# US 12,604,183 B2 · Secure messaging for outage events

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- Number: US 12,604,183 B2
- Document ID: US12604183B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/517,948
- Filed: 2023-11-22
- Published: 2024-03-14
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-16
- Assignees: Itron, Inc.
- Applicants: Itron, Inc.
- Inventors: Kalvinder Pal Singh; Darin Byron Johnson; Zoltan Peter Kiss
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12604183B2

## CPC

- H04L 41/065: {involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies}
- H04W 12/033: of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
- G06F 1/30: Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24)
- G06F 1/3275: {Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache}
- G06F 1/3287: by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
- 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 9/0894: {Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage}
- H04L 41/06: Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
- H04L 41/0654: using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437)
- H04L 41/28: Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
- H04L 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload}
- 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)}
- H04L 63/123: {received data contents, e.g. message integrity}
- H04W 12/041: Key generation or derivation
- H04W 12/047: without using a trusted network node as an anchor
- H04W 12/106: Packet or message integrity
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- 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)
- 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

Various embodiments disclose a method including detecting, by a first node in a mesh network while the first node is operating in a normal power mode, an outage event; in response to detecting the outage event, switching to operating the first node and a first memory of the first node in a low power mode, wherein the first memory is capable of switching between operating in the normal power mode and in the low power mode where an amount of power used by the first memory is reduced; and while operating the first node and the first memory in the low power mode: generating, by the first node, a first message; securing, by the first node using a key retrieved from the first memory, the first message; and sending, by the first node, the first message to a second node in the mesh network.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
detecting, by a first node in a mesh network while the first node is operating in a normal power mode, an outage event;
in response to detecting the outage event, switching to operating the first node and a first memory of the first node in a low power mode, wherein the first memory is capable of switching between operating in the normal power mode and in the low power mode where an amount of power used by the first memory is reduced; and
while operating the first node and the first memory in the low power mode:
generating, by the first node, a first message;
securing, by the first node using a first key retrieved from the first memory, the first message, wherein the first key is stored in the first memory for securing messages in the low power mode, and a second key is stored in a key store for securing messages in the normal power mode; and
sending, by the first node, the first message to a second node in the mesh network.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein generating, securing, and sending the first message are performed by a low-power processor of the first node, the low-power processor being different from a processor used by the first node in the normal power mode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes at least one of a reboot counter for the first node or a key identifier of the first key.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the first message further includes a sequence number associated with the reboot counter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the first node while the first node is operating in the normal power mode, the first key from the second node.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first memory is a portion of a main memory used by the first node while the first node is operating in the low power mode.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the mesh network comprises a plurality of nodes adjacent to the first node, wherein the plurality of nodes includes the second node, and
wherein the method further comprises selecting, by the first node, a subset of the plurality of nodes adjacent to the first node as designated recipients of outage event messages sent by the first node, wherein the subset includes the second node.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
for respective nodes in the selected subset of the plurality of nodes:
generating a respective key based on a respective trust level associated with the respective node; and
sending the respective key to the respective node.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the first node, a second message from a third node in the mesh network;
validating, by the first node, the second message; and
forwarding, by the first node, the second message to the second node, wherein the forwarded second message is secured using the first key.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein validating the second message comprises determining whether a first reboot counter included in the second message is greater than a second reboot counter previously received from the third node.

### Claim 11

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a node device in a wireless network, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
while the node device is in a normal power mode, determining that the node device should shut down; and
in response to determining that the node device should shut down and before shutting down the node device:
transitioning the node device to a low power mode;
transitioning a first memory of the node device from a normal power mode to a low power mode; and
while the node device is in the low power mode:
creating a status report;
retrieving a first key that is stored in the first memory for securing messages in the low power mode, wherein a second key is stored in a key store for securing messages in the normal power mode;
securing, using the first key, the status report; and
transmitting the secured status report to a neighboring node device in the wireless network.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the status report is secured and transmitted using a low power processor that is separate from a main processor used while the node device is in the normal power mode.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein securing the status report comprises at least one of encrypting the status report using the first key or authenticating the status report using the first key.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the status report includes a count of a number of times the node device has shut down.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the steps further comprise receiving, while the node device is in the normal power mode, the first key from the neighboring node device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the steps further comprise:
receiving a second status report from another neighboring node device in the wireless network;
securing, using the first key, the second status report; and
transmitting the secured second status report to the neighboring node device.

### Claim 17

A networking device comprising:
a transceiver;
one or more processors;
a first memory for storing keys; and
one or more second memories storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
detecting, while an operating mode of the networking device is a normal power mode, a condition associated with an outage;
in response to detecting the condition, changing the operating mode of the network device and the first memory from the normal power mode to a low power mode; and
while the operating mode of the networking device and the first memory is the low power mode:
loading a first key from the first memory, wherein the first key is stored in the first memory for securing messages in the low power mode, and a second key is stored in a key store for securing messages in the normal power mode;
securing, using the first key, an outage reporting message; and
transmitting, using the transceiver, the secured outage reporting message to a second networking device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The networking device of claim 17, wherein a first low power processor of the one or more processors performs the operations while the networking device is operating in the low power mode.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The networking device of claim 17, wherein the first key is received from the second networking device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The networking device of claim 17, wherein the outage reporting message includes a reboot counter and a sequence number usable to validate the outage reporting message.