Host-based hardware peripheral authorization system
AssigneeT-Mobile USA, Inc.
InventorsMichael Bishop, Shawn David Corey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for authenticating a peripheral device prior to allowing the peripheral device access to components and data stored on user equipment. In some examples, the user equipment may include an authorization component that is configured to physically decouple a hardware interface from other components of the user equipment until the authorization component is able to authenticate the peripheral device. Both authorized peripheral devices and the user equipment may be provisioned with authorization data and/or credentials from a system outside the control of the individual users of the user equipment.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a hardware interface of a user equipment via a wireless communication channel, authorization data from a remote system, the authorization data associated with a designated type of peripheral device approved to access the user equipment;
- detecting a coupling of a first peripheral device to the hardware interface;
- receiving authorization credentials from the first peripheral device;
- determining that the first peripheral device is authorized to access the user equipment based at least in part on the authorization data and the authorization credentials;
- and
- allowing, in response to determining the first peripheral device is authorized, the first peripheral device to access the user equipment.
A system comprising:
- a communication interface;
- a hardware interface for physically coupling to a peripheral device;
- one or more processors;
- an authorization component coupled between the hardware interface and the one or more processors and the communication interface, the authorization component configured to perform operations including:
- receiving, wirelessly via the communication interface, authorization data from a remote system;
- decoupling the hardware interface from the communication interface and the one or more processors;
- detecting a physical coupling of a first peripheral device to the hardware interface;
- receiving authorization credentials from the first peripheral device;
- determining that the first peripheral device is authorized to access the system based at least in part on the authorization data and the authorization credentials;
- and
- in response to determining the first peripheral device is authorized, recoupling the hardware interface to the communication interface and the one or more processors.
An authorization component of a user equipment comprising:
- a decoupling circuit having a first state in which the authorization component is communicatively coupled to a hardware interface and communicatively decoupled from other components of the user equipment and a second state in which the authorization component is communicatively coupled to the hardware interface and the other components of the user equipment;
- one or more processors;
- a non-transitory computer-readable media accessible to the one or more processors when the decoupling circuit is in the first state, the non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
- storing authorization data associated with one or more peripheral devices on the non-transitory computer-readable media;
- causing the decoupling circuit to enter the first state;
- detecting a physical coupling of a first peripheral device to the hardware interface;
- receiving authorization credentials from the first peripheral device;
- determining that the first peripheral device is authorized to access the user equipment based at least in part on the authorization data and the authorization credentials;
- and
- in response to determining the first peripheral device is authorized, causing the decoupling circuit to transition to the second state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.