# US 2019/0377015 A1 · Device, system, and method of protecting utility meters and infrastructure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0377015 A1 - Document ID: US20190377015A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/005,696 - Filed: 2018-06-12 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: Arm Limited - Applicants: Arm Limited - Inventors: Noam Ben Yochanan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190377015A1 ## CPC - G01R 22/066: {Arrangements for avoiding or indicating fraudulent use} - H04L 9/3271: {using challenge-response} - G01D 4/004: {Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location} - G01D 4/008: {Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading} - G01R 22/063: {related to remote communication} - H04L 9/3297: {involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps} - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Device, system, and method of protecting utility meters and utility infrastructure; and particularly, for determining whether an electricity meter or associated electricity wires have been tampered with or have been physically switched or manipulated. An electricity meter includes a challenge transmitter to transmit a challenge message, via a wired electric cable, to a consumer-side responder that is located within a venue which receives electric power via the electricity meter. The electricity meter further includes a response receiver to receive a response message from the consumer-side responder via the wired electric cable, and to check the response message for correctness based on a shared secret that is known only to the electricity meter and to the consumer-side responder. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electricity meter comprising: a challenge transmitter to transmit a challenge message, via a wired electric cable, to a consumer-side responder that is located within a consumer-side venue which receives electric power via said electricity meter, wherein said challenge message is transmitted via said wired electric cable in a direction that is towards said consumer-side venue; a response receiver to receive a response message from said consumer-side responder located within said consumer-side venue via said wired electric cable, and to check said response message for correctness, wherein said response message is received in a direction that is incoming from said consumer-side venue. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein said response receiver is to check correctness of said response message based on a shared secret that is known only to said electricity meter and to said consumer-side responder. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein said response receiver is to determine whether or not said response message matches a pre-defined shared secret that is known only to said electricity meter and to said consumer-side responder; wherein if said response message does not match said pre-defined shared secret, then the electricity meter is to generate a tampering notification. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein, if within a pre-defined time period from sending the challenge message, the response receiver does not receive from said consumer-side responder any response message, then the electricity meter is to generate a tampering notification or an abnormality notification. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein the challenge message is a fixed challenge message that is sent at pre-defined time intervals, and that triggers said consumer-side responder to send back an authentic response message if said electricity meter or associated wires were not tampered with. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein the challenge message comprises at least a non-fixed message-portion, which triggers said consumer-side responder to send back a response message having at least a non-fixed portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, further comprising: a memory unit to store records of sent challenge messages and received response messages; an analysis unit to analyze said records, and to detect an abnormality that indicates tampering or malfunction. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electricity meter of claim 1, wherein said response receiver is to check correctness of said response message based on a-symmetric cryptography in which said consumer-side responder stores a cryptographic private key and said electricity meter stores a corresponding cryptographic public key. ### Claim 9 An apparatus comprising: a responding unit to be located within a consumer-side venue, wherein the consumer-side venue receives electric power via an electricity meter that is located externally to the consumer-side venue; wherein the responding unit is to receive from said electricity meter, via a wired electric cable, a challenge message, wherein said challenge message is transmitted via said wired electric cable in a direction that is towards said consumer-side venue; and to transmit to said electricity meter via said wired electric cable a response message, wherein said response message is transmitted via said wired electric cable in a direction that is outgoing from said consumer-side venue. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said response message authenticates said responding unit to said electricity meter based on a shared secret that is exclusively known to said responding unit and said electricity meter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said responding unit is part of an electric panel that is to be installed within said consumer-side venue. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said responding unit is part of a wall-based electric socket that is to be installed within said consumer-side venue. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said responding unit is to be part of an in-wall electrical wiring that runs within a wall of said consumer-side venue. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said response message authenticates said responding unit to said electricity meter based on a shared secret that is unknown to said electricity meter and is exclusively known to said responding unit and to a power-distributing device located upstream from said electricity meter. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said response message is constructed in said apparatus using a cryptographic private key, which corresponds to a cryptographic public key that was used by the electric meter to construct said challenge message. ### Claim 16 A method comprising: sending a challenge message from an electricity meter located externally to a consumer-side venue, towards a responding unit located within said consumer-side venue, via a wired electric cable that provides electric power from said electric meter to said consumer-side venue; wherein said challenge message is transmitted via said wired electric cable in a direction that is towards said consumer-side venue; receiving a response message from said responding unit that is located within said consumer-side venue, wherein said response message is transmitted via said wired electric cable in a direction that is outgoing from said consumer-side venue; based on said response message, determining whether said electricity meter or associated electric wire have been tampered with. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising: if said response message does not match a pre-defined shared secret that is known only to said electric meter and to said responding unit, then determining that said electricity meter or associated electric wires have been tampered with. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising: if no response message is received from said responding unit within a pre-defined time period of said sending, then determining that said electricity meter or associated electric wires have been tampered with. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising: storing information indicating time-lengths that elapsed from sending challenge messages to receiving respective response messages; determining that a particular time-length that elapsed between a particular sending operation and a particular respective receiving operation, is abnormal relative to other stored time-lengths; based on said determining, generating a notification of possible malfunction of said electricity meter or associated electric wires. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising: storing information indicating time-lengths that elapsed from sending challenge messages to receiving respective response messages; determining that a particular time-length that elapsed between a particular sending operation and a particular respective receiving operation, is different by at least N percent relative to an average of a group of stored time-lengths, wherein N is a pre-defined value; based on said determining, generating a notification of possible malfunction of said electricity meter or associated electric wires.