Patents by Inventor Charles Helfinstine

Charles Helfinstine has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240106811
    Abstract: A privacy gateway may communicate with user devices located at a plurality of premises. The privacy gateway may receive a data packet, from one of the user devices, indicating destinations, such as other computing devices, located external to the premises. The privacy gateway may decrypt at least a portion of the data packet to determine that at least a portion of data in the packet is associated with the user device. The privacy gateway may remove the data associated with the user device from the data packet and replace the removed data with data associated with the privacy gateway. The privacy gateway may send the data packet with the replaced data to a destination device. The privacy gateway may receive a response to the data packet from the destination device. The privacy gateway may encrypt a portion of the response and send the response to the user device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Inventor: Charles A. Helfinstine
  • Patent number: 11729154
    Abstract: A privacy gateway may communicate with user devices located at a plurality of premises. The privacy gateway may receive a data packet, from one of the user devices, indicating destinations, such as other computing devices, located external to the premises. The privacy gateway may decrypt at least a portion of the data packet to determine that at least a portion of data in the packet is associated with the user device. The privacy gateway may remove the data associated with the user device from the data packet and replace the removed data with data associated with the privacy gateway. The privacy gateway may send the data packet with the replaced data to a destination device. The privacy gateway may receive a response to the data packet from the destination device. The privacy gateway may encrypt a portion of the response and send the response to the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Charles A. Helfinstine
  • Publication number: 20230224271
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for improved domain name resolution/routing. Routing data associated with domain names (e.g., websites) may be cached by a Domain Name System (DNS) based on historical domain name queries. The historical domain name queries may be analyzed to determine a ranking (e.g., popularity) for the domain names at multiple time intervals throughout a day, week, etc. Routing data for the highest ranked domain names during one or more time intervals may be cached for a period(s) of time corresponding to the one or more time intervals (e.g., times during which those domain names are most popular).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Yiu Leung Lee, Charles A. Helfinstine, Thomas Modayil Jacob
  • Publication number: 20220385474
    Abstract: An encrypted message comprising a DNS request may be received from a client device. The DNS request may be decrypted to determine an IP address and a port associated with the client device. A security token may be determined based on the IP address and the port. A message comprising an indication of the DNS request and the security token may be sent to a DNS server. A reply comprising a payload and the security token may be received from the DNS server. Based on the security token, an indication of the payload of the reply may be sent to the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: Charles A. Helfinstine, Yiu Leung Lee, Joseph Crowe, Thomas Modayil Jacob
  • Publication number: 20220353233
    Abstract: An identifier, for example, an identifier of a domain and/or a host of the domain (e.g., a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), etc.), such as a service management device (e.g., a server, a web server, a computing device, a web host device, a webpage, etc.), may be modified (e.g., hashed, encrypted, etc.) by a network device (e.g., a server, a domain name system (DNS) server, a DNS over hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) server/gateway (DoH server), DNS over Transport Layer Security (TLS) server/gateway (DoT server), a network management device, a computing device, etc.), sent to a user device (e.g., a client device, a smart device, a mobile device, a content output device, a computing device, a web browser, a search engine, etc.), and reused by the user device to request a service (e.g., a web service, a webpage, a file, content, a content item, etc.).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Charles Helfinstine, Yiu Lee, Thomas Modayil Jacob
  • Publication number: 20220272078
    Abstract: A privacy gateway may communicate with user devices located at a plurality of premises. The privacy gateway may receive a data packet, from one of the user devices, indicating destinations, such as other computing devices, located external to the premises. The privacy gateway may decrypt at least a portion of the data packet to determine that at least a portion of data in the packet is associated with the user device. The privacy gateway may remove the data associated with the user device from the data packet and replace the removed data with data associated with the privacy gateway. The privacy gateway may send the data packet with the replaced data to a destination device. The privacy gateway may receive a response to the data packet from the destination device. The privacy gateway may encrypt a portion of the response and send the response to the user device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventor: Charles A. Helfinstine
  • Publication number: 20220182419
    Abstract: A destination host on a first network may attempt to initiate a communication session with a source host on a second network. The attempt may be intercepted by a first policy enforcement point, which may forward a message to the source host associated with the communication session. The source host may send an acknowledgment to the destination host via the first policy enforcement point. A policy decision point may determine that the communication session is permissible. The policy decision point may send a response to the first policy enforcement point and a second policy enforcement point. The response may indicate an approval of the communication session. The source host may respond to the destination host through either a first connection path and the first policy enforcement point or a second connection and the second policy enforcement point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Charles A. Helfinstine, Yiu Lee, Bin Wen
  • Patent number: 11297108
    Abstract: A destination host on a first network may attempt to initiate a communication session with a source host on a second network. The attempt may be intercepted by a first policy enforcement point, which may forward a message to the source host associated with the communication session. The source host may send an acknowledgment to the destination host via the first policy enforcement point. A policy decision point may determine that the communication session is permissible. The policy decision point may send a response to the first policy enforcement point and a second policy enforcement point. The response may indicate an approval of the communication session. The source host may respond to the destination host through either a first connection path and the first policy enforcement point or a second connection and the second policy enforcement point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Charles A. Helfinstine, Yiu Lee, Bin Wen
  • Publication number: 20200213358
    Abstract: A destination host on a first network may attempt to initiate a communication session with a source host on a second network. The attempt may be intercepted by a first policy enforcement point, which may forward a message to the source host associated with the communication session. The source host may send an acknowledgment to the destination host via the first policy enforcement point. A policy decision point may determine that the communication session is permissible. The policy decision point may send a response to the first policy enforcement point and a second policy enforcement point. The response may indicate an approval of the communication session. The source host may respond to the destination host through either a first connection path and the first policy enforcement point or a second connection and the second policy enforcement point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Charles A. Helfinstine, Yiu Lee, Bin Wen
  • Patent number: 9479415
    Abstract: Provided are methods, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and network devices for duplicating network traffic through transparent VLAN flooding. In some implementations, a network device comprises a plurality of ports. The plurality of ports may include a first port configured as a receiving port for a VLAN configured for the network device. The plurality of ports may further include a set of ports configured as I/O ports of the VLAN. MAC learning may be disabled for the receiving port. In some implementations, the network device is configured to determine, based on contents of a packet received at the receiving port, that the packet is to be sent to one or more monitoring devices. The network device may further be configure to, upon receiving the packet at the receiving port of the VLAN, cause a copy of the packet to be sent to each of one or more I/O ports of the VLAN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Foundry Networks, LLC
    Inventors: Hari Natarajan, Eskinder Sahle, Charles Helfinstine, Chris Oskuie
  • Publication number: 20160164768
    Abstract: Provided are methods, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and network devices for duplicating network traffic through transparent VLAN flooding. In some implementations, a network device comprises a plurality of ports. The plurality of ports may include a first port configured as a receiving port for a VLAN configured for the network device. The plurality of ports may further include a set of ports configured as I/O ports of the VLAN. MAC learning may be disabled for the receiving port. In some implementations, the network device is configured to determine, based on contents of a packet received at the receiving port, that the packet is to be sent to one or more monitoring devices. The network device may further be configure to, upon receiving the packet at the receiving port of the VLAN, cause a copy of the packet to be sent to each of one or more I/O ports of the VLAN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Hari NATARAJAN, Eskinder SAHLE, Charles HELFINSTINE, Chris OSKUIE
  • Patent number: 9294367
    Abstract: An approach to duplicating network traffic is described. In one approach, a method of creating multiple copies of network traffic is detailed. The method involves receiving network traffic, producing a duplicate copy of the network traffic, and forwarding the duplicate copy to a monitoring port. The monitoring port forwards copies to a number of indicated ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Foundry Networks, LLC
    Inventors: Hari Natarajan, Eskinder Sahle, Charles Helfinstine, Chris Oskuie
  • Publication number: 20140022916
    Abstract: An approach to duplicating network traffic is described. In one approach, a method of creating multiple copies of network traffic is detailed. The method involves receiving network traffic, producing a duplicate copy of the network traffic, and forwarding the duplicate copy to a monitoring port. The monitoring port forwards copies to a number of indicated ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: Foundry Networks, LLC
    Inventors: Hari NATARAJAN, Eskinder SAHLE, Charles HELFINSTINE, Chris OSKUIE
  • Patent number: 8615008
    Abstract: An approach to duplicating network traffic is described. In one approach, a method of creating multiple copies of network traffic is detailed. The method involves receiving network traffic, producing a duplicate copy of the network traffic, and forwarding the duplicate copy to a monitoring port. The monitoring port forwards copies to a number of indicated ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Foundry Networks LLC
    Inventors: Hari Natarajan, Eskinder Sahle, Charles Helfinstine, Chris Oskuie
  • Publication number: 20130259037
    Abstract: An approach to duplicating network traffic is described. In one approach, a method of creating multiple copies of network traffic is detailed. The method involves receiving network traffic, producing a duplicate copy of the network traffic, and forwarding the duplicate copy to a monitoring port. The monitoring port forwards copies to a number of indicated ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Inventors: Hari Natarajan, Eskinder Sahle, Charles Helfinstine, Chris Oskuie
  • Publication number: 20080072081
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamically managing groups of power supplies for a computer system has a plurality of first circuits, each of the first circuits responsive to an electrical condition of each of the plurality of power sources. A second circuit is coupled to the plurality of first circuits, and is responsive to the plurality of first circuits. The second circuit identifies a state associated with any one of the plurality of power supplies. A third circuit is coupled and responsive to the second circuit. The third circuit communicates the states of the plurality of power supplies to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Charle Helfinstine, Chang-Pen Tai
  • Patent number: 7313714
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamically managing a plurality of power supplies for a computer system has a plurality of first circuits, each of the first circuits responsive to an electrical condition of each of the plurality of power sources. A second circuit is coupled to the plurality of first circuits, and is responsive to the plurality of first circuits. The second circuit identifies a state associated with any one of the plurality of power sources. A third circuit is coupled and responsive to the second circuit. The third circuit communicates the states of the plurality of power source to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Foundry Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles A. Helfinstine, Chang-Pen Tai