Authenticating maintenance access to an electronics unit via wireless communication

• US 20070004381A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company), Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Malone, Christopher, Larson, Thane
• Granted Patent: US 7,607,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly

Abstract

A maintenance control system comprises at least one electronics unit including a first wireless communicator, a second wireless communicator configured for association with an individual, and an authentication manager. The authentication manager authenticates access to the at least one electronics unit via wireless communication between the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator regarding a maintenance identifier stored within a memory of at least one of the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator.

Claims

1. A maintenance control system comprising:

at least one electronics unit including a first wireless communicator;

a second wireless communicator configured for association with an individual; and

an authentication manager for authenticating access to the at least one electronics unit via wireless communication between the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator regarding a maintenance identifier stored within a memory of at least one of the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator.

2. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the maintenance identifier comprises at least one of a personnel identifier, an identifier of the at least one electronics unit, and an access identifier.

3. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the authentication manager comprises at least one of:

a level module; and

a privilege module;

a personnel database; and

an access database.

4. The maintenance control system of claim 3 wherein the level module comprises at least one of:

a unit parameter;

a system parameter;

a network parameter;

a location parameter;

a global parameter; and

a custom parameter.

5. The maintenance control system of claim 3 wherein the privilege module comprises at least one of:

an original equipment manufacturer technician parameter;

an authorized third party technician parameter;

a technician parameter; and

an administrator parameter.

6. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the authentication manager comprises:

a comparator module configured to determine authentication by comparing the maintenance identifier with a predetermined criteria of the authentication manager; and

an activator module configured to control access to the at least one electronics unit based upon the authentication determination by the comparator module.

7. The maintenance control system of claim 6 wherein the activator module comprises an enable function to selectively enable access to the at least one electronics unit.

8. The maintenance control system of claim 7 wherein the activator module comprises a warn function for producing a warning that authentication is not granted for the individual to the at least one electronics unit

9. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the authentication manager comprises:

a register including an electronics unit and a personnel module, which in combination, enable tracking of maintenance access by the individual to the at least one electronics unit.

10. The maintenance control system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a computer system, separate and external to the at least one electronics unit, in communication with the at least one electronics unit and configured to monitor access at the at least one electronics unit including a database of personnel information and access information to enable the authentication manager to control maintenance access to the at least one electronics unit.

11. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the at least one electronics unit comprises at least one of:

a printer;

a digital sender;

a server; and

a computer.

12. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the first wireless communicator comprises a RFID transceiver and the second wireless communicator comprises a RFID transponder tag, wherein the RFID transponder tag is configured to store the maintenance identifier.

13. The maintenance control system of claim 1 wherein the second wireless communicator comprises a RFID transceiver and the first wireless communicator comprises a RFID transponder tag configured to store the maintenance identifier and configured for attachment to the at least one electronics unit.

14. The maintenance control system of claim 13 wherein the RFID transceiver comprises a portion of a mobile computing device and is in wireless communication with a second RFID transponder tag worn by the individual, and the mobile computing device is configured to store the authentication manager.

15. A wireless maintenance monitor comprising:

means for wirelessly communicating a maintenance identifier between at least one electronics unit and an individual; and

means, in communication with the means for wireless communicating, for assessing the maintenance identifier to determine access to the at least one electronics unit by the individual.

16. The wireless maintenance monitor of claim 15 wherein the means for wirelessly communicating comprises:

a RFID transponder including a memory for storing the maintenance identifier; and

a RFID transceiver in wired communication with the means for assessing,

wherein in a first configuration, the RFID transponder is secured to the at least one electronics unit and the RFID transceiver is associated with the individual via a mobile computing device, and in a second configuration, the RFID transponder is removably attachable to the individual and the RFID transceiver is secured to the at least one electronics unit.

17. The wireless maintenance monitor of claim 15 wherein the means for assessing comprises a level module configured to determine a level of the computer system to which access is granted, the level including at least one of a unit, a system, a network, and a global system.

18. The wireless maintenance monitor of claim 15 wherein the means for assessing comprises a privilege module configured to determine a type of person to which access is granted, the type including at least one of an original equipment manufacturer technician, an authorized third party technician manager, and an administrator.

19. A method of monitoring an electronics system, the method comprising:

storing control information on a first wireless communicator regarding access to an electronics system, the information including a personnel identifier and an access identifier; and

communicating the control information between the first wireless communicator and a manager of the electronics system via a second wireless communicator; and

selectively authenticating maintenance access to the electronics system via the manager based on the communicated control information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein storing information comprises storing a privilege identifier configured to determine a type of access, the type including at least one of an original equipment manufacturer technician, an authorized third party technician, and an administrator.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein storing information comprises storing a level identifier configured to determine a level of access, the level including at least one of a unit, a local system, a network, and a global system.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein communicating the information comprises automatically identifying, via the personnel identifier and the access identifier, the at least one electronics unit for which access is granted from among a plurality of electronics units wherein the plurality of electronics units includes a first portion for which access is not authorized for the individual and a second portion for which access is authorized for the individual, the second portion including the at least one electronics unit for which access is granted.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein authenticating maintenance access comprises:

preventing access to the at least one electronics unit when the second wireless communicator is located a distance from the first wireless communicator that exceeds a signal range between the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein communicating the information comprises:

electronically verifying authorization for access via the communicated information independent of a physical access mechanism.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein authenticating maintenance access comprises:

querying at least one of the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator to obtain the maintenance identifier; and

comparing the maintenance identifier against a database of component information including at least one of;

verifying authorization for access; and

notifying an administrator regarding attempted access to the electronics system.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein communicating the control information comprises:

arranging the electronics system to include a first electronics unit with the electronics unit including the first wireless communicator as a first RFID transponder tag;

arranging the second wireless communicator as a RFID transceiver in a mobile computing device; and

arranging a third wireless communicator as second RFID transponder tag for wireless authentication relative to the mobile computing device,

wherein the second wireless communicator and the third wireless communicator are in communication with each other to authenticate use of the mobile computing device by the individual, and

wherein the first wireless communicator and the second wireless communicator are in communication with each other to authenticate maintenance access to the first electronics unit by the mobile computing device.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein communicating the control information comprises:

arranging the electronics system to comprise a plurality of electronics units, including the first electronics unit, and a manager in wired communication with the plurality of electronics units; and

arranging the manager to include an authenticator separate and external to the electronics units to control access to the electronics units.

28. A computer network comprising:

a plurality of computers;

at least one RFID transceiver;

at least one RFID transponder tag configured for wireless communication with the at least one RFID transceiver, each at least one RFID transponder tag including a memory for storing a maintenance identifier,

wherein in a first configuration, the at least one RFID transceiver is disposed on each computer of the plurality of computers and the at least one RFID transponder tag is associated with a technician, and

wherein in a second configuration, the at least one RFID tag is disposed on at least one computer of the plurality of computers and the at least one RFID transceiver disposed on a mobile computing device and in wireless communication with a second RFID tag in association with an individual; and

a manager configured to control access to each computer of the plurality of computers via wireless communication between the at least one RFID transceiver, the at least one RFID transponder tag regarding the maintenance identifier.

29. The computer network of claim 28 wherein the plurality of computers comprises at least one server for which access is authenticated via the maintenance identifier.