Patents by Inventor Tom Funk
Tom Funk 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: 12013944Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2022Date of Patent: June 18, 2024Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11989295Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2022Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11991158Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2023Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11941120Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2021Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: Century-Link Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20230291720Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2023Publication date: September 14, 2023Applicant: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11658953Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2021Date of Patent: May 23, 2023Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20230090728Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2022Publication date: March 23, 2023Applicant: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20230052500Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2022Publication date: February 16, 2023Applicant: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20220129553Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2021Publication date: April 28, 2022Applicant: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11232203Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality, and, in particular embodiments, implementing added services for OBD2 connection for IoT-capable vehicles. In various embodiments, a portable device (when connected to an OBD2 DLC port of a vehicle) might monitor wireless communications between a vehicle computing system(s) and an external device(s), might monitor vehicle sensor data from vehicular sensors tracking operational conditions of the vehicle, and might monitor operator input sensor data from operator input sensors tracking input by a vehicle operator. The portable device (or a server) might analyze either the monitored wireless communications or a combination of the monitored vehicle sensor data and the monitored operator input sensor data, to determine whether vehicle operation has been compromised.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2019Date of Patent: January 25, 2022Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20210352057Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2021Publication date: November 11, 2021Applicant: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11153376Abstract: Novel tools and techniques for an IoT shell are provided. A system includes a plurality of IoT resources including one or more sensors, a data lake comprising a collection of data streams from the one or more sensors, and an IoT device in communication with the plurality of IoT resources and coupled to the one or more sensors. The IoT device may configured to provide an IoT shell interfacing with a system kernel, the IoT shell configured to accept a set of one or more shell commands. The IoT device may further be configured to receive one or more shell commands, and determine at least one of an argument of the shell command, and an attribute of the argument. The IoT device may then perform a shell command of the one or more shell commands on one or more of the plurality of IoT resources.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2017Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 11075894Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2019Date of Patent: July 27, 2021Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 10919523Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality. In some embodiments, a computing system or IoT management node might receive sensor data from one or more IoT-capable sensors, analyze the sensor data to determine one or more actions to be taken, and identify one or more devices (e.g., household devices associated with a customer premises; vehicular components associated with a vehicle; devices disposed in, on, or along a roadway; devices disposed throughout a population area; etc.) for performing the determined one or more first actions. The computing system or IoT management node then autonomously controls each of the identified one or more devices to perform tasks based on the determined one or more first actions to be taken, thereby implementing smart environment functionality (e.g., smart home, building, or customer premises functionality, smart vehicle functionality, smart roadway functionality, smart city functionality, and so on).Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2018Date of Patent: February 16, 2021Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventors: Tom Funk, Phil Carpenter, William R. Walker
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Patent number: 10848487Abstract: Novel tools and techniques for a bio-authentication for streaming service account management are provided. A system includes a user device configured to access a streaming service account associated with a subscriber, a database, a biometric sensor configured to obtain a biometric input from a user, and a bio-authentication engine. The bio-authentication engine may include a processor, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by the processor to determine whether an authentication event has occurred, obtain the biometric input of the user, determine whether the biometric input matches the biometric information associated with the subscriber, and allow access to a streaming service through the streaming service account.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2018Date of Patent: November 24, 2020Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventors: James D. Scheller, Tom Funk, Rick Calvert, Stephen Opferman
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Patent number: 10838383Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality. In some embodiments, a computing system or IoT management node might receive sensor data from one or more IoT-capable sensors, analyze the sensor data to determine one or more actions to be taken, and identify one or more devices (e.g., household devices associated with a customer premises; vehicular components associated with a vehicle; devices disposed in, on, or along a roadway; devices disposed throughout a population area; etc.) for performing the determined one or more first actions. The computing system or IoT management node then autonomously controls each of the identified one or more devices to perform tasks based on the determined one or more first actions to be taken, thereby implementing smart environment functionality (e.g., smart home, building, or customer premises functionality, smart vehicle functionality, smart roadway functionality, smart city functionality, and so on).Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2019Date of Patent: November 17, 2020Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventors: Tom Funk, Phil Carpenter, Robert J. Morrill, William R. Walker
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Patent number: 10819501Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing scaling and distribution of blockchains without ledger limitations. In various embodiments, a computing system might access many instances of a blockchain from many distributed peers. The computing system might parse a first instance of the blockchain accessible from a first distributed peer, to produce a first sample segment of a hash value of one of many blocks of the blockchain. The computing system might compare the first sample segment with a corresponding hash value portion of a second instance of the blockchain accessible from a second distributed peer, without comparing hash values of the entire first instance with those of the entire second instance. Based on a determination that the first sample segment and the corresponding hash value portion do not match, the computing system might send a notification to a user indicating that the first instance and/or second instance is invalid.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2017Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventor: Tom Funk
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Patent number: 10637683Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing Internet of Things (“IoT”) functionality. In some embodiments, a computing system or IoT management node might receive sensor data from one or more IoT-capable sensors, analyze the sensor data to determine one or more actions to be taken, and identify one or more devices (e.g., household devices associated with a customer premises; vehicular components associated with a vehicle; devices disposed in, on, or along a roadway; devices disposed throughout a population area; etc.) for performing the determined one or more first actions. The computing system or IoT management node then autonomously controls each of the identified one or more devices to perform tasks based on the determined one or more first actions to be taken, thereby implementing smart environment functionality (e.g., smart home, building, or customer premises functionality, smart vehicle functionality, smart roadway functionality, smart city functionality, and so on).Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2016Date of Patent: April 28, 2020Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLCInventors: Tom Funk, Phil Carpenter, William R. Walker
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Publication number: 20200007518Abstract: Novel tools and techniques might provide for implementing secure communications for IoT devices. In various embodiments, a gateway or computing device might provide connectivity between or amongst two or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) capable devices, by establishing an IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine communication channel amongst the two or more IoT capable devices. For sensitive and/or private communications, the gateway or computing device might establish a secure off-the-record (“OTR”) communication session within the IoT protocol-based, autonomous machine-to-machine channel, thereby providing encrypted machine-to-machine communications amongst the two or more IoT capable devices, without any content of communications that are exchanged amongst the IoT capable devices over the secure OTR communication session being recorded or logged.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2019Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventor: Tom Funk
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Publication number: 20190281049Abstract: Novel tools and techniques for a bio-authentication for streaming service account management are provided. A system includes a user device configured to access a streaming service account associated with a subscriber, a database, a biometric sensor configured to obtain a biometric input form a user, and a bio-authentication engine. The bio-authentication engine may include a processor, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by the processor to determine whether an authentication event has occurred, obtain the biometric input of the user, determine whether the biometric input matches the biometric information associated with the subscriber, and allow access to a streaming service through the streaming service account.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2018Publication date: September 12, 2019Inventors: James D. Scheller, Tom Funk, Rick Calvert, Stephen Opferman