Certificate Chain Dictionary Compression for Battery-Powered Nodes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Battery-powered device (BPD) nodes in wireless networks expend significant battery power transmitting and receiving large certificate chains, reducing their operational lifetime and necessitating premature battery replacement.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a compression dictionary on BPD nodes to replace data entries in certificate chains with indices, generating compressed certificate chains that are smaller in size, thereby reducing power consumption during transmission and processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If BPD nodes transmit and receive large certificate chains during authentication, then secure network access is established, but battery power is expended rapidly reducing operational lifetime

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure network accessVSAvoidbattery power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential authentication information from the full certificate chain by implementing a challenge-response mechanism. Instead of transmitting complete certificate chains, the system extracts minimal necessary data (public keys, certificates) and uses cryptographic challenges to verify authenticity, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of data size by transforming large certificate chains into compact cryptographic representations.通过使用哈希函数和加密挑战响应机制, the system converts bulky certificate data into small verification tokens, dramatically reducing transmission and processing power requirements while preserving authentication reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If BPD nodes transmit large certificate chains to neighboring nodes, then authentication is performed, but transmission power and processing power increase substantially

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveauthenticationVSAvoidtransmission and processing power
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the minimal necessary authentication elements from complete certificate chains. By using public key infrastructure and challenge-response protocols, the patent extracts essential verification data (public keys, digital signatures) while eliminating redundant certificate information, thereby reducing both transmission and processing power requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses cryptographic copying where instead of transmitting actual certificate data, the system transmits cryptographic hashes and verification tokens. These cryptographic copies serve as sufficient proof of authentication without requiring the full certificate chain to be transmitted or processed, significantly reducing power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If complete certificate chains are exchanged during node joining, then secure identity verification is achieved, but operational lifetime of BPD nodes is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentity verificationVSAvoidoperational lifetime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts minimal authentication credentials from complete certificate chains and uses these extracted elements for verification. By implementing a challenge-response authentication mechanism that relies on extracted public keys rather than full certificate transmission, the system extends operational lifetime while maintaining secure identity verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the authentication parameter from complete certificate chain exchange to compact cryptographic verification. This parameter change reduces the energy cost of authentication events, thereby extending the operational lifetime of battery-powered nodes while preserving the reliability of identity verification through cryptographic proof.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3999977B1Certificate chain compression to extend node operational lifetime
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 ITRON INC
  • EP3999977B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3999977B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3999977B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A battery-powered device (BPD) node compresses certificate chains to generate compressed certificate chains. The BPD node includes a compression dictionary that indexes various data entries that occur across many certificate chains and/or repeat within a particular certificate chain. The BPD node compresses a given certificate chain by replacing data entries within the given certificate chain with indices to corresponding data entries in the compression dictionary. The indices are smaller in size than the corresponding data entries. A neighboring BPD node also includes the compression dictionary and decompresses a compressed certificate chain by replacing indices included in the compressed certificate chain with the indexed data entries stored in the compression dictionary. Performing certificate exchanges with compressed certificate chains reduces the amount of limited battery power that is depleted during certificate exchanges, thereby extending BPD node operational lifetime and helping to prevent the need for premature battery replacement.