Contextual awareness with Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure for managed devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11770365-B2
Application number	US-201916354229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Jan 10, 2019
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed are various examples for providing contextual awareness with an internet of things (IoT) infrastructure in an enterprise workspace. IoT devices can connect to a network through a gateway or other edge device enrolled in a management service. The gateway device can provide context-based services defined by the management services to users in an enterprise through interactions with IoT devices. A gateway device can identity managed user devices within a service range of the gateway device. When a managed user device is within the service range of the gateway device, the gateway device can provide a context-based service by interacting with connected IoT devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for enabling users to interact with internet of things (IoT) devices in an enterprise, the system comprising:
a gateway device enrolled in a management service associated with the enterprise, the management service controlling an operation of the gateway device; and
at least one application executable in the gateway device, wherein the at least one application, when executed, causes the gateway device to:
obtain a service plugin from a command queue that is associated with the gateway device and accessible by the gateway device, the service plugin being stored in the command queue by the management service, the service plugin providing instructions associated with performing a service provided by the gateway device according to a given context and a location of the gateway device, the service provided by the gateway device for the given context being defined by an administrator of the management service, and the service plugin being generated by and remotely managed by the management service;
install the service plugin;
broadcast a signal identifying the gateway device to a network;
receive a response to the signal from a client device indicating a client device presence relative to the gateway device, the client device being enrolled in the management service;
determine that the client device is located within a service range of the gateway device, the service range being administrator-defined;
receive a service request from the client device;
authenticate the client device by communicating with the management service to determine that the client device is authorized to receive the service associated with the service request;
cause the service request to be satisfied by interacting with an IoT device in communication with the gateway device as defined by the service plugin; and
transmit a notification to the client device, the notification comprising at least one of IoT metric data associated with the IoT device or a service status.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the service request comprises a request for data obtained by the IoT device and when executed, the at least one application further causes the gateway device to at least:
receive data from the IoT device; and
transmit the data to the client device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the IOT device comprises s first IOT device and a second IOT device, and the service request comprises a request for the first IoT device to perform a first task and the second IOT device to perform a second task.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein detecting that the client device is located within the service range is based at least in part on a near-field communication.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein when executed, the at least one application further causes the gateway device to at least:
determine a permission associated with the client device; and
determine that the service request can be fulfilled according to the permission.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein when executed, the at least one application further causes the gateway device to at least detect that the client device is outside of the service range of the gateway device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the service request comprises a request for IoT metric data associated with the IoT device,
satisfying the service request comprises obtaining the IoT metric data, and
when executed, the at least one application further causes the gateway device to at least:
generate the notification to include the IoT metric data.

8. A computer-implemented method for enabling users to interact with internet of things (IoT) devices in an enterprise, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a gateway device, a service plugin from a command queue that is associated with the gateway device and accessible by the gateway device, the service plugin being stored in the command queue by a management service, the service plugin providing instructions associated with performing a service provided by the gateway device according to a given context and a location of the gateway device, the service provided by the gateway device for the given context being defined by an administrator of the management service, and the service plugin being generated by and remotely managed by the management service;
installing, by the gateway device, the service plugin;
broadcasting, by the gateway device, a signal identifying the gateway device to a network;
receiving, by the gateway device, a response to the signal from a client device indicating a client device presence relative to the gateway device, the client device being enrolled in the management service, and the management service controlling a respective operation of the gateway device and the client device;
determining, by the gateway device, that the client device is located within a service range of the gateway device, the service range being administrator-defined;
receiving, by the gateway device, a service request from the client device;
authenticating, by the gateway device, the client device by communicating with the management service to determine that the client device is authorized to receive the service associated with the service request;
causing the service request to be satisfied by interacting, by the gateway device and as defined by the service plugin, with an IoT device in communication with the gateway device; and
transmitting, by the gateway device, a notification to the client device, the notification comprising at least one of IoT metric data associated with the IoT device or a service status.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the service request comprises a request for data obtained by the IoT device and further comprising:
receiving, by the gateway device, data from the IoT device; and
transmitting, by the gateway device, the data to the client device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the IOT device comprises s first IOT device and a second IOT device, and the service request comprises a request for the first IoT device to perform a first task and the second IOT device to perform a second task.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein detecting that the client device is located within the service range is based at least in part on a near-field communication.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining a permission associated with the client device; and
determining that the service request can be fulfilled according to the permission.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising detecting, by the gateway device, that the client device is outside of the service range of the gateway device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein:
the service request comprises a request for IoT metric data associated with the IoT device,
satisfying the service request comprises obtaining the IoT metric data, and
further comprising generating the notification to include the IoT metric data.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in a gateway device, wherein when executed, the program causes the gateway device to at least:
obtain a service plugin from a command queue that is associated with the gateway device and accessible by the gateway device, the service plugin being stored in the command queue by a management service, the service plugin providing instructions associated with performing a service provided by the gateway device according to a given context and a location of the gateway device, the service provided by the gateway device

Assignees

• Vmware Inc

Inventors

• Banerjee Swarnadeep
• Maan Arvind
• Maan Ashish
• Sethi Nitin

Classifications

• H04L63/029 Primary

  Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes · CPC title

• H04L12/2807

  Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50) · CPC title

• H04L12/2834

  Switching of information between an external network and a home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856) · CPC title

• H04L63/0876

  based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint · CPC title

• H04L63/102

  Entity profiles · CPC title