Blockchain authentication for mobile network access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10448251-B1
Application number	US-201916288285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2019
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Certain aspects of this disclosure relate to authentication of mobile devices to the public wireless network using blockchains. In some aspects, a system includes a database configured to store blockchains for authenticating mobile devices to access a public wireless network. Each blockchain can be associated with a mobile device. A processor can receive a blockchain record from a mobile device and grant access of the mobile device to the public wireless network when the blockchain record corresponds to the blockchain stored in the database. A new block can be appended to a blockchain to produce a new blockchain for authenticating access of the mobile device to the public wireless network at a future time. The current blockchain record is stored in the mobile device and accessed for authentication to the public wireless network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a database configured to store a plurality of blockchains for authenticating a plurality of mobile devices to access a public wireless network, a blockchain associated with a mobile device;
a processor communicatively coupled to the database and the public wireless network; and
a non-transitory memory device comprising instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving a blockchain record from the mobile device, wherein the blockchain record corresponds to a current blockchain associated with the mobile device;
granting access by the mobile device to the public wireless network when the blockchain record corresponds to the blockchain associated with the mobile device;
appending a new block to the current blockchain to produce a new blockchain associated with the mobile device for authenticating access of the mobile device to the public wireless network at a future time;
storing the new blockchain in the database as the blockchain associated with the mobile device; and
providing a new blockchain record for the new blockchain to the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the blockchain record includes a hash value derived using an encryption key assigned to the mobile device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein an initial block in the blockchain is defined by applying the encryption key to personal information about a user of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the new block is appended to the current blockchain each time the mobile device is authenticated for access to the public wireless network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the new block is appended to the current blockchain according to a selection received from a user of the mobile device through a Web interface communicatively coupled to the processor.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the database comprises a plurality of redundant databases.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the public wireless network is a long-term evolution (LTE) network and wherein at least one of the plurality of redundant databases is accessed through a packet gateway within an evolved package core.

8. A method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, a blockchain record from a mobile device;
comparing, by the processor, the blockchain record to a blockchain associated with the mobile device in a database;
granting, by the processor, access by the mobile device to the public wireless network when the blockchain record corresponds to the blockchain associated with the mobile device stored in the database;
appending, by the processor, a new block to a current blockchain to produce a new blockchain associated with the mobile device for authenticating access of the mobile device to the public wireless network at a future time;
storing, by the processor, the new blockchain in the database as the blockchain associated with the mobile device; and
providing, by the processor, a new blockchain record for the new blockchain to the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the blockchain record includes a hash value derived using an encryption key assigned to the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising applying the encryption key to personal information about a user of the mobile device to produce an initial block for the blockchain associated with the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the new block is appended to the current blockchain each time the mobile device accesses the public wireless network.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the new block is appended to the current blockchain according to a selection, the method further comprising receiving the selection through a Web interface.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the database comprises a plurality of redundant databases.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the public wireless network is a long-term evolution (LTE) network and wherein at least one of the plurality of redundant databases is accessed through a packet gateway within an evolved package core.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes instructions that are executable by a mobile device for causing the mobile device to perform operations for authenticating access to a public wireless network, the operations comprising:
accessing a blockchain record stored in the mobile device;
sending the blockchain record to a mobility management entity (MME) for a public wireless network in order to authenticate access to the public wireless network;
connecting to the public wireless network in response to access to being authenticated when the blockchain record matches a blockchain stored in a database communicatively connected to the MME;
receiving a new blockchain record created by appending a new block to the blockchain, the new blockchain record for authenticating access of the mobile device to the public wireless network at a future time; and
storing the new blockchain record.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the blockchain record includes a hash value derived using an encryption key assigned to the mobile device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein an initial block in the blockchain is defined by applying the encryption key to personal information about a user of the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the new block is appended to the blockchain each time the mobile device accesses the public wireless network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprising providing access to the blockchain record for at least one application in the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the blockchain record is stored in a blockchain element within the mobile device.

Assignees

• At & T Mobility Ii Llc

Inventors

• Maria Arturo

Classifications

• H04W12/10

  Integrity · CPC title

• H04L63/123

  received data contents, e.g. message integrity · CPC title

• H04W12/06 Primary

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04L2209/80

  Wireless · CPC title

• H04L9/3239

  involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD · CPC title