Communicating with a machine to machine device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016234183-A1
Application number	US-201415021900-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 12, 2014
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for administering an interface between a machine-to-machine, M2M, device and a network application function, NAF, for secure communication between the M2M device and the NAF. In one method, the M2M device administers the interface by transmitting administration data to the NAF, wherein the administration data comprises a name for the M2M device, and wherein the name for the M2M device is equal to, or derived at least in part from, or otherwise linked to, at least part of data that are shared between the M2M device and a boot-strapping server.

First claim

1 . A method for a machine-to-machine, M2M, device to administer an interface between the M2M device and a network application function, NAF, for secure communication between the M2M device and the NAF, the method comprising the step of:
transmitting administration data to the NAF, wherein the administration data comprises a name for the M2M device, and wherein the name for the M2M device is equal to, or derived at least in part from, or otherwise linked to, at least part of data that are shared between the M2M device and a bootstrapping server.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
deriving the name for the M2M device at least in part from at least part of the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server.

3 . The method of either claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein:
the name for the M2M device is linked to at least a part of the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server; and wherein
the administration data further comprises a data element equal to or derived from the at least part of the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server to which the name for the M2M device is linked.

4 . The method of any preceding claim, wherein the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping sever comprises security information for enabling secure communication via the interface.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the security information comprises at least one of a secret or private key and/or a key identifier.

6 . The method of either claim 4 or claim 5 , further comprising a step of:
setting a secure interface lifetime parameter based on a lifetime of at least part of the security information; wherein
the administration data comprises the secure interface lifetime parameter.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value greater than or equal to the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value greater than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value greater than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information by a first amount.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value less than or equal to the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

11 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value less than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

12 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value less than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information by a second amount.

13 . The method of any of claims 4 to 12 , further comprising the steps of:
checking the remaining lifetime of the at least part of the security information; and
if the remaining lifetime of the at least part of the security information is less than a security information lifetime threshold, requesting new security information from the bootstrapping server.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising a step of:
if the request for new security information fails, repeating the request for new security information after a period of time.

15 . The method of either claim 13 or claim 14 , wherein the step of checking the remaining lifetime of the at least part of the security information is carried out before a secure communication transmission from the M2M device to the NAF via the interface.

16 . The method of any preceding claim, wherein the interface is a device management interface.

17 . The method of any preceding claim, wherein the interface is a Lightweight M2M, LWM2M, interface.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the administration data is transmitted to the NAF as at least part of a Register operation or as at least part of an Update operation.

19 . An M2M device comprising logic configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.

20 . A method for a network application function, NAF, to administer an interface between the NAF and a machine-to-machine, M2M, device, for secure communication between the NAF and M2M device, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving administration data from the M2M device, the administration data comprising a name for the M2M device that is equal to, or derived at least in part from, or otherwise linked to, at least part of data that are shared between the M2M device and a bootstrapping server; and transmitting an administration response to the M2M device.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the administration data comprises a data element equal to or derived from at least a part of the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server, the method further comprising a step of:
checking that the name for the M2M device and the received data element are linked to each other, wherein if the name for the M2M device and the received data element are not linked to each other, the administration response is set to indicate an error in the administration data.

22 . The method of either claim 20 or claim 21 , wherein the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server comprises security information for enabling secure communication via the interface.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the security information comprises at least one of a secret or private key and/or a key identifier.

24 . The method of either claim 22 or claim 23 , wherein the administration data further comprises at least part of the security information and a secure interface lifetime parameter that has been set based on a lifetime of at least part of the security information.

25 . The method of claim 24 further comprising:
checking the lifetime of the at least part of the security information; and
comparing the secure interface lifetime parameter with the lifetime of the at least part of the security information; wherein
if the comparison does not meet a comparison condition, the administration response is set to indicate an error in the administration data.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the comparison condition is that the secure interface lifetime parameter is greater than or equal to the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the comparison condition is that the secure interface lifetime parameter is greater than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information

28 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the comparison condition is that the secure interface lifetime parameter is greater than the lifetime associated with the at least part of the security information by a first amount.

29 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the comparison condition is that the secure interface lifetime parameter is less than or equal to the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

30 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the comparison condition is that the secure interface lifetime parameter is less than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

Assignees

• Vodafone Ip Licensing Ltd

Inventors

• Bone Nick

Classifications

• G06F13/28

  using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access {DMA}, cycle steal (G06F13/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/50

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• H04L63/0823

  using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263) · CPC title

• H04L9/0861

  Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords · CPC title

• H04W12/02

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