Method and system for generating behavior profiles for device members of a network

• US 9,218,628 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beet, LLC
• Original Assignee: Beet, LLC
• Inventors: Wang, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US13/354,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles

Abstract

A method and system for generating a digital profile defined by digital behavior expressed by a device includes receiving digital behavior data and identifying information defined by a device in communication with a content server, generating a device profile for the device, associating the device with at least one device population, and generating a population profile defined by the device population. The device profiles and population profiles may be made accessible to users of a social network. Related contents, including identifying information, device behavior analysis, comparative ratings, service and diagnostic information, messages and alerts may be associated with a device profile or population profile and published to the social network. A population profile may define normal digital behavior of the population, such that the population profile may be compared with the device profile of a device, to determine whether the device operation is abnormal with respect to the population profile.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a content server in communication with a plurality of devices, wherein the content server comprises a memory and a processor and is configured to;

communicate with the plurality of devices;

receive digital behavior data and identifying information from one or more respective devices of the plurality of devices;

associate the digital behavior data and identifying information received from the respective device with the respective device;

wherein the digital behavior data is originated by the respective device over a period of time and includes a sampling of digital behavior data of a plurality of operation cycles of the respective device;

generate a device profile for the respective device defined by the digital behavior data associated with the respective device;

identify a plurality of device populations, wherein each respective device population is defined by at least one respective element of the identifying information;

populate the respective device population with one or more respective devices associated with the at least one respective element of the identifying information;

generate a population profile for the respective device population defined by the digital behavior data of the respective devices populating the respective device population; and

store the device profiles and the population profiles;

compare a first population profile defined by a first population to a second population profile defined by a second population;

rate the first population relative to the second population;

generate a first reliability estimate for the first population profile;

generate a second reliability estimate for the second population; and

rate the first population relative to the second population using the first reliability estimate and the second reliability estimate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content server is:

in communication with a device network; and

configured to provide the device profiles and the population profiles to the device network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the content server is configured to:

generate a message associated with at least one of the device profiles and the population profiles; and

provide the message to at least one of the device network and one or more device of the plurality of devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content server is configured to receive and provide content related to at least one of the device profiles and the population profiles.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the content includes one or more of identifying information, a comparison of at least one of the device profiles to at least one of the population profiles, and a comparison of at least one of the population profiles to at least another of the population profiles.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the content server is in communication with a device network, and one of the content server and the device network is configured to associate content provided by a user of the device network with one or more of the device profiles and the population profiles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital behavior data includes one of an electrical output, a digital signal, and a power consumption pattern defined by the respective device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data transfer mechanism in communication with the respective device and the content server, wherein the data transfer mechanism is configured to be associated with the respective device and to transmit the digital behavior data from the respective device to the content server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data transfer mechanism is configured as one of an application, a controller, and a power consumption monitor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the population profile of each respective device population defines at least one of a normal behavior pattern and a normal operational range of the respective device population.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the content server is configured to compare at least one device profile to at least one population profile to determine whether the at least one device exhibits abnormal digital behavior in comparison to the at least one population profile.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the plurality of populations includes a first device and a second device; and

the first device is dissimilar to the second device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the content server is configured to:

provide at least one of;

a comparison of a respective device profile of a respective device over time to a baseline device profile for the same respective device;

wherein the baseline device profile is defined by digital behavior data of the respective device over a period of normal operation of the respective device; and

a comparison of a respective population profile of a respective device population over time to a baseline population profile for the same respective device population;

wherein the baseline population profile is defined by digital behavior data of the respective device population over a period of normal operation of the respective device population; and

determine at least one of;

whether the device profile over time exhibits abnormal behavior in comparison to the baseline device profile; and

whether the device population profile over time exhibits abnormal behavior in comparison to the baseline population profile.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital behavior data of the respective device is defined by a cycle time of a mechanical operation of the respective device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the respective device is one of a robot and a robotically controlled device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of populations includes:

a first population defined by a first machine including a first plurality of devices;

wherein the digital behavior data of the first machine is defined by a mechanical operation of at least one respective device of the first plurality of devices; and

a second population defined by a second machine including a second plurality of devices;

wherein the digital behavior data of the second machine is defined by a mechanical operation of at least one respective device of the second plurality of devices.

17. A method comprising:

receiving digital behavior data and identifying information from one or more respective devices of a plurality of devices in communication with a content server;

wherein the digital behavior data is originated by the respective device over a period of time and includes a sampling of digital behavior data of a plurality of operation cycles of the respective device;

associating the digital behavior data and identifying information received from the respective device with the respective device;

generating a device profile for the respective device defined by the digital behavior data associated with the respective device;

identifying a plurality of device populations, wherein each respective device population is defined by at least one respective element of the identifying information;

populating the respective device population with one or more respective devices associated with the at least one respective element of the identifying information;

generating a population profile for the respective device population defined by the digital behavior data of the respective devices populating the respective device population; and

storing the device profiles and the population profiles using the content server, wherein the content server is configured to be in communication with a network and to provide the device profiles and the population profiles to the network;

comparing a first population profile defined by a first population to a second population profile defined by a second population; and

rating the first population relative to the second population;

generating a first reliability estimate for the first population profile;

generating a second reliability estimate for the second population; and

rating the first population relative to the second population using the first reliability estimate and the second reliability estimate.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

associating a message with at least one of the device profiles and the population profiles, wherein the message is provided by one of the content server, the respective device associated with the profile, and a network user.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

analyzing the respective device profile in comparison to at least one population profile with which the respective device profile is associated to determine whether the respective device defining the respective device profile exhibits abnormal digital behavior in comparison to the at least one population profile.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating an alert related to at least one of the respective device and a user of the respective device when abnormal digital behavior of the respective device is determined.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

comparing a profile over time to a baseline profile to determine an abnormality therebetween;

wherein;

the profile over time is defined by one of a device and a population;

the baseline profile is defined by digital behavior data originated during a period of normal operation of the same one of the device and the population; and

providing an alert when the abnormality is detected.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the abnormality is related to an intrusion of the one of the device and the population defining the profile.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

publishing a plurality of device profiles using the content server, wherein the content server is in communication with a device network, such that the device profiles are accessible by at least one user of the device network.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

publishing a plurality of population profiles using the content server such that the population profiles are accessible by at least one user of the device network.