Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving secure and non-secure data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10447657-B2
Application number	US-99382509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2009
Priority date	Aug 22, 2008
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A communications system, and a method suitable for use therein, are described which are suitable for transmitting and receiving both secure and non-secure data. The system comprises: means for transmitting data comprising both ciphered secure data and unciphered non-secure data; means for receiving transmitted data; means for deciphering the received data to produce deciphered data; and means for: validating the deciphered data to produce a first validation result and outputting the deciphered data depending upon the first validation result; or validating the received data to produce a second validation result and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result; or validating the deciphered data to produce a first validation result and outputting the deciphered data depending upon the first validation result, and also validating the received data to produce a second validation result and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communications system, comprising:
a transmitting hardware apparatus comprising:
a source of traffic data;
a source of cellular system control data;
a cipher coupled to the source of the traffic data for:
ciphering the traffic data, using a ciphering algorithm selected from a plurality of ciphering algorithms supported by a receiving hardware apparatus, to produce ciphered traffic data;
selectively ciphering the cellular system control data such that the cellular system control data is ciphered under some circumstances and not ciphered under other circumstances;

a second receiver for:
receiving a first indicating signal comprising an indication of whether the receiving hardware apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered data and unciphered data, and
receiving a second indicating signal indicating the plurality of ciphering algorithms supported by the receiving hardware apparatus; and

a first transmitter coupled to the cipher and to the source of the cellular system control data for:
transmitting the ciphered traffic data and unciphered cellular system control data when the indication is that the receiving hardware apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered data and unciphered data,
transmitting the ciphered traffic data and ciphered cellular system control data when the indication is that the receiving hardware apparatus is not configured to handle data comprising both ciphered data and unciphered data, and
transmitting a third indicating signal indicating a selected ciphering algorithm; and

the receiving hardware apparatus comprising:
a second transmitter for transmitting the first indicating signal and the second indicating signal;
a first receiver for receiving the third indicating signal and data transmitted by the first transmitter;
a decipher coupled to the first receiver for deciphering the received data based on the selected ciphering algorithm to produce deciphered data; and
a validator, coupled to the decipher and to the first receiver, for:
validating the received data to produce a second validation result based on an invalid first validation result and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result; or
validating the deciphered data to produce a first validation result, outputting the deciphered data depending upon the first validation result, validating the received data to produce a second validation result based on an invalid first validation result, and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result, and
wherein the validator is configured to make a determination that input data from at least one of the decipher or the first receiver contains more than a specified percentage of errors and at least one of the first validation result or the second validation result is based on the determination.

2. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein there is no confidential, private, or secure information contained in the cellular system control data.

3. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data is selectively ciphered according to an existing state of a communications link between a remote station and a network.

4. The communications system of claim 3 , wherein ciphering is enabled for voice communications and disabled during handover.

5. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data comprises a well-defined sequence of digital data.

6. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data is predefined within the communications system.

7. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data is of a known form and occurs at known times.

8. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data comprises a known pattern for data.

9. The communications system of claim 1 , wherein the cellular system control data comprises predictable information.

10. A receiving hardware apparatus for receiving both traffic data and cellular system control data, comprising:
a transmitter for transmitting:
a first indicating signal comprising an indication of whether the receiving hardware apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered data and unciphered data, and
a second indicating signal indicating a plurality of ciphering algorithms supported by the receiving hardware apparatus;

a receiver for receiving:
a third indicating signal indicating a selected ciphering algorithm from a plurality of ciphering algorithms supported by the receiving hardware apparatus, and
data, wherein the data comprises:
ciphered traffic data and unciphered cellular system control data when the indication is that the receiving hardware apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered and unciphered data, or
ciphered traffic data and ciphered cellular system control data when the indication is that the receiving hardware apparatus is not configured to handle data comprising both ciphered and unciphered data;

a decipher, coupled to the receiver, for deciphering the received data based on the selected ciphering algorithm to produce deciphered data; and
a validator, coupled to the decipher and to the receiver, for:
validating the received data to produce a second validation result based on an invalid first validation result and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result; or
validating the deciphered data to produce a first validation result, outputting the deciphered data depending upon the first validation result, validating the received data to produce a second validation result based on an invalid first validation result, and outputting the received data depending upon the second validation result, and
wherein the validator is configured to make a determination that input data from at least one of the decipher or the first receiver contains more than a specified percentage of errors and at least one of the first validation result or the second validation result is based on the determination.

11. The receiving hardware apparatus of claim 10 , wherein there is no confidential, private, or secure information contained in the cellular system control data.

12. A method of transmitting and receiving first data and cellular system control data, the method performed by at least one hardware apparatus, the method comprising:
providing the first data;
providing the cellular system control data;
providing a first indicating signal comprising an indication of whether a receiving apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered and unciphered data;
providing a second indicating signal indicating a plurality of supported ciphering algorithms;
providing a third indicating signal indicating a selected ciphering algorithm from the plurality of supported ciphering algorithms;
transmitting the first indicating signal, the second indicating signal, and the third indicating signal;
receiving the first indicating signal, the second indicating signal, and the third indicating signal;
ciphering traffic data using the selected ciphering algorithm to produce ciphered traffic data;
selectively ciphering the cellular system control data such that the cellular system control data is ciphered under some circumstances and not ciphered under other circumstances;
transmitting both the ciphered traffic data and unciphered cellular system control data when the indication is that the receiving apparatus is configured to handle data comprising both ciphered data and unciphered data;
transmitting the ciphered traffic data and ciphered

Assignees

• Dhanda Mungal Singh
• Walke Simon
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Dhanda Mungal Singh
• Walke Simon

Classifications

• H04L9/32

  including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system {or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials} · CPC title

• H04W12/10

  Integrity · CPC title

• G06F21/606

  by securing the transmission between two devices or processes · CPC title

• H04L63/0428 Primary

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title

• H04W88/00

  Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices · CPC title