MANAGING MACHINE TO MACHINE DEVICES

• US 20160232116A1
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: BONE, Nick, SNAPE, Tim, PRABDIAL, Yakeen, BENTO, Jorge, PRINCE, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,412,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1689 Synchronisation and timing concerns synchronisation on a memory bus G06F13/4234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/061 applying further key derivation, e.g. deriving traffic keys from a pair-wise master key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 : at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• 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: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 : Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 : Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 : where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 : Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

System and method for managing devices comprising a memory store having memory locations, wherein each memory location stores one or more attributes associated with one or more devices. Device manager arranged to execute commands to take an action on the one or more attributes stored in the memory locations, and to receive from the one or more devices values of the corresponding one or more attributes. Synchroniser configured to maintain synchronisation between the attributes stored in the memory store and the attributes associated with the devices.

Claims

1. A system for managing devices comprising:

a memory store having memory locations, wherein each memory location stores one or more attributes associated with one or more devices;

a device manager arranged to execute commands to take an action on the one or more attributes stored in the memory locations, and to receive from the one or more devices values of the corresponding one or more attributes; and

a synchroniser configured to maintain synchronisation between the attributes stored in the memory store and the attributes associated with the devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the commands are defined as declarative commands.

3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the executed commands are set-based operations.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the set-based operations comprise any one or more of:

SQL, procedural, data manipulation, configuration management, insert, select, update, create, read, write, erase, and search.

5. The system according to any previous claim further comprising one or more interfaces for communicating with each device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the device manager is further configured to communicate with each device over a first interface or the one or more interfaces.

7. The system of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the synchroniser is further configured to operate when communication with the one or more devices over the interface is available.

8. The system of any of the claims 5 to 7, wherein the synchroniser is further configured to initiate a communication with the one or more devices when no communication with the one or more devices over the interface is available.

9. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the synchroniser is further configured to operate at intervals.

10. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the synchroniser maintains synchronisation between the stored attributes and the attributes associated with the one or more devices by controlling the attributes of the devices.

11. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the synchroniser maintains synchronisation between the stored attributes and the attributes associated with the one or more devices by controlling the stored attributes.

12. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the memory store is further configured to store and/or retrieve previous versions of the one or more attributes.

13. The system according to any previous claim further comprising a schema of the one or more attributes.

14. The system according to any previous claim further, wherein the one or more attributes are any executable code of the device, parameters detected by the device, and/or parameters received by the device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the executable code is firmware, operating system, and/or a software application.

16. The system according to any previous claim further comprising a second interface arranged to communicate the data to the device manager, and further wherein the commands to take an action on the one or more attributes stored in the memory locations are executed in response to the communicated data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the data are received from a user and/or an application.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the device manager is further arranged to determine if the user and/or the application are authorised.

19. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the memory locations are arranged having a data structure that replicates the one or more devices.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data structure is a unified data structure common across different types of devices.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the commands to take an action on the one or more attributes stored in the memory locations are in conformity with the unified data structure, the system further comprising an adapter configured to adapt the commands to provide the synchroniser with instructions to control attributes of the one or more devices in a format specific to each different type of device.

22. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the one or more attributes associated with the one or more devices are billing and/or logging data.

23. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the one or more devices are of the type selected from the group consisting of machine to machine, M2M, device, a further device manager, a controller of one or more devices, and a receiving entity.

24. The system according to any previous claim, wherein the device manager is further configured to receive one or more criteria, and monitor the one or more devices to determine when the one or more criteria are met.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the device manager is further configured to trigger an event when the one or more criteria are met.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the event is pre-determined.

46. The method according to any previous claim further comprising the steps of:

receiving information describing an addition, deletion or amendment of a memory location within the memory store; and

making changes to the memory store according to the received information.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the information is associated with a firmware update of the one or more devices.

27. A method for managing devices comprising the steps of:

storing one or more attributes associated with one or more devices;

taking an action on the one or more stored attributes;

receiving from the one or more devices values of the one or more attributes; and

maintaining synchronisation between the attributes stored in the memory store and the corresponding attributes associated with the devices.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of:

receiving a command to change an attribute of the one or more devices, wherein the command is received in a first form conforming to a data structure of the one or more stored attributes, wherein the step of maintaining synchronisation further comprises the step of converting the received command into a form conforming to a data structure of the one or more devices.

29. The method claim 28, wherein the command is received over a first interface and wherein the converted command is communicated to the one or more devices over a second interface.

30. The method according to any of claims 27 to 29 further comprising the step of receiving a command defining a sequence of steps for changing attributes of the one or more devices, wherein the step of taking an action on the one or more stored attributes is performed according to the sequence of steps.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of updating firmware or other executable code component of the device after the one or more attributes of the one or more devices are synchronised according to the sequence of steps.

32. The method of claim 30 or claim 31, wherein different commands defining different sequences of steps are received for different device types.

33. The method according to any of claims 30 to 32, wherein devices are updated to different versions of firmware or another executable code component dependent on the stored one or more attributes.

34. The method according to any of claims 27 to 33, wherein the stored one or more attributes are stored in a single data structure for different device types.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein maintaining synchronisation between the stored attributes and corresponding attributes of the devices further comprises converting the attributes before updating the one or more devices.

36. The method according to any of claims 33 to 35 further comprising the step of receiving data models for each version of the firmware or other executable code component and then using the data models to define how to transition between versions.

37. The method according to any of claims 27 to 36 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a criterion within a request, wherein the criterion depends on the one or more attributes;

monitoring the one or more attributes;

reporting when the criterion is met.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising the step of reporting to a requester one or more attributes when the criterion is met.

39. The method of claim 37 or claim 38, wherein the step of monitoring the one or more attributes further comprises monitoring the one or more stored attributes.

40. The method according to any of claims 37 to 39, wherein monitoring the one or more stored attributes occurs when communications with the device are available.

41. The method according to any of claims 27 to 40, wherein the step of maintaining synchronisation occurs when communications with the device are available.

42. The method according to any of claims 27 to 41 further comprising the step of:

performing an analysis of one or more of the attributes stored in the memory store to generate an output indicating a demand of a resource.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the attributes used to perform the analysis are unrelated to the resource.

44. The method of claim 42 or claim 43, wherein the resource is any one or more of:

a natural resource;

a consumer product;

food;

beverage;

transport;

premises access;

power;

electricity;

gas;

fuel;

water;

public transport;

telecommunications;

software; and

entertainment.

45. The method according to any or claims 42 to 44, wherein the performed analysis is carried out by a machine learning algorithm.

48. A computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed on a computer cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 27 to 47.

49. A computer-readable medium carrying a computer program according to claim 48.

50. A computer programmed to perform the method of any of claims 27 to 47.