System and method for secure pairing of Bluetooth devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10834563-B2
Application number	US-201916577187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Mar 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

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 peripheral device to securely pair with a host device comprising a host audio interface and a host Bluetooth transceiver, the peripheral device comprising:
a peripheral device audio interface; and
a peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver, wherein:
the host Bluetooth transceiver and the peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver are in an idle power state when the host device and the peripheral device are not securely paired,
the peripheral device couples to the host device via the peripheral device audio interface, and the peripheral device communicates with the host device by establishing an out-of-band audio communication channel via the peripheral device audio interface;
the peripheral device transmits Bluetooth authentication data to the host device via the out-of-band audio communication channel,
the peripheral device receives Bluetooth authentication data from the host device via the out-of-band audio communication channel, and
the peripheral device securely pairs with the host device by establishing an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel with the host device,

wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel is established by:
the peripheral device and the host device turning on their respective peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver and host Bluetooth transceiver,
the host device initializing the host Bluetooth transceiver using the Bluetooth authentication data transmitted by the peripheral device, and
the peripheral device initializing the peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver using the Bluetooth authentication data received by the peripheral device, and wherein said secure pairing is based on a pairing protocol.

2. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device comprises a computing device.

3. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel between the host device and the peripheral device is established automatically.

4. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein communications between the host device and the peripheral device via the out-of-band audio communication channel are performed based on one of Manchester coding, Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK), or Phase-Shifted Keying (PSK).

5. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein the turning on of the peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver and the host Bluetooth transceiver is controlled through the out-of-band audio communication channel.

6. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is initially in a sleep mode; and
either the peripheral device wakes up in response to a command from the host device, or
the peripheral device wakes up based on detection of a presence of the host device.

7. The peripheral device of claim 6 , wherein the command comprises either a frequency tone or a data packet.

8. The peripheral device of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device comprises one of a desktop computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), netbook, tablet computer, notebook computer, electronic reader, digital music player, digital video player, game console, or computing circuit.

9. A system for securely pairing devices, the system comprising:
a first device including a first audio interface and a first Bluetooth transceiver; and
a second device comprising a second audio interface and a second Bluetooth transceiver, wherein:
the first Bluetooth transceiver and the second Bluetooth transceiver are in an idle power state when the first device and the second device are not securely paired,
the first device and the second device couple to each other via their corresponding first audio interface and second audio interface, and communicate with each other by establishing an out-of-band audio communication channel through the coupled first audio interface and second audio interface,
the first device and the second device exchange Bluetooth authentication data via the out-of-band audio communication channel, and
the first device and the second device securely pair with each other by establishing an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel with each other,

wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel is established by:
turning on the first Bluetooth transceiver and the second Bluetooth transceiver, and
initializing the first Bluetooth transceiver and the second Bluetooth transceiver with the exchanged Bluetooth authentication data, and

wherein said secure pairing is based on a pairing protocol.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first device is a host device and the second device is a peripheral device, wherein the peripheral device is initially in a sleep mode, and wherein either the host device wakes up the peripheral device, or the peripheral device wakes up from the sleep mode based on detecting of a presence of the host device.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the turning on of the first Bluetooth transceiver and the second Bluetooth transceiver is controlled through the out-of-band audio communication channel.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the turning on of the first Bluetooth transceiver and the second Bluetooth transceiver is controlled through the out-of-band audio communication channel.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein communications between the first device and the second device via the out-of-band audio communication channel are performed based on one of Manchester coding, Frequency Shifted Keying (FSK), or Phase-Shifted Keying (PSK).

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first device and the second device pair with each other based on a Bluetooth pairing protocol.

15. A host device to securely pair with a peripheral device comprising a peripheral device audio interface and a peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver, the host device comprising
a host audio interface; and
a host Bluetooth transceiver, wherein:
the host Bluetooth transceiver and the peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver are in an idle power state when the host device and the peripheral device are not securely paired,
the host device couples to the peripheral device via the peripheral device audio interface, and the host device communicates with the peripheral device by establishing an out-of-band audio communication channel via the peripheral device audio interface;
the host device transmits Bluetooth authentication data to the peripheral device via the out-of-band audio communication channel,
the host device receives Bluetooth authentication data from the peripheral device via the out-of-band audio communication channel, and
the host device securely pairs with the peripheral device by establishing an authenticated and cryptographically protected in-band Bluetooth communication channel with the peripheral device,

wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel is established by:
the peripheral device and the host device turning on their respective peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver and host Bluetooth transceiver,
the peripheral device initializing the peripheral device Bluetooth transceiver using the Bluetooth authentication data transmitted by the host device, and
the host device initializing the host Bluetooth transceiver using the Bluetooth authentication data received by the host device, and

wherein said secure pairing is based on a pairing protocol.

16. The host device of claim 15 , wherein the in-band Bluetooth communication channel between the host device and the peripheral device is established automatically.

17. The host device of claim 15 , wherein

Assignees

• Bbpos Ltd

Inventors

• Lo Chi Wah

Classifications

• H04W12/65

  Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data · CPC title

• H04W12/50

  Secure pairing of devices · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · 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