# US 10,374,811 B2 · Systems, methods and apparatuses for secure time management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,811 B2 - Document ID: US10374811B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/595,036 - Filed: 2017-05-15 - Published: 2017-11-02 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-06-18 - Assignees: OLogN Technologies AG - Applicants: OLogN Technologies AG - Inventors: Sergey Ignatchenko; Dmytro Ivanchykhin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374811B2 ## CPC - H04L 9/3268: {using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]} - G06F 1/12: Synchronisation of different clock signals {provided by a plurality of clock generators} - G06F 12/1408: {by using cryptography (for digital transmission H04L9/00)} - G06F 21/725: {operating on a secure reference time value} - H04L 9/3247: {involving digital signatures} - H04L 9/3263: {involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823)} - H04L 9/3297: {involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps} - G06F 1/04: Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom - G06F 1/10: Distribution of clock signals {, e.g. skew} - G06F 1/14: Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock - G06F 2212/1052: Security improvement - H04L 9/32: including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system {or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials} - Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract The systems, methods and apparatuses described herein provide a computing environment that includes secure time management. An apparatus according to the present disclosure may comprise a non-volatile storage to store a synchronization time and a processor. The processor may be configured to generate a request for a current time, transmit the request to a trusted timekeeper, receive a digitally signed response containing a current, real-world time from the trusted timekeeper, verify the digital signature of the response, verify that the response is received within a predefined time, compare a nonce in the request to a nonce in the response, determine that the current, real-world time received from the trusted timekeeper is within a range of a current time calculated at the apparatus and update the synchronization time with the current, real-world time in the response. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computing system comprising: a first counter configured to operate at a first frequency and increment a first count value, wherein the first counter operates in a first energy mode; a second counter configured to operate at a second frequency and increment a second count value, wherein the second counter is configured to operate in a second energy mode and wherein the second frequency is different than the first frequency; a non-volatile machine-readable memory configured to store one or more event data; and a processor configured to: determine a first current time value based upon at least one of the one or more event data comprising switching of energy modes between the first energy mode and the second energy mode in the computing system and at least one of the first count value and the second count value selected based on the switching; and synchronize the first current time value with a second current time value upon determining that the second current time value is within a predetermined range of the first current time value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system switches from operating in the first energy mode to operating in the second energy mode upon the processor identifying a lack of power supply for operating in the first energy mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a battery from which the computing system consumes energy operating in a second energy mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second energy mode is a low energy mode, and wherein the computing system consumes comparatively less energy operating in the second energy mode than operating in the first energy mode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is comparatively lower than the first frequency, and wherein the computing system consumes comparatively less energy operating at the second frequency than operating at the first frequency. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first counter is configured to indicate a first elapsed time beginning at an initialization time of the computing system, wherein the first count value is based on the first elapsed time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to update the event data to indicate the computing system is operating in the second energy mode, and wherein the second counter is configured to indicate a second elapsed time representing an amount of time that the computing system operates in the second energy mode, wherein the second count value is based on the second elapsed time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: switch the computing system from operating in the second energy mode to operating in the first energy mode; and store into the non-volatile memory the second elapsed time representing the amount of time that the computing system operated in the second energy mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an amount of timer drift for the second counter accumulated from the initialization time of the second counter based on the first elapsed time and a maximum drift time stored in the non-volatile memory. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to store into the non-volatile memory a value of the second counter at each instance the computing system switches operation between the first energy mode and the second energy mode, and wherein the processor determines the amount of timer drift based on each value of the second counter at each instance the computing system switches operation between the first energy mode and the second energy mode. ### Claim 11 A computer-implemented method for keeping time for a computing system, the method comprising: incrementing, by a first counter of an apparatus operating at a first frequency, a first count value, wherein the first counter operates in a first energy mode; incrementing, by a second counter of the apparatus operating at a second frequency, a second count value, wherein the second frequency is different than the first frequency and wherein the second counter is configured to operate in a second energy mode; storing, by a non-volatile machine readable memory, one or more event data; determining, by a processor of the apparatus, a first current time value based upon at least one of the one or more event data comprising switching of energy modes between the first energy mode and the second energy mode in the computing system and at least one of the first count value and the second count value selected based on the switching; and synchronizing the first current time value with a second current time value upon the processor determining that the second current time value is within a predetermined range of the first current time value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying, by the processor, a lack of power supply for operating in the first energy mode, and switching from operating in the first energy mode to operating in the second energy mode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the computing system further comprises a battery from which the computing system consumes energy operating in a second energy mode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the second energy mode is a low energy mode, and wherein the computing system consumes comparatively less energy operating in the second energy mode than operating in the first energy mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the second frequency is comparatively lower than the first frequency, and wherein the computing system consumes comparatively less energy operating at the second frequency than operating at the first frequency. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the first counter is configured to indicate a first elapsed time beginning at an initialization time of the computing system, and wherein the first count value is based on the first elapsed time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising updating, by the processor, the event data in non-volatile memory to indicate that the computing system is operating in the second energy mode, wherein the second counter is configured to indicate a second elapsed time representing an amount of time that the computing system operates in the second energy mode, wherein the second count value is based on the second elapsed time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: switching from operating in the second energy mode to operating in the first energy mode; and storing, by the processor, into the non-volatile memory the second elapsed time representing the amount of time that the computing system operated in the second energy mode. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising determining, by the processor, an amount of timer drift for the second counter accumulated from the initialization time of the second counter based on the first elapsed time and a maximum drift time stored in the non-volatile memory. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: storing, by the processor, into the non-volatile memory a value of the second counter at each instance the computing system switches operation between the first energy mode and the second energy mode; and determining, by the processor, the amount of timer drift based on each value of the second counter at each instance the computing system switches operation between the first energy mode and the second energy mode.