Patent Description:
Examples of currently used systems can be found in the following:
XP055935797, and XP055935803, which discloses a Kett seal, comprising a seal body that can be mounted to a meter, the seal body then has a seal string which can be passed around a fixture of the meter and through an aperture in the seal body to secure the seal in place, and prevent the seal from being removed unless the seal body or seal string is broken. Wherein the seal body can include a QR code that is matched to the serial number of the meter to match the seal to a specific meter.

The disclosure reveals a security seal identification that may be matched with an identification of a utility measuring meter. This matching may be done, for instance, by a code which is imprinted on the seal and then matched to a meter number in a database, or by a code such as an encryption of the number assigned to the meter. An encryption may be read by an app on a smartphone or checked offline to determine whether the seal belongs to the meter or if it was altered or changed. A mismatch of numbers or symbols may generally indicate a change or manipulation and warrant an investigation.

The present invention is defined by independent system claim <NUM> and independent method claim <NUM>.

The present system and approach may incorporate one or more processors, computers, controllers, user interfaces, wireless and/or wire connections, and/or the like, in an implementation described and/or shown herein.

This description may provide one or more illustrative and specific examples or ways of implementing the present system and approach. There may be numerous other examples or ways of implementing the system and approach.

Currently used seals such as lead seals do not appear protective enough to avoid fraud. In markets with high fraud rates where up to about thirty percent of the used gas is stolen, the present seal may help improve detect and reduce an amount of fraud.

The seal may provide a benefit to the gas utilities as it enables them to get paid for virtually all of, for example, the gas, water or electricity that they are delivering. Up to the present seal, other seals appeared may be used with embossed information that was supposed to show who assembled the gas meter and reveal that the seal had not been touched. The present seal may be unique and can be matched with the gas meter (or all other kinds of meters). This matching may be done either by code (e.g., data matrix code) which is printed or lasered to the seal and then matched to the meter number in a database, or by a code that is an encryption of a serial number of the meter. An encrypted code may be read by an app on a smartphone and therefore checked offline to determine whether the seal belongs to the meter or if it was changed. The same approach may be done via a database but this might require remote access from the field. The present seal and approach may generate a way for gas or other utilities (e.g., electricity/water) to have fraud detection in the field.

The present seal may have a more or less smart approach. The approach may be effected by connecting data from a seal to the sealed device. For example, a serial number of a gas meter may be matched to a number on a seal assembly. This approach may need a database that has both numbers saved and matched as a pair. The approach may be done by printing the seals with a number, code, matrix code, and so on, before an assembly with a meter. After the assembly, both codes (e.g., of the seal and meter) may be matched.

The approach according to the invention is to encrypt the serial number of the meter and to print the encrypted number on the seal after assembly. This approach has a decoding system which is handled through a smart phone app. This approach may be used offline or online.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example meter that may have a present smart seal. One may take a meter number <NUM> from area <NUM> on an index cover <NUM> of a gas meter <NUM> in the Figure. The meter number <NUM> may be encrypted and generated into a code <NUM>, e.g., a data matrix code. This generated code <NUM> may be placed or impressed on the smart seal assembly <NUM> in a form of printing, laser or other manner.

<FIG> is a diagram of an example approach for the present smart seal. Code <NUM> may be impressed on component <NUM> of seal assembly <NUM>. With code <NUM> printed to seal assembly <NUM>, the seal code <NUM> and the index meter number <NUM> are matched with each other. This matching may be checked, by scanning code <NUM> with a smart phone with a special app that is able to decrypt the original index/meter number <NUM> from code <NUM>. If the app gives a different number than the meter number <NUM> on the index cover, then fraud may have been committed, or at least another seal than the original seal has been used on this meter.

A seal assembly <NUM> with a random number, in lieu of code <NUM>, may be taken and associated with an index/meter number <NUM>. Both meter number <NUM> and assembly <NUM> random number may be taken and matched together in a data base.

In the field, the matrix code <NUM> will be scanned with a smart phone and then the code may be sent to a database server to determine which meter number <NUM> is married to this code <NUM>. If there is no number found or a returned meter number from the database server does not fit or match the number <NUM> on meter <NUM>, then fraud may have taken place, or at least another seal than the original seal has been used on this meter.

For an example for application of the present system, <FIG> are provided. <FIG> is a diagram of the seal assembly <NUM> having a rivet seal component <NUM> and receptacle component <NUM>. Rivet seal component <NUM> may be plugged into receptacle component <NUM> for the sealing. Component <NUM> may be attached to index cover <NUM>. Seal assembly <NUM> may lock index cover <NUM> to gas meter <NUM>. If rivet seal component <NUM> is not in an opening, receptacle or hole <NUM> of component <NUM>, then index cover <NUM> and other index parts may be removed from meter <NUM> without evidence of any wrongful forcible removal. To break components <NUM> and <NUM> apart may result in clearly observable damage to assembly <NUM>. The one or more components need not necessarily be circular or some apparently prescribed shape, but might be some other shape. The materials used in or with the components may be those that can help or actually achieve an operational tamper proof seal assembly as described herein.

Index cover <NUM> may have a window <NUM> through which one may look at, for example, counter wheels showing an amount of a consumed gas volume that flows through gas meter <NUM>.

Component <NUM> may be part of or attached to index cover <NUM>. Meter <NUM> may be sealed, and seal component <NUM> may lock index cover <NUM> via component <NUM> and a plate or clip with gas meter <NUM>. Component <NUM> may be regarded in practicality as the same part of index cover <NUM>. Besides receptacle, opening or hole <NUM> in component <NUM>, there may be another receptacle, opening or hole <NUM> in component <NUM>. Hole or receptacle <NUM> may be used for further attachments that are made on gas meter <NUM> such as remote reading devices; which if mounted, they should be connected to the index cover <NUM>. This connection may be done with a second seal like that of the above-noted component <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of an illustrative exploded view of rivet seal assembly <NUM> with component <NUM> separated from component <NUM> and index <NUM> of meter <NUM>, and direction of movement of component <NUM> to secure assembly <NUM>.

<FIG> is a top view diagram of a tamper proof rivet seal assembly <NUM> for such things as meter indexes. Components of seal assembly <NUM> may incorporate a tubular rivet <NUM>, a malleable plastic or plastic-like item or structure <NUM> with a surface <NUM>. The seal assembly <NUM> may be attached to a meter index <NUM>. Plastic-like material item <NUM> may be formed on rivet <NUM> before it is inserted in receptacle <NUM>. Plastic-like item <NUM> may be an over mold within an injection molding process, but it could also be welded to the rivet <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of an illustrative exploded view of assembly <NUM> with rivet <NUM> separated from plastic-like component <NUM> and plate <NUM> with an opening or hole <NUM>. Opening <NUM> may have any shape. It may, for example, be a slot.

<FIG> is a diagram of a bottom view of tubular rivet <NUM> with component <NUM> protruding at the center of rivet <NUM>, and having a surface <NUM>.

The present approach may have a software component. A stack level may be a sensor, that is, a hardware device with some embedded software measuring/detecting and transmitting data (e.g., temperature, pressure, motion). A software type may incorporate a connected/connectivity, an offering available through a cloud, a direct or a remote connection (e.g., Lyric™ thermostat, SaaS), or may cover an infrastructure enabling connected services (e.g., sentience). To recap, a smart secured locking mechanism may incorporate a first fixture, a second fixture, and a third fixture for connecting the first fixture to the second fixture. The first fixture may have a receptacle. The second fixture may have a plate with an opening. The third fixture may be a seal that incorporates a protrusive structure that fits into the receptacle of the first structure and into the opening of the plate of the second fixture to connect the first fixture to the second fixture. The second fixture may have a serial number. The serial number is encrypted and put into a code. The code is printed on the third fixture.

The serial number and the code is checked for a match at a time afterwards. If the serial number and the code have a mismatch according to an encryption of the serial number or a decryption of the code, then the mismatch may be investigated.

The code is then decrypted with a smart phone having an app that can decrypt the code into a number that matches or not the serial number from the second fixture.

The code may be decrypted according to a table that lists codes corresponding to numbers.

The number and the code that the number corresponds to due to encryption may be stored at a secure and limited access storage component remote from the first, second and third fixtures.

The serial number of the second fixture may be a number randomly selected and attached to the third fixture.

The first fixture may be a protecting device for the second fixture. The second fixture may be a meter. The third fixture may be a locking device.

According to the invention, a further approach for smart detection of a connection is defined by independent method claim <NUM>.

The first apparatus may be an index security protective cover. The first connecting fixture may be a receptacle fixture. The second apparatus may be a meter. The second connecting fixture may be a plate having an opening. The securing mechanism may be a protruding structure for insertion into the receptacle fixture and through the opening of the plate to connect the receptacle fixture to the plate to result in a mechanical connection of the first apparatus and the second apparatus to each other.

Encryption, conversion or pairing for associating the first and second symbols will be achieved with a smart phone.

A smart seal system not belonging to the claimed invention may incorporate a meter, an index cover attached to the meter and situated over measuring components of the meter, and a seal attached to the meter and the index cover to prevent separation of the index cover and the meter. A meter number of the meter may be copied and converted into a code. The code may be printed to the seal. The code and the meter number may be sent and matched together in a database. The code will be scanned with a smart phone and a review search may be done to determine if the phone returns a meter number that is the same as the meter number converted to the code.

If the smart phone returns a meter number that is the same as the meter number converted to the code, then the seal may not necessarily have been changed or affected.

If the smart phone returns a meter number that is not necessarily the same as the meter number converted to the code, then the seal may have been changed or affected.

The meter number may be copied and converted into the code. The smart phone with an encryption app compatible for encrypting the code may scan and decrypt the code from the seal and provide a meter number. If a provided meter number is not the same as the meter number copied and converted with encryption, then the seal may have been changed or affected, or if the provided meter number is the same as the meter number copied and converted with encryption, then the seal may not necessarily have been changed or affected.

The code may be a number, a series of one or more letters, a combination of one or more numbers, one or more letters or other symbols, a bar code, or a multi-dimensional code. The code may be converted from the meter number printed on the seal with a laser.

In the present specification, some of the matter may be of a hypothetical or prophetic nature although stated in another manner or tense.

Claim 1:
A system comprising a smart locking apparatus and a smart phone, the smart secured locking apparatus comprising:
a first fixture;
a second fixture; and
a third fixture for connecting the first fixture to the second fixture; and
wherein:
the first fixture comprises a receptacle;
the second fixture comprises a plate with an opening;
the third fixture is a seal that comprises a protrusive structure that fits into the receptacle of the first structure and into the opening of the plate of the second fixture to connect the first fixture to the second fixture;
the second fixture has a serial number;
the serial number is encrypted and put into a code (<NUM>);
the code is printed on the third fixture (<NUM>);
wherein the smart phone is configured to:
check the association of the serial number and the code to verify that locking of the first fixture and the second fixture together continues to be valid;
encrypt the serial number into a second code;
compare the second code with the code, and;
determine that if the scanned code and second code are the same, then the locking of the first fixture and the second fixture together with the apparatus appears valid; and if the scanned code and the second code are not the same, then the locking of the first fixture and the second fixture together with the apparatus is not necessarily valid.