Management of endpoint devices utilizing tag bridge devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12287746-B2
Application number	US-202318366019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2023
Priority date	Aug 7, 2023
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The processing device is configured to receive, over a first communication channel from an orchestrator entity, at least one command specifying one or more actions to take involving an endpoint device, the one or more actions comprising at least one of writing data to a tag of a tag bridge device and reading data from the tag of the tag bridge device. The processing device is further configured to relay the at least one command to the tag of the tag bridge device over a second communication channel, the second communication channel being established between a tag interface of the processing device and the tag bridge device, wherein the tag bridge device, when plugged in to a port of the endpoint device, relays the at least one command from the tag to the endpoint device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;
the at least one processing device being configured:
to receive, over a first communication channel from an orchestrator entity, at least one command specifying one or more actions to take involving an endpoint device, the one or more actions comprising at least one of writing data to a tag of a tag bridge device and reading data from the tag of the tag bridge device, the first communication channel utilizing a wireless network connection;
to establish a second communication channel between a tag interface of the at least one processing device and the tag bridge device, the second communication channel utilizing a first type of wired interface; and
to relay the at least one command to the tag of the tag bridge device over the second communication channel, wherein the tag bridge device, when plugged in to a port of the endpoint device, relays the at least one command from the tag to the endpoint device over a third communication channel, the third communication channel utilizing a second type of wired interface, the second type of wired interface being different than the first type of wired interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first communication channel utilizes a cellular radio access network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tag of the tag bridge device comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tag of the tag bridge device comprises a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first type of wired interface comprises an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I 2 C) communication interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the port of the endpoint device comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, the second type of wired interface comprises a USB interface, and the tag bridge device comprises an I 2 C-to-USB bridge device.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second type of wired interface comprises a Personal Computer/Smart Card (PCSC) interface, and wherein the tag bridge device relays the at least one command from the tag to the endpoint device via an I 2 C PCSC interface of the endpoint device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second communication channel is established independent of an operating state of the tag bridge device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the orchestrator entity has no operable network connection with the endpoint device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one command comprises first identifying information associated with the endpoint device, and wherein the one or more actions comprise verifying a location of the apparatus with respect to the endpoint device by:
reading second identifying information from the tag, the second identifying information being written to the tag when the tag bridge device is plugged in to the port of the endpoint device; and
verifying whether the second identifying information read from the tag of the tag bridge device matches the first identifying information included in the at least one command obtained from the orchestrator entity.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first identifying information and the second identifying information comprise respective public keys.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more actions specified in the at least one command comprise performing recovery of the endpoint device by writing an instruction to the tag of the tag bridge device for modifying a configuration of the endpoint device from a first state to a second state.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the second state comprises a factory default state.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more actions specified in the at least one command comprise performing servicing of the endpoint device by writing an instruction to the tag of the tag bridge device for instantiating a service console on the endpoint device with one or more specified network parameters.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device:
to receive, over a first communication channel from an orchestrator entity, at least one command specifying one or more actions to take involving an endpoint device, the one or more actions comprising at least one of writing data to a tag of a tag bridge device and reading data from the tag of the tag bridge device, the first communication channel utilizing a wireless network connection;
to establish a second communication channel between a tag interface of the at least one processing device and the tag bridge device, the second communication channel utilizing a first type of wired interface; and
to relay the at least one command to the tag of the tag bridge device over the second communication channel, wherein the tag bridge device, when plugged in to a port of the endpoint device, relays the at least one command from the tag to the endpoint device over a third communication channel, the third communication channel utilizing a second type of wired interface, the second type of wired interface being different than the first type of wired interface.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the second communication channel comprises an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) communication interface.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the port of the endpoint device comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, the second type of wired interface comprises a USB interface, and the tag bridge device comprises an I 2 C-to-USB bridge device.

18. A method comprising:
receiving, at a processing device over a first communication channel from an orchestrator entity, at least one command specifying one or more actions to take involving an endpoint device, the one or more actions comprising at least one of writing data to a tag of a tag bridge device and reading data from the tag of the tag bridge device, the first communication channel utilizing a wireless network connection;
establishing a second communication channel between a tag interface of the processing device and the tag bridge device, the second communication channel utilizing a first type of wired interface; and
relaying the at least one command to the tag of the tag bridge device over the second communication channel, wherein the tag bridge device, when plugged in to a port of the endpoint device, relays the at least one command from the tag to the endpoint device over a third communication channel, the third communication channel utilizing a second type of wired interface, the second type of wired interface being different than the first type of wired interface.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the second communication channel comprises an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I 2 C) communication interface.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the port of the endpoint device comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, the second type of wired interface comprises a USB interface, and the tag bridge device comprises an I 2 C-to-USB bridge device.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Mackenbach Jeroen Diederik Cornelis Antonius
• Chiodelli Pierluca
• Cummins Daniel E
• Goodman Bradley K

Classifications

• G06F13/385

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

• G06K19/07749

  the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card · CPC title

• G06F2213/0042

  Universal serial bus [USB] · CPC title

• G06F13/4027 Primary

  using bus bridges (G06F13/4022 takes precedence) · CPC title