Communicating with a machine to machine device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016234255-A1
Application number	US-201415021879-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 comprises security information for enabling secure communication via the interface, and administers the interface by: setting a secure interface lifetime parameter based on a lifetime of at least part of the security information; and transmitting administration data to the NAF, wherein the administration data comprises the secure interface lifetime parameter.

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, wherein the M2M device comprises security information for enabling secure communication via the interface, the method comprising the steps of:
setting a secure interface lifetime parameter based on a lifetime of at least part of the security information; and transmitting administration data to the NAF, wherein the administration data comprises the secure interface lifetime parameter.

2 . The method of claim 1 , 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.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the secure interface lifetime parameter is set to a value greater than the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

4 . The method of claim 1 , 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.

5 . The method of claim 1 , 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.

6 . The method of claim 1 , 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.

7 . The method of claim 1 , 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.

8 . The method of any preceding claim, 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 a bootstrapping server.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
if the request for new security information fails, repeating the request for new security information after a period of time.

10 . The method of either claim 8 or claim 9 , wherein the step of checking the remaining lifetime of the security information is carried out before a secure communication transmission from the M2M device to the NAF via the interface.

11 . The method of any preceding claim, wherein:
the administration data further 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.

12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising a 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.

13 . The method of either claim 11 or claim 12 , 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.

14 . The method of any of claims 11 to 13 , wherein the data that are shared between the M2M device and the bootstrapping server comprises the security information.

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

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, wherein the M2M device comprises security information for enabling secure communication via the interface, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving administration data from the M2M device, the registration data comprising a secure interface lifetime parameter that has been set based on a lifetime of at least part of the security information; and transmitting an administration response to the M2M device.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the administration data comprises the at least part of the security information, the method 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.

22 . The method of claim 21 , 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.

23 . The method of claim 21 , 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

24 . The method of claim 21 , 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 by a first amount.

25 . The method of claim 21 , 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.

26 . The method of claim 21 , 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.

27 . The method of claim 21 , 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 by a second amount.

28 . The method of any of claims 20 to 27 , further comprising a step of:
obtaining the lifetime of the at least part of the security information.

29 . The method of any of claims 20 to 28 , wherein:
the administration data further 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 the bootstrapping server.

30 . The method of claim 29 , 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 devic

Assignees

• Vodafone Ip Licensing Ltd

Inventors

• Bone Nick

Classifications

• 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

• H04W4/50

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• H04L63/0869

  for achieving mutual authentication (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273) · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title