Secure Data Transfer In A Communication System Including Portable Meters
First Claim
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1. A method of performing measurements with a portable meter and reporting measurement data from the portable meter to a central office having a server security certificate and a meter management table stored therein, comprising the steps of:
- (a) synchronizing the portable meter at a first location with the central office over a trusted interface resulting in the portable meter having a meter copy of a meter certificate and the central office having a predefined portion of the meter certificate in the meter management table, wherein the redefined portion uniquely identifies the portable meter;
(b) performing the measurements with the portable meter at a second location and generating the measurement data;
(c) establishing a secure channel between the portable meter connected to an IP network at the customer location and the central office, includingtransmitting the server security certificate from the central office to the portable meter;
transmitting the meter copy of the meter certificate from the portable meter to the central office, thereby providing the central office with a received copy of the meter certificate;
verifying the received copy of the meter certificate at the central office;
determining if the meter management table contains the predefined portion of the received copy of the meter certificate;
transmitting the measurement data to the central office from the portable meter over the IP network though the secure channel if the received certificate is successfully verified and if the meter management table contains the predefined portion of the received copy of the meter certificate;
(d) processing the measurement data received from the portable meter at the central office.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method of performing measurements with a portable meter and reporting measurement data from the portable meter to a central office over a secure channel. The method includes synchronizing the portable meter and the central office though a trusted interface prior to taking measurements at a customer location.
44 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of performing measurements with a portable meter and reporting measurement data from the portable meter to a central office having a server security certificate and a meter management table stored therein, comprising the steps of:
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(a) synchronizing the portable meter at a first location with the central office over a trusted interface resulting in the portable meter having a meter copy of a meter certificate and the central office having a predefined portion of the meter certificate in the meter management table, wherein the redefined portion uniquely identifies the portable meter; (b) performing the measurements with the portable meter at a second location and generating the measurement data; (c) establishing a secure channel between the portable meter connected to an IP network at the customer location and the central office, including transmitting the server security certificate from the central office to the portable meter; transmitting the meter copy of the meter certificate from the portable meter to the central office, thereby providing the central office with a received copy of the meter certificate; verifying the received copy of the meter certificate at the central office; determining if the meter management table contains the predefined portion of the received copy of the meter certificate; transmitting the measurement data to the central office from the portable meter over the IP network though the secure channel if the received certificate is successfully verified and if the meter management table contains the predefined portion of the received copy of the meter certificate; (d) processing the measurement data received from the portable meter at the central office. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A portable meter for performing measurements at a first location and reporting measurement data through a secure channel over a network, comprising:
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measuring means for performing the measurements at the first location and generating the measurement data, a meter memory for storing a meter security certificate and having meter instructions stored therein including; a synchronization instruction set for synchronizing the portable meter at a second location with another end of the secure channel, resulting in the portable meter having the meter certificate and the another end having a predefined portion of the meter certificate, wherein the predefined portion uniquely identifies the portable meter; and a meter networking instruction set for sending the meter security certificate over the network to the another end, thereby establishing the secure channel between the portable meter at the first location and the another end, and for sending the measurement data though the secure channel; wherein the another end has secure channel means for synchronizing with the portable meter resulting in the portable meter having the meter certificate stored therein and the another end having the predefined portion of the meter certificate stored therein, for comparing the predefined portion of a received security certificate received over the network to the predefined portion of the meter certificate stored at the another end to determine if there is a match, and for closing the secure channel if no match has been determined. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
the meter networking instruction set is for transmitting the serial number to the another end together with the meter security certificate, over the network.
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14. A measuring system comprising the portable meter defined in claim 11 and a computer readable memory device having secure channel instructions stored therein for providing the another end with the secure channel means, including:
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a meter management component for providing a meter management table with a meter record containing the predefined portion of the meter security certificate; a meter identification instruction set for extracting the predefined portion from a received security certificate, and for identifying a matching record in the meter management table, so that at least a portion of the matching record matches the predefined portion of the received meter security certificate; and permission refusal instructions for permitting the another end to receive data from a sender of the received security certificate only if the matching record is identified, and for closing the secure channel otherwise.
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15. A measuring system defined in claim 14,
further comprising a meter serial number stored in the meter memory, wherein the meter networking instruction set is for providing the central office with a first copy of the meter serial number, wherein the meter management component is for providing the first copy of the meter serial number to the meter record; and wherein the meter identification instruction set is for identifying the matching record so that the first copy of the meter serial number matches to a second copy of the serial number received from the sender of the received security certificate.
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16. A measuring system defined in claim 14, wherein
the meter management component is for issuing the meter security certificate; -
the secure channel instructions include instructions for providing the meter security certificate and a meter private key to the portable meter; and wherein the meter instructions include instructions for receiving the meter security certificate from the another end.
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17. A measuring system defined in claim 14, wherein the portable meter is one of a plurality of meters known to the another end, and each meter is associated with a record in the meter management table.
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18. A measuring system defined in claim 14, wherein the meter management component is for deleting a record from the meter management table.
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19. A measuring system defined in claim 14, wherein the portable meter is a CATV meter.
Specification