Unified Connectivity Stack for Secure Multi-Protocol Messaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in designing a connectivity framework that can seamlessly integrate multiple connectivity technologies with different communication protocols and security mechanisms, enabling effective communication among various computing devices in a common network, while ensuring end-to-end encryption and avoiding vendor lock-in.
Innovation Solution
A connectivity framework with a unified application layer stack and messaging protocol that abstracts the specifics of individual communication stacks, providing a common interface for message exchange and ensuring end-to-end encryption, compatible with various peripheral devices and supporting mesh and cloud connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple connectivity technologies with different communication protocols are integrated, then connectivity versatility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary device that mediates communication between computing devices using different connectivity technologies. The gateway translates messages between different protocols (Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, Ethernet) and a unified internal protocol, eliminating the need for direct protocol compatibility between devices. This mediator approach resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining high connectivity versatility while managing protocol diversity within the gateway rather than across the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: endpoint devices with simple communication stacks, a centralized gateway handling protocol translation and routing, and a unified messaging layer. This segmentation allows each component to have specialized, simplified functionality while the system as a whole supports multiple connectivity technologies. The gateway bears the complexity of protocol translation, while endpoint devices maintain simple, unified interfaces.
2Reliability
If end-to-end encryption is implemented across all connectivity technologies, then security is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Encryption keys are established in advance through a key exchange process that occurs during device pairing and network joining. The gateway pre-establishes secure communication channels with authorized devices before actual data transmission begins. This preliminary action allows encryption to be performed efficiently using pre-shared keys rather than requiring complex real-time key negotiation for every message, thus improving security while reducing ongoing processing overhead.
3Ease of operation
If a unified messaging protocol is implemented across all devices, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to specific connectivity technologies decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple connectivity technologies (Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, Ethernet) through a single unified interface. The gateway can translate the unified internal messaging protocol to appropriate protocols for each specific connectivity technology, making the system easy to operate while maintaining adaptability to diverse technologies. This multi-functional gateway serves as a universal adapter between the simplified unified protocol and various specific connectivity protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises a computing device including one or more processors, multiple peripheral communication devices of different communication protocol types operably connected to the one or more processors, and a memory to store processor-executable instructions comprising an application layer protocol stack. The processor-executable instructions are such that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for respective ones of messages to be communicated to and from the computing device via respective ones of the multiple peripheral communication devices. The operations comprise communicating the respective ones of messages via the respective ones of the multiple peripheral communication devices according to a unified messaging protocol that is common to the multiple peripheral communication devices.