SECURE DATA HANDLING IN A BREATH ALCOHOL CALIBRATION STATION

• US 20180074030A1
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consumer Safety Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Consumer Safety Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: DeVries, Douglas Edward, Ruland, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,663,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0006 Calibrating gas analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4972 Determining alcohol content for vehicle safety devices B60K28/06

Abstract

A breath alcohol device calibration system includes a computerized calibration module operable to calibrate a breath alcohol device, and an interface operable to couple the breath alcohol device to a remote server. The interface uses a connection employing a cryptographic function such that data stored on the breath alcohol device can be securely transferred from the breath alcohol device to the remote server using the calibration system. The interface is further operable to transfer data stored on the breath alcohol device from the breath alcohol device to the remote server directly without storing the data in nonvolatile storage on the calibration station.

Claims

1. A breath alcohol device calibration system, comprising:

a computerized calibration module operable to calibrate a breath alcohol device; and

an interface operable to couple the breath alcohol device to a remote server using a connection employing a cryptographic function such that data stored on the breath alcohol device can be securely transferred from the breath alcohol device to the remote server using the calibration system.

2. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further operable to transfer data stored on the breath alcohol device from the breath alcohol device to the remote server directly without storing the data in nonvolatile storage on the calibration station.

3. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 2, wherein the interface is further operable to erase the data from volatile memory on the calibration station after it has been downloaded to the remote server.

4. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the breath alcohol device comprises a breath alcohol tester or a breath alcohol ignition interlock device.

5. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further operable to securely transfer the data between the breath alcohol device and the breath alcohol device calibration system using a cryptographic function.

6. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further operable to securely transfer the data between the breath alcohol device calibration system and the remote server using a cryptographic function.

7. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic function comprises at least one of the group of public key encryption, private key encryption, cryptographic authentication, cryptographic identification, digital signature, hash function, elliptic curve encryption, secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption, and transport layer security (TLS) to secure the breath alcohol device coupling to the remote server.

8. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the stored data comprises at least one of user history, total vehicle start attempts, successful vehicle start attempts, unsuccessful vehicle start attempts, breath alcohol test results corresponding to one or more vehicle start attempts, breath alcohol retest results, raw sensor data, temperature, time of stored events, malfunctions, and diagnostic test results.

9. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the data stored on the breath alcohol device is obfuscated to deter tampering.

10. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the stored data is secured to prevent an operator of the breath alcohol calibration system from viewing or altering the stored data before or during downloading the stored data to the remote server.

11. A method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system, comprising:

connecting the calibration system to a breath alcohol device for calibration;

executing a calibration procedure comprising calibrating the connected breath alcohol device; and

downloading data stored on the connected breath alcohol device to a remote server through a secure connection employing a cryptographic function between the remote server and the connected breath alcohol device using the calibration system.

12. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein downloading data stored on the connected breath alcohol device comprises part of the calibration procedure performed before calibrating the connected breath alcohol device.

13. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein downloading data stored on the connected breath alcohol device comprises at least one of transferring the data between the connected breath alcohol device and the breath alcohol device calibration system and transferring the data between the breath alcohol device calibration system and the remote server.

14. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein downloading data stored on the connected breath alcohol device to the remote server comprises using at least one of encryption, a digital signature, cryptographic authentication or cryptographic identification, and a hash function to secure the connected breath alcohol device coupling to the remote server.

15. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein the stored data comprises at least one of user history, total vehicle start attempts, successful vehicle start attempts, unsuccessful vehicle start attempts, breath alcohol test results corresponding to one or more vehicle start attempts, raw sensor data, temperature, time of stored events, malfunctions, and diagnostic test results.

16. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein the data is not displayed to an operator of the breath alcohol device calibration system before or during downloading the data to the remote server.

17. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, wherein the calibration system provides a wide area network (WAN) interface for the connected breath alcohol device to the remote server.

18. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 11, comprising:

installing generic firmware on the connected breath alcohol device that does not permit normal operation of the connected breath alcohol device before logs are downloaded; and

installing jurisdiction-specific operable firmware after device is calibrated.

19. A breath alcohol system, comprising:

a handheld breath alcohol detection device, comprising an interface operable to securely couple the breath alcohol detection device to a remote server using a cryptographic function such that data stored on the breath alcohol detection device can be securely downloaded from the breath alcohol device to the remote server.

20. The breath alcohol system of claim 19, wherein the interface comprises a cellular telephone interface.

21. The breath alcohol system of claim 19, further comprising a remote server operable to securely receive data from a coupled breath alcohol detection device.