Systems and methods for transferring information handling systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135809-B2
Application number	US-202117542360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2021
Priority date	Dec 3, 2021
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented in one example to physically transfer or relocate information handling systems between facilities of different system owners in a manner that is downstream of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the transferred information handling system/s, and which in one example may be managed in part or in whole by the OEM's customer base. In conjunction with facilitating physical transfer of each given information handling system directly between different enterprise owners, the disclosed systems and methods may also be implemented at the same time to utilize a unique identifier (that is assigned by the OEM manufacturer to each given information handling system) to manage transfer of the registration or other type of association of the given information handling system assets between the enterprise OEM user accounts of the different enterprise owners that are maintained by an OEM of the information handling system assets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising first verifying current hardware components installed as part of a local information handling system by determining if the current hardware components are the same as original hardware components that were installed as part of the local information handling system during manufacture of the local information handling system; and then performing the following only if it is determined that the current hardware components are the same as the original hardware components:
sanitizing the local information handling system by erasing all personal identifiable information from non-volatile memory and storage of the local information handling system;
then physically transferring the sanitized local information handling system from a first enterprise facility of a first enterprise to a second and different enterprise facility of a second enterprise;
then pushing down an original unique identifier (UID) certificate including an original UID of the local information handling system across a network to the local information handling system;
then executing a programmable integrated circuit on the local information handling system to:
retrieve a current unique identifier (UID) stored on a non-volatile memory of the local information handling system, and
then verify the current unique identifier (UID) of the local information handling system by determining if the current UID that is currently stored on the local information handling system is the same as the original UID that was pushed down across the network to the local information handling system, and that was originally assigned to the local information handling system at manufacture time of the local information handling system; and

then changing an association of the local information handling system with the first enterprise to an association with the second enterprise only if it is determined that the current UID is the same as the original UID.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the verifying of the current hardware components and the sanitizing of the local information handling system occur at a first physical location of the first enterprise facility: where the verifying of the current UID occurs at a second and different physical location of the second enterprise facility; and where changing the association of the local information handling system occurs on a remote information handling system that is communicatively coupled across at least one network to the local information handling system at the second physical location of the second enterprise facility.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising not erasing all personal identifiable information from non-volatile memory and storage of the local information handling system, not physically transferring the local information handling system from the first enterprise facility of the first enterprise to the second enterprise facility of the second enterprise, and not changing the association of the local information handling system with the first enterprise to the association with the second enterprise only if it is determined that the current hardware components are not the same as the original hardware components.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the physically transferring further comprises physically transferring the sanitized local information handling system directly from a first physical location of the first enterprise facility to a second and different physical location of the second enterprise facility.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising tracking an elapsed time of a predefined fixed period of time during which the local information handling system is physically located at the first enterprise facility of the first enterprise; and initiating the method of claim 1 when it is determined that a remaining time of the predefined fixed period of time is equal to a designated minimum threshold amount of remaining time.

6. A method, comprising first verifying current hardware components installed as part of a local information handling system by determining if the current hardware components are the same as original hardware components that were installed as part of the local information handling system during manufacture of the local information handling system; and then performing the following only if it is determined that the current hardware components are the same as the original hardware components:
sanitizing the local information handling system by erasing all personal identifiable information from non-volatile memory and storage of the local information handling system;
then physically transferring the sanitized local information handling system from a first enterprise facility of a first enterprise to a second and different enterprise facility of a second enterprise;
then verifying a current unique identifier (UID) of the local information handling system by determining if the current UID that is currently stored on the local information handling system is the same as an original UID that was originally assigned to the local information handling system at manufacture time of the local information handling system; and
then changing an association of the local information handling system with the first enterprise to an association with the second enterprise only if it is determined that the current UID is the same as the original UID;
where the verifying of the current hardware components and the sanitizing of the local information handling system occur at a first physical location of the first enterprise facility: where the verifying of the current UID occurs at a second and different physical location of the second enterprise facility; and where changing the association of the local information handling system occurs on a remote information handling system that is communicatively coupled across at least one network to the local information handling system at the second physical location of the second enterprise facility;
where the method further comprises creating, on the local information handling system at the second physical location of the second enterprise facility, a certificate that certifies association of the local information handling system with the second enterprise only if it is determined that the current UID is the same as the original UID;
where association information of the first enterprise and the second enterprise are both administered on a remote information handling system communicatively coupled across the at least one network to the local information handling system at the second physical location of the second enterprise facility; and
where the changing the association of the local information handling system further comprises sending the created certificate from the local information handling system to the remote information handling system, and then storing the created certificate in a database that is communicatively accessible by the remote information handling system to associate the local information handling system with the second enterprise.

7. A method, comprising first verifying current hardware components installed as part of a local information handling system by determining if the current hardware components are the same as original hardware components that were installed as part of the local information handling system during manufacture of the local information handling system; and then performing the following only if it is determined that the current hardware components are the same as the original hardware components:
sanitizing the local information handling system by erasing all personal identifiable information from non-volatile memory and storage of the local information handling system;
then physically transferring the sanitized local information handling system fro

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Boyapalle Anantha K
• Robison Charles D
• Soni Vaibhav

Classifications

• H04L63/0823 Primary

  using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263) · CPC title

• G06F2221/2143

  Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen · CPC title

• G06F21/6218 Primary

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title