide system, wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system transmit and receive electromagnetic waves across a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the metadata is inserted into the communications by the second network device responsive to a determination by the second network device that an internet protocol address associated with the communications is one of internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices for which the second network device is the physically closest network device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination that the metadata is not contained in the communications, blocking the transmitting of the data towards the second end point device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination that the second network device is not the physically closest network device to the first end point device, accessing information stored remotely, wherein the information is associated with a registration for an internet protocol address associated with the communications.