# US 12,182,888 B2 · Systems, devices and methods for tracking authenticated clean energy with blockchains

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- Number: US 12,182,888 B2
- Document ID: US12182888B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/918,110
- Filed: 2021-04-16
- Published: 2023-05-04
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2020-04-16
- Assignees: SafeFlights Inc.
- Applicants: Eleanor Mitch
- Inventors: Eleanor Mitch; Thomas Hardjono
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12182888B2

## CPC

- G06Q 20/02: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
- G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply
- G06Q 20/065: {using e-cash}
- G06Q 20/0658: {e-cash managed locally}
- G06Q 20/145: {Payments according to the detected use or quantity}
- G06Q 20/18: involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
- G06Q 20/38215: {Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights}
- G06Q 20/3829: {involving key management}
- G06Q 20/389: {Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction}
- G06Q 40/04: Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
- G07F 15/003: {for electricity}
- G07F 15/006: {dispensed for the electrical charging of other devices than vehicles}
- G06Q 2220/00: Business processing using cryptography
- Y04S 50/12: Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

Systems, devices and methods for managing a preferred energy supply chain are provided. A system including a specialized hardware- and software-based control system with access to a network including one or more distributed ledger(s) authorizes one or more energy distribution entity(ies) to reserve future right(s) to preferred energy for distribution to customers using new forms of promissory tokens (e.g., reserved preferred energy tokens). The system includes a secure metering device with a crypto-processor, holding an asymmetric cryptography key pair associated with preferred energy production hardware. The device is physically attached or integrated with the production hardware, and exclusively holds a unique private key of the asymmetric cryptography key pair, while publishing only the public key of the key pair through the network. The system authenticates production of, and transactions in, clean energy using new forms of smart contracts between buyers and sellers, with the aid of a governance body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions, comprising the following steps:
connecting, by a control system comprising a user interface, with one or more distributed ledger(s) and one or more preferred energy source(s) comprising preferred energy generation hardware;
wherein the control system comprises computer hardware, software and a secure metering device (SMD), and wherein the SMD comprises a crypto-processor and a tamper-resistant housing enveloping said crypto-processor; and
recording, by the control system comprising the user interface, on said one or more distributed ledger(s) data related to preferred energy transactions between at least one buyer of preferred energy and at least one seller of preferred energy;
monitoring, with the aid of the SMD, a report on an amount of energy by at least one of the one or more preferred energy source(s);
generating, with the aid of the SMD, a report on an amount of energy produced by at least one of the one or more preferred energy source(s);
generating, with the aid of the SMD, at least one unique device identification key pair(s);
storing said at least one unique device identification key pair(s) only on hardware the SMD; and
preventing, with the aid of the SMD, the reading, copying or removal of the at least one unique device identification key pair(s), while other data held within said SMD is removable from said SMD.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said control system includes, or is communicatively connected with, at least one blockchain(s).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said preferred energy is clean energy.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to create and record a reserve preferred energy promissory token, related to a planned future transaction in preferred energy.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to execute and record at least some of said data related to preferred energy transactions on said one or more distributed ledger(s) using at least one smart contract(s).

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 5, wherein the control system is configured to create at least one smart contract(s) linking at least one unique public key of said at least one unique device identification key pair(s) with a different unique public key of another asymmetric cryptography key pair held exclusively by, and uniquely identifying, an owner of said preferred energy generation hardware.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said at least one unique device identification key pair(s) uniquely identifies said SMD.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 6, wherein said at least one smart contract(s) is digitally signed by a third party, other than said seller of preferred energy and said buyer of preferred energy.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 6, wherein said seller of preferred energy is said owner of said preferred energy generation hardware.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said SMD is physically attached to said preferred energy generation hardware.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said SMD is physically integrated with said preferred energy generation hardware.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said tamper-resistant housing comprises tamper-resistant and tamper-evident packaging.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 12, wherein said tamper-resistant housing and/or said tamper-evident packaging comprises a tampering sensor and wherein said control system specifically deletes said at least one unique private key of at least one of said at least one unique device identification key pair(s), and does not delete said other data held within said SMD, based on a communication from said tampering sensor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 13, wherein said communication from said tampering sensor is related to tampering based on an application of an algorithm comparing said communication from said tampering sensor to data stored in a memory device of said system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 6)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 6, wherein said control system is configured to create and record another smart contract, which is a clean source verification smart contract, on at least one of said distributed ledger(s), and wherein said clean source verification smart contract comprises a function for looking up clean energy related transactions.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 15, wherein the control system is configured to track clean energy generation (CEG) transactions with the aid of clean energy tokens; and wherein said clean energy tokens are recorded on said one or more distributed ledger(s).

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 16, wherein said control system determines an amount of clean energy available for purchase from said owner, based on information provided in said clean energy tokens.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 17, wherein said control system creates at least one energy production balancing (EPB) smart contract.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method for managing an energy supply chain and preventing falsely asserted clean energy transactions of claim 1, wherein said control system is at least partially managed by a governing body, and wherein said control system is configured to facilitate said governing body creating at least one unique governance smart contract(s).