# US 12,556,522 B2 · Apparatus and methods for encrypted communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,556,522 B2 - Document ID: US12556522B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/783,920 - Filed: 2020-12-11 - Published: 2023-02-09 - Granted: 2026-02-17 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-13 - Assignees: Iothic Ltd - Applicants: Iothic Ltd - Inventors: Christopher Patrick Autry; Mykhailo Magal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12556522B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload} - 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)} - H04L 9/0819: {Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) (network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062)} - H04L 9/0838: {Key agreement, i.e. key establishment technique in which a shared key is derived by parties as a function of information contributed by, or associated with, each of these (network architectures or network communication protocols for key exchange in a packet data network H04L63/061)} - H04L 9/0866: {involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics} - H04L 9/0869: {involving random numbers or seeds} - H04L 9/088: {Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms (network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068)} - H04L 9/14: using a plurality of keys or algorithms - H04L 9/321: {involving a third party or a trusted authority} - H04L 63/0435: {wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06)} - H04L 63/0457: {wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065)} - H04L 63/061: {for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838)} - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 12/50: Secure pairing of devices - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A communication system including a first device and a second device. The first device comprises a memory storing first-device-specific identification data and the second device comprises a memory storing second-device-specific identification data. The first device is configured to receive a copy of the second-device-specific identification data and to store the copy in the memory of the first device and the second device is configured to receive a copy of the first-device-specific identification data and to store the copy in the memory of the second device. The first device is configured to derive a first encryption key from the first-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the second-device-specific identification data. The second device is configured to derive the first encryption key from the second-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data. The first device encrypts transmission data using the first encryption key and transmits the encrypted transmission data to the second device. The second device receives the encrypted transmission data from the first device and decrypts the encrypted transmission data using the first encryption key. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication system comprising a first device, a second device, and a third device, wherein: the first device comprises a first-device-memory, storing first-device-specific identification data; the second device comprises a second-device-memory, storing second-device-specific identification data; the first device is configured to receive a copy of the second-device-specific identification data from the second device and to store the copy in the first-device-memory of the first device; the second device is configured to receive a copy of the first-device-specific identification data from the first device and to store the copy in the second-device-memory of the second device; the first device is configured to derive a first encryption key from the first-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the second-device-specific identification data; the second device is configured to derive the first encryption key from the second-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data; the first device is configured to encrypt transmission data using the first encryption key and to transmit the encrypted transmission data to the second device; the second device is configured to receive the encrypted transmission data from the first device and to decrypt the encrypted transmission data using the first encryption key; the third device is configured to communicate at least with the second device and with a remote server, and wherein the third device is trusted by the second device, the third device being arranged and configured to mediate communication between the second device and the first device; such that when in a provisioning phase, the third device is configured to communicate at least with the second device and the remote server in order to determine whether the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data corresponds to first-device-specific identification data stored on the remote server, wherein the second device is configured not to proceed to derive the first encryption key if the copy of the first-device-specific identification data does not correspond to the first-device-specific identification data stored on the remote server. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to generate a random value, and to send the random value to the second device, and wherein the first and second devices are each configured to use the random value when deriving the first encryption key. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to encrypt and transmit transmission data using the first encryption key during a first time period, and is configured, after the end of the first time period, to generate a subsequent encryption key using the first-device-specific identification data and the second-device-specific identification data, and to encrypt further transmission data using the subsequent encryption key. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, configured to perform an authentication process, the authentication process comprising: the first device generating first-device-authentication-information from the first-device-specific identification data and an authentication-random-value, and sending the first-device-authentication information and the authentication-random-value to the second device; and the second device generating the first-device-authentication information from the copy of the first-device-specific identification data stored in the second-device-memory of the second device, and checking that the first-device-authentication-information generated by the second device matches the first-device-authentication-information received from the first device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The communication system of claim 4, wherein there is no permanent authentication between the first device and the second device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first-device-specific identification data and the second-device-specific identification data comprises or is derived from one or more of: a model number, a serial number, a unique ID, a class, an owner, a mission identifier, a hardware unique identifier, a vendor identifier, a customer identifier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, wherein the third device and the second device share a third-device second-device encryption key, and wherein the third-device second-device encryption key is used to encrypt data exchanged between the second device and the third device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The communication system of claim 1, wherein: the first device is configured to derive a second encryption key from the first-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the second-device-specific identification data; the second device is configured to derive the second encryption key from the second-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data; the second device is configured to encrypt transmission data using the second encryption key and to transmit the encrypted transmission data to the first device; and the first device is configured to receive the encrypted transmission data from the second device and to decrypt the encrypted transmission data using the second encryption key. ### Claim 9 A method for establishing an encrypted communication link between a first device and a second device in a communication system, the communication system further comprising a third device and a remote server, wherein: the first device stores first-device-specific identification data; the second device stores second-device-specific identification data; and the third device is configured to communicate with the second device and with the remote server, and is trusted by the second device, the third device being arranged and configured to mediate communication between the second device and the first device, the first device is configured to receive a copy of the second-device-specific identification data from the second device and to store the copy in a first-device-memory of the first device; and the second device is configured to receive a copy of the first-device-specific identification data from the first device and to store the copy in a second-device-memory of the second device, the method comprising: the first device deriving a first encryption key from the first-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the second-device-specific identification data; during a provisioning phase, the third device communicating with the second device and the remote server in order to determine whether the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data corresponds to first-device-specific identification data stored on the remote server; and the second device deriving the first encryption key from the second-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data only if the copy of the first-device-specific identification data received by the second device corresponds to the first-device-specific identification data stored on the remote server, wherein the first device is configured to encrypt transmission data using the first encryption key and to transmit the encrypted transmission data to the second device, and the second device is configured to receive the encrypted transmission data from the first device and to decrypt the encrypted transmission data using the first encryption key. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising the first device generating a random value, and sending the random value to the second device, wherein the deriving of the first encryption key by the first device uses the random value and the deriving of the first encryption key by the second device uses the random value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, comprising the first device using the first encryption key to encrypt and transmit transmission data during a first time period, and further comprising, after the end of the first time period, the first device using the first-device-specific identification data and the second-device-specific identification data to generate a subsequent encryption key, and to use the subsequent encryption key to encrypt further transmission data and transmit the encrypted further transmission data to the second device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises performing an authentication process, the authentication process comprising: the first device generating first-device-authentication-information from the first-device-specific identification data and an authentication-random-value, and sending the first-device-authentication-information and the authentication-random-value to the second device; and the second device generating the first-device-authentication-information from the copy of the first-device-specific identification data stored in the second-device-memory of the second device, and checking that the first-device-authentication-information generated by the second device matches the first-device-authentication-information received from the first device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the third device and the second device share a third-device second-device encryption key, and wherein the third-device second-device encryption key is used to encrypt data exchanged between the second device and the third device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the first-device-specific identification data and the second-device-specific identification data comprises or is derived from one or more of: a model number, a serial number, a unique ID, a class, an owner, a mission identifier, a hardware unique identifier, a vendor identifier, a customer identifier. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the encrypted communication link expires such that there is no permanent authentication between the first device and the second device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: the first device deriving a second encryption key from the first-device-specific identification data and the received copy of the second-device-specific identification data; the second device deriving the second encryption key from the second-device- specific identification data and the received copy of the first-device-specific identification data; the second device encrypting transmission data using the second encryption key and transmitting the encrypted transmission data to the first device; and the first device receiving the encrypted transmission data from the second device and decrypting the encrypted transmission data using the second encryption key.