US 11,387,989 B2Granted

Range constrained device configuration

AssigneeIntel Corporation

InventorsMats Gustav Agerstam, Venkata R. Vallabhu

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Abstract

Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, and machine readable mediums for secure, low end-user effort computing device configuration. In some examples the IoT device is configured via a user's computing device over a short range wireless link of a first type. This short range wireless communication may use a connection establishment that does not require end-user input. For example, the end user will not have to enter, or confirm a PIN number or other authentication information such as usernames and/or passwords. This allows configuration to involve less user input. In some examples, to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, the power of a transmitter in the IoT device that transmits the short range wireless link is reduced during a configuration procedure so that the range of the transmissions to and from the user's computing device are reduced to a short distance.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An enrollee computing device comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions, the instructions, when performed by the processor cause the enrollee computing device to perform operations to:
identify an unconfigured state of the enrollee computing device, by determining that the enrollee computing device requires a set of credentials to securely connect to a network;
advertise a configuration service, the configuration service to receive information from a configurator, wherein the configurator is a configuration computing device to provision the enrollee computing device with the set of credentials to securely connect to the network;
receive a broadcast, responsive to the advertising of the configuration service, of a device provisioning protocol from the configurator;
establish a secure short-range wireless session with the configurator, the secure short-range wireless session established without a user input and performed using a low-power connection;
receive, responsive to establishing the secure short-range wireless session between the configurator and the enrollee computing device, configuration information of the enrollee computing device via the configuration service;
implement the configuration information, the configuration information specifying one or more parameters of a wireless connection type;
and
establish, responsive to implementing the configuration information, a wireless connection according to the one or more parameters.

8 more elements

At least one non-transitory machine readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to at least:

identify an unconfigured state of an enrollee computing device, by determining that the enrollee computing device requires a set of credentials to securely connect to a network;
advertise a configuration service, the configuration service adapted to receive information from a configurator, wherein the configurator is a configuration computing device to provision the enrollee computing device with the set of credentials to securely connect to the network;
receive a broadcast, responsive to the advertising of the configuration service, of a device provisioning protocol from the configurator;
establish a secure short-range wireless session with the configurator, the secure short-range wireless session established without a user input and performed using a low-power connection;
receive, responsive to establishing the secure short-range wireless session between the configurator and the enrollee computing device, configuration information of the enrollee computing device via the configuration service;
implement the configuration information, the configuration information specifying one or more parameters of a wireless connection type;
and
establish, responsive to implementing the configuration information, a wireless connection according to the one or more parameters.

5 more elements

A method for configuration of an enrollee computing device, the method comprising:

identifying an unconfigured state of the enrollee computing device, by determining that the enrollee computing device requires a set of credentials to securely connect to a network;
advertising a configuration service, the configuration service adapted to receive information from a configurator, wherein the configurator is a configuration computing device to provision the enrollee device with the set of credentials to securely connect to the network;
receiving a broadcast, responsive to the advertising of the configuration service, of a device provisioning protocol from the configurator;
establishing a secure short-range wireless session with the configurator, the secure short-range wireless session established without a user input and performed using a low-power connection;
receiving, responsive to establishing the secure short-range wireless session between the configurator and the enrollee computing device, configuration information of the enrollee computing device via the configuration service;
implementing the configuration information, the configuration information specifying one or more parameters of a wireless connection type;
and
establishing, responsive to implementing the configuration information, a wireless connection according to the one or more parameters.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/798,597Filed 24 Feb 2020 · continuation
Priority: 21 Dec 2016
Published: US 2020/0287713 A110 Sep 2020
Granted: 12 Jul 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification25 codes

H04L 9/0841
Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or…:…
H04L 41/0803
Configuration management of networks or network elements: configuration setting
H04L 41/28
Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks: restricting access to…
H04L 63/061
For supporting key management in a packet data network: for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks

Family

Application15/386,485Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Dec 2016
US 2020/0287713 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Sep 2020
US 10,574,445 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0176009 A1Published application
US 11,387,989 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.