IoT Device Provisioning via Secure Element Pre-configuration

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-provisioning devices with a root of trust and initial credentials during manufacturing before deployment. This allows devices to securely authenticate and obtain additional certificates from certificate authorities without requiring complex post-deployment provisioning procedures, thus maintaining security while simplifying the actual deployment process.

The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a trusted service provider or certificate authority that mediates between the device manufacturer and the final deployment environment. This intermediary issues certificates and manages credentials, allowing devices to be provisioned securely without requiring manufacturers to implement complex PKI infrastructure themselves.

The patent introduces an intermediary credential management system that simplifies manufacturing by handling the complex PKI operations externally. Instead of requiring manufacturers to directly implement certificate insertion and management, the system uses intermediaries (trusted service providers or online certificate authorities) that can issue credentials through simplified protocols, making manufacturing easier while maintaining security.

The patent enables self-service by allowing devices to automatically obtain and manage their own credentials after initial root of trust provisioning. Devices can autonomously authenticate with certificate authorities and retrieve necessary certificates without requiring manual intervention during manufacturing or deployment, reducing the burden on manufacturers while maintaining strong security.

The patent applies universality by creating a unified root of trust architecture that can serve multiple ecosystems and purposes from a single secure element. Instead of requiring separate secure elements for different ecosystems, the system uses one secure element containing a universal root of trust that can authenticate across multiple environments, reducing device complexity while maintaining cross-ecosystem adaptability.

The patent uses preliminary action by pre-configuring the secure element with a universal root of trust certificate during manufacturing that is designed to work across multiple ecosystems. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for multiple ecosystem-specific secure elements, as the single pre-configured root of trust can derive or authenticate multiple ecosystem credentials, simplifying device architecture while maintaining versatility.

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-provisioning devices with root of trust credentials during manufacturing before deployment. This allows devices to skip time-consuming certificate registration steps during actual deployment, as the root of trust is already established and can quickly authenticate with certificate authorities to obtain operational certificates, thus reducing provisioning time while maintaining security.

The patent enables self-service by allowing devices to automatically manage their own credential lifecycle after initial provisioning. Devices can autonomously authenticate, retrieve certificates, and renew credentials without requiring manual intervention or lengthy administrative processes, significantly reducing provisioning time while maintaining strong security through automated credential management.