SUPPORTING DIFFERENTIATED SECURE COMMUNICATIONS AMONG HETEROGENEOUS ELECTRONIC DEVICES

摘要

A gateway apparatus supports differentiated secure communications among heterogeneous electronic devices. A communication port communicates via communication networks of different types with two or more associated devices having diverse secure communication capabilities. The gateway logic selectively authenticates the associated devices for group membership into a Secure Communication Group (SCG), and selectively communicates Secure Communication Group Keys (SCGKs) to the devices having the diverse secure communication capabilities for selectively generating session keys locally by the associated devices for mutual secure communication in accordance with the group membership of the associated devices in the SCG.

主权项

1. A gateway apparatus supporting differentiated secure communications among heterogeneous electronic devices, the gateway apparatus comprising:
a first communication port configured to communicate via an associated first communication network of a first network type with a first associated device having a first secure communication capability, the first communication port further being configured to communicate via an associated second communication network of a second network type different than the first network type with a second associated device having a second secure communication capability different than the first secure communication capability; and gateway logic operatively coupled with the first communication port; wherein the gateway logic selectively authenticates the first associated device for group membership into a first Secure Communication Group (SCG); wherein the gateway logic selectively authenticates the second associated device for group membership into the first SCG; wherein the gateway logic selectively communicates Secure Communication Group Keys (SCGKs) to the first associated device having the first secure communication capability and to the second associated device having the second secure communication capability for generating session keys by the first and second associated devices for mutual secure communication in accordance with the group membership of the first and second associated devices in the first SCG.