US 11,777,932 B1 · Controlling access to internet of things devices using verifiable credentials

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes an IoT access control exchange for IoT devices. Verifiable credentials can be generated and used to grant access to IoT devices definitively identified using a Decentralized Identifier (DID). DIDs for IoT devices are registered by the IoT exchange hub acting as an Identity Hub. An organization interested in obtaining data from a collection of devices, the IoT Access Customer, contacts the IoT device owner agent via their mutual agents and obtains a verifiable credential with a request for access. The access request is submitted to the IoT exchange hub. The IoT exchange hub either enforces the access request itself if the devices do not have enough resources or submits the verifiable credential with the access request to the devices for them to enforce access. The IoT access customer agent, IoT device owner agent, and IoT exchange hub similarly identify themselves and prove authentication using DIDs.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

an Internet of Things (IoT) device owner agent configured to manage access to a plurality of IoT devices;
an IoT access customer agent configured to provide to the IoT device owner agent an access request to access an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices, the access request including one or more request properties, the one or more request properties including a privacy preserving parameter,
wherein in response to the access request, the IoT device owner agent is configured to receive an identifier for a verifiable credential, format the verifiable credential in accordance with the one or more request properties, and provide the verifiable credential to the IoT access customer agent, wherein the verifiable credential includes a decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device;
and
an IoT exchange hub configured to:
receive a request for an identifier for the verifiable credential from the IoT device owner agent,
allocate the verifiable credential including the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device, and
provide the identifier of the verifiable credential to the IoT device owner agent.

5 more elements

An Internet of Things (IoT) exchange hub comprising:

one or more processors;
and
a memory having instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
receive, from an IoT access customer agent, a verifiable credential in a request to access an IoT device, the request comprising a data stream request or a control stream request, wherein the verifiable credential comprises a decentralized identifier identifying the IoT access customer agent and a decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device,
authenticate the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT access customer agent,
verify the verifiable credential, and
in response to a determination that the verifiable credential is valid and the decentralized identifier associated with the IoT access customer agent is valid, provide a control stream source location or a data sink location to the IoT device associated with the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device.

4 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving, by an Internet of Things (IoT) exchange hub from an IoT access customer agent, a verifiable credential in a request to access an IoT device, the request comprising a data stream request or a control stream request, wherein the verifiable credential comprises a decentralized identifier identifying the IoT access customer agent and a decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device;
authenticating, by the IoT exchange hub, the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT access customer agent;
verifying, by the IoT exchange hub, the verifiable credential;
and
in response to determining that the verifiable credential is valid and the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT access customer agent is authentic, providing, by the IoT exchange hub, a control stream source location or a data sink location to the IoT device associated with the decentralized identifier identifying the IoT device.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Controlling access to internet of things devices using verifiable credentials

Life of this patent

Controlling access to internet of things devices using verifiable credentials

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20