Pairing of user device with remote system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023189003-A1
Application number	US-202117926502-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 14, 2021
Priority date	May 22, 2020
Publication date	Jun 15, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of pairing a user device with a remote system. The user device communicates with an intermediary device via a secure communication channel to cause a secret key generated by the remote system to be received by the user device, from the intermediary device. The secret key is thereby assigned to the user device. The user device establishes communication with the remote system to pair the user device with the remote system using the secret key, such that data sent from the user device to the remote system is encrypted using the secret key and data received by the user device from the remote system is decrypted using the secret key.

First claim

1 . A method of pairing a user device with a remote system, the method comprising:
the user device communicating with an intermediary device via a secure communication channel to cause a secret key generated by the remote system to be received by the user device, from the intermediary device, the secret key thereby being assigned to the user device; and the user device establishing communication with the remote system to pair the user device with the remote system using the secret key, such that data sent from the user device to the remote system is encrypted using the secret key and data received by the user device from the remote system is decrypted using the secret key.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the secret key is unique to the user device.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user device is connected to a network and the method comprises, after the user device is paired with the remote system, configuring the user device to prevent pairing of the user device with any user devices connected to a further network different from the network.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , comprising initiating the configuring of the user device in response to the user device being paired with the remote system.

5 . The method according to claim 3 , comprising, after the configuring of the user device, the user device receiving a command from the remote system or the intermediary device to reconfigure the user device to allow pairing of the user device with another user device connected to the further network, wherein the command is encrypted using the secret key.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the secure communication channel is a proximal field communication channel.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user device is a first user device, the secret key is a first secret key, and the method comprises:
the first user device generating a second secret key; the first user device securely sending the second secret key to a second user device for the second user device to use in pairing of the second user device with the remote system; the first user device encrypting the second secret key using the first secret key to generate an encrypted second secret key; and the first user device sending the encrypted second secret key to the remote system for use in pairing of the second user device with the remote system.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the user device is a first user device, and the method comprises the first user device sending the secret key to a second user device for the second user device to use in pairing of the second user device with the remote system.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising the user device receiving a policy command from the remote system to configure the user device to comply with a usage policy.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising, after the user device is paired with the remote system, the user device receiving an intermediary secret key from the remote system for use in encrypting data sent from the user device to the intermediary device and decrypting data received by the user device from the intermediary device, wherein the intermediary secret key is encrypted using the secret key.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the intermediary secret key is associated with a first usage policy and the method comprises, in response to a usage policy associated with use of the user device changing from the first usage policy to a further usage policy different from the first usage policy, the user device receiving a further intermediary secret key from the remote system for use in encrypting data sent from the user device to the intermediary device.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , comprising, after the user device has received the further intermediary secret key, the user device receiving encrypted data from the intermediary device, the encrypted data encrypted using the intermediary secret key.

13 . A method of pairing a user device with a remote system, the method comprising:
an intermediary device communicating with the user device via a secure communication channel to initiate sending of a request for a secret key generated by the remote system; the intermediary device securely sending the request for the secret key to the remote system; the intermediary device securely receiving the secret key from the remote system; the intermediary device sending the secret key to the user device via the secure communication channel, to assign the secret key to the user device, wherein the secret key is useable by the user device to establish communication with the remote system to pair the user device with the remote system, such that data sent from the user device to the remote system is encrypted using the secret key and data received by the user device from the remote system is decrypted using the secret key.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the intermediary device comprises at least one of: a network device or a smartphone.

15 . The method according to claim 13 , comprising:
the intermediary device obtaining a user credential associated with a user of the user device; and the intermediary device authenticating the user credential with the remote system before the intermediary device sends the request for the secret key to the remote system.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the intermediary device obtaining the user credential comprises the intermediary device receiving the user credential via a user interface of the intermediary device.

17 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the user device is one of a first group of user devices associated with a first usage policy, and the method comprises the intermediary device pairing at least one user device of a second group of user devices, different from the first group of user devices, with the remote system, the second group of user devices associated with a second usage policy different from the first usage policy.

18 . The method according to claim 13 , comprising the intermediary device securely receiving an intermediary secret key from the user device or the remote system for use in encrypting data sent from the intermediary device to the user device and decrypting data received by the intermediary device from the user device

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the intermediary secret key is associated with a first usage policy and the method comprises, in response to a usage policy associated with use of the user device changing from the first usage policy to a further usage policy different from the first usage policy, the intermediary device being unable to decrypt, using the intermediary secret key, further data received from the user device after the usage policy changing from the first usage policy to the further usage policy.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , comprising, after the usage policy changing from the first usage policy to the further usage policy, the intermediary device receiving a further intermediary secret key from the user device or the remote system, for use in decrypting the further data received from the user device.

21 . A method of pairing a user device with a remote system, the method comprising:
the remote system receiving, from an intermediary device via a secure communication channel, a request for a secret key for use in pairing the user device with the remote system; in response to receiving the request, t

Assignees

• British Telecomm

Inventors

• Gelardi Gabriele
• Ducatel Gery
• Cui Zhan

Classifications

• H04L9/08 Primary

  Key distribution {or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06)} · CPC title

• H04W12/50 Primary

  Secure pairing of devices · CPC title

• H04L9/0866

  involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics · CPC title

• H04L9/0827

  involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths (network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18) · CPC title

• H04L9/3226 Primary

  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