Smart meter security system and method
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJohn M. Cohn, Eren Kursun, Maharaj Mukherjee, Anna Topol
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method and computer program product for protecting utility usage information from utility company users, e.g., power company endpoints. Smart meters monitor endpoint service usage to identify the start of a critical usage period. During critical usage periods the smart meters select and modulates a generic usage pattern by the difference between the pattern and actual usage. Instead of sending actual usage data, the smart meter sends the modulated generic usage pattern to the service provider. The service provider extracts the deltas and determines endpoint service usage from the extracted deltas.
Claims10
A system for supplying services to a plurality of users comprising:
- a service facility;
- a service grid supplying services from said service facility;
- a plurality of user endpoints, use at each user endpoint being monitored by a smart meter;
- a generic usage pattern storage in each of said user endpoints, each said generic usage pattern storage storing a plurality of generic usage patterns known to said service facility;
- and
- communications means for endpoint smart meters to communicate with said service facility, said endpoint smart meters monitoring service usage at a respective endpoint, identifying periods of critical activity, during each identified period selecting a stored generic usage pattern, and communicating the selected generic usage pattern and a pattern delta to said service facility during said each identified period, the service facility determining service usage at said endpoint from said pattern deltas.
A computer program product for protecting utility usage information from utility company users, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:
- computer readable program code means for monitoring endpoint service usage;
- computer readable program code means for identifying the start of a critical usage period;
- computer readable program code means for storing a plurality of generic usage patterns;
- computer readable program code means for selecting a generic usage pattern from said plurality of generic usage patterns;
- computer readable program code means for communicating notification of said start, the selected said generic usage pattern, and the end of said critical usage period;
- computer readable program code means for determining a delta between said selected generic usage pattern and actual usage;
- computer readable program code means for periodically communicating said delta with said selected generic usage pattern;
- and
- computer readable program code means for extracting deltas communicated with said selected generic usage pattern and determining service usage at said endpoint from extracted said deltas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.