Patents by Inventor Douglas L. STILES

Douglas L. STILES 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).

  • Patent number: 11444918
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to firewalls. In one example of the technology, a first firewall is used such that communication is blocked from a first subsystem of a device upon boot of the device. The first firewall is enabled to be configured by secure code subsequent to boot such that code that is not secure code is prevented from configuring the first firewall. After configuration of the first firewall, based on the configuration, the first firewall is used to selectively allow the first subsystem access to the first memory based on ranges of addresses of the first memory configured as accessible to the first subsystem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale
  • Patent number: 10942798
    Abstract: In one example of the technology, via a first independent execution environment of a set of independent execution environments in an integrated circuit, a first watchdog timer is caused to reset on a periodic basis. The set of independent execution environments is configured to have a defense-in-depth hierarchy. The set of independent execution environments includes a first independent execution environment and a second independent execution environment. The first independent execution environment is a most trusted execution environment on the integrated circuit. Via the second independent execution environment: a second watchdog timer is periodically caused to reset on a periodic basis. In response to the second watchdog timer timing out, an interrupt is communicated from the second watchdog timer to the first independent execution environment. In response to the first watchdog timer timing out, at least a portion of the integrated circuit is reset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale, Stephen E. Hodges, Philip John Joseph Wright
  • Patent number: 10783075
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to data security. In one example of the technology, data is stored in a memory. The memory includes a plurality of memory banks including a first memory bank and a second memory bank. At least a portion of the data is interleaved amongst at least two of the plurality of memory banks. Access is caused to be prevented to at least one of the plurality of memory banks while a debug mode or recovery mode is occurring. Also, access is caused to be prevented to the at least one of the plurality of memory banks starting with initial boot until a verification by a security complex is successful. The verification by the security complex includes the security complex verifying a signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale
  • Publication number: 20200120067
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to firewalls. In one example of the technology, a first firewall is used such that communication is blocked from a first subsystem of a device upon boot of the device. The first firewall is enabled to be configured by secure code subsequent to boot such that code that is not secure code is prevented from configuring the first firewall. After configuration of the first firewall, based on the configuration, the first firewall is used to selectively allow the first subsystem access to the first memory based on ranges of addresses of the first memory configured as accessible to the first subsystem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Patent number: 10587575
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to firewalls. In one example of the technology, a first firewall is used such that communication is blocked from a first subsystem of a device upon boot of the device. The first firewall is enabled to be configured by secure code subsequent to boot such that code that is not secure code is prevented from configuring the first firewall. After configuration of the first firewall, based on the configuration, the first firewall is used to selectively allow the first subsystem access to the first memory based on ranges of addresses of the first memory configured as accessible to the first subsystem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale
  • Publication number: 20200004721
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to peripheral access. In one example of the technology, stored configuration information is read. The stored configuration information is associated with mapping a plurality of independent execution environments to a plurality of peripherals such that the peripherals of the plurality of peripherals have corresponding independent execution environments of the plurality of independent execution environments. A configurable interrupt routing table is programmed based on the configuration information. An interrupt is received from a peripheral. The interrupt is routed to the corresponding independent execution environment based on the configurable interrupt routing table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Publication number: 20190370103
    Abstract: In one example of the technology, via a first independent execution environment of a set of independent execution environments in an integrated circuit, a first watchdog timer is caused to reset on a periodic basis. The set of independent execution environments is configured to have a defense-in-depth hierarchy. The set of independent execution environments includes a first independent execution environment and a second independent execution environment. The first independent execution environment is a most trusted execution environment on the integrated circuit. Via the second independent execution environment: a second watchdog timer is periodically caused to reset on a periodic basis. In response to the second watchdog timer timing out, an interrupt is communicated from the second watchdog timer to the first independent execution environment. In response to the first watchdog timer timing out, at least a portion of the integrated circuit is reset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE, Stephen E. HODGES, Philip John Joseph WRIGHT
  • Publication number: 20190236007
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to data security. In one example of the technology, data is stored in a memory. The memory includes a plurality of memory banks including a first memory bank and a second memory bank. At least a portion of the data is interleaved amongst at least two of the plurality of memory banks. Access is caused to be prevented to at least one of the plurality of memory banks while a debug mode or recovery mode is occurring. Also, access is caused to be prevented to the at least one of the plurality of memory banks starting with initial boot until a verification by a security complex is successful. The verification by the security complex includes the security complex verifying a signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Patent number: 10353815
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to data security. In one example of the technology, data is stored in a memory. The memory includes a plurality of memory banks including a first memory bank and a second memory bank. At least a portion of the data is interleaved amongst at least two of the plurality of memory banks. Access is caused to be prevented to at least one of the plurality of memory banks while a debug mode or recovery mode is occurring. Also, access is caused to be prevented to the at least one of the plurality of memory banks starting with initial boot until a verification by a security complex is successful. The verification by the security complex includes the security complex verifying a signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale
  • Patent number: 10346345
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to peripheral access. In one example of the technology, stored configuration information is read. The stored configuration information is associated with mapping a plurality of independent execution environments to a plurality of peripherals such that the peripherals of the plurality of peripherals have corresponding independent execution environments of the plurality of independent execution environments. A configurable interrupt routing table is programmed based on the configuration information. An interrupt is received from a peripheral. The interrupt is routed to the corresponding independent execution environment based on the configurable interrupt routing table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: George Thomas Letey, Douglas L. Stiles, Edmund B. Nightingale
  • Publication number: 20180343234
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to firewalls. In one example of the technology, a first firewall is used such that communication is blocked from a first subsystem of a device upon boot of the device. The first firewall is enabled to be configured by secure code subsequent to boot such that code that is not secure code is prevented from configuring the first firewall. After configuration of the first firewall, based on the configuration, the first firewall is used to selectively allow the first subsystem access to the first memory based on ranges of addresses of the first memory configured as accessible to the first subsystem.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Publication number: 20180341584
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to data security. In one example of the technology, data is stored in a memory. The memory includes a plurality of memory banks including a first memory bank and a second memory bank. At least a portion of the data is interleaved amongst at least two of the plurality of memory banks. Access is caused to be prevented to at least one of the plurality of memory banks while a debug mode or recovery mode is occurring. Also, access is caused to be prevented to the at least one of the plurality of memory banks starting with initial boot until a verification by a security complex is successful. The verification by the security complex includes the security complex verifying a signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Publication number: 20180341620
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is generally directed to peripheral access. In one example of the technology, stored configuration information is read. The stored configuration information is associated with mapping a plurality of independent execution environments to a plurality of peripherals such that the peripherals of the plurality of peripherals have corresponding independent execution environments of the plurality of independent execution environments. A configurable interrupt routing table is programmed based on the configuration information. An interrupt is received from a peripheral. The interrupt is routed to the corresponding independent execution environment based on the configurable interrupt routing table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Inventors: George Thomas LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE
  • Publication number: 20180285600
    Abstract: Briefly stated, the disclosed technology is generally directed to integrated circuit (IC) technology for an IoT processor. In one example, multiple components may be tightly or otherwise integrated onto a single die, e.g., a single monolithic integrated circuit. In one basic example, the components may include a security processing unit and a radio. The components may also include one or more microprocessors (e.g., a processor capable of executing a high-level operating system), microcontrollers, secure memories, encryption components, peripheral interfaces, and/or the like. The security processing unit and/or the configuration of the components may enable, facilitate, or otherwise provide for security features such as tamper resistance, data security, and/or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Galen C. HUNT, Robert SHEARER, George T. LETEY, Douglas L. STILES, Edmund B. NIGHTINGALE