Patent · US Active

Shared key generation based on dual clocks

US11438145B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
49References
20Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 16, 2021
Grant dateSep 6, 2022
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 16, 2041

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2463/121
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques for computer security, and more specifically timestamp-based key generation techniques, are described. Some implementations provide a table of key generation processes that is shared as a secret between a first computing system and a second computing system, both of which have two clocks. The first clock is a real-time clock and the second clock is a variable-time clock. The variable time clocks are synchronized and run at the same rate, faster or slower than real time. Both computing systems use the same technique for selecting a key generation process from the table, such as based on a random number generator seeded with a timestamp obtained from their variable time clocks. Since the computing systems have synchronized variable-time clocks, they both select and use the same key generation process, thereby generating the same encryption key without the need to communicate the key from one system to another.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.