Secure data handling in a breath alcohol calibration station

• US 10,663,440 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhong, Xin Y
• Application Number:
  US15/261,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20180074030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 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 volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory;

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

an interface operable to couple the breath alcohol device to a remote server using a connection such that data stored on the breath alcohol device can be transferred from the breath alcohol device to the remote server using the calibration system without storing the data in the nonvolatile memory.

2. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein, after the data stored on the breath alcohol device has been downloaded to the remote server, the calibration system erases the data from volatile memory on the calibration module.

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

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

5. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 4, 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.

6. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the data stored on the breath alcohol device comprises at least one of vehicle start attempts, breath alcohol test results corresponding to one or more vehicle start attempts, raw sensor data, and temperature.

7. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the data stored on the breath alcohol device is obfuscated to deter tampering and the calibration module is configured to receive the obfuscated data stored on the breath alcohol device.

8. The breath alcohol device calibration system of claim 1, wherein the calibration system is configured to, before or during the transfer of the data stored on the breath alcohol device, prevent an operator of the calibration system from viewing or altering the data stored on the breath alcohol device.

9. 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 breath alcohol device; and

downloading data stored on the breath alcohol device to a remote server without storing the data stored on the breath alcohol device in nonvolatile memory on the calibration system through a connection between the remote server and the breath alcohol device using the calibration system, wherein the calibration system comprises volatile memory and nonvolatile memory.

10. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 9, wherein downloading data stored on the breath alcohol device is performed as part of executing the calibration procedure before calibrating the breath alcohol device.

11. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 9, wherein downloading data stored on the breath alcohol device comprises:

transferring the data stored on the breath alcohol device between the breath alcohol device and the calibration module; and

transferring the data stored on the breath alcohol device between the calibration module and the remote server.

12. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 9, wherein downloading data stored on the 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 breath alcohol device coupling to the remote server.

13. The method of operating a breath alcohol calibration system of claim 9, wherein the data stored on the breath alcohol device is not displayed to an operator of the calibration system before or during downloading the data to the remote server.