System and method for secure pairing of bluetooth devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10064040-B2
Application number	US-201715832982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A mobile device includes a Bluetooth transceiver, the Bluetooth transceiver being in an idle power state when not securely paired to a second Bluetooth transceiver of a peripheral device. The mobile device further includes an audio interface, the audio interface coupled to the Bluetooth transceiver, the audio interface configured to connect to a second audio interface of the peripheral device. The mobile device is configured to establish an out-of-band audio communication channel to the peripheral device by connecting the audio interface to the second audio interface, the mobile device configured to exchange Bluetooth authentication data with the peripheral device via the out-of-band audio communication channel in response to transitioning to an operating state, the mobile device configured to initialize the Bluetooth transceiver with the Bluetooth authentication data to establish an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel allowing the mobile device to be securely paired with the peripheral device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system of securely paired Bluetooth devices comprising:
a host device comprising an audio interface and a Bluetooth transceiver,
a peripheral device comprising an audio interface and a Bluetooth transceiver,
wherein the Bluetooth transceiver of the host device and the Bluetooth transceiver of the peripheral device are in an idle power state when the host device and the peripheral device are not securely paired;

wherein the host device and the peripheral device couple to each other via their corresponding audio interfaces and communicate with each other by establishing an out-of-band audio communication channel through the coupled audio interfaces;
wherein the host device and the peripheral device exchange Bluetooth authentication data via the out-of-band audio communication channel; and
wherein the host device and the peripheral device securely pair with each other by establishing an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel with each other and wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel is established by
turning on the Bluetooth transceivers, and
initializing the corresponding Bluetooth transceivers with the corresponding exchanged Bluetooth authentication data.

2. The system of claim 1 , further wherein the turning on of the Bluetooth transceivers comprises transitioning from the idle power state to an operating state.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Bluetooth authentication data comprises one of authentication code, PIN code, Bluetooth Device Address, Simple Pairing Hash C or Simple Pairing Randomizer R.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein communications between the host device and the peripheral device via the out-of-band audio communication channel are two-way communications and use modulations comprising one of Manchester coding, Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK), or Phase-Shifted Keying (PSK).

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turning on or off of the Bluetooth transceivers is controlled through the out-of-band audio communication channel to reduce power consumption and radiation by the Bluetooth transceivers.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the host device is paired with the peripheral device using a Bluetooth pairing protocol comprising one of Legacy Pairing, Secure Simple Pairing (SSP), or Out-of-Band (OOB) Pairing.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is initially in a sleep mode and
either the host device wakes up the peripheral device by sending a command via the out-of-band audio communication channel, or
the peripheral device wakes itself up by detecting a presence of the host device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the peripheral device detects the presence of the host device by the presence of a signal in the audio channel.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the command is sent in the form of a frequency tone or data packet.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling between the host device and the peripheral device via their corresponding audio interfaces is performed using a wired connection.

11. A method for securely pairing Bluetooth devices comprising:
providing a first device comprising a first audio interface and a first Bluetooth transceiver,
providing a second device comprising a second audio interface and a second Bluetooth transceiver,
coupling the first device and the second device to each other via their corresponding audio interfaces;
communicating between the first device and the second device by establishing an out-of-band audio communication channel through the coupled audio interfaces;
exchanging Bluetooth authentication data between the first device and the second device via the out-of-band audio communication channel; and
pairing the first device and the second device with each other by establishing an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel with each other and wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel is established by
turning on the Bluetooth transceivers, and
initializing the corresponding Bluetooth transceivers with the corresponding exchanged Bluetooth authentication data.

12. The method of claim 11 , further wherein the turning on of the Bluetooth transceivers comprises transitioning from an idle power state to an operating state.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the Bluetooth authentication data comprise one of authentication code, PIN code, Bluetooth Device Address, Simple Pairing Hash C or Simple Pairing Randomizer R.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein communications between the first device and the second device via the out-of-band audio communication channel are two-way communications and use modulations comprising one of Manchester coding, Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK), or Phase-Shifted Keying (PSK).

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the turning on or off of the Bluetooth transceivers is controlled through the out-of-band audio communication channel to reduce power consumption and radiation by the Bluetooth transceivers.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first device is paired with the second device using a Bluetooth pairing protocol comprising one of Legacy Pairing, Secure Simple Pairing (SSP), or Out-of-Band (OOB) Pairing.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first device is a host device and the second device is a peripheral device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the peripheral device is initially in a sleep mode and
either the host device wakes up the peripheral device by sending a command via the out-of-band audio communication channel, or
the peripheral device wakes itself up by detecting a presence of the host device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the peripheral device detects the presence of the host device by the presence of a signal in the audio channel.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the coupling between the host device and the peripheral device via their corresponding audio interfaces is performed using a wired connection.

Assignees

• Bbpos Ltd

Inventors

• Lo Chi Wah

Classifications

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W12/04

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04B7/26

  at least one of which is mobile · CPC title