# US 2013/0154849 A1 · Privacy protection for smart metering data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0154849 A1 - Document ID: US20130154849A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/713,866 - Filed: 2012-12-13 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-20 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Inventors: Stojan Denic; Georgios Kalogridis - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154849A1 ## CPC - G08C 19/00: Electric signal transmission systems (G08C17/00 takes precedence) - G06F 21/6245: {Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes} - G06F 2221/2107: File encryption - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation - Y04S 20/30: Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading - Y04S 40/121: using the power network as support for the transmission - Y04S 40/20: Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security - G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - 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 Metering of a physical characteristic is described, in which a stochastic approach is taken. A random signal is generated on the basis of a metering signal, with a view to maximising a statistical distance between the two. The random signal and the metering signal are mixed together to obscure characteristics of the metering signal which could otherwise divulge private information to third parties. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A metering device for metering a physical characteristic and for delivering information to a third party on the basis of collected metering information, the metering device comprising signal collecting means operable to collect a metering signal comprising information relating to the metered physical characteristic, random signal generating means operable to generate a random signal, signal processing means operable to process the metering signal and the random signal to produce a modified metering signal, and signal emission means operable to emit said modified metering signal to said third party. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A metering device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the random signal generating means is operable to determine a random signal on the basis of the received metering signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A metering device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the random signal generating means is operable to determine a distribution, in time, of the metering signal, and to determine a probability distribution for the random signal on the basis of the distribution of the metering signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A metering device in accordance with claim 3 wherein the random signal generating means is operable to determine the probability distribution of the random signal by maximising a statistical distance between the probability distribution of the random signal and the distribution of the metering signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A metering device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the statistical distance is the K-divergence. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A metering device in accordance with claim 1 and comprising mixing means for mixing the random signal with the metering signal to produce a mixed signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A metering device in accordance with claim 6 and further comprising a rechargeable battery and battery discharge means, the battery discharge means being operable to apply a battery discharge to the mixed signal dependent on the difference between the mixed signal and the voltage state of the battery, to produce the modified metering signal. ### Claim 8 A method of metering a physical characteristic and delivering information to a third party on the basis of collected metering information, the metering comprising collecting a metering signal comprising information relating to the metered physical characteristic, generating a random signal, processing the metering signal and the random signal to produce a modified metering signal, and emitting said modified metering signal to said third party. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the generating of the random signal comprises determining a random signal on the basis of the received metering signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein the generating of the random signal comprises determining a distribution, in time, of the metering signal, and determining a probability distribution for the random signal on the basis of the distribution of the metering signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein the determining of the probability distribution of the random signal comprises maximising a statistical distance between the probability distribution of the random signal and the distribution of the metering signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein the statistical distance is the K-divergence. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) A method in accordance with claim 8 and comprising mixing the random signal with the metering signal to produce a mixed signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A method in accordance with claim 13 and further comprising applying a battery discharge to the mixed signal dependent on the difference between the mixed signal and the voltage state of the battery, to produce the modified metering signal.