Security System Communications Including Encryption

• US 20080144834A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Ram, Manjeet, Rakoff, Steven Barnett
• Application Number:
  US11/587,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]

Abstract

A security system (20) includes a plurality of sensors (22-26) that provide an indication of a security condition to a corresponding plurality of microcontrollers (32-36). Each microcontroller communicates information regarding the security condition to a central control (40). The communications from the microcontroller include using an elliptical public key encryption for protecting a key associated with the security condition information. In a disclosed example, the security condition information is encrypted using a symmetrical encryption technique.

Claims

1. A security system, comprising:

at least one sensor that detects a security condition; and

a microcontroller that receives an indication of the security condition from the sensor and communicates information regarding the security condition to another device using a key for protecting the information, the microcontroller uses elliptical encryption for protecting the key.

2. The security system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said microcontrollers, each using elliptical encryption for an associated key.

3. The security system of claim 2, comprising a central control device that communicates with the plurality of microcontrollers and uses the elliptically encrypted key for certifying the communicated information.

4. The security system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller uses symmetrical encryption for encrypting the communicated information.

5. The security system of claim 4, wherein the communicated information comprises an alarm protocol.

6. A method of communicating information in a security system having at least one microcontroller that communicates information regarding at least one security condition, comprising the steps of:

associating a key with information regarding the security condition;

encrypting the key using elliptical encryption; and

encrypting the information regarding the security condition.

7. The method of claim 6, including encrypting the information regarding the security condition using another encryption that is different than the elliptical encryption.

8. The method of claim 7, including using a symmetrical encryption for encrypting the information regarding the security condition.

9. The method of claim 6, including communicating the encrypted key and the encrypted information regarding the security condition to a central control device and deciphering the key to certify the communicated information regarding the security condition.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising providing a plurality of sensors each for detecting at least one security condition, providing a plurality of microcontrollers for receiving an indication from corresponding sensors, and using the elliptical public key encryption at each of the microcontrollers.

11. The method of claim 6, including transmitting the encrypted key and the encrypted information in a single transmission.