Dynamic wireless access point configuration

Abstract

Methods and systems for dynamic wireless network configuration are provided. Aspects include receiving a token by an application on a user device, deriving a unique identifier and a password by the application based at least in part on the token, and controlling remote access to a first computer system based on the unique identifier and the password.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to refrigeration systems. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to refrigeration of containers used for storing and shipping cargo. Background Art

[0002] Goods are often transported across large distances, which sometimes use various modes of transport. A common method of transporting goods in this way is to use intermodal shipping containers. Such containers have standardized dimensions, making it easy to handle and stack multiple containers. The usual dimensions are 8 feet (2.44 meters) wide, 8 feet, 6 inches (2.59 meters) high, and 20 feet (6.1 meters) or 40 feet (12.2 meters) in length. Other lengths can be used, such as 45 feet (13.7 meters), 48 feet (14.6 meters) and 53 feet (16.2 meters). The benefit of standardized intermodal containers is that it is possible to ship goods from various locations without ever having to remove goods from containers. The container itself is moved to a trailer, rail vehicle or ship, and removed from a trailer, rail vehicle or ship.

[0003] Some containers include computerized parts. For example, a refrigerated container can have a computer for monitoring or controlling a refrigeration unit. The computer can, for example, change the temperature of the refrigerated container. In addition, the container can monitor the refrigerated container. One can determine the maximum temperature reached in the container, the status of any electronic equipment of the computer or the refrigerant.

[0004] A problem that can arise is that it can be difficult to access the computers of each container. Intermodal shipping containers are typically constructed so that they are stackable and can be packed into a small place. Thus, there can be 6 to 12 containers in a single stack of containers. In order to maximize the number of containers on board or at a shipping facility, the containers can be placed very close to each other. Accessing individual containers in such a configuration can be difficult. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a token by an application on a user device; deriving a unique identifier and a password by the application based at least in part on the token; and controlling remote access to a first computer system based on the unique identifier and the password.

[0006] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the method may include the first computer system controlling operations of an intermodal shipping container.

[0007] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the method may include that the token is derived from indicia on an intermodal shipping container.

[0008] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the method may include the indicia comprising a light emitting diode (LED) display on the intermodal shipping container.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the method may include the unique identifier comprising a security set identifier (SSID).

[0010] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the method may include the unique identifier including a time length of validity.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the method may include that the unique identifier and the password are derived using a key derivation function.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the method may include receiving the token comprising: transmitting an activation signal by a first transceiver; and receiving the token from a second transceiver in response to transmitting the activation signal.

[0013] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the method may include the first transceiver being associated with the user device and the second transceiver being associated with an intermodal shipping container.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the method may include the user device comprising at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer.

[0015] According to one embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, the processor configured to: receive a token; derive a unique identifier and a password based at least in part on the token; and control remote access to a first computer system based on the unique identifier and the password.

[0016] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the system may include the first computer system controlling operations of an intermodal shipping container.

[0017] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include that the token is derived from indicia on an intermodal shipping container.

[0018] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include the indicia comprising a light emitting diode (LED) display on the intermodal shipping container.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include the unique identifier comprising a security set identifier (SSID).

[0020] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include the unique identifier including a time length of validity.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include that the unique identifier and password are derived using a key derivation function.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include that receiving the token includes: transmitting an activation signal by a first transceiver; and receiving the token from a second transceiver in response to transmitting the activation signal.

[0023] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further embodiments of the system may include the first transceiver being associated with the user device and the second transceiver being associated with an intermodal shipping container.

[0024] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further embodiments of the system may include the user device comprising at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The subject matter is distinctly claimed and particularly pointed out in the claims at the conclusion of the specification, which subject matter is regarded as the invention. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a refrigerated transport cargo container;

[0027] Figure 2 A block diagram depicting a computer system for use in implementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 3 A block diagram depicting a system for dynamic wireless network configuration of integrated shipping containers according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0029] Figure 4 A flow chart depicts a method for dynamic wireless network configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] As shown and described herein, various features of the present disclosure will be presented. Various embodiments may have the same or similar features, and therefore, the same or similar features may be labeled with the same reference numerals, but preceded by a different first number indicating the figure to which the feature is shown. Thus, for example, the element "a" shown in Figure X may be labeled "Xa", and similar features in Figure Z may be labeled "Za". Although similar reference numerals may be used in a general sense, various embodiments will be described, and various features may include changes, alterations, modifications, etc. as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, whether explicitly described or otherwise appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0031] Figure 1 1 is an embodiment of a refrigerated cargo container 10. The cargo container 10 is formed as a generally rectangular structure having a top wall 12, a directly opposite bottom wall 14, opposite side walls 16, and a front wall 18. The cargo container 10 also includes one or more doors (not shown) at a rear wall 20 opposite the front wall 18. The cargo container 10 is configured to maintain cargo 22 located in the interior 52 of the cargo container 10 at a selected temperature by using a refrigeration unit 24 located at the container 10. The cargo container 10 is mobile and is used to transport cargo 22 via, for example, a truck, train, or ship. The refrigeration unit 24 is located at the front wall 18 and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, and an evaporator fan, as well as other auxiliary components. The cargo container 10 described herein is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the application, use, and / or technical scope of the present disclosure that can be embodied in various forms known in the art.

[0032] refer to Figure 2, an embodiment of a processing system 200 for implementing the teachings herein is shown. In this embodiment, the processing system 200 has one or more central processing units (processors) 21a, 21b, 21c, etc. (collectively or generally referred to as (one or more) processors 21). In one or more embodiments, each processor 21 may include a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor. The processor 21 is coupled to the system memory 34 (RAM) and various other components via the system bus 33. The read-only memory (ROM) 62 is coupled to the system bus 33 and may include a basic input / output system (BIOS), which controls certain basic functions of the processing system 200.

[0033] Figure 2 Also depicted are input / output (I / O) adapter 27 and network adapter 26 coupled to system bus 33. I / O adapter 27 may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter or any other similar component that communicates with hard disk 23 and / or tape storage drive 25. I / O adapter 27, hard disk 23, and tape storage device 25 are collectively referred to herein as mass storage device 64. Operating system 40 for execution on processing system 200 may be stored in mass storage device 64. Network communication adapter 26 interconnects bus 33 with external network 36, enabling data processing system 200 to communicate with other such systems. Screen (e.g., display monitor) 35 is connected to system bus 33 via display adapter 32, which may include a video controller and a graphics adapter for improving the performance of graphics-intensive applications. In one embodiment, adapters 27, 26, and 32 may be connected to one or more I / O buses that are connected to system bus 33 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). Suitable I / O buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically include common protocols such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Additional input / output devices are shown connected to the system bus 33 via a user interface adapter 28 and a display adapter 32. Keyboard 29, mouse 30, and speaker 31 are all interconnected to the bus 33 via user interface adapter 28, which may include, for example, a super I / O chip that integrates multiple device adapters into a single integrated circuit.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing system 200 includes a graphics processing unit 41. The graphics processing unit 41 is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the generation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display. In general, the graphics processing unit 41 is very efficient in manipulating computer graphics and image processing, and has a highly parallel structure that makes it more efficient than a general-purpose CPU for algorithms in which large blocks of data are processed in parallel. The processing system 200 described herein is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of application, use, and / or technology of the present disclosure, which can be embodied in various forms known in the art.

[0035] Therefore, if Figure 2 As configured in FIG. 1 , processing system 200 includes processing capabilities in the form of processor 21, storage capabilities including system memory 34 and mass storage device 64, input components such as keyboard 29 and mouse 30, and output capabilities including speaker 31 and display 35. In one embodiment, mass storage device 64 and a portion of system memory 34 collectively store coordinated Figure 2 The functions of the various components of an operating system are shown. Figure 2 These are non-limiting examples presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes only.

[0036] In one or more embodiments, the processing system 200 can be, for example, Figure 1 It is utilized in a thermostat, controller or other component in the refrigeration unit 24.

[0037] Turning now to an overview of technology more specifically related to aspects of the present disclosure, as described above, intermodal containers are very useful for shipping commodities over long distances without having to load and unload a single container multiple times during the trip. Certain intermodal containers, such as refrigerated intermodal containers, are computerized. It may be desirable to access the computer of an intermodal container to control or monitor the container. However, it may be difficult to do so.

[0038] It can be possible to establish a wireless connection to a computer system in a container. However, difficulties arise because a particular container may have characteristics that change for each shipment. For example, the first shipment of a particular container may be performed by shipping company A. But the next week, the same container in the same yard is used by shipping company B. Therefore, for each shipment, workers may have to access a completely different set of containers to check their status or change settings. Therefore, security management may be difficult. Containers operate in a highly disconnected environment where management of access credentials (locally or on a server) is impossible. Cloud connectivity may be difficult because there may be situations where it is difficult to access the Internet (such as on a cargo ship). Therefore, authenticated access remains a problem.

[0039] Another difficulty is security. Containers are protected by physical security devices (e.g., fences) and only authorized personnel are allowed access to secure areas. Using wireless computing capabilities can allow bad actors to access otherwise secured computers while outside of the secure area via a wireless computer connection to the container's computer system.

[0040] Turning now to an overview of aspects of the present disclosure, one or more embodiments address the above-mentioned shortcomings of the above-mentioned techniques by providing systems and methods for dynamic wireless network configuration in containers that also provide additional security for the wireless network. In one or more embodiments, a rolling service set identifier (SSID) for the container. Logical networks are identified by SSIDs (Service Set Identifiers), which serve as "network names" and are typically natural language labels. Constantly changing SSIDs have the benefit of making it difficult for unauthorized attackers to physically locate the container being accessed, and also making it difficult for bad actors to continuously direct attacks to known SSIDs. In one or more embodiments, for example, a password-based key derivation function algorithm may be utilized to generate the SSID. A token for decoding the SSID may be obtained by a user's physical interaction with the container. Once the user obtains the token from the container, the user may enter the token into an application (app) on a user device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer. The app may decode and list all container SSIDs based on the entered token. By utilizing a token that requires physical interaction with the container, only authorized users who are physically present at the container location may access the container.

[0041] Turning now to a more detailed description of aspects of the present disclosure, Figure 3A block diagram of a system for dynamic wireless network configuration of a combined shipping container according to one or more embodiments is depicted. System 300 depicts a group of combined shipping containers (302, 320, 322, 324, 326, and 328). As discussed above, combined shipping containers are typically stacked and arranged to save space within a shipping terminal or dock. For a user to access information about the container, the user will need to access the container controller via a wireless network using a user device such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, and / or laptop computer. System 300 includes a target container 302 to which a user device 306 is attempting to connect. Target container 302 includes a container controller 304 and a token 308. In one or more embodiments, token 308 may be printed on a portion of target container 302, or may be obtained by interacting with target container 302. For example, token 308 may be obtained by entering a code into a device associated with container 302, such as a control panel or a light emitting diode (LED) display. Once token 308 is obtained, it may be entered into an application 312 on user device 306. The application 312 utilizes the token 308 to derive a unique identifier for the container 302 and a password. The unique identifier may be a security set identifier (SSID) corresponding to a network name. Using the password, the user device 306 may connect to the controller 304 of the container 302 via a wireless network. In one or more embodiments, the application 312 may utilize a key derivation function that receives the token 308 as an input to subsequently derive the SSID and password for the container 302. In one or more embodiments, the unique identifier and password may be valid for a set period of time. After the expiration of the period of time, the unique identifier and password will be invalid and access to the controller 304 on the container 302 will not be allowed.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, the unique identifier for the target container 302 can be changed dynamically. For example, the unique identifier can be changed every four hours or other time period. This allows additional cyber security by periodically changing the access credentials.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the token 308 can be obtained by the user device 306 by transmitting an activation signal by a transceiver on the user device 306 to a second transceiver on the container 302. The second transceiver can be operating in a low power mode before receiving the activation signal. The activation signal thus "wakes up" the second transceiver, which then transmits the token 308 to the user device 306. In one or more embodiments, the second transceiver can be a BLUETOOTH TMA low energy beacon that can transmit a token to a user device 306 for access to a container controller 304 of a container 302 .

[0044] In one or more embodiments, the container controller 304, the transceiver, and the user device 306 may be configured to communicate with each other in a manner similar to that described in the preceding paragraphs. Figure 2 embodied on the processing system 200 appearing in FIG.

[0045] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method for dynamic wireless network configuration according to one or more embodiments is depicted. Method 400 includes receiving a token by an application on a user device, as shown in block 402. At block 404, method 400 includes deriving, by the application, a unique identifier and a password based at least in part on the token. And at block 406, method 400 includes controlling remote access to a first computer system based on the unique identifier and the password.

[0046] Additional processes may also be included. It should be understood that Figure 4 The processes depicted in the drawings represent illustrations, and existing processes may be removed, modified, or rearranged, or other processes may be added without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0047] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods is presented herein by way of example and not limitation with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0048] The term "about" is intended to include the degree of error associated with the measurement of the particular quantity based on the equipment available at the time the application was filed.

[0049] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise and / or comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0050] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for its elements without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt specific situations or materials to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the substantive scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for practicing the present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic wireless network configuration, the method comprising: The token is received by the application on the user's device; deriving, by the application, a unique identifier and a password based at least in part on the token; as well as controlling remote access to the first computer system based on the unique identifier and the password, Wherein, receiving the token comprises: transmitting, by a first transceiver associated with the user equipment, an activation signal; and In response to transmitting the activation signal, the token is received from a second transceiver associated with an intermodal shipping container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer system controls the operation of the intermodal shipping container.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the token is derived from indicia on the intermodal shipping container.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indicia comprises a light emitting diode (LED) display on the intermodal shipping container. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier comprises a security set identifier (SSID). The method of claim 1 , wherein the unique identifier includes a time length of validity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier and password are derived using a key derivation function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer.

9. A system for dynamic wireless network configuration, comprising: a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor configured to: Receive a token, including: transmitting, by a first transceiver associated with the user equipment, an activation signal; and receiving the token from a second transceiver associated with an intermodal shipping container in response to transmitting the activation signal; deriving a unique identifier and a password based at least in part on the token; and Remote access to the first computer system is controlled based on the unique identifier and the password.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first computer system controls the operation of the intermodal shipping container.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the token is derived from indicia on the intermodal shipping container.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the indicia comprises a light emitting diode (LED) display on the intermodal shipping container.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier comprises a security set identifier (SSID).

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier includes a time length of validity.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier and password are derived using a key derivation function.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the user device comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer.

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