System, method and apparatus for facilitating the restriction of the use of one or more network devices through automated policy enforcement

• US 10,743,241 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2019
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nocell Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Nocell Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: McKeefery, Donald, Thiel, Frederick, Patel, Himanshu
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pannell, Mark G.
• Application Number:
  US16/398,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20200252859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 4554221
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A system for enforcing a set of policies on a first network device is shown. The system includes logic configured for processing on the first network device and a wireless transceiver to communicatively couple with the first network device. The logic, while processing on the first network device, performs operations including: detecting the first network device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold and a presence of a wireless transceiver, implementing the set of policies on the first network device, wherein implementation of the set of policies is configured to restrict functionality of the first network device according to a predefined list of functionalities, monitoring first sensory data associated with the first network device, determining that the first sensory data violates a first policy of the set of policies, and responsive to determining that the first sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting an alert.

Claims

1. A system for enforcing a set of policies on a first network device, the system comprising:

logic stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium of the first network device, wherein the logic is configured for processing on the first network device; and

a wireless transceiver to communicatively couple with the first network device, the wireless transceiver configured to receive signals transmitted by network devices and, responsive to receiving a command from the first network device, identify each network device according to the received signals,

wherein the logic, while processing on the first network device, performs operations including;

detecting (i) the first network device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold and (ii) a presence of the wireless transceiver;

responsive to detecting the presence of the wireless transceiver, transmitting the command to the wireless transceiver to identify each network device;

implementing the set of policies on the first network device, wherein implementation of the set of policies is configured to restrict functionality of the first network device according to a predefined list of functionalities;

monitoring first sensory data associated with the first network device;

determining that the first sensory data violates a first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the first sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by a communication interface of the first network device according to instructions generated by the logic, an alert.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver identifies each of the network devices according to the received signals by (i) parsing the signals transmitted by the network devices, and (ii) obtaining a unique identifier for each of the network devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver includes circuitry including an integrated circuit, and an accelerometer, and wherein the wireless transceiver obtains second sensory data from the accelerometer, and transmits the second sensory data to the first network device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the logic, while processing on the first network device, performs further operations including:

determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by the communication interface of the first network device according to second instructions generated by the logic, a second alert.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the circuitry includes a vibration sensor, and the second sensory data includes data obtained from the vibration sensor.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the circuitry further includes a communication interface, under control by a communication interface logic, that enables communications with external network devices or a cloud server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver receives instructions, from the first network device, to perform a plurality of scans for additional network devices, wherein the plurality of scans are performed at predetermined time intervals, and

wherein the wireless transceiver filters lists of detected additional network devices resulting from the plurality of scans according to unique identifiers corresponding to each detected additional network device, and transmits the filtered lists to the first network device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic, while processing on the first network device, performs further operations including:

prior to the implementing of the set of policies, receiving, from the wireless transceiver, a list of identified network devices, the list of identified network devices including a signal strength associated with each of the identified network devices,

determining the first network device is associated with a highest signal strength, and

responsive to the first network device being associated with the highest signal strength, performing the implementing of the set of policies.

9. A computerized method comprising:

detecting, by logic of a first network device, (i) that the first network device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold, and (ii) a presence of a wireless transceiver;

responsive to detecting the presence of the wireless transceiver, transmitting, by the logic, a command to the wireless transceiver to identify each network device of one or more network devices;

implementing, by the logic, a set of policies on the first network device, wherein implementation of the set of policies is configured to restrict functionality of the first network device according to a predefined list of functionalities;

monitoring, by the logic, first sensory data associated with the first network device;

determining, by the logic, that the first sensory data violates a first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the first sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by a communication interface of the first network device according to instructions generated by the logic, an alert.

10. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver identifies each network device of the one or more network devices according to the received signals by (i) parsing signals transmitted by the one or more network devices, and (ii) obtaining a unique identifier for each network device of the one or more network devices.

11. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver includes circuitry including an integrated circuit, and an accelerometer, and wherein the wireless transceiver obtains second sensory data from the accelerometer, and transmits the second sensory data to the first network device.

12. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein the logic, while processing on the first network device, performs further operations including:

determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by the communication interface of the first network device according to second instructions generated by the logic, a second alert.

13. The computerized method of claim 12, wherein the circuitry includes a vibration sensor, and the second sensory data includes data obtained from the vibration sensor.

14. The computerized method of claim 11, wherein the circuitry further includes a communication interface, which, under control by a communication interface logic, enables communications with external network devices or a cloud server.

15. The computerized method of claim 9, wherein the wireless transceiver receives instructions, from the first network device, to perform a plurality of scans for additional network devices, wherein the plurality of scans are performed at predetermined time intervals, and

wherein the wireless transceiver filters lists of detected additional network devices resulting from the plurality of scans according to unique identifiers corresponding to each detected additional network device, and transmits the filtered lists to the first network device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

detecting (i) that a first network device is moving at a speed above a predetermined threshold, and (ii) a presence of a wireless transceiver;

responsive to detecting the presence of the wireless transceiver, transmitting a command to the wireless transceiver to identify each network device of one or more network devices;

implementing a set of policies on the first network device, wherein implementation of the set of policies is configured to restrict functionality of the first network device according to a predefined list of functionalities;

monitoring first sensory data associated with the first network device;

determining that the first sensory data violates a first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the first sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by a communication interface of the first network device according to instructions generated by the logic, an alert.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver identifies each network device of the one or more network devices according to the received signals by (i) parsing the signals transmitted by the one or more network devices, and (ii) obtaining a unique identifier for each network device of the one or more network devices.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver includes circuitry including an integrated circuit, and an accelerometer, and wherein the wireless transceiver obtains second sensory data from the accelerometer, and transmits the second sensory data to the first network device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the logic, while processing on the first network device, performs further operations including:

determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy of the set of policies; and

responsive to determining that the second sensory data violates the first policy, transmitting, by the communication interface of the first network device according to second instructions generated by the logic, a second alert.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the circuitry of the wireless transceiver includes a vibration sensor, and the second sensory data includes data obtained from the vibration sensor.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the circuitry of the wireless transceiver further includes a communication interface, under control by a communication interface logic, enables communications with external network devices or a cloud server.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver receives instructions, from the first network device, to perform a plurality of scans for additional network devices, wherein the plurality of scans are performed at predetermined time intervals, and

wherein the wireless transceiver filters lists of detected additional network devices resulting from the plurality of scans according to unique identifiers corresponding to each detected additional network device, and transmits the filtered lists to the first network device.