Mobile-based equipment service system using encrypted code offloading

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10116635-B1
Application number	US-201715499356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A mobile-based equipment service system includes a remote server, a mobile device, and at least one equipment controller. The mobile device includes a user interface, and is configured to send a user authentication message, initiated by a user via the user interface, to the remote server. The remote server is configured to verify the user via the user authentication message and once verified, send an encrypted blob to the mobile device in response to the user authentication message. At least one equipment controller is configured to receive and decrypt the encrypted blob from the mobile device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile-based equipment service system applied by a user, the mobile-based equipment service system comprising:
a remote server including a computer processor, a non-transitory storage medium, an application executed by the computer processor and stored in the non-transitory storage medium, a user authentication database stored in the non-transitory storage medium and applied by the application;
a mobile device including a user interface, the mobile device being configured to send a user authentication message initiated by the user via the user interface to the remote server, wherein the application is configured to verify the user by comparing the user authentication message to the user authentication database, and once verified, develop and effect the sending of an encrypted blob to the mobile device in response to the user authentication message;
at least one equipment controller including a computer processor, a non-transitory storage medium, executable code, executed by the computer processor and stored in the non-transitory storage medium;
at least one site, wherein each site of the at least one site includes at least one respective equipment controller of the at least one equipment controller, and the encrypted blob is secured by the remote server via a site specific private key associated with a respective site of the at least one site, the authentication message including user credentials and a selected site of the at least one site selected by the user, wherein the computer processor of the equipment controller is configured to receive the encrypted blob and the executable code is configured to decrypt the encrypted blob received from the mobile device and utilizing the site specific private key.

2. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the encrypted blob includes firmware and a header configured to be extracted by the executable code.

3. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 2 , wherein the header includes the site specific private key, and a duration to authenticate.

4. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 3 , wherein the header includes a version that is verified by the executable code.

5. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one site is a plurality of buildings.

6. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one site is a plurality of geographic regions.

7. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one equipment controller is at least one elevator controller.

8. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one equipment controller does not have internet connectivity.

9. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the at least one equipment controller is configured to reply to the mobile device by requesting the user authentication message from the user.

10. The mobile-based equipment service system set forth in claim 1 , wherein the encrypted blob is asymmetric encrypted.

11. A method of operating a mobile-based equipment service system comprising:
sending a selected site from a mobile device to a remote server;
encrypting a blob by an application executed by a processor of the remote server using a private key associated with the selected site and preprogrammed into the remote server as part of a database stored in a non-transitory storage medium of the remote server;
sending the encrypted blob to the mobile device;
sending the encrypted blob from the mobile device to a controller associated with the selected site; and
decrypting the encrypted blob by an executable code executed by a processor of the controller utilizing the private key preprogrammed into the controller.

12. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the selected site is selected by a user of the mobile device and is sent to the remote server as part of an authentication message that includes credentials of the user.

13. The method set forth in claim 11 further comprising:
sending a credential request from the controller to the mobile device;
entering of credentials by a user into the mobile device; and
sending the credentials from the mobile device to the controller.

14. The method set forth in claim 13 further comprising:
comparing the credentials sent from the mobile device to a hash of credentials sent as part of the encrypted blob by the controller.

15. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the remote server is cloud-based.

16. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

17. The method set forth in claim 11 , wherein the selected site is a building and the controller is an elevator controller.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Shila Devu Manikantan
• Grondine Arthur T
• Garfinkel Michael
• Lovett Teems E

Classifications

• G06F21/572 Primary

  Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS] · CPC title

• B66B1/3461

  between the elevator control system and remote or mobile stations · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L63/083

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

• H04L63/0853

  using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234) · CPC title