# US 2019/0245831 A1 · Method and system for connected vehicle communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0245831 A1 - Document ID: US20190245831A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/350,955 - Filed: 2019-02-04 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-05 - Assignees: OnBoard Security, Inc. - Applicants: Onboard Security, Inc. - Inventors: Jonathan Petit; William Whyte - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190245831A1 ## CPC - H04L 63/0421: {Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer} - H04L 63/0823: {using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263)} - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 12/02: Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] - H04W 12/106: Packet or message integrity - H04W 12/64: using geofenced areas - H04L 63/1475: {Passive attacks, e.g. eavesdropping or listening without modification of the traffic monitored} - H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys - H04W 12/12: Detection or prevention of fraud - H04W 12/67: Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles - 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 The invention is applicable for use in conjunction with a system for connected vehicle communications in which each vehicle in the system is issued a limited number of unique pseudonym certificates that are used by the vehicle to establish trust in messages sent by the vehicle by signing each message with a pseudonym certificate. A method is set forth for selecting a pseudonym certificate for use, from among the vehicle's pseudonym certificates, so as to protect the privacy of the vehicle's activity against attacks by eavesdroppers, including the steps of: tracking and storing vehicle location data; computing, from inputs that include the vehicle location data, the vehicle's relative achievable anonymity in particular geographical regions; prioritizing the pseudonym certificates; and selecting a pseudonym certificate for use from among the pseudonym certificates having a priority that is determined by the relative achievable anonymity for the geographical region in which the certificate is to be used. The method includes authenticating a safety message using the selected pseudonym certificate, and transmitting the authenticated message. ## Claims ### Claim 1 For use in conjunction with a system for connected vehicle communications in which each vehicle in the system is issued a limited number of unique pseudonym certificates that are used by the vehicle to establish trust in messages sent by the vehicle by signing each message with a pseudonym certificate; a method for selecting a pseudonym certificate for use, from among the vehicle's pseudonym certificates, so as to protect the privacy of the vehicle's activity against attacks by eavesdroppers, comprising the steps of: tracking and storing vehicle location data; computing, from inputs that include said vehicle location data, the vehicle's relative achievable anonymity in particular geographical regions; prioritizing the pseudonym certificates; and selecting a pseudonym certificate for use from among the pseudonym certificates having a priority that is determined by the relative achievable anonymity for the geographical region in which the certificate is to be used. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said step of prioritizing the pseudonym certificates comprises partitioning the pseudonym certificates into a plurality of privacy risk groups, each of which reflects the privacy risk associated with the pseudonym certificates in the group. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of selecting a pseudonym certificate includes selecting a pseudonym certificate from a relatively high privacy risk group when the relative achievable anonymity is relatively low, and selecting a pseudonym certificate from a relatively low privacy risk group when the relative achievable anonymity is relatively high. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, further comprising authenticating a safety message using the selected pseudonym certificate, and transmitting the authenticated message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said vehicle location data also includes inputs provided by the vehicle operator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said vehicle location data also includes inputs provided by the vehicle operator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said vehicle location data also includes inputs derived from messages received from other vehicles in the system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said vehicle location data also includes inputs derived from messages received from other vehicles in the system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said vehicle location data also includes information regarding the route traveled by the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said vehicle location data also includes information regarding the time associated with the vehicle location. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said vehicle location data also includes information regarding the time associated with the vehicle location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said vehicle location data also includes inputs provided by the vehicle operator and inputs derived from messages received from other vehicles in the system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said step of computing the vehicle's relative achievable anonymity comprises computing entropy of a region to be occupied by the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said step of computing the vehicle's relative achievable anonymity comprises computing entropy of a region to be occupied by the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The method as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of partitioning the pseudonym certificates comprises partitioning certificates into privacy risk groups including at least a privacy risk group of previously used pseudonym certificates and a privacy risk group of unused pseudonym certificates. ### Claim 16 (depends on 3) The method as defined by claim 3, wherein said step of partitioning the pseudonym certificates further comprises partitioning said group of relatively higher risk used pseudonym certificates into further gradations of relative risk depending on the number of times the respective pseudonym certificates have been previously used at different geographical locations. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method as defined by claim 15, wherein said step of partitioning the pseudonym certificates further comprises partitioning said group of relatively higher risk used pseudonym certificates into further gradations of relative risk depending on the number of times the respective pseudonym certificates have been previously used at different geographical locations. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method as defined by claim 16, wherein said step of partitioning said pseudonym certificates includes, for said group of previously used pseudonym certificates, an indication of the particular geographical region in which each said previously used pseudonym certificate was used, and wherein said step of selecting a pseudonym certificate includes selecting a used certificate with an indication of a particular geographical region when the vehicle is in said particular geographical region.