Portable Device Key Provisioning via Visual Representation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for provisioning portable devices to access secure servers require physical proximity or manual entry of long alphanumeric or numeric strings, making the process cumbersome and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A secure server generates a key and represents it as a two-dimensional barcode or audio signal, which is communicated to a local device and then captured by the portable device, allowing it to extract and store the key for secure communication without direct access to the server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical connection or manual key entry is used for provisioning, then key can be transmitted securely, but the process becomes cumbersome and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual key entry (mechanical typing process) with optical scanning technology. The portable device uses an image capture device to scan a visual representation of the key displayed on a local device, automatically extracting and storing the key without requiring physical connection or manual typing. This substitution eliminates the cumbersome manual process while maintaining security through the use of a captured visual representation that cannot be easily intercepted or modified.
2Reliability
If physical connection is used to transmit key, then key can be communicated securely, but portable device must be in close proximity to server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a local device as an intermediary between the secure server and the portable device. The local device displays a visual representation of the key, which the portable device captures through its image capture device. This intermediary approach allows the portable device to obtain the key securely without needing direct physical connection or close proximity to the server, enabling remote provisioning while maintaining security through the visual representation transmission channel.
3Reliability
If long alphanumeric key string is used for security, then key strength increases, but manual entry becomes more error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual typing process with automated optical recognition. Instead of requiring users to manually enter long alphanumeric key strings (which is error-prone), the system displays the key as a visual representation that can be scanned and automatically extracted by the portable device's image capture device. This maintains the use of strong, long keys while eliminating human typing errors through automated optical character recognition and extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy (visual representation) of the key that can be captured and reproduced by the portable device. Rather than requiring precise manual reproduction of a long alphanumeric string, the system generates a visual representation that the portable device can scan and extract automatically. This copying approach preserves the integrity of the long key while eliminating the errors inherent in manual entry and transcription.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable device initially accesses a secure server and requests a certificate. The secure server generates a random key and encodes the generated key to generate a representation of the key, such as a two-dimensional bar code or an audio signal, and communicated to a local device, such as a laptop or desktop computer, using a web interface. The local device is used to present the representation of the key to a mobile device. The mobile device then captures the representation of the key from the local device, for example using an image capture device or audio capture device, and extracts the key by decoding the representation of the key. The key is then stored by the mobile device and used to securely communicate with the secure server without manually entering the key.