IP Library Granted Patent US 11,849,327
Granted Patent B2
US 11,849,327 · App. 17/349,781 · Granted Dec 19, 2023

Bluetooth low energy (BLE) advertising packet security

Inventors: Isaiah Michael Weber (Spokane, WA); Bret Gregory Holmdahl (Greenacres, WA)
Assignee: Itron, Inc.
H04W12/50H04L9/0643H04W4/23H04W4/80H04W12/03H04W12/041H04W12/06H04W12/106
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,849,327
App. No.
17/349,781
Granted
Dec 19, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Secure pairing of computing devices, such as a field tool and a battery-powered device (BPD), may include generating by the BPD a challenge message including a randomly-generated challenge, and receiving at the field tool a challenge message from the BPD via a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) advertisement message. The challenge message can include a randomly-generated challenge and can be issued in a scannable undirected advertising message. The challenge key can be calculated via a secure hash algorithm (SHA) to obtain a response solution. The response solution can be sent by the field tool to the advertising device in response to the challenge message. The response solution can be verified by the BPD using a cryptographic message authentication code such as an HMAC, and the BPD sends a confirmation message to the field tool indicating that the response solution is verified as correct.

Claims (50)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, causes a processor to perform operations, comprising:

receiving at a field tool, a challenge message from an advertising device via a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) advertisement message, the challenge message including a challenge;

calculating, based at least in part on the challenge, a challenge key and a secure hash algorithm (SHA), a response solution;

sending the response solution to the advertising device; and

receiving from the advertising device a confirmation message indicating that the response solution is verified as correct,

wherein the challenge key is calculated using the SHA based at least in part on inputs known to the advertising device and the field tool, the challenge key further including a fixed value, and

wherein the fixed value is specific to a manufacturer of the advertising device and known to the field tool and the advertising device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

receiving from the advertising device a directed advertising message to a Bluetooth device address (BDA) of the field tool based at least in part on the response solution being verified by the advertising device; and

pairing to the advertising device based at least in part on receiving the directed advertising message.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the advertising device is a battery-powered device (BPD).

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , the operations further comprising activating a scan mode of the field tool to detect the BLE advertisement message from the advertising device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , the operations further comprising adding the advertising device to a device list stored in memory accessible by the field tool.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the response solution includes a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC).

7. A method of pairing a battery-powered device (BPD) with a field tool, the method comprising:

with the BPD and over a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) network:

generating a challenge message, the challenge message including a challenge;

issuing the challenge message in a scannable undirected advertising message;

receiving from the field tool a response solution to the challenge message, the response solution being calculated based at least in part on the challenge and a challenge key associated with the challenge; and

verifying the response solution based at least in part on a secure hash algorithm (SHA),

wherein the challenge key is calculated using the SHA using inputs known to the BPD and the field tool, the challenge key further including a fixed value, and

the fixed value being specific to a manufacturer of the BPD and known to the field tool and the BPD.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising broadcasting an advertisement of the BPD.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising based at least in part on the response solution being verified, adding the field tool to a device list stored in memory accessible by the BPD.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the advertisement is broadcast based at least in part on instructions received from a headend device, an indication that communication with the headend device is lost, or combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

sending a confirmation message to the field tool indicating that the response solution is verified as correct; and

sending a directed advertising message to a Bluetooth device address (BDA) of the field tool based at least in part on the response solution being verified, the directed advertising message including a BDA of the BPD.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving a connection request from the field tool based on the directed advertising message sent to the BDA of the field tool;

verifying the BDA of the field tool; and

based on the verifying of the BDA of the field tool, pairing the BPD and the field tool.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the response solution includes a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC).

14. A field tool comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving at the field tool, a challenge message from an advertising device via a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) advertisement message, the challenge message including a challenge;

calculating, based at least in part on the challenge, a challenge key and a secure hash algorithm (SHA), a response solution;

sending the response solution to the advertising device; and

receiving from the advertising device a confirmation message indicating that the response solution is verified as correct,

wherein the challenge key is calculated using the SHA using inputs known to the advertising device and the field tool, the challenge key further including a fixed value, and

wherein the fixed value is specific to a manufacturer of the advertising device and known to the field tool and the advertising device.

15. The field tool of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

receiving from the advertising device a directed advertising message to a Bluetooth device address (BDA) of the field tool based at least in part on the response solution being verified by the advertising device; and

pairing to the advertising device based at least in part on receiving the directed advertising message.

16. The field tool of claim 14 , wherein the challenge key includes the SHA using inputs known to the advertising device and the field tool.

17. The field tool of claim 14 , wherein the advertising device is a battery-powered device (BPD).

18. The field tool of claim 14 , the operations further comprising activating a scan mode of the field tool to detect the BLE advertisement message from the advertising device.

19. The field tool of claim 14 , the operations further comprising adding the advertising device to a device list stored in memory accessible by the field tool.

20. The field tool of claim 14 , wherein the response solution includes a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC).

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 15, 2025
From: ITRON, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 072870/0873 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 16, 2021
From: WEBER, ISAIAH MICHAEL; HOLMDAHL, BRET GREGORY
To: ITRON, INC.
Reel/Frame 056568/0840 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220408266A1 · Dec 22, 2022