IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,149,637
Granted Patent B2
US 12,149,637 · App. 16/254,817 · Granted Nov 19, 2024

Blockchain for the connected home

Inventors: Asad Haque (Chesterbrook, PA); Noopur Davis (Pittsburgh, PA); Sridhar Solur (Bryn Mawr, PA)
Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
H04L9/3263H04L9/3239H04L9/3247H04L63/10H04L63/12H04L67/12H04L9/0643H04L9/50H04L2209/76H04L2209/805
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,149,637
App. No.
16/254,817
Granted
Nov 19, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A request to access a destination device associated may be received from a user device. The request may comprise a digital certificate. The digital certificate may comprise a public key of the user device. A distributed ledger address of the user device may be determined by applying a deterministic function to the public key of the user device. A distributed ledger entry may be created on a distributed ledger. The distributed ledger entry may comprise the address of the user device. Based on the distributed ledger entry, access to the destination device may be granted to the user device.

Claims (53)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device and from a user device, a request to access a destination device, wherein the computing device has authority to grant access to the destination device, and wherein the request comprises a digital certificate associated with the user device;

determining to grant the user device access to the destination device;

determining an address of the user device;

causing, based on the determining to grant the user device access to the destination device, a distributed ledger entry to be created on a distributed ledger, wherein the distributed ledger entry comprises an indication that the user device is authorized to access the destination device of the user device request, an indication of the address of the user device, and an indication of an address of the destination device on a communication network; and

sending, to the user device and based on the determining to grant the user device access to the destination device requested by the user device, a locator of the destination device, wherein the locator of the destination device comprises the address of the destination device on the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination device is associated with a user; and

wherein the determining to grant the user device access to the destination device is based on a determination that the user device is associated with a service provider of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination device is associated with a community of users; and

wherein the determining to grant the user device access to the destination device is based on a determination that the user device is associated with a member of the community of users.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining to grant the user device access to the destination device is based on a geographic location of at least one of the computing device, the user device, or the destination device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication that the user device is authorized to access the destination device comprises a digital signature of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital certificate comprises a public key associated with the user device; and

wherein the determining the address of the user device comprises applying at least a deterministic function to the public key.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sending the locator of the destination device on the communication network further comprises sending a public key of the destination device.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, from a user device and by a computing device, a request to access a network device, wherein the request comprises a public key of the user device;

determining, by applying at least a deterministic function to the public key, an address of the user device;

determining to grant the user device access to the network device;

causing, based at least on the determining to grant the user device access to the network device, a distributed ledger entry to be created on a distributed ledger, wherein the distributed ledger entry comprises the address of the user device and an indication that the user device is authorized to access the network device of the user device request, an indication of an address of the network device on a communication network; and

granting, based on the distributed ledger entry, the user device access to the network device requested by the user device, wherein the granting the user device access to the network device further comprises sending, to the user device, a locator of the network device, wherein the locator of the network device comprises an address of the network device on the communication network.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the distributed ledger entry further comprises an indication of a time limit to access to the network device; and

wherein the granting the user device access to the network device comprises granting, based on the indication of the time limit, the user device access to the network device.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the granting the user device access to the network device comprises enabling, by the computing device, the user device to control or use a function of the network device.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the distributed ledger entry is encrypted with a private key of an intermediary device.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the indication that the user device is authorized to access the network device comprises a digital signature of the computing device authorized to grant access to the network device.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein accessing the distributed ledger entry comprises comparing the address of the user device to a plurality of distributed ledger entries and determining that at least one of the plurality of distributed ledger entries corresponds to the address of the user device.

14. A system comprising:

an intermediary device authorized to grant access to a destination device, wherein the intermediary device is configured to:

receive, from a user device, a first request to access the destination device, wherein the first request comprises a public key of the user device;

determine, by applying at least a deterministic function to the public key of the user device, an address of the user device;

determine to grant the user device access to the destination device;

cause, based on determining to grant the user device access to the destination device, a distributed ledger entry to be created on a distributed ledger, wherein the distributed ledger entry comprises an indication that the user device is authorized to access the destination device of the user device request, an indication of an address of the destination device on a communication network, and an indication of the address of the user device; and

send, to the user device, a public key of the destination device and a locator of the destination device, wherein the locator of the destination device comprises the address of the destination device on the communication network; and

the destination device requested by the user device configured to:

receive, from the user device, a second request to access the destination device, wherein the second request comprises the public key of the user device;

determine, by applying at least the deterministic function to the public key of the user device, the address of the user device;

access, using the address of the user device, the distributed ledger entry; and

grant, based on the distributed ledger entry, the user device access to the destination device.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the intermediary device is associated with the distributed ledger; and

wherein the intermediary device is configured to determine to grant the user device access to the destination device further based on a second distributed ledger entry comprising an indication that the user device is associated with the distributed ledger.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the intermediary device is configured to create additional distributed ledger entries comprising identifiers of devices associated with the intermediary device.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the destination device is configured to grant, based on the distributed ledger entry, the user device access to the destination device comprising enabling the user device to control or use a functionality of the destination device.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the destination device is configured to:

receive an indication of a device associated with the destination device;

generate, responsive to receiving the indication of the associated device, a private key and a public key of the associated device; and

generate a new distributed ledger entry comprising an identifier of the associated device.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the user device is configured to:

send, to the intermediary device, the first request to access the destination device, the first request comprising the public key of the user device;

receive, from the intermediary device, the public key of the destination device and the locator of the destination device, wherein the locator of the destination device comprises the address of the destination device on the communication network;

connect, using the address of the destination device, to the destination device; and

responsive to the destination device granting the user device access, accessing the destination device.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the user device is configured to grant the user device access to the destination device based on the distributed ledger entry being signed by the intermediary device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 22, 2019
From: HAQUE, ASAD; DAVIS, NOOPUR; SOLUR, SRIDHAR
To: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 048405/0769 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62621566 · Jan 24, 2018
Related Publication 20190229930A1 · Jul 25, 2019