Systems and methods for selective disablement of protocols on a USB type-C port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10268616-B2
Application number	US-201715666155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2017
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods for selectively enabling and disabling protocols of a USB-C port are provided herein. According to one embodiment, a method for selectively enabling one or more protocols of a USB-C port on an information handling system (IHS) includes determining, upon system boot, if the IHS is connected via the USB-C port to a peripheral device that is authorized for use with the information handling system. If the peripheral device is not authorized for use with the IHS, the method may disable all protocols of the USB-C port. If the peripheral device is authorized for use with the IHS, the method may enable one or more protocols of the USB-C port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for selectively enabling one or more protocols of a first USB-C port on an information handling system, the method comprising:
disabling all protocols of the first USB-C port on the information handling system upon system boot;
detecting a connection between the first USB-C port and a second USB-C port on a peripheral device having one or more additional USB ports; and
determining if the peripheral device is authorized for use with the information handling system, wherein if the peripheral device is authorized for use with the information handling system, the method further comprises:
sending boot parameters to the peripheral device via the first and second USB-C ports to configure the peripheral device, wherein the boot parameters are configured to disable all USB ports downstream from the second USB-C ports; and
enabling one or more protocols of the first USB-C port on the information handling system once configuration is complete.

2. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein if the peripheral device is not authorized for use with the information handling system, the method further comprises maintaining disablement of all protocols of the first USB-C port.

3. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein prior to the step of sending boot parameters, the method further comprises receiving instructions to disable at least one protocol of the first USB-C port, and to enable the one or more protocols of the first USB-C port.

4. The method recited in claim 3 , wherein the step of sending boot parameters to the peripheral device further comprises sending boot parameters via the first and second USB-C ports to enable data connections within the peripheral device corresponding to the one or more protocols.

5. The method recited in claim 3 , wherein the peripheral device is a docking station.

6. The method recited in claim 5 , wherein the data connections within the docking station corresponding to the one or more protocols comprise audio, video and/or networking data connections.

7. The method recited in claim 3 , wherein subsequent to the step of enabling one or more protocols of the first USB-C port, the method further comprises communicating data corresponding to the one or more protocols between the information handling system and the peripheral device via the first USB-C port and the second USB-C port.

8. A method for selectively enabling one or more protocols of a first USB-C port on an information handling system, the method comprising:
determining, upon information handling system boot, if the first USB-C port on the information handling system is connected to a second USB-C port on a peripheral device that is authorized for use with the information handling system;
disabling all protocols of the first USB-C port if the peripheral device is not authorized for use with the information handling system;
wherein if the peripheral device is authorized for use with the information handling system, the method further conspires:
sending boot parameters to the peripheral device via the first and second USB-C ports to disable all USB ports on the peripheral device that are downstream from the second USB-C port; and
enabling one or more protocols, and disabling at least one protocol, of the first USB-C port on the information handling system.

9. The method recited in claim 8 , wherein prior to the step of enabling the one or more protocols, the method further comprises receiving instructions to enable the one or more protocols of the first USB-C port, and to disable the at least one protocol of the first USB-C port.

10. The method recited in claim 9 , wherein prior to the step of enabling the one or more protocols, the method further comprises sending boot parameters to the peripheral device via the first and second USB-C ports enable data connections within the peripheral device corresponding to the one or more protocols.

11. The method recited in claim 10 , wherein the peripheral device is a docking station comprising the second USB-C port and one or more additional USB ports.

12. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein the data connections within the docking station corresponding to the one or more protocols comprise audio, video and/or networking data connections.

13. The method recited in claim 10 , wherein subsequent to the step of sending boot parameters, the method comprises receiving a message from the peripheral device indicating that configuration is complete.

14. The method recited in claim 13 , wherein in response to receiving the message and enabling the one or more protocols of the first USB-C port, the method further comprises communicating data corresponding to the one or more protocols between the information handling system and the peripheral device via the first and second USB-C ports.

15. A system including an information handling system, the information handling system comprising:
a USB-C port;
a first processing device coupled to the USB-C port and configured to detect a docking connection to a USB-C port of a docking station; and
a second processing device coupled to the first processing device and configured to determine whether the docking station is authorized for use with the information handling system;
wherein if the docking station is authorized for use with the information handling system, the second processing device is further configured to send boot parameters to the docking station to disable USB data connections to all USB ports downstream from the USB-C port on the docking station.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 , the information handling system further comprising one or more additional USB ports on a chassis of the information handling system.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the one or more additional USB ports and the USB-C port on the information handling system are disabled if the second processing device determines:
the information handling system is not docked with a docking station upon system boot; or
the information handling system is docked with a docking station upon system boot, but the docking station is not authorized for use with the information handling system.

18. The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein if the docking station is authorized for use with the information handling system, the second processing device is further configured to send boot parameters to the docking station to enable other types of data connections within the docking station.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 , the information handling system further comprising a third processing device coupled to the USB-C port and to the first processing device, wherein if the second processing device determines that the docking station is authorized for use with the information handling system, the third processing device is configured to communicate data corresponding to the enabled types of data connections to the USB-C port of the information handling system.

20. The system as recited in claim 18 , further comprising a docking station comprising:
a USB-C port;
one or more additional USB ports downstream from the USB-C port; and
a fourth processing device coupled to receive the boot parameters, which are sent from the second processing device in the information handling system.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Montero Adolfo S
• Gillon James T
• Nowak Marcin M

Classifications

• G06F13/4282

  on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247) · CPC title

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F13/385 Primary

  for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices · CPC title

• G06F9/4401

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F2213/0026

  PCI express · CPC title