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Amazon patents hardware clock to stamp data packets outside software control

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Amazon describes a system where a separate piece of hardware on a server stamps data packets with a time. This hardware clock is controlled by a trusted reference time, keeping the timestamp independent from the software running on the server.

Why it mattersThis could help verify exactly when data was sent or received, which is useful for security checks or financial records that rely on precise timing.

In the filing’s own words

Various embodiments of apparatuses and methods for trusted and/or attested packet timestamping are described. In some embodiments, the disclosed system and methods include a reference timekeeper providing a reference clock to host computing devices. The host computing devices host compute instances using a first set of computing resources, and also contain isolated timing hardware utilizing a different set of computing resources. The isolated timing hardware sets a hardware clock based on a signal corresponding to the reference clock from the reference timekeeper. The isolated timing hardware then receives a packet from a particular compute instance, creates a timestamp for the packet based at least in part on the hardware clock, where the timestamp is outside the control of the compute instances, and sends the packet and the timestamp through a data network to transmit to a packet destination.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1.- 20. (canceled)

Facts

Company
Amazon (Amazon Technologies, Inc.)
Official title
TRUSTED OR ATTESTED PACKET TIMESTAMPING
Publication number
US20260322727A1
Application number
19667935
Filed
May 5, 2026
Published
Oct 15, 2026
Inventors
7
Claims
21

Classified under

H04L 43/106 Electricity & electronicsH04L 43/0852 Electricity & electronicsH04L 2212/00 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.