Communication apparatus, communication method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016198344-A1
Application number	US-201615069162-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 14, 2016
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a communication apparatus includes a receiver, a first beacon processor, a second beacon processor, and an authentication processor. The receiver receives a first beacon transmitted over a wireless network while being protected by a first common key and a second beacon transmitted over the wireless network while not being protected by the first common key. The first beacon processor accesses the wireless network using information contained in the first beacon when the first common key is provided. The second beacon processor accesses the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon when the first common key is not provided. The authentication processor performs connection authentication to the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon and acquires the first common key.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A communication apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a first beacon transmitted over a wireless network while being protected by a first common key and a second beacon transmitted over the wireless network while not being protected by the first common key; a first beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using information contained in the first beacon when the first common key is provided; a second beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon when the first common key is not provided; and an authentication processor configured to perform connection authentication to the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon and acquire the first common key.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second beacon is transmitted over the wireless network while not being protected.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second beacon is protected by a second common key different from the first common key.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second beacon is protected by a public key or a secret key of public key cryptography.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the wireless network is a wireless network compliant with IEEE 802.15.4e-2012 Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) Media Access Control (MAC), and the authentication processor performs connection authentication using a link that is a Shared Tx link and an Rx link of IEEE 802.15.4e-2012 TSCH MAC.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first beacon and the second beacon are periodically transmitted with a designated mixed ratio.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the mixed ratio is changed in accordance with the number of apparatuses connected to the wireless network.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second beacon is transmitted in response to a transmission request of the second beacon.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second beacon does not contain information required only for an apparatus for which connection to the wireless network has been authenticated.

10 . A communication apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a beacon transmitted over a wireless network, the beacon containing secure information protected by a first common key and non-secure information not protected by the first common key; a beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using the secure information when the first common key is provided and access the wireless network using the non-secure information when the first common key is not provided; and an authentication processor configured to perform connection authentication to the wireless network using the non-secure information and acquire the first common key.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the non-secure information does not contain information required only for an apparatus for which connection to the wireless network has been authenticated.

12 . A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including programmed instructions that cause a computer to function as:
a receiver configured to receive a first beacon transmitted over a wireless network while being protected by a first common key and a second beacon transmitted over the wireless network while not being protected by the first common key; a first beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using information contained in the first beacon when the first common key is provided; a second beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon when the first common key is not provided; and an authentication processor configured to perform connection authentication to the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon and acquire the first common key.

13 . A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium including programmed instructions that cause a computer to function as:
a receiver configured to receive a beacon transmitted over a wireless network, the beacon containing secure information protected by a first common key and non-secure information not protected by the first common key; a beacon processor configured to access the wireless network using the secure information when the first common key is provided and access the wireless network using the non-secure information when the first common key is not provided; and an authentication processor configured to perform connection authentication to the wireless network using the non-secure information and acquire the first common key.

14 . A method of communication comprising:
receiving a first beacon transmitted over a wireless network while being protected by a first common key and a second beacon transmitted over the wireless network while not being protected by the first common key; accessing the wireless network using information contained in the first beacon when the first common key is provided; accessing the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon when the first common key is not provided; and performing connection authentication to the wireless network using information contained in the second beacon and acquiring the first common key.

15 . A method of communication comprising:
receiving a beacon transmitted over a wireless network, the beacon containing secure information protected by a first common key and non-secure information not protected by the first common key; accessing the wireless network using the secure information when the first common key is provided and accessing the wireless network using the non-secure information when the first common key is not provided; and performing connection authentication to the wireless network using the non-secure information and acquiring the first common key.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Oba Yoshihiro
• Sakata Ren
• Kudo Hiroki
• Doi Yusuke

Classifications

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title

• H04L9/0844

  with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04L63/0442

  wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30) · CPC title

• H04W12/06 Primary

  Authentication · CPC title