Patents by Inventor Michael Raymond Westra

Michael Raymond Westra 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: 11228569
    Abstract: A computing platform of a vehicle may receive a request, from a mobile application accessing a secure vehicle function, to create a secure tunnel between the computing platform and the mobile device; retrieve an application certificate from the mobile application; and validate the creation of the secure tunnel using the application certificate and a module certificate from a local policy table of the computing platform. A mobile device, connected to a computing platform of a vehicle may execute a mobile application requiring a secure vehicle function; send a request to create a secure tunnel with the computing platform responsive to access of by the mobile application of the secure vehicle function; and send to the computing platform an application certificate corresponding to the mobile application to validate creation of the secure tunnel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Westra, David Ray Erkkila, Elizabeth Halash, Kevin Burdette, Julius Marchwicki, Alan Daniel Gonzalez, Chad Evert Esselink
  • Patent number: 11196560
    Abstract: A system including one or more servers, programmed to responsive to receiving a token request from a vehicle to access content stored in a content cloud, validate the token request against pre-defined policies; responsive to a successful policy validation, verify token generating responsibility based on a validation result and pre-defined rules; and responsive to verifying the system has the token generating responsibility, generate a token for the token request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkata Maruthe Ravikumara Sharma Chengalvala, Praveen Kumar Yalavarty, John Correia, Rajesh Balaji Vijayan, Edward Charles Esker, Michael Raymond Westra, Leonie Tessa Tielert
  • Publication number: 20200204371
    Abstract: A system including one or more servers, programmed to responsive to receiving a token request from a vehicle to access content stored in a content cloud, validate the token request against pre-defined policies; responsive to a successful policy validation, verify token generating responsibility based on a validation result and pre-defined rules; and responsive to verifying the system has the token generating responsibility, generate a token for the token request.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Venkata Maruthe Ravikumara Sharma Chengalvala, Praveen Kumar Yalavarty, John Correia, Rajesh Balaji Vijayan, Edward Charles Esker, Michael Raymond Westra, Leonie Tessa Tielert
  • Patent number: 10162625
    Abstract: A vehicle can include methods and systems to update controls for a plurality of vehicle systems that operate using updatable controls, wherein each control is mounted in vehicle persistent memory as an image. The controls are stored in non-volatile vehicle memory that has a size less than twice a size of all of the controls loaded thereon. A core system provides access to the control images in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John Vangelov, Michael Raymond Westra, Joseph Patrick Oravec
  • Patent number: 10140109
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving, from a cloud server by a vehicle, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to an interrogator log generated by the vehicle; installing update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive installation of a plurality of storage installations; and setting the inactive installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installation currently set as the active partition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tricia Tobolski, Chad Evert Esselink, Michael Raymond Westra, John Thomas Ellis
  • Patent number: 10097993
    Abstract: A computer-implemented authentication method includes receiving a request to access one or more features of a vehicle computing system (VCS) from an application running on a wireless device in communication with the VCS. The method further includes preparing a secure access rights request to a remote server including one or more characteristics associated with the application and sending the secure request from the VCS, through the wireless device to the remote server. The method additionally includes receiving a response to the request having been sent from the remote server through the wireless device. The method includes verifying the authenticity of the received response and updating a policy table including information from the received response, the information including at least an expiration trigger and access rights for the application. Also, the method includes validating the application for usage based at least on the information included in the updated policy table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chad Evert Esselink, Michael Raymond Westra, Mark Schunder, David Chase Mitchell
  • Patent number: 9916151
    Abstract: A vehicle may receive a software update to be installed to a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle ECU may download a software update received from a server to a first storage; generate a nonce value associated with the software update; send to the server, a swap authorization request including the generated nonce value; receive a swap authorization including the nonce value and a command-and-control signature from the server; validate the signature and the nonce value from the swap authorization; and reboot using the first storage instead of a second storage when the recovered nonce value matches the generated nonce value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Xin Ye, Aldi Caushi, John R. Bielawski, Jr., Michael Raymond Westra
  • Patent number: 9858064
    Abstract: In a first illustrative embodiment, a system includes a mobile device processor configured to communicate wirelessly with both a remote server and a vehicle computing system (VCS). The processor is further configured to query the VCS for a module version, relay the module version to a remote system and receive information relating to an updated module version and module. The processor is also configured to query the VCS for vehicle battery information, inform a user of battery sufficiency for a recommended installation of the updated module, and, responsive to a user instruction to proceed with installation, instruct the VCS to download and install the updated module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Chase Mitchell, Chad Evert Esselink, Darren Peter Shelcusky, Michael Raymond Westra
  • Publication number: 20170257345
    Abstract: A computing platform of a vehicle may receive a request, from a mobile application accessing a secure vehicle function, to create a secure tunnel between the computing platform and the mobile device; retrieve an application certificate from the mobile application; and validate the creation of the secure tunnel using the application certificate and a module certificate from a local policy table of the computing platform. A mobile device, connected to a computing platform of a vehicle may execute a mobile application requiring a secure vehicle function; send a request to create a secure tunnel with the computing platform responsive to access of by the mobile application of the secure vehicle function; and send to the computing platform an application certificate corresponding to the mobile application to validate creation of the secure tunnel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Raymond WESTRA, David Ray ERKKILA, Elizabeth HALASH, Kevin BURDETTE, Julius MARCHWICKI, Alan Daniel GONZALEZ, Chad Evert ESSELINK
  • Patent number: 9639688
    Abstract: In one or more embodiments, a vehicle resource usage control system includes a vehicle computer having security policies that define usage rules for one or more vehicle resources. One or more devices communicating with the vehicle computer may have installed in memory software applications that use one or more vehicle resources for operation. Programmed instructions may be received that define which of the one or more vehicle resources the software applications use for operation. These programmed instructions may be associated with the one or more security policies. The security policy associated with the software applications may be determined based on the programmed instructions. Operation of the software applications may be permitted according to the security policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Westra, Sandeep Singh Waraich, Sukhwinder Wadhwa, Michael J. Schanerberger, Jason Bernard Johnson, Julius Marchwicki
  • Publication number: 20170060559
    Abstract: A vehicle may receive a software update to be installed to a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle ECU may download a software update received from a server to a first storage; generate a nonce value associated with the software update; send to the server, a swap authorization request including the generated nonce value; receive a swap authorization including the nonce value and a command-and-control signature from the server; validate the signature and the nonce value from the swap authorization; and reboot using the first storage instead of a second storage when the recovered nonce value matches the generated nonce value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Xin YE, Aldi CAUSHI, John R. BIELAWSKI, JR., Michael Raymond WESTRA
  • Publication number: 20160306624
    Abstract: A vehicle can include methods and systems to update controls for a plurality of vehicle systems that operate using updatable controls, wherein each control is mounted in vehicle persistent memory as an image. The controls are stored in non-volatile vehicle memory that has a size less than twice a size of all of the controls loaded thereon. A core system provides access to the control images in the memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventors: John VANGELOV, Michael Raymond WESTRA, Joseph Patrick ORAVEC
  • Publication number: 20160164881
    Abstract: A vehicle may identify an application identifier of a mobile application executed by a mobile device paired with the vehicle; query a local policy table for application permissions associated with the application identifier, the application permissions defining which user interface features, vehicle information elements, and vehicle functions are accessible to the mobile application; and provide the mobile application with vehicle access in accordance with the application permissions. The vehicle may also identify the application permissions additionally according to a mobile device identifier of the mobile device paired with the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Stefan BANKOWSKI, Michael Raymond WESTRA, David Chase MITCHELL, Julius MARCHWICKI, Elizabeth HALASH
  • Patent number: 9251512
    Abstract: A computer implemented method includes receiving a request for payment-related information at a wireless device. The method also includes communicating between the wireless device and a paired vehicle computing system (VCS) to verify the presence of a known vehicle. Further, the method includes transmitting requested payment-related information, responsive to the verification of the presence of the known vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Carl Beiser, Michael Raymond Westra
  • Publication number: 20150277114
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable storable medium, storing instruction that, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to establish a communication connection with a vehicle navigation system. The processor may receive graphical moving map data from the navigation system at a primary interface. The processor may stream the graphical moving map data to a vehicle dash display and update the vehicle dash display based on the graphical moving map data. The processor may output the graphical moving map data at the vehicle dash display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond WESTRA, Nicholas COLELLA, Cameron SMYTH, Zachary CHURCH, Brett STOTTLEMYER
  • Publication number: 20150242198
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving, from a cloud server by a vehicle, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to an interrogator log generated by the vehicle; installing update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive installation of a plurality of storage installations; and setting the inactive installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installation currently set as the active partition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: TRICIA TOBOLSKI, CHAD EVERT ESSELINK, MICHAEL RAYMOND WESTRA, JOHN THOMAS ELLIS
  • Patent number: 9094436
    Abstract: In one or more embodiments, two or more devices may interface with a computing system over multiple communication channels. A connection may be established between a computing system and two or more devices communicating data using different communication protocols. The communication protocol of the two or more devices may be determined and a general transport protocol for communicating data with the two or more devices based on the respective communication protocols may be imposed on the communication protocol of the two or more devices. Data may be communicated with the two or more devices based on the general transport protocol. An event may be performed at the vehicle computing system or the two or more devices based on the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Westra, Michael J. Schanerberger, Sukhwinder Wadhwa, Sandeep Singh Waraich, Julius Marchwicki, Tahrik Alcodray, Jeffrey Raymond Ostrowski, Doron M. Elliott
  • Patent number: 9079554
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes determining that an infotainment system has been activated. The method further includes accessing a vehicle network containing at least a unique vehicle identifier. The method additionally includes comparing the unique vehicle identifier to a stored vehicle identifier. The method further includes permitting access to the infotainment system only if the unique vehicle identifier matches the stored vehicle identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Westra, Chad Evert Esselink, Uwe Zank, Simon John Hurr
  • Publication number: 20150039514
    Abstract: A computer implemented method includes receiving a request for payment-related information at a wireless device. The method also includes communicating between the wireless device and a paired vehicle computing system (VCS) to verify the presence of a known vehicle. Further, the method includes transmitting requested payment-related information, responsive to the verification of the presence of the known vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Joseph Carl Beiser, Michael Raymond Westra
  • Patent number: 8849519
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes determining that an infotainment system has been activated. The method further includes accessing a vehicle network containing at least a unique vehicle identifier. The method additionally includes comparing the unique vehicle identifier to a stored vehicle identifier. The method further includes permitting access to the infotainment system only if the unique vehicle identifier matches the stored vehicle identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Raymond Westra, Chad Evert Esselink, Uwe Zank, Simon John William Hurr