REMOTE MANAGEMENT OVER A WIRELESS WIDE-AREA NETWORK USING SHORT MESSAGE SERVICE

• US 20120178481A1
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Farid Adrangi, Gyan Prakash, Hormuzd Khosravi, Saurabh Dadu, Selim Aissi
• Original Assignee: Farid Adrangi, Gyan Prakash, Hormuzd Khosravi, Saurabh Dadu, Selim Aissi
• Inventors: Prakash, Gyan, Aissi, Selim, Khosravi, Hormuzd, Dadu, Saurabh, Adrangi, Farid
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Illustrative embodiments of systems and methods providing remote management over a wireless wide-area network (WWAN) using short messages are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computing device may include an in-band processor, a wireless transceiver configured for communications over a WWAN, and an out-of-band (OOB) processor capable of communicating over the WWAN using the wireless transceiver irrespective of an operational state of the in-band processor. The OOB processor may be configured to receive a short message via the wireless transceiver, determine whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device, and execute at least one operation indicated by the short message in response to determining that the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

an in-band processor;

a wireless transceiver configured for communications over a wireless wide-area network (WWAN); and

an out-of-band (OOB) processor capable of communicating over the WWAN using the wireless transceiver irrespective of an operational state of the in-band processor, the OOB processor configured to (i) receive a short message via the wireless transceiver, (ii) determine whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device, and (iii) execute at least one operation indicated by the short message in response to determining that the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the OOB processor is configured to determine whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device by comparing sender information included in the short message to a list of trusted remote computing devices.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the list of trusted remote computing devices comprises an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) for at least one trusted remote computing device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the OOB processor is configured to receive the short message while the in-band processor is in a reduced-power operational state.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a firewall hides an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device from remote computing devices and the OOB processor is configured to initiate a secure connection, through the firewall, between the computing device and the trusted remote computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a firewall hides an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device from remote computing devices and the OOB processor is configured to transmit the IP address of the computing device to the trusted remote computing device.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a short message over a wireless wide-area network (WWAN) using an out-of-band (OOB) processor of a computing device, the OOB processor being capable of communicating over the WWAN irrespective of an operational state of an in-band processor of the computing device;

determining, using the OOB processor, whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device; and

executing at least one operation with the OOB processor indicated by the short message in response to determining that the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device comprises comparing sender information included in the short message to a list of trusted remote computing devices.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the short message comprises receiving a short message that originated from a trusted remote computing device outside of a firewall hiding an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device from remote computing devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises initiating a secure connection, through the firewall, between the computing device and the trusted remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises transmitting the IP address of the computing device to the trusted remote computing device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the short message comprises receiving a short message using the OOB processor while the in-band processor is in a reduced-power operational state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises booting the in-band processor of the computing device from the reduced-power operational state.

14. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions that, in response to being executed, result in a computing device:

receiving a short message using an out-of-band (OOB) processor of the computing device while an in-band processor of the computing device is in a reduced-power operational state, the short message being received over a wireless wide-area network (WWAN);

determining, using the OOB processor, whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device; and

executing at least one operation with the OOB processor indicated by the short message in response to determining that the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether the short message originated from a trusted remote computing device comprises comparing sender information included in the short message to a list of trusted remote computing devices.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the list of trusted remote computing devices comprises an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) for at least one trusted remote computing device.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein receiving the short message comprises receiving a short message that originated from a trusted remote computing device outside of a firewall hiding an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computing device from remote computing devices.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises initiating a secure connection, through the firewall, between the computing device and the trusted remote computing device.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises transmitting the IP address of the computing device to the trusted remote computing device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein executing at least one operation with the OOB processor comprises booting the in-band processor of the computing device from the reduced-power operational state.