Relationship Trust Model for Implicit IoT Device Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

As the number of network-aware IoT devices increases, securely accessing these devices becomes more challenging, particularly in implicit pairing environments where access is granted without explicit request, necessitating a method for devices to determine whether to accept access permissions based on relationships.

Innovation Solution

A trust model module within IoT devices receives offers to access other devices and determines acceptance based on relationships between devices and entrusting devices or the devices themselves, using a Relationship Trust Model to manage permissions and access keys.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If implicit pairing is used to simplify device access, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of device accessVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a trust model as an intermediary mechanism between the implicit pairing process and security validation. The trust model evaluates relationship data, device attributes, and contextual information to determine whether to grant access permissions, thereby maintaining security while enabling implicit pairing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where devices continuously exchange trust information and relationship data. The trust model receives ongoing feedback about device interactions, relationship changes, and access patterns to dynamically adjust security decisions, allowing implicit pairing to proceed safely based on accumulated trust information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If relationship-based trust models are implemented, then security is improved, but device complexity is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidcomplexity of trust management
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The trust model is designed as a universal component that handles multiple security functions including authentication, authorization, and relationship management. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional module, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security through relationship-based evaluation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing relationship profiles and trust attributes during device onboarding. This preliminary setup of relationship data and trust parameters reduces the complexity of real-time security decisions, as the trust model can make access decisions based on pre-computed relationship information rather than evaluating all factors from scratch each time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3152882B1Determining trust levels on a device receiving authorization
Publication Date: 2019.08.28 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3152882B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3152882B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3152882B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

Methods and systems for receiving an offer from an entrusting device to access one or more devices are disclosed. A trust model module of a first device receives the offer from the entrusting device to provide the first device with permission to access the one or more devices, and determines whether or not to accept the offer from the entrusting device to provide the permission to access the one or more devices, wherein the first device determines whether or not to accept the permission to access the one or more devices based on a relationship between the first device and the entrusting device and/or a relationship between the first device and the one or more devices.