Cryptographically protecting data transferred between spatially distributed computing devices using an intermediary database

• US 10,341,309 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramirez, Philip Peter, McNichol, Jr., Michael J., Chen, Tao, Quigley, Vincent, Rice, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarrineh, Shahriar
• Application Number:
  US15/180,696
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 713159
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a system and method for cryptographically protecting data transferred between spatially distributed computing devices. An intermediary database may be used to facilitate the protected data transfer and/or record the data transfers. A first computing device may transfer, to the intermediary database, encrypted data that may be securely transferred to other computing devices. A second computing device may generate a GUI used to view data available from the intermediary database. Once data is selected by the second device, the second device may transfer a key (or other encryption mechanism) to the first device. The first computing device may encrypt the data using the received key and transmit the encrypted data to the intermediary database. The intermediary database may transmit the encrypted data to the second computing device, and the second computing device may decrypt and use the data. Similar data transfers may be performed among numerous other computing devices connected to the intermediary database.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first computing device and from a plurality of sensors, sensor data;

processing, by the first computing device, the sensor data to generate processed data;

encrypting, by the first computing device and using a first encryption key associated with the first computing device, the processed data to generate first encrypted data;

transmitting, by the first computing device and to an intermediary database, the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key;

after receiving a selection, by a second computing device, of the first encrypted data, receiving, by the first computing device and from the second computing device, a second encryption key associated with the second computing device, wherein the receiving the selection of the first encrypted data comprises;

transmitting, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, a third encryption key, wherein the third encryption key comprises a public key associated with the first computing device, and

receiving, by the first computing device, an encrypted incentive encrypted using the third encryption key, wherein the incentive comprises data exchanging for the sensor data;

responsive to the selection of the first encrypted data, receiving, at the first computing device and from the intermediary database, the first encrypted data;

decrypting, by the first computing device and using the first encryption key, the first encrypted data received from the intermediary database to generate decrypted data;

decrypting, by the first computing device and using a private key corresponding to the public key associated with the first computing device, the encrypted incentive;

encrypting, by the first computing device and using the second encryption key, the decrypted data to generate second encrypted data, wherein the incentive is associated with the second encrypted data encrypted using the second encryption key; and

transmitting, by the first computing device, via the intermediary database, and to the second computing device, the second encrypted data for the second computing device to decrypt and use.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically accepting or declining, by the first computing device, the selection made by the second computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating metadata used to describe the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key; and

transmitting, by the first computing device and to the intermediary database, the metadata used to describe the first encrypted data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one sensor of a mobile computing device associated with a user and at least one sensor of a vehicle associated with the user, and wherein processing the sensor data comprises generating a driving score for the user based on the sensor data received from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device and the at least one sensor of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encryption key comprises a private key associated with the first computing device, and wherein the second encryption key comprises a public key associated with the second computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary database comprises a block chain.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a plurality of sensors, sensor data;

process the sensor data to generate processed data;

encrypt, using a first encryption key associated with the apparatus, the processed data to generate first encrypted data;

transmit, to an intermediary database, the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key;

after receiving a selection, by a second apparatus, of the first encrypted data, receive, from the second apparatus, a second encryption key associated with the second apparatus wherein the receiving the selection of the first encrypted data comprises;

transmitting, to the second apparatus, a third encryption key, wherein the third encryption key comprises a public key associated with the apparatus, and

receiving an encrypted incentive encrypted using the third encryption key, wherein the incentive comprises data exchanging for the sensor data;

responsive to the selection of the first encrypted data, receive, from the intermediary database, the first encrypted data;

decrypt, using the first encryption key, the first encrypted data received from the intermediary database to generate decrypted data;

decrypt, using a private key corresponding to the public key associated with the apparatus, the encrypted incentive;

encrypt, using the second encryption key, the decrypted data to generate second encrypted data, wherein the incentive is associated with the second encrypted data encrypted using the second encryption key; and

transmit, via the intermediary database and to the second apparatus, the second encrypted data for the second apparatus to decrypt and use.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

automatically accept or decline the selection made by the second apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to:

generate metadata used to describe the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key; and

transmit, to the intermediary database, the metadata used to describe the first encrypted data.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one sensor of a mobile computing device associated with a user and at least one sensor of a vehicle associated with the user, and wherein processing the sensor data comprises generating a driving score for the user based on the sensor data received from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device and the at least one sensor of the vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first encryption key comprises a private key associated with the apparatus, and wherein the second encryption key comprises a public key associated with the second apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the intermediary database comprises a block chain.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when read by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive, from a plurality of sensors, sensor data;

process the sensor data to generate processed data;

encrypt, using a first encryption key associated with the computing device, the processed data to generate first encrypted data;

transmit, to an intermediary database, the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key;

after receiving a selection, by a second computing device, of the first encrypted data, receive, from the second computing device, a second encryption key associated with the second computing device, wherein the receiving the selection comprises;

transmitting, to the second computing device, a third encryption key, wherein the third encryption key comprises a public key associated with the computing device, and

receiving an encrypted incentive encrypted using the third encryption key, wherein the incentive comprises data exchanging for the sensor data;

responsive to the selection of the first encrypted data, receive, from the intermediary database, the first encrypted data;

decrypt, using the first encryption key, the first encrypted data received from the intermediary database to generate decrypted data;

decrypt, using a private key corresponding to the public key associated with the computing device, the encrypted incentive;

encrypt, using the second encryption key, the processed data to generate second encrypted data, wherein the incentive is associated with the second encrypted data encrypted using the second encryption key; and

transmit, via the intermediary database and to the second computing device, the second encrypted data for the second computing device to decrypt and use.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, storing instructions that, when read by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

automatically accept or decline the selection made by the second computing device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, storing instructions that, when read by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

generate metadata used to describe the first encrypted data encrypted using the first encryption key; and

transmit, to the intermediary database, the metadata used to describe the first encrypted data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise at least one sensor of a mobile computing device associated with a user and at least one sensor of a vehicle associated with the user, and wherein processing the sensor data comprises generating a driving score for the user based on the sensor data received from the at least one sensor of the mobile computing device and the at least one sensor of the vehicle.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first encryption key comprises a private key associated with the computing device, and wherein the second encryption key comprises a public key associated with the second computing device.