Access Point Location Certificates for Trusted Network Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies struggle to establish trust in data transmission between digital and physical worlds, particularly in scenarios involving physical goods and untrusted parties, as Web3 systems are vulnerable without fool-proof solutions to digitalize physical aspects.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize cryptographic keypairs and certificates to authenticate the location of access points, ensuring data integrity by generating certificates with access point signatures and device signatures, and optionally using zero-knowledge proofs to verify location without disclosing exact details.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptographic certificates and access point signatures are implemented to authenticate location, then trust and reliability in data transmission is improved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing cryptographic keypairs for devices and access points before data transmission occurs. Location certificates are generated in advance by access points based on their known locations, and these certificates are stored and ready for immediate verification when data is transmitted. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time location verification during data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces location certificates as an intermediary element that mediates between the physical location of access points and the digital data transmission. Instead of directly verifying location during transmission, the system uses certificates as a intermediary proof that contains location information signed by the access point's private key. This intermediary simplifies the authentication process by separating location verification from data transmission verification.
2Measurement precision
If location certificates are generated and verified for every message, then authenticity of location is improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of location information in the form of cryptographic certificates that are generated once by access points based on their physical locations. These certificate copies contain the essential location verification data (access point identifier, location coordinates, timestamp, and cryptographic signature) that can be independently verified without requiring the access point itself to be contacted during each verification process.
Solution Approach 2:
Location certificates are generated in advance by access points and stored in secure repositories before any data transmission occurs. The certificates contain pre-computed cryptographic signatures of the access point's location information. When data is transmitted, the recipient only needs to verify the existing certificate signature rather than performing complex location verification calculations in real-time.
3Reliability
If single hop communication is required between device and access point, then location trust is improved, but network flexibility and routing options are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the trust verification process into two independent parts: (1) verification that the data originated from a specific device, and (2) verification that the access point routing the data is located where it claims to be. The location certificate contains both the access point identifier and its location information, allowing the target service to verify the access point's location without requiring the data to travel through a specific physical path.
Solution Approach 2:
The location certificate acts as an intermediary that decouples the trust relationship from the physical communication path. Instead of requiring the target service to trust the physical routing path, the system uses the certificate as an intermediary proof that verifies the access point's location independently of how the data traversed the network to reach it.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing trust in data sent by a device to a target service through a network, via a single-hop communication to an access point of the network. The device sends a message to the access point comprising at least first information which include the data. The access point generates a certificate comprising at least second information representative of the message and third information representative of a location of the access point, routes the message to the target service, and makes the certificate available in such a way that the target service receiving the message can authenticate the location of the access point which has routed the message, based on the certificate. The message can be unencrypted or encrypted. The certificate can be made available by attaching the certificate to the message being sent to the target service, or by returning the certificate to the device for the device to make it available to the target service, or by storing the certificate in a first secure data repository.