Intelligent and Dynamic Gateway

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for secure communications over multiple secure paths by an intelligent and dynamic gateway that can receive and process communications received from multiple paths, protocols, physical spectrums, or sources, and process such inputs using software (e.g., middleware or one or more virtual machines (VMs)) to generate wide area network (WAN) outputs that can be transmitted to multiple paths, regardless of protocol, physical spectrum, or destination. In this manner, the gateway can be configured to be agnostic to the nature of the input or output technology and manage the transformation of data for ubiquitous telecommunications management.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Background technology]

[0002] Gateway devices have been used in telecommunications for decades. One problem with many available gateways is their lack of flexibility, as they may be limited to using one set of protocols, such as the Internet Protocol (IP), or proprietary protocols, such as those for programmable radios used in police or military applications. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure describes systems and methods for secure communications over multiple secure paths by an intelligent and dynamic gateway that can receive and process communications received from multiple paths, protocols, physical spectrums, or sources, and process such inputs using software (e.g., middleware or one or more virtual machines (VMs)) to generate wide area network (WAN) outputs that can be transmitted to multiple paths, protocols, physical spectrums, or destinations. This is loosely known as any-to-any functionality, although the use of "any" is colloquial in that the goal is to actually be able to receive, process, and transmit data, and that current or future data paths may not be practical to process through the gateway.

[0004] Thus, the present gateway, in combination with other disclosed components, operates to perform the following selected or optional functions: a) secure, intelligent routing of data via algorithmic probing and subsequent dissemination over one or more paths using one or more communication protocols or radio frequency (RF) bands in a manner that avoids detection or interception; b) multicast delivery of data over one or more such paths using dedicated UDP port assignment, device registration, or other techniques that enable the gateway to recognize and address devices seeking to communicate with the gateway; and c) software-defined radios (SDRs) that can establish and provide cellular or other wireless service, for example, in areas where service has been interrupted, where the SDRs are configured to be fixed to vehicles or carried by people. d) self-healing network management via ad-hoc peer-to-peer communication or other disclosed techniques; e) blockchain cryptography for symmetric or asymmetric key-based encryption of data communicated over such paths; f) constellation protocols using block multi-party protocols (MPP), multi-party computation (MPC), consensus sharing among n parties in the constellation, chain-based communication using central authorization, signing, or trust elimination; optical transmission of data over one or more such paths using one or more lasers configured for secure and intelligent data transmission; g) synchronization management using fail-safe system atomic clocks in instances where GPS or other synchronization becomes unavailable for communication over such paths.

[0005] The present gateway solves problems in conventional systems by using configurable hardware and software that enables the gateway to receive audio, video, control, or other data streams from many different sources, protocols, physical spectrums, or communication technologies, extract the payload, and convert the payload into one or more formats for outgoing wide area network (WAN) output to a wide range of destinations, protocols, physical spectrums, or communication technologies. The gateway can also be configured with an array of encryption technologies, software-defined radio, transmission obfuscation techniques, self-healing techniques, blockchain-based security (e.g., using multi-party protocols), or fail-safe synchronization technologies to provide precise position, navigation, and / or timing (PNT) information in the absence of GPS or other common sources of such information.

[0006] Other systems, methods, features, and / or advantages will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description, and all such additional systems, methods, features, and / or advantages are intended to be included within this specification and protected by the accompanying claims.

[0007] The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 depicts a sample logic flow diagram of software / middleware within the gateway that routes voice data received at the gateway. [Figure 2A] 1 depicts a sample logic flow diagram of an SDR voice radio that can be combined with the present gateway as discussed herein. [Figure 2B] 1 depicts a sample logic flow diagram of an SDR voice radio that can be combined with the present gateway as discussed herein. [Figure 3] 1 depicts a sample logic flow diagram of control over an SDR radio with which the present gateway may be combined as discussed herein. [Figure 4] 10 depicts a sample logic flow diagram for communication obfuscation or failover use of multiple output paths from an embodiment of the present gateway. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an example of a WAN network topology for defense or military applications. [Figure 6A] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of the network topology of the present gateway. [Figure 6B] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of the network topology of the present gateway. [Figure 7A] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of Ethernet connections for an example network topology of the present gateway. [Figure 7B] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of Ethernet connections for an example network topology of the present gateway. [Figure 8A] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 8B] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 9A] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 9B] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 10A] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 10B] 1 illustrates a high-level, detailed example of data flow for one exemplary topology of the present gateway. [Figure 11] Illustrates an MPP use case where data is communicated between the gateway and cloud storage. [Figure 12]Illustrates aspects of the MPP protocol. [Figure 13] Illustrates some potential differences between MPP and public key infrastructure-based encryption. [Figure 14A] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14B] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14C] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14D] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14E] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14F] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 14G] Illustrates a handset shown as receiving voice and data communications from the gateway. [Figure 15] Illustrates the present gateway with connectivity using laser communications. [Figure 16] 1 depicts a sample logic flow diagram for implementing time and synchronization data from atomic clocks depending on the nature of the incoming GPS signal. [Figure 17] 1 illustrates an example hardware diagram of the present gateway, with the gateway components located on a circuit board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The system architecture described herein includes an intelligent and dynamic communications gateway that enables and facilitates “any-to-any” communications as defined above, meaning that the gateway receives communications from a variety of paths and enables communications between devices on different networks, the networks themselves potentially entirely using different protocols, different radio frequency (RF) bands, different spectrums, or different types of physical layer communications technologies (e.g., TCP / IP, SIPR, NIPR, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, wireless RF, high frequency (HF), very low frequency (VLF), very high frequency (VHF), extremely high frequency (UHF), serial, Ethernet, fiber optics, laser optical, etc.). The gateway receives communications from such a variety of input paths, protocols, physical spectrums, or sources and processes such inputs using software, potentially including middleware or one or more virtual machines (VMs), or other suitable software well known to those skilled in the art, to generate wide area network (WAN) outputs that can be transmitted over one or more paths, protocols, physical spectrums, or destinations. Thus, the gateway can be independent of input and output network configurations and protocols, and can dynamically process "any" input that the middleware is configured and set up to handle. This avoids the common problem of one manufacturer's device being unable to talk to another manufacturer's device, as the gateway can act as an intermediary and convert or transcode the output to accommodate the requirements of the receiving device. The software / middleware can analyze, detect, or accept data payloads from any available input source communication and convert the payload into a format that can be sent as a WAN output to one or more of the destination paths described herein or otherwise available.Thus, a gateway can, for example, receive input from a TCP / IP source and convert the payload into, for example, Secure Internet Protocol Router / Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router (SIPR / NIPR) format for output via a path using that protocol to a desired destination device(s).

[0010] As illustrated in the logic flow diagrams of Figures 1-3, the gateway software / middleware can be configured to monitor available input and output paths, such as all currently active or available paths, so that the gateway and its user(s) or administrator(s) can intelligently determine which output path to use and how much payload to send over one or more such available output paths. In one embodiment discussed herein, the gateway can transmit a portion of the payload over one RF band and a second portion over a second RF band as a WAN output (e.g., according to a PACE (primary, alternate, contingency, and emergency) plan file stored on the SDR server that switches impact throughput) to minimize or avoid detection by third parties attempting to listen or intercept the payload, such as listeners using spectrum analyzers, packet sniffers, or other devices or processes capable of detecting deviations from a baseline amount of data bursts or other spectral energy. Thus, the gateway can obfuscate outgoing communications for applications where obfuscation is beneficial, such as military communications or other scenarios where security and confidentiality are desirable and detection or interception is minimized or avoided entirely. The gateway can optimize such secure communications over n routes, where n reflects the number of available outgoing routes at any given time or in any given configuration. One way to achieve this efficiently is for the software / middleware to be associated with a table, database, or other data structure that maintains a record of available routes, and when the gateway is configured, potentially update that record continuously, episodically, periodically, or otherwise as needed to meet the demands of the objectives to be met.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in the logical flow diagrams of Figures 1-3, wireless or other communication devices associated with a network to which a gateway is connected can each be assigned a different UDP port so that the gateway can direct communications to a specific destination device, such as a radio, phone, computer, etc. In this example, the gateway can be configured to address one device (unicast), multiple available devices (multicast), all available devices (broadcast), or other. One example of such addressing is sending a data stream as a WAN output having a header structure that includes a UDP port number assigned to the destination device for the specific communication. Figures 1-3 have been discussed herein.

[0012] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, secure data transmitted as a WAN output may be disguised sideband or otherwise so that an eavesdropper or other attacker can view the primary content as an Internet video stream, a YouTube video, or the like. Early examples of data inserted onto transmissions having a different primary purpose include teletext and other insertions of digital information into the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of an analog television signal; such techniques may have been well known to those skilled in the art since the 1980s or earlier. Other more recent examples of such conventional techniques for disguising sensitive data payloads include the OutGuess, Steghide, Stegtools, and SteGUI applications. The present gateway may be combined with one or more such disguising techniques for sensitive data applications; those skilled in the art will be familiar with other such techniques or applications.

[0013] In one embodiment suitable for defense applications, the gateway may be configured to receive and transmit data pertaining to military-approved protocols. Such protocols currently exist under the overall umbrella scheme of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and its network, the DISN, and may be managed in other ways in the future. In the current defense network environment, Secure Internet Protocol Router / Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router (SIPR / NIPR) Access Point (SNAP) ground satellite terminals may be fielded to augment tactical network capabilities, extending network access to anyone desired, including forward operating bases (FOBs) at the company, platoon, and team levels. In the SNAP example, commercial Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite terminals provide access to DISA's tactical networks (SIPR, NIPR, and Coalition) and may enable mission command, information exchange (voice, video, and data), call for fires, medevac support, or other instructions or commands executed by or with the destination device(s).

[0014] SNAPs are a critical communications component for small military units, often providing secure, beyond-line-of-sight communications and network connectivity. SNAPs can be configured in many forms, including transport case designs for easy transport on High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, helicopters, other vehicles, or by personnel. Their modular design allows for a variety of dish and antenna sizes to adequately meet mission requirements. SIPR / NIPR protocols can enable robust, long-range, beyond-line-of-sight SIPR, NIPR, and coalition network communications capabilities with tactical companies, platoons, teams, forward operating bases, or individual soldiers. These protocols are interoperable with both at-the-halt and on-the-move tactical network equipment as part of a tactical network architecture. Associated systems are easily mobile around the battlefield, providing expeditionary capabilities for military forces. These systems can have certified Ka- and X-band capabilities to utilize Department of Defense (DoD) wideband global SATCOM satellites and can include C-, Ku-, Ka-, X-, and L-band satellite links.

[0015] The gateways described herein can be configured for these current defense communication protocols and routes, and can be configured in the future to accommodate future protocols and routes. The gateway middleware can be associated with data structures that maintain a current record of connected devices and / or available output routes, and can optimize the output to meet one or more desired objectives, such as sending all of the output via one route for ease of use, or via multiple routes to minimize detection, avoiding intercepted portions from providing meaningful information to an attacker or other eavesdroppers, or any other objective advanced by potentially splitting the output data for delivery via multiple routes.

[0016] Figure 5 illustrates the network topology of one example of a defense or military implementation of the present gateway. In this diagram, three gateway devices are located at three portions of the overall WAN. Each of the three gateways is labeled SFP (Signal Fusion Platform), which stands for gateway capable of communicating over the SIPR / NIPR network currently established and managed under the umbrella of DISA and therefore part of the current defense or military protocol scheme. Each gateway is comprised of software / middleware that can translate or convert data in the format and protocol of the incoming path to WAN data output in the format and protocol of the selected outgoing path or path.

[0017] Starting from the left, one SFP is depicted in a dashed box labeled Battalion. The battalion SFP is shown associated with a laptop computer that can provide voice data processing functions and control over the SFP's operation. A desktop or other computer or computing device can suitably perform these functions, and FIG. 5 depicts the laptop as a convenient form factor for mobile end-use. The computer also functions as a communications server or controls any other servers in the network topology, allowing the battalion SFP to communicate, in this example, via DISA network connectivity, NIPR protocol, SIPR protocol, voice over IP (in this case using VoSIP, or Voiceover Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)), which may also be achieved using the IEEH.264 protocol), and video teleconferencing (VTC). This is one example of a defense network configuration and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. The computer in this example also includes a WAVE dispatch application, which refers to a Motorola software application that allows the computer to manage communications with a Motorola radio, which itself may be programmable or configurable for secure communications. The computer in this example further includes an application labeled SCI TOCNET, which refers to the SCI product suite, also known as the Unified Voice Management System (UVMS), a communications platform designed to be deployed in expeditionary and other military operations. The battalion SFP is further connected to a PRC150, also known as a "manpack" or Falcon II, a mobile tactical HF and VHF radio manufactured by Harris Corporation, certified for communications using NSA Type 1 encryption. Finally, this example shows that the SFP can communicate with DoD satellites via an NSA-compliant virtual private network (VPN) connection through a DISA tactical gateway under the NSA's Commercial Classified Solutions for Computers (CSfC) program.The CSfC program enables the use of commercial products in a layered solution to protect sensitive NSS data. Each of the protocols and communication paths depicted for this battalion SFP is merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting; the broad range of communication paths shown illustrates the range of the gateway's "any-to-any" capabilities. In this sample configuration, the gateway SFP would be able to accept communications from a SIPR path, convert the output, for example, via an HF or VHF path, and transmit to a soldier or unit associated with a Falcon II manpack. The battalion SFP, and all SFPs depicted in FIG. 1, include software / middleware (computer-readable instructions) that perform such functions, as discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-4 herein.

[0018] In the center left of Figure 5, there is an SFP in the dashed box labeled FOB NOC / TOC, which refers to a forward operating base (FOB), naval operations center (NOC), or tactical operations center (TOC). This SFP is configured similarly to the battalion SFP, with a few exceptions. The FOB / NOC / TOC SFP is also connected to another manpack, a PRC117G, in this case a Falcon III, a later release of the Harris Corporation mobile tactical HF / VHF radio than the Falcon II discussed above. This SFP is also shown communicating via a software-defined network (SDN) to a DOD satellite via an NSA-compliant VPN. Both the battalion and FOB / NOC / TOC networks are connected to each other for beyond-line-of-site (BLOS) voice communications via a software-defined radio (SDR), discussed elsewhere in this application. Finally, this SFP is shown connected to the Internet, again via an NSA-compliant VPN, allowing a pathway for the FOB / NOC / TOC to receive Internet data input and generate Internet output. In this sample configuration, the Gateway SFP would be able to accept communications from a DoD satellite, convert the output over, for example, an HF or VHF path, and transmit it to a soldier or unit associated with a Falcon III radio. Each of the protocols and communication paths depicted for this FOB / NOC / TOC SFP are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and the wide range of communication paths illustrates the range of the "any-to-any" capabilities of this Gateway.

[0019] In the center right of Figure 5, there is an SFP in the dashed box labeled Company, referring to that subunit of the Army that is itself subordinate to the battalion. The Company SFP is configured similarly to the previous two SFPs, with at least the following differences: The Company SFP can also connect to a tactical 4G LTE, which allows it to connect to a 4G LTE-compliant device, such as the Motorola LEX11 Android smartphone shown in this example, an example of which is discussed elsewhere in this application, and can enable a variety of LTE-based communications, commands, and instructions. The SFP can also connect to a PRC152A, an L3Harris Falcon III AN / PRC-152A radio capable of simultaneously providing voice, video, and high-speed data in a highly portable form factor. This handheld device provides ad-hoc, self-healing (i.e., repairing or re-establishing network availability via peer-to-peer, mesh, or other techniques that reconfigure and restore network connectivity), and adaptive networking capabilities using the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and L3Harris Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2®C). This SFP is further shown communicating with the other two SFPs shown, as well as with other U.S. military forces using PRC-152A, partner nation radio, the Internet, and a DoD satellite via an NSA-compliant VPN. In this sample configuration, the gateway SFP could accept communications from a DoD satellite and convert and transmit the output, for example, via tactical 4G LTE to a Motorola LEX11 handset. Each of the protocols and communication paths depicted for this company SFP are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting; the wide range of communication paths illustrates the range of the gateway's "any-to-any" capabilities. Each of the three SFPs shown in FIG. 5 may also be configured to communicate with each other so that connections or paths available to one SFP may be made available to the other SFPs or their respective users.

[0020] FIG. 6A illustrates a high-level example of an SFP network topology. FIG. 6B depicts a detailed example of FIG. 6A, showing an SFP network topology where the SFP gateway is identified as SF1000, including various switches, routers, and other components shown by way of example only. As in FIG. 5, the computer in FIG. 6 provides a control console for the SFP. PacStar463 RoIP can provide land mobile radio (LMR)-to-IP data conversion, interoperability between different radio types, radio cross-band, and remote radio control over IP in a small form-factor, rugged module. This illustrates the gateway's ability to be independent of specific input or output technology configurations or protocols, in contrast to prior art systems where, for example, a Motorola radio may not be able to talk to (i.e., send or receive from) a Harris radio or send or receive data via Internet VoIP protocols. In contrast, the present gateway can accept communications from all available paths, regardless of protocol, and process the payload sent to any other available device, regardless of protocol. When combined with other PacStar 400 series modules, the PacStar 463 bridges the gap between IP-based communications networks and LMR tactical radio networks, including providing comprehensive, tactical, and mobile interoperability solutions. This sample PacStar 463 supports up to four radio networks simultaneously. It can convert E&M signals (i.e., a type of supervisory signaling that uses DC signals on separate leads called E and M leads, traditionally used in the telecommunications industry between telephone switches) to IP data and provide cross-band and radio control via industry-standard RJ45 and RS-232 interfaces. The PacStar 463 is based on proven software-defined technology adapted from SCI's TOCNET G4 product, which has been deployed in thousands of systems and over 50 major defense programs.The PacStar451 server provides a compact, quick-to-setup, high-performance virtualized appliance for hosting multiple software applications in a rugged form factor. It is designed for field communications, executive communications, vehicle-mounted, entry, or forward operating base deployments for military, homeland security, first responder, and commercial / enterprise users. PacStar451 is available with a wide variety of pre-loaded, pre-secured, and pre-certified software applications suitable for use in tactical communications applications. Orolia SecureSync, which provides the PTP protocol as used in PNT (discussed elsewhere herein), employs proprietary software algorithms to detect GPS signal anomalies, including unintentional interference and malicious attacks. The integrated solution provides notifications, alarms, and automatic disabling of GPS / GNSS synchronization. The Tribalco SF100 RoIP can be a Telex IP224 device, a Tribalco SF200SDR (an SDR containing four 10 MHz to 6 GHz radios, each running an independent waveform and compatible with over 100 radio manufacturers), or other devices interoperable with C-Soft and / or IP-224. In this embodiment, the gateway can interface with a modified Telex IP-224 Dual IP Remote Adapter, which employs a Linux operating system, provides a reliable platform for remote control of two audio devices, and can be configured to work with both digital and analog consoles. The Telex Adapter performs a wide variety of other tasks related to the operation of radios on digital networks, including diagnostics. The GoSilent Cube is a hardware VPN that enables secure communications using NSA-compliant encryption, including CSfC, NSA elliptic curve, AES128, AES256, MPP Blockchain (using standard, NSA, or other keymats), or other telecommunications encryption technologies suitable for specific applications, and those skilled in the art will be familiar with its use.The PacStar 444 switch is based on the Cisco Embedded Services Switch (ESS) 3300 and provides high-density network access at gigabit speeds for critical voice, data, and video connectivity in a compact, rugged form factor. The PacStar 441 router provides high-performance routing, switching, and advanced network services for critical voice, data, and video connectivity in a compact, quick-to-setup, ultra-compact form factor. The PacStar 441 is based on Cisco® technology and provides up to four PoE LAN access ports. The Cradle Point IBR900 router provides gigabit-class LTE connectivity, as well as Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Over the Internet, the SFP is shown connected to an external data center or cloud infrastructure, such as Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or other suitable dedicated or cloud infrastructure. Each of the protocols and communication paths depicted for this sample SF1000 configuration is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting; the wide range of communication paths illustrates the range of the gateway's "any-to-any" capabilities.

[0021] Figure 7A illustrates a high-level example of possible Ethernet connections. Figure 7B depicts a detailed example of Figure 7A, showing possible configurations of internal Ethernet connections between the various components discussed above of the SFP / SF1000 depicted in Figure 6. Each of the wires, connections, internal paths, or buses depicted in Figure 6 are by way of example only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0022] Figures 8A, 9A, and 10A illustrate high-level data flow diagrams showing the connections between various components. Figures 8B, 9B, and 10B illustrate additional details of Figures 8A, 9A, and 10A within the SF1000 / SFP in a sample network configuration including the present gateway. In particular, Figures 8A and 8B depict sample data flows for a C-Soft-based network configuration, Figures 9A and 9B depict sample data flows for a TOCNET-based network configuration, and Figures 10A and 10B depict sample data flows for an SDR-based network configuration. Various protocols for communication between components, whether unidirectional or duplex (e.g., SIP, RTP, TCP443, etc.), are identified with associated arrows representing data flow and direction. The SF1000 includes a PacStar463 TocNet, a Tribalco SF100 RoIP, a call manager server, an SDR / interoperability server, and an internal VPN server.

[0023] In another embodiment, the gateway can be associated with a software-defined radio (SDR) to expand the radio power paths available to the gateway and its middleware. The SDR can be stationary or mobile, can be installed in various locations, or can be transported by vehicle, person, or other means. In one such embodiment, the SDR can be a 3U OpenVPX dual-channel HF / VHF / UHF / microwave transceiver module. The HTLv-C is a 3U VPX reference chassis designed according to the Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA™) technical standard. It can be tailored with different numbers of slots, such as Snapshot 2 and Snapshot 3 versions, as well as 19-slot and 11-slot 3U VPX chassis, and can accommodate 19 SDR modules, with each radio capable of transmitting via four independent waveforms or EW techniques. Thus, in this embodiment, the SDR allows for up to 76 independent waveforms or EW techniques. In an alternative embodiment, the SDR can be a 3U OpenVPX quad-channel HF / UHF / VHF transceiver module configured as a board, card, or blade that can be inserted into another chassis. Such an SDR may have a frequency range of 2 MHz to 6 GHz, an instantaneous bandwidth of 80 MHz for each channel, a tuning speed of 50 μs, and four channels configured to transmit or receive, dynamically configurable in 20 μs using coherent or independent tuning. In another alternative embodiment, the SDR may be a SIGINT transceiver system configured as a manpack with a 3U VPX SDR SWaP-C software-defined radio (SDR) wideband transceiver. By tactically defining these waveforms, the gateway can instruct the SDR to analyze and transmit data packages over one or many of the paths using different waveforms.In this embodiment, and within current technological capabilities, a single server (within the overall gateway topology) can command and implement up to four defined waveforms, with more complex waveform creation and use requiring multiple servers. In this example, the SDR can be deployed on a drone, another vehicle, or a person to provide service where service would otherwise be interrupted, thus providing self-healing capabilities. This can be useful in natural disasters and other situations where infrastructure is disrupted, and the gateway, in conjunction with the SDR, can replace hard infrastructure. Figure 10 depicts a data flow diagram between various components in another configuration of a network including the gateway, which includes a Tribalco 200 SDR to enable WAN output through the SDR, including the custom waveforms discussed elsewhere herein. Custom waveforms can be created using C++, "Jasson," Python, Java, or other software can define frequency, hops, duplex, time of day, key parameters, output power, or other parameters that allow for waveform customization. There are separate GUIs representing frequency and bandwidth. The gateway can also have a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to specify frequency, bandwidth, or other details to customize the outgoing radio waveform. The exact type or brand of SDR is not intended to be limiting; one skilled in the art will understand that there is a wide range of commercially available SDRs, and that the particular objectives to be achieved (e.g., which bands, spectrum, communication paths, or technologies are desired) will drive the selection of an appropriate SDR or SDRs. An SDR that is configurable and allows communication over desired paths should meet the needs of the present disclosure; one preferred feature of an SDR may be the extent to which it allows for the use of customized waveforms, as discussed elsewhere herein.

[0024] In another embodiment, the gateway can be associated with a source of assured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information. The PTP protocol can improve the reliability, performance, and safety of mission-critical applications in the air, on land, and at sea. One example of a suitable PNT is the Orolia SecureSync SAASM, which combines precise time and frequency technology with an ultra-secure Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM)-based GPS receiver that complies with the Department of Defence (DoD) requirement that GPS systems be SAASM-compliant. The SecureSync SAASM may be commercially available as a 24-channel Miniature Ruggedized Unit (MRU) or a 12-channel Ground-Based GPS Receiver Application Module (GB-RAM); these brands and form factors are not intended to limit this disclosure. Mission-critical military applications benefit from the SecureSync SAASM's extreme reliability, security, and flexibility. One advantage of the SecureSync SAASM is its durable, shock- and vibration-tested chassis, designed to meet MIL-STD-810F for environmental performance. The base unit provides a highly accurate 1PPS timing signal aligned to a 10 MHz frequency signal with no 10 MHz phase discontinuities. A selection of internal oscillator options is available to meet a wide range of requirements for holdover and phase noise. The modular design allows for a wide variety of highly specialized time and frequency functions. Currently available products allow up to four additional input / output modules and optional cards to be added to each SecureSync SAASM to add custom configurations of timing signals or frequency outputs (10 MHz, 5 MHz, 2.048 MHz, or 1.544 MHz), such as 1PPS timecode (IRIG, ASCII, HaveQuick), telecom T1 / E1 data rates, multi-port NTP, and PTP. In another embodiment, the gateway's PNT capabilities can be enhanced with eLoran.This additional combination of network components can provide additional PTP data in GPS / GNSS outage or unavailable scenarios. The PNT eLoran System (PeLS) can function when GPS cannot function, can be difficult to jam, can be combined with pseudorandom pulses and data channels to render data streams without encryption keys unusable, can provide accurate wide-area coverage, can provide robust emergency broadcast signals to first responders and others, and can provide heading and azimuth data while the user is stationary. WWV broadcast radio is also another known source of time and date information. Because of the atomic clock functionality that an OreliaSecure Sync or Versa device or other suitable atomic clock can provide internally to the gateway, or to eLoran or WWV broadcast radio, or other external sources capable of providing PNT information, the gateway can maintain reliable PNT with or without GPS, enabling precise synchronization between various network components and transmissions between them.

[0025] In another embodiment, the gateway can employ software that can scan the available spectrum to identify GPS satellites, determine whether incoming GPS signals from such satellites conform to applicable waveform, frequency, or other standards, and choose to synchronize an onboard atomic clock with such incoming data or not synchronize with such incoming data if the GPS signals do not conform to the applicable standards, indicating that the incoming GPS signals are not authentic or accurate, possibly due to modification or interference. An example of such software is depicted in the logic flow diagram of FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, the software scans the available spectrum to identify GPS signals. The military-grade SAASM can lock onto one or more available GPS satellites and provide frequency and waveform information associated with those signals to the comparator. The comparator can thus monitor available GPS signals and compare the frequency, waveform, or other information with applicable standards, whether industry standards or gateway-defined standards, to determine the validity or desirability of the incoming GPS data. If the incoming GPS signal conforms to the applicable standard, the software can synchronize the onboard atomic clock, identified in FIG. 16 as the chip-scale clock, to the incoming GPS signal. In this scenario, the chip-scale atomic clock always operates as the master timing source on the SDR communication path, maintaining synchronization with the verified incoming GPS signal to prevent the local clock from drifting or deviating beyond the applicable standard. If the incoming GPS signal deviates from the applicable standard, the SAASM comparator can disconnect the chip-scale atomic clock from the timing synchronization signal, allowing the onboard atomic clock to operate independently of such incoming signal. While the figure illustrates this process with respect to a single GPS signal, it can also be performed iteratively with respect to multiple GPS signals or UNSO inputs. In processing the available GPS signals, the gateway can use signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or other measures to select or prioritize among the available GPS signals.FIG. 16 also depicts, in the lower left quadrant, aspects of gateway software that can extract Network Time Protocol (NTP) data from an onboard atomic clock. NTP is a networking protocol for clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP can be accurate to within 100 milliseconds, while more accurate current time data from GPS, considered elsewhere in this application as guaranteed PTP, can be accurate to within 1 microsecond. Thus, the PTP protocol can be more accurate than NTP and can introduce less latency than NTP.

[0026] In another embodiment, the gateway is configured for enterprise or commercial use using a protocol suitable for such communications. Current enterprise or commercial network environments use many protocols, including the Internet Protocol suite of protocols, including Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerant connections between applications on the Internet. It speeds transmission by allowing data transfer before the receiving party provides consent. As a result, UDP is beneficial in time-sensitive communications, including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Domain Name System (DNS) lookups, and video or audio playback. UDP is a replacement for TCP in the protocol stack, with which those skilled in the art will be familiar.

[0027] In another embodiment, the gateway can employ a multi-party protocol to enable blockchain-based cryptographic or electronic communications. While many legacy protocols enable point-to-point communications, the gateway described herein employs a multi-party protocol (MPP), typically a constellation protocol using multi-party computing (MPC), to share consensus among n parties in the constellation and eliminate central authorization, signatures, or trust. This can be an any-to-any protocol. MPP can be used to establish secure multi-party connections between authenticated entities. Connected entities can be equipped to perform distributed computation (MPC) to form multi-party decisions, thereby creating consensus-based decisions. MPC can allow a group of servers to provide inputs to an arithmetic or Boolean circuit and securely evaluate the circuit in the presence of an attacker who can corrupt the fixed parts of the server. By corrupting a server, an attacker can learn all information stored on that server. An attacker can then operate a corrupted server arbitrarily, regardless of the protocol. One commercial source of software that enables the use of MPP and / or MPC is PriveComms, in addition to other members of the MPC Alliance, an industry organization of blockchain-based technology providers.

[0028] As shown in Figure 11, MPP can enable the gateway to interact with cloud storage without disclosing or decrypting the data in transit. Some of the benefits of MPP are illustrated in Figure 12. Figure 13 illustrates details of MPP communication between parties and the process by which consensus is formed. Figure 13 also illustrates the difference between MPP and public key infrastructure-based encryption. As shown in Figure 14, a phone or handset is shown receiving voice and data communications from the gateway using MPP, demonstrating the operational use of the gateway for MPP-based telecommunications.

[0029] In another embodiment, a gateway may be used in combination with MPP to distribute time and synchronization data to devices authenticated with the gateway. Using MPP, the gateway's time and synchronization data may be distributed or dispersed in a secure, encrypted manner. Such time and synchronization data may be NTP-grade or PTP-grade and may be transmitted as header or payload data, depending on selected parameters such as the desired security level. In one example, PTP data may be dispersed using obfuscation methods discussed elsewhere in this application so that someone intercepting one or more portions of such data cannot derive meaningful information without the applicable MPP key required to decrypt such data.

[0030] Figure 15 illustrates the present gateway communicating using lasers. Data can be received and transmitted via any one of the sources described above, and can also be communicated using laser communication techniques.

[0031] In another embodiment, the gateway may be optimized for a particular environment. One example is for use in a high-altitude environment where the gateway may need to be reinforced due to extreme temperatures, radiation, high gravity (G-forces), or other surrounding or environmental factors or constraints. In such an environment, the network topology may also enable networking, whether peer-to-peer, mesh, or otherwise, between drones, balloons, or other suitable high-altitude vehicles carrying the gateway. In such an environment, the gateway may need to be lightweight, such as less than or equal to about 5 pounds in total weight, or meet weight constraints that may be imposed by the military or other users. As shown in FIG. 17 , for a wide range of environments or other imposed constraints, the gateway may be reduced in size and weight so that the components discussed throughout this application are available as circuit boards, custom chips, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or other form factors in which the gateway's components are reduced in size and weight or miniaturized. As shown in the exemplary hardware diagram of FIG. 17, the SDR is associated with one or more processors, shown here as two Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processors, merely by way of example and not intended to limit the present invention. ARM processors are a family of CPUs based on reduced instruction set computing (RISC) architecture, currently implementing 32-bit and 64-bit RISC multicore processors. RISC processors are designed to implement fewer types of computer instructions so they can run faster and execute millions of instructions per second (MIPS). By reducing instructions and optimizing paths, RISC processors offer significant performance with less power than complex instruction set computing (CISC) devices. ARM processors are widely used in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, multimedia players, and other mobile devices, such as wearables.Because of the reduced instruction set, ARM processors require fewer transistors, which allows for smaller die sizes for integrated circuits (ICs). The smaller size, reduced complexity, and lower power consumption of ARM processors make them suitable for increasingly miniaturized devices.

[0032] In this example, an SDR with two onboard ARM processors is connected to the SAASM, chip-scale clock, and central processor (CPU) (optionally including an onboard satellite modem or a separate satellite modem), the components necessary for the various connection paths the gateway employs, including the radio power and associated channel amplifiers shown on the right side of the figure, paths for 5G / 4G LTE / 3G, and customized waveform communications, Ethernet communications, etc., a chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC, Microsemi SA.45s, etc.), and appropriate power and control components. Reducing the size and weight of the gateway's components to board or chip scale can address a wide variety of form factors and use cases, including allowing the gateway to be more easily wearable or portable by a user, including being embedded in clothing, a bag or backpack, or other suitable form factor. Various embodiments of the gateway can also be combined with a thermal or other self-destruct device that would render the gateway unusable under certain circumstances, such as eavesdropping or capture by an attacking party.

[0033] In another example, the present gateway may employ cellular communications (5G / 4G LTE / 3G or other suitable current or future protocols) as a carrier with a modified protocol stack to enable the use of MPP or other blockchain-based protocols. 5G enables enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). These use cases are defined by ITU-R (ITU Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R)). In this embodiment of the present invention, the 5G physical layer may be retained so that those aspects of the 5G protocol stack necessary to establish and maintain communications are preserved, and other portions of the stack, such as the IP packet core, are replaced with MPP or other suitable blockchain-based evolved packet core protocols. In this embodiment, the gateway may communicate in a manner compatible with a 5G bidirectional amplifier (BDA) and would appear as a normal 5G signal on a spectrum analyzer or other suitable analysis device. However, the payload carried on the 5G carrier is encrypted and secured using MPP or other suitable blockchain-based protocols and is therefore unreadable to any party not using the gateway with the appropriate decryption key.

[0034] The present gateway thus solves problems in conventional systems by providing configurable hardware and software that enables the gateway to receive audio, video, control, or other data streams from many different sources, protocols, physical spectrums, or communication technologies, extract the payload, and convert the payload into one or more formats for outgoing wide area network (WAN) output to a wide range of destinations, protocols, physical spectrums, or communication technologies. The gateway can also be configured with an array of encryption technologies, software-defined radios, transmission obfuscation techniques, self-healing techniques, blockchain-based security (e.g., using multi-party protocols), or fail-safe synchronization technologies to provide precise position, navigation, or timing (PNT) information in the absence of GPS or other common sources of such information.

Claims

1. 1. An intelligent and dynamic gateway, comprising: an input module adapted to receive communications from a plurality of disparate source paths, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; a processor adapted to translate received communications from any of the disparate source routes, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media to any of a plurality of disparate destination routes, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; an output module adapted to transmit the communication over the disparate destination paths, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; An intelligent and dynamic gateway where at least one of the source or destination protocols includes a cryptographic protocol that distributes computation across multiple parties so that individual parties cannot see the data of other parties.

2. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1 , wherein the cryptographic protocol is a blockchain-based protocol.

3. 2. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1, wherein the encryption protocol is a multi-party protocol (MPP).

4. a GPS signal scanning module that determines whether an incoming GPS signal conforms to at least one of a predetermined waveform, frequency, or standard; 10. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1, further comprising: an atomic clock synchronization module that synchronizes an atomic clock according to timing information contained in the incoming GPS signals.

5. 5. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 4, wherein if the incoming GPS signal does not conform to at least one of a predetermined waveform, frequency, or standard, the atomic clock operates independently of the timing information.

6. 5. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 4, wherein the atomic clock provided is in a chip-scale package.

7. 5. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 4, wherein timing and synchronization data provided by the atomic clock is synchronized with devices authenticated with the intelligent and dynamic gateway.

8. 10. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent and dynamic gateway is hardened against at least one of temperature, radiation, gravity, and ambient and environmental factors.

9. 10. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1, wherein the processor is provided as an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor.

10. 10. The intelligent and dynamic gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent and dynamic gateway is a source of secured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information using the PTP protocol.

11. 1. A communications network comprising: a gateway, an input module adapted to receive communications from a plurality of disparate source paths, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; a processor adapted to translate received communications from any of the disparate source routes, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media to any of a plurality of disparate destination routes, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; an output module adapted to transmit the communication over the disparate destination paths, protocols, physical spectrums, and physical media; and a software-defined radio (SDR) that establishes wireless communications using a plurality of different protocols, different radio frequency (RF) bands, different spectrums, and different physical layer communication technologies.

12. 12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein the SDR utilizes custom waveforms to distribute the wireless communications across different physical spectrums.

13. The communications network of claim 11 , wherein the SDRs communicate over an optical network.

14. a GPS signal scanning module that determines whether an incoming GPS signal conforms to at least one of a predetermined waveform, frequency, or standard; an atomic clock synchronization module for synchronizing an atomic clock according to timing information contained in the incoming GPS signals; 12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein the atomic clock operates as a master timing source on an SDR communications path.

15. 15. The communications network of claim 14, wherein the atomic clock operates independently of the timing information if the incoming GPS signal does not conform to at least one of a predetermined waveform, frequency, or standard.

16. 12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein the SDR is implemented in an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor.

17. 12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein the plurality of different protocols, different radio frequency (RF) bands, different spectrums, and different physical layer communication technologies comprises any one of TCP / IP, SIPR, NIPR, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, wireless RF, high frequency (HF), very low frequency (VLF), very high frequency (VHF), extremely high frequency (UHF), serial, Ethernet, fiber optic, and optical laser.

18. 12. The communications network of claim 11, wherein the gateway is a source of secured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information using the PTP protocol.

19. A miniaturized communication gateway, a power controller for providing multiple output voltages to components within the gateway; a Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) based GPS receiver that receives and authenticates GPS signals and provides timing information to a Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC); a network interface for receiving network-based communications; Satellite antenna input, a software defined radio (SDR) that establishes bidirectional communications using a plurality of different protocols, different radio frequency (RF) bands, different spectrums, and different physical layer communication techniques, the SDR providing output RF signals to at least one amplifier associated with a respective RF output; a processor that performs signal processing associated with the SDR.

20. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, further comprising a satellite modem.

21. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the plurality of different protocols, different radio frequency (RF) bands, different spectrums, and different physical layer communication technologies include any one of TCP / IP, SIPR, NIPR, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G, wireless RF, high frequency (HF), very low frequency (VLF), very high frequency (VHF), extremely high frequency (UHF), serial, Ethernet, fiber optic, and optical laser.

22. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the components therein are provided on a circuit board.

23. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the components therein are provided as custom chips.

24. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the components therein are provided as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

25. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the components therein are hardened according to predetermined environmental or operating conditions.

26. 20. The miniaturized communications gateway of claim 19, wherein the processor is an Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) processor.

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