Method of using one device to unlock another device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11329827-B2
Application number	US-201615286505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2016
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

A method of unlocking a second device using a first device is disclosed. The method can include: the first device pairing with the second device; establishing a trusted relationship with the second device; authenticating the first device using a device key; receiving a secret key from the second device; receiving a user input from an input/output device; and transmitting the received secret key to the second device to unlock the second device in response to receiving the user input, wherein establishing a trusted relationship with the second device comprises using a key generated from a hardware key associated with the first device to authenticate the device key.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for unlocking a second device with a first device, the method comprising:
during a first communication process, establishing a trusted relationship between the first device and the second device, including generating an unlocking key and generating a first long-term key;
during a second communication process after the first communication process:
receiving, at the first device, a user input corresponding to a request to unlock the second device;
in response to receiving the user input, generating, at the first device, a short-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated using the first long-term key;
transmitting the short-term key from the first device to the second device;
receiving, from the second device, an encrypting key generated by the second device using the short-term key;
encrypting the unlocking key with the encrypting key; and
transmitting the encrypted unlocking key from the first device to the second device to unlock the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the short-term key is unique for each process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the encrypting key is unique for each process.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing the trusted relationship further includes receiving, at the first device, the first long-term key from the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing the trusted relationship further includes generating a second long-term key at the first device.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising signing the first long-term key and storing the first long-term key at the first device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unlocking key is generated from the first long-term key and a second long-term key.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, during the first communication process:
signing the first long-term key at the first device, wherein the second long-term key is signed at the second device; and
storing the first long-term key at the first device, wherein the second long-term key is stored at the second device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unlocking key is received at the first device from the second device.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating a session during the first communication process using the first long-term key and a second long-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated from the session.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after unlocking the second device, deleting one or more of the short-term key and the encrypting key.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of a first device capable of unlocking a second device, the storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor perform a method comprising:
during a first communication process, establishing a trusted relationship between the first device and the second device, including generating an unlocking key and generating a first long-term key;
during a second communication process, after the first communication process:
receiving, at the first device, a user input corresponding to a request to unlock the second device;
in response to receiving the user input, generating, at the first device, a short-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated using the first long-term key;
transmitting the short-term key to the second device;
receiving, from the second device, an encrypting key generated by the second device using the short-term key;
encrypting an unlocking key with the encrypting key; and
transmitting the encrypted unlocking key from the first device to the second device to unlock the second device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the short-term key is unique for each process.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the encrypting key is unique for each process.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein establishing the trusted relationship further includes receiving, at the first device, the first long-term key from the second device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein establishing the trusted relationship further includes generating a second long-term key at the first device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the unlocking key is generated from the first long-term key and a second long-term key.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the unlocking key is received at the first device from the second device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , the method further comprising creating a session during the first communication process using the first long-term key and a second long-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated from the session.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , the method further comprising, after unlocking the second device, deleting one or more of the short-term key and the encrypting key.

21. A first device capable of unlocking a second device, the first device comprising:
one or more processors;
memory; and
one or more instructions, wherein the one or more instructions are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more instructions including instructions for:
during a first communication process, establishing a trusted relationship between the first device and the second device, including generating an unlocking key and generating a first long-term key;
during a second communication process, after the first communication process:
receiving a user input corresponding to a request to unlock the second device;
in response to receiving the user input, generating, at the first device, a short-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated using the first long-term key;
transmitting the short-term key to the second device;
receiving, from the second device, an encrypting key generated by the second device using the short-term key;
encrypting the unlocking key with the encrypting key; and
transmitting the encrypted unlocking key to the second device to unlock the second device.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the unlocking key includes generating the unlocking key at the second device, the method further comprising:
during the first communication process, transmitting the unlocking key from the second device to the first device.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sauerwald Conrad
• Ledwith Alexander
• Iarocci John
• Krochmal Marc J
• Benson Wade
• Novick Gregory
• Witherspoon Noah

Classifications

• H04L2209/24

  Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption · CPC title

• G06F21/44 Primary

  Program or device authentication · CPC title

• G06F21/445 Primary

  by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs · CPC title

• H04L9/3226

  using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083) · CPC title

• H04L9/3271

  using challenge-response · CPC title