Secure network channel
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsThomas Kuehnel, Shannon J. Chan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems for establishing a secure network channel between two or more devices in a communication network are disclosed. In exemplary implementations the network may be a UPnP network. A first device passes authentication information to at least a second device to permit the second device to authenticate the first device. Optionally, the first device may request to authenticate the second device, in which authentication information associated with the second device is passed to the first device. The first device uses this information to authenticate the second device. At least one of the first and second device may store authentication information in an data store associated with the device.
Claims18
A method of adding a device to a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network, the device being a UPnP device, comprising:
- retrieving, at a control point in the UPnP network, a device description associated with the device;
- invoking by using a UPnP application programming interface (API), at the control point, a first authentication process to authenticate the device with the control point;
- retrieving, at the control point, a service description associated with the device;
- and
- retrieving, at the control point, a presentation page associated with the device,
- wherein the first authentication process comprises:
- receiving a device certificate from the device;
- authenticating the device using the device certificate;
- and
- sending a certificate from the control point to the device, the certificate suitable for the device to authenticate the control point.
A method of adding a control point to a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network, comprising:
- transmitting a search request multicast from the control point to a predetermined network address;
- receiving a response to the multicast from at least one device in the UPnP network, the device being a UPnP device, wherein the response includes an indicator requesting a secure communication between the device and the control point;
- invoking by using a UPnP application programming interface (API), at the control point, a first authentication process to authenticate the device with the control point;
- retrieving, at the control point, a device description associated with the device
- retrieving, at the control point, a service description associated with the device;
- and
- retrieving, at the control point, a presentation page associated with the device,
- wherein the first authentication process comprises:
- receiving a device certificate from the device, and
- authenticating the device using the device certificate, and
- sending a certificate from the control point to the device, the certificate suitable for the device to authenticate the control point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.