Controller device management of peripheral devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12088458-B1
Application number	US-202117197775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 10, 2021
Priority date	Mar 10, 2021
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

Controller devices may be communicatively coupled to distributed devices in a workspace. The controller devices may be positioned in various geographic locations relative to locations of the distributed devices within the workspace. Each of the controller devices may be utilized to maintain an account of, and locally control, one or more of the distributed devices. Portal devices may utilize the controller devices to manage the distributed devices by configuring, controlling, and updating the controller devices. The control devices may be utilized to establish communication channels between the portal devices and the distributed devices to provide access for a user to the distributed devices. The communication channels may be accessible to user devices based on security credentials that are modified in real-time or near real-time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
maintaining, by a controller device in a storage device, data comprising an identifier and a configuration associated with each of a plurality of peripheral devices, each of the plurality of peripheral devices being positioned within a workspace of an environment and configured to perform an operation associated with a function of a first peripheral device, the controller device being locally positioned in proximity to the plurality of peripheral devices and within a predetermined geographic distance from the plurality of peripheral devices or the workspace;
receiving, by the controller device and from a second peripheral device not included in the plurality of peripheral devices, a signal comprising a new identifier utilized by the controller device for discovery by the controller device of the second peripheral device among the plurality of peripheral devices;
associating, by the controller device, the new identifier with the second peripheral device, based on the discovery of the second peripheral device;
determining, by the controller device, a new configuration associated with the second peripheral device, the new configuration being received by the controller device and from the second peripheral device, based on the new configuration being previously transmitted from a portal device to the second peripheral device, via a first communication channel, the first communication channel being established based on first user security credentials input by a user and to a user device, the first user security credentials being utilized to enable the user to access the second peripheral device based on the first user security credentials being determined to match first device security credentials, the first device security credentials being determined from a plurality of different device security credentials periodically modified or replaced;
receiving, by the controller device and from the portal device, scheduling information, the portal device being configured to remotely manage configuration backup capabilities associated with the plurality of peripheral devices, the scheduling information comprising a time period associated with transmission of configuration information associated with the controller device to the portal device, the configuration information being utilized by the portal device to restore configurations of the controller device in an event of an outage associated with the system;
transmitting, by the controller device and to the portal device at a first time, the new configuration, based on the scheduling information and a first expiration of the time period;
receiving, by the controller device and from the portal device, an updated configuration and comparison information, based on the new configuration being previously transmitted to the second peripheral device by the portal device, via a second communication channel, the second communication channel being established based on second user security credentials input by the user and to the portal device, the updated configuration comprising modifications to the new configuration as indicated in the comparison information, the second user security credentials being determined to match second device security credentials, the second device security credentials being determined based on the first device security credentials being modified or replaced;
storing, by the controller device in the storage device and as a replacement for the new configuration, the updated configuration; and
transmitting, by the controller device and to the portal device at a second time, the updated configuration and a comparison indicator that represents the comparison information, based on the scheduling information and a second expiration of the time period since the first expiration.

2. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
determining, by the controller device, the updated configuration as an erased configuration, based on the updated configuration being erased from the storage device due to a power outage associated with the system;
transmitting, by the controller device and to the portal device, a second signal requesting restoration of the erased configuration;
receiving, by the controller device and from the portal device, the updated configuration; and
storing, by the controller device in the storage device, the updated configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
determining a checksum based on the new configuration and the updated configuration; and
determining the comparison indicator based on the checksum.

4. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
determining a comparison indicator associated with the updated configuration being different from the new configuration, the comparison indicator being transmitted with the new configuration to the portal device; and
receiving, by the controller device and from the portal device, a second signal indicating the new configuration being replaced by the updated configuration, based on the updated configuration being different from the new configuration.

5. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:
receiving, by the controller device and from the portal device, second user security credentials input by a second user, the second user security credentials comprising a username and a password;
performing, by the controller device, validation of the second user security credentials; and
allowing, by the controller device, remote access for the second user and to the second peripheral device, based on the second user security credentials being validated as authentic user credentials.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of peripheral devices are communicatively connected to the controller device via a local network.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of peripheral devices are communicatively connected to the controller device utilizing at least one of a wired computer networking technology or a short-range wireless technology protocol.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined geographic distance is less than a geographic distance between the plurality of peripheral devices and the portal device.

9. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
maintaining, by a controller device in a storage device, data comprising a first identifier associated with a first peripheral device within a network, the controller device being located within a predetermined geographic distance from the first peripheral device;
detecting, by the controller device, a second peripheral device represented by a new identifier within the network, based at least in part on discovery by the controller device of the second peripheral device;
associating, by the controller device, the new identifier with the second peripheral device based on the discovery of the second peripheral device;
receiving, by the controller device and from a portal device, scheduling information;
determining, by the controller device, a new configuration associated with the second peripheral device, the new configuration being received by the controller device and from the second peripheral device, based at least in part on the new configuration being

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Johnson Chase
• Quach Tri Minh
• Vieweg Maximilian

Classifications

• H04L63/102

  Entity profiles · CPC title

• H04L41/0803 Primary

  Configuration setting · CPC title

• G06F13/102

  where the program performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver (G06F13/105 takes precedence; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52) · CPC title

• H04L63/083 Primary

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title