IP Library Granted Patent US 8,874,913
Granted Patent B1
US 8,874,913 · App. 13/939,629 · Granted Oct 28, 2014

Secure communications between devices using a trusted server

Inventors: Diogo Monica (San Francisco, CA); Shawn Morel (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Square, Inc.
H04W12/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,874,913
App. No.
13/939,629
Granted
Oct 28, 2014
Kind
B1
Abstract

A method of establishing secure communication between a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device includes receiving a first request from the first mobile computing device to securely communicate with the second mobile computing device via a Wi Fi hot spot, verifying that the first mobile computing device is trusted, generating a public key and a private key based on a trusted certificate, sending the private key to the first mobile computing device via the Wi-Fi hot spot, receiving a second request from the second mobile computing device to securely communicate with the first mobile computing device, verifying that the second mobile computing device is trusted, and sending the public key to the second mobile computing device.

Claims (33)

1. A method of establishing secure communication with a user device comprising:

sending, to a trusted server and a user device, a request to securely communicate with the user device over a wireless network;

receiving a private key from the trusted server;

receiving an encrypted session key from the user device, wherein the encrypted session key is encrypted with a public key generated by the trusted server; and

decrypting the session key using the private key; and

establishing secure communication with the user device over the wireless network, including encrypting sent transmissions to the user device using the session key and decrypting received transmissions from the user device using the session key.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising verifying the identity of the trusted server.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sending, to the trusted server, a request for one or more devices connected to the wireless network; and

receiving, from the trusted server, an identification of the user device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the user device from one or more user devices connected to the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless network is a Wi-Fi hot spot.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending, to the trusted server and the user device, the request to securely communicate with the user device comprises sending information that the trusted server uses to match to a request received from the user device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the information matched by the trusted server comprises one or more of a geographic location, a current timestamp, a random number, or a unique identification of a mobile computing device sending the request.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trusted server and the user device are located in a vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trusted server and the user device are located in a restaurant.

10. A method of establishing secure communication between a first user device and a second user device comprising:

receiving a first request from the first user device to securely communicate with the second user device over a wireless network;

determining that the first mobile computing device is trusted;

in response to determining that the first user device is trusted, generating a public key and a private key based on a trusted certificate;

providing the private key to the first user device over the wireless network;

receiving a second request from the second user device to securely communicate with the first user device;

determining that the second user device is trusted; and

providing the public key to the second user device, wherein the second user device uses the public key to encrypt a session key used to communicate with the first user device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first request includes one or more first elements of information including one or more of a geographic location, a current timestamp, a random number, or a unique identification of the first user device,

wherein the second request includes corresponding one or more second elements of information,

and wherein determining that the second mobile computing device is trusted comprises determining that the one or more first elements of information match the one or more second elements of information.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving, from the first user device, a request for one or more devices connected to the wireless network; and

sending, to the first user device, an identification of the second user.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the wireless network is a Wi-Fi hot spot.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first user device and the second user device are located in a vehicle.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first user device and the second user device are located in a restaurant.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 18, 2022
From: SQUARE, INC.
To: BLOCK, INC.
Reel/Frame 058753/0503 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 11, 2017
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: SQUARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 043532/0662 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 5, 2015
From: SQUARE, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 037055/0715 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 16, 2013
From: MONICA, DIOGO; MOREL, SHAWN
To: SQUARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 031416/0958 →
Continuity (1)
Continuation 13353156 · Jan 18, 2012