Patents by Inventor Stephen D. JAMES

Stephen D. JAMES 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: 11190397
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a delegation engine automatically provisions a device connected to a network to securely identify and interact with external services. As a device boots in a deployment environment, the delegation engine generates a search domain name based on a manufacturer-supplied domain name and a domain name associated with the deployment environment. The delegation engine then searches a Domain Name System (DNS) to retrieve a delegation record stored at the search domain name. After verifying a manufacturer signature associated with the delegation record, the delegation engine configures the device based on service discovery information included in the delegation record. Because the delegation engine automates the provisioning process, the time required to provision devices is acceptable irrespective of the number of the devices. Further, because the delegation engine verifies the delegation record, the delegation engine does not expose the device to security risks during the provisioning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Andrew Fregly, Stephen D. James
  • Patent number: 10642969
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.
    Inventors: Stephen D. James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
  • Publication number: 20190018951
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Stephen D. JAMES, Andrew FREGLY, Andrew CATHROW
  • Patent number: 10083291
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.
    Inventors: Stephen D. James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
  • Publication number: 20160337181
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a delegation engine automatically provisions a device connected to a network to securely identify and interact with external services. As a device boots in a deployment environment, the delegation engine generates a search domain name based on a manufacturer-supplied domain name and a domain name associated with the deployment environment. The delegation engine then searches a Domain Name System (DNS) to retrieve a delegation record stored at the search domain name. After verifying a manufacturer signature associated with the delegation record, the delegation engine configures the device based on service discovery information included in the delegation record. Because the delegation engine automates the provisioning process, the time required to provision devices is acceptable irrespective of the number of the devices. Further, because the delegation engine verifies the delegation record, the delegation engine does not expose the device to security risks during the provisioning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: Andrew CATHROW, Andrew FREGLY, Stephen D. JAMES
  • Publication number: 20160248746
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Stephen D. JAMES, Andrew FREGLY, Andrew CATHROW