Modular device and data management system and gateway for a communications network

• US 10,425,254 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eyecam LLC
• Original Assignee: Eyecam LLC
• Inventors: Fisher, Ronald Eugene, Davis, Bryan Jonathan, Meyer, Mark Joseph, Bushard, Bradley Brian, Patil, Nitin, Fisher, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US15/597,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A gateway provides duplex-directional, multimedia ad hoc mesh networking, peer-to-peer direct communications, power optimization, dynamic configuration, and data management, while operating within various devices and network topologies. A multitasking virtual machine monitor for mobile networked devices, that is capable of functional expandability and portability to various operating environments, interoperability with a variety of operating systems, the Gateway Control System (GCS) performs functional capabilities in both a local and a networked topology using local and remote hardware and software. Software within the GCS is partitioned into sequentially, autonomous code, referred to herein as “modules,” each module being configured to communicate with hardware and other gateway modules. Collectively, all gateway modules are referred to herein as the gateway stack (GS). Each member of the GS can be turned on or off, downloaded from a remote site, and dynamically configured.

Claims

1. A computer implemented communications gateway, comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein program instructions which comprise a multitasking operating system which is partitioned into a module core layer, a module OS interface layer, and an operating environment;

wherein said multitasking operating system comprises a gateway control system, said gateway control system comprising an organized data and network management platform and a dynamic source routing system, said dynamic source routing system comprising attributes from a plurality of routing methods;

wherein said module core layer is configured to perform high level, coordinated functionality and comprises core gateway software that is compiled and linked only;

wherein said module OS interface layer is configured to directly allow a module applications layer within said operating environment to map a module core layer I/O with a given device'"'"'s resident operating system;

wherein said module OS interface layer is configured to be customized, compiled, and linked with said module core layer to a plurality of sequentially, autonomous modules, each module being configured to communicate with hardware and other gateway modules; and

wherein said gateway modules collectively comprise a gateway stack (GS).

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said gateway control system further comprises:

a plurality of gateway stacks of two or more gateway devices.

3. The gateway of claim 2, wherein said two or more gateway devices are configured to recognize each other based on security settings.

4. The gateway of claim 2, wherein each gateway device is configured to join into a unified group that combines the modules of both devices and in which each device is configured to adopt the capabilities of the other device and then generate a new priority setting for both networked devices.

5. The gateway of claim 2, wherein the gateway stacks (GS) of two or more gateway devices are configured to recognize each other and join a collective gateway module stack.

6. The gateway of claim 5, wherein the gateway module stack is configured to coordinate the optimum group or network configuration and/or coordinate cluster of groups and network configurations based on the level of access and security settings of each networked device and/or the optimized network configuration for an one or any combination of power, bandwidth, available protocols, location, and other routing parameters.

7. The gateway of claim 2, wherein at least some of said plurality of gateway stacks are configured in a group as a unified module stack and wherein each gateway device is configured to authorize a complete module stack and related system access to another device or group of devices.

8. The gateway of claim 7, wherein the unified module stack is configured to seek out any one or any combination of the most efficient distribution of system priorities, tasks, and responsibilities, collectively for the entire group of devices.

9. The gateway of claim 2, wherein individual module stacks in each device are configured to set to authorize, and wherein the device is configured to acknowledge and adopt the related components and systems of the other networked devices and groups them into a networked component set.

10. The gateway of claim 2, wherein at least some of said plurality of gateway devices comprises a federated network of gateway devices in which all devices are configured to maintain their autonomy.

11. The gateway of claim 10, wherein said devices of said federated network of gateway devices are configured to serve as a wireless router or bridge node supporting in any one or any combination of optimized transfer of data and network channeling, device coordination, and optimized communications.

12. The gateway of claim 11, wherein said devices of said federated network of gateway devices are configured to have no access to networked data or devices and no remote systems control because all transferred data is channeled to an authorized receiving device and is not capable of being accessed or received by any authorized receiving device with optional key or data encryption available.

13. The gateway of claim 2, wherein said gateway control system has a hierarchal managed network configuration comprising a server based managed gateway network, and wherein at least some of said plurality of devices comprise issued gateway enabled wireless devices configured and authorized as managed devices.

14. The gateway of claim 13, wherein each of said managed devices is configured to be either permanently assigned to a specific user or temporarily assigned to a specific user or group of users with any one or any combination of all user, device, data, and network authorization set up via a network-based hierarchy.

15. The gateway of claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual machine monitor that is configured to run in an embedded system as either a downloadable program or as a networked application.

16. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said routing protocols comprise routing protocols for Mobile ad hoc and Mesh Networking (MANET).

17. The gateway of claim 16, wherein said routing protocols comprise any one or any combination of reactive and proactive (Hybrid) Routing, Hierarchical Routing, Multipoint Relay, Temporally-ordered Routing Algorithm (TORA), Geographical Routing (Geocasting), Power-aware and Multicast Routing, Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), and Concurrent Multi-path Routing (CMR) into one platform.

18. The gateway of claim 1, wherein said gateway control system is configured such that data collected and managed by each module can be channelled directly from a source gateway device to one or more receiving devices.

19. The gateway of claim 18, wherein said gateway control system is configured to stream and/or transfer said data via a virtual machine monitor interface link configured between one or more networked gateway devices.

20. The gateway of claim 19, wherein said gateway control system is configured to channel voice, contextual, and audio-video data either as a collective gateway stack over a single wired or wireless network, or broadcasted independently via a unique module data stream over one or more available networks.

21. The gateway of claim 19, wherein said gateway devices are configured using different networks to communicate by mesh networking with one or more bridge nodes (gateway devices operating as routers), said bridge nodes being configured to then relay the data stream securely to and from one or more networked devices.