Patents by Inventor Isaac P. Ahdout
Isaac P. Ahdout 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).
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Patent number: 9224168Abstract: A computer adapted for pay-as-you go or other metered use has a policy for determined what measurements to take to detect fraud as well as steps to take when fraud is found. To optimize between good performance and sufficient tests to reduce the risk of fraud, a policy is developed based on observation of the users behavior, using data taken at the computer, data from a payment processor or both. After analysis, an updated policy is securely loaded at the computer to determine what, and how often to measure for suspected fraud.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2012Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Gokul P. Thirumalai, Isaac P. Ahdout
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Patent number: 8214296Abstract: An electronic device, such as, a computer, may be adapted for self-monitoring for compliance to an operating policy. The operating policy may specify a pay-per-use or subscription business model and measurements associated with compliant usage. A secure execution environment may measure usage in accordance with the business model as well as monitor and enforce compliance to the operating policy. To increase the difficulty of attacking or otherwise disabling the secure execution environment, elements of the secure execution environment may be distributed. The distribution points may include other functional elements of the computer, such as interface circuits, or may even be remotely located over a network. An implementation method for disaggregating the secure execution environment is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2006Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Alexander Frank, Curt A. Steeb, Isaac P. Ahdout, Richard B. Thompson, Thomas G. Phillips, William J. Westerinen, Zhangwei Xu
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Patent number: 8190923Abstract: The claimed method and system monitors computer system timer(s) relative to other timers to detect discrepancies and/or may capture an offset to provide a method of more accurately determining a current time. The invention may also provide a method to detect power source tampering using a last known good time and may provide a means to securely initialize system time using an encrypted time stamp.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2005Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Kurt Daverman, Rajagopal K. Venkatachalam, Zhangwei Xu, Isaac P. Ahdout, Ricardo Lopez-Barquilla
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Patent number: 8176564Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a computer, particularly a pay-per-use computer, uses an isolated computing environment or supervisor. The isolated computing environment boots prior to any boot device associated with an operating system, runs concurrently with the operating system and monitors and measures the computer in operation. Once the isolated computing environment determines the computer is not in compliance with the required policies, the isolated computing environment may either impose an impediment to use such as slowing clock speed or completely disable the operating system. The user may have to return the computer to a service provider to restore it from the offending condition and reset the computer to an operational state.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2005Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Alexander Frank, Curt A. Steeb, Isaac P. Ahdout, James S. Duffus, Martin Hall, Nicholas Temple, Rajagopal Venkatachalam, Thomas Phillips, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20120005721Abstract: A processing unit for use in an electronic device includes standard instruction processing and communication interfaces and also includes functional capability in addition to or in place of those found in an operating system. A secure memory within the processing unit may contain a hardware identifier, policy data, and subsystem functions such as a secure clock, policy management, and policy enforcement. Data in functions within the secure memory are not accessible from outside the processing unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2011Publication date: January 5, 2012Inventors: Zhangwei Xu, Thomas G. Phillips, Alexander Frank, Curt A. Steeb, Isaac P. Ahdout, Martin H. Hall, James S. Duffus
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Patent number: 8073779Abstract: An electronic device, such as, a computer, may be adapted for self-monitoring for compliance to an operating policy. The operating policy may specify a pay-per-use or subscription business model and measurements associated with compliant usage. A secure execution environment may measure usage in accordance with the business model as well as monitor and enforce compliance to the operating policy. To increase the difficulty of attacking or otherwise disabling the secure execution environment, elements of the secure execution environment may be distributed. The distribution points may include other functional elements of the computer, such as interface circuits, or may even be remotely located over a network. An implementation method for disaggregating the secure execution environment is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2006Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Alexander Frank, Curt A. Steeb, Isaac P. Ahdout, Richard B. Thompson, Thomas G. Phillips, William J. Westerinen, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20080184283Abstract: A management console may be used to monitor available usage on a pay-per-use electronic device, such as a pay-per-use computer. When the management console determines that any of tie monitored electronic devices has reached a trigger level the management console may re-charge the electronic device with value. The value may be taken from a local pool of value stored at the management console or the an add-value transaction may be generated at the management console on behalf of the pay-per-use electronic device. In an Internet cafe or similar environment, the use of the management console shields individual users from usage purchase transactions for individual pay-per-use electronic devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 6, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Michelle Maislen, Garrett R. Vargas, Curt Andrew Steeb, Jeffrey Alan Herold, Martin H. Hall, Isaac P. Ahdout
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Publication number: 20080047024Abstract: To enforce contractual usage terms on an electronic device, such as a computer, a security function or circuit may consume all the devices processing power except enough to run a restoration program. The security function may provide problems or challenges for the processor to solve that are designed to consume all but a fraction of the processors compute power. Another embodiment occupies nearly all the device's system memory with a pattern and requires the device to respond to requests related to the memory contents. Both approaches place time limits on the response to help ensure the resource allocations are not being avoided. The security circuit may reset the computer when an incorrect or when no response is received within the time limit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2006Publication date: February 21, 2008Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Alexander Frank, Isaac P. Ahdout, William J. Westerinen
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Publication number: 20070150959Abstract: To put developers or other user or administrative personnel on notice that IP rights exist corresponding to an interprocess message, a trademarked or copyrighted value may be included in an interprocess message and validated by a receiving process before acceptance of the message.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2005Publication date: June 28, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Isaac P. Ahdout, Martin H. Hall