Method and system for reducing the impact of an undesired event using event-based distribution of certificates

• US 9,137,236 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zaplox AB
• Original Assignee: Zaplox AB
• Inventors: Tilly, Lars, Gripwall, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US13/883,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/064 Hierarchical key distribution, e.g. by multi-tier trusted parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• 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: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a system for reducing overflow caused by an appliance (100) using a liquid. The system comprises: a detector (200) arranged to detect if the appliance (100) has undesirably emitted part of the liquid, an internal server (300) being arranged to generate an alarm event in case the appliance (100) has undesirably emitted part of the liquid, and an external server. The external server is arranged to send, via a cellular network, a certificate to a predetermined first party in case an alarm event is generated. The certificate authorizes the first party to enter the location in which the appliance is located.

Claims

1. A method for reducing overflow caused by an appliance using a liquid, the method comprising:

detecting if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid,

generating an alarm event if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid,

sending a certificate, via a cellular network, to a predetermined first party, wherein said certificate, upon said predetermined first party sending a lock/unlock command comprising said certificate, authorizes said first party to enter the location in which said appliance is located, and

sending a digital authentication key for signing of said lock/unlock command comprising said certificate to said first party, wherein the certificate is associated with the digital authentication key, the certificate certifies the authenticity of the digital authentication key, and the digital authentication key comprises information identifying the first party,

wherein the predetermined first party is a first server and wherein the method further comprises;

the first server selecting a second party from a predetermined list, and

the first server forwarding the certificate to the second party;

wherein the selecting from the predetermined list is based on which party on the list is geographically closest to the location in which the appliance is located using Global Positioning System technique.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending the lock/unlock command comprising said certificate from a mobile communication device to an internal server,

if the internal server validates the mobile communication device;

the internal server sending a lock/unlock command to a lock module arranged at the location in which the appliance is located,

the lock module locking/unlocking so that the predetermined first party can enter the location,

wherein the lock/unlock command from the mobile communication device to the internal server is sent via a cellular network.

3. The method according to any claim 1, wherein the certificate is limited in time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

revoking the certificate which has been sent to the predetermined first party.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the revoking of the certificate is performed by the internal server or by the predetermined first party.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

signing the lock/unlock command and/or the certificate with the digital authentication key.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid comprises:

sensing in a humidity detector a level of humidity, and

wherein the step of generating an alarm event if the appliance has emitted part of the liquid is generating an alarm event in case the level of humidity is larger than a predetermined value.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid is:

detecting how much liquid flows into the appliance per unit of time and sending the detected information, via a short range wireless protocol, to the internal server,

computing the amount of liquid that has flown into the appliance at a certain point of time, and

wherein the step of generating an alarm event if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid is generating an alarm event in case the amount of liquid that has flown into the appliance at a certain point of time is larger than a predetermined value.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of generating an

alarm event comprises:

sending a shut off instruction, via the short range wireless protocol, to a switch for operating an inflow of the liquid into the appliance, and

the switch shutting off the inflow of the liquid into the appliance.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating an alarm event comprises:

sending a message, via the cellular network, to a predetermined third party comprising information about which appliance has caused the alarm event to be generated.

11. A system for reducing overflow caused by an appliance using a liquid, the system comprises:

a detector arranged to detect if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid,

an internal server being arranged to generate an alarm event in case the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid, and

an external server being arranged to send, via a cellular network, a certificate to a predetermined first party in case an alarm event is generated, wherein said certificate, upon said predetermined first party

sending a lock/unlock command comprising said certificate to said internal server,

authorizes said first party to enter the location in which said appliance is located, and to send a digital authentication key for signing of said lock/unlock command comprising said certificate to said first party,

wherein the certificate is associated with the digital authentication key,

the certificate certifies the authenticity of the digital authentication key, and

the digital authentication key comprises information identifying the first party,

wherein the predetermined first party is a first server,

the first server being arranged to select a second party from a predetermined list, and

the first server being arranged to forward the certificate to the second party;

wherein the first server is arranged to select the party on the list that is geographically closest to the location in which the appliance is located using Global Positioning System technique.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising a mobile communication device, and a lock module arranged at the location in which the appliance is located,

the mobile communication device being adapted to send a lock/unlock command comprising said certificate to the internal server,

the internal server being adapted to validate the mobile communication device,

the internal server being adapted to send a lock/unlock command to the lock module if the internal server validates the mobile communication device,

the lock module being adapted to lock/unlock such that the predetermined first party can enter the location in which the appliance is located,

wherein the lock/unlock command from the mobile communication device to the internal server is adapted to be sent via a cellular network.

13. A method for reducing overflow caused by an appliance using a liquid, the method comprising:

detecting if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid,

generating an alarm event if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid,

sending a certificate, via a cellular network, to a predetermined first party, wherein said certificate, upon said predetermined first party sending a lock/unlock command comprising said certificate, authorizes said first party to enter the location in which said appliance is located, and

sending a digital authentication key for signing of said lock/unlock command comprising said certificate to said first party, wherein the certificate is associated with the digital authentication key, the certificate certifies the authenticity of the digital authentication key, and the digital authentication key comprises information identifying the first party,

wherein the step of detecting if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid is;

detecting how much liquid flows into the appliance per unit of time and sending the detected information, via a short range wireless protocol, to an internal server,

computing the amount of liquid that has flown into the appliance at a certain point of time, and

wherein the step of generating an alarm event if the appliance has undesirably emitted part of the liquid is generating an alarm event in case the amount of liquid that has flown into the appliance at a certain point of time is larger than a predetermined value.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of generating an alarm event comprises:

sending a shut off instruction, via the short range wireless protocol, to a switch for operating an inflow of the liquid into the appliance, and

the switch shutting off the inflow of the liquid into the appliance.