Patents by Inventor Zeyong Xu
Zeyong Xu 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: 7778956Abstract: In a pay-per-use computer environment, particularly when network access is limited, self-monitoring tools on a pay-per-use computer may require special support from a host/server. The host/server must be able to respond to requests quickly and efficiently and yet maintain full information required to service requests and updates. A key management table and a device management table provide critical information required to service requests. Use of SQL notifications allows local database caches to remain current but quickly accessible.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2007Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Gokul P. Thirumalai, Munisamy Prabu, Ashok Chandrasekaran, Zeyong Xu, Curt Andrew Steeb
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Patent number: 7693936Abstract: Inter-service messages conform to a protocol message schema and support predetermined types according to the destination service. Because the schema and types are well defined, input queues corresponding to the services are able to quickly identify and remove non-conforming messages. The schema supports both prepaid and subscription business models and is extensible to other types.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Curt A. Steeb, Minghui Gao, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu
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Patent number: 7610631Abstract: A dynamic software provisioning system allows provisioning software on a number of different computing devices based upon a desired business process. The dynamic software provisioning system allows a user to request usage of the operating system for a specific period of time, for a specific amount of usage, or in any other desired manner from an operating system provisioning service or from a third party. The provisioning service processes the request from the user or from the third party to provision the use of the operating system and in response to the request provisions use of the operating system for a specific device specified by the request. The dynamic software activation system also includes a local provisioning module located on the device using the operating system, wherein the local provisioning module activates and deactivates the operating system based on instructions received from the provisioning service.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2004Date of Patent: October 27, 2009Inventors: Alexander Frank, Curt Steeb, James Duffus, Mark C. Light, Martin Holladay, Paul Sutton, Thomas Phillips, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20080320024Abstract: In a pay-per-use computer environment, particularly when network access is limited, self-monitoring tools on a pay-per-use computer may require special support from a host/server. The host/server must be able to respond to requests quickly and efficiently and yet maintain full information required to service requests and updates. A key management table and a device management table provide critical information required to service requests. Use of SQL notifications allows local database caches to remain current but quickly accessible.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2007Publication date: December 25, 2008Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Gokul P. Thirumalai, Munisamy Prabu, Ashok Chandrasekaran, Zeyong Xu, Curt Andrew Steeb
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Publication number: 20080319908Abstract: Methods and a program of instruction provide a packet schema framework for communication between elements of a pay-as-you-go business model including a provisioning server, an adapted electronic device, and a service provider. The packet schema defines provisioning instructions and content types to support service provisioning, including electronic device configuration and state, time-metering, and other types of functional and administrative tasks as well as to provide a foundation for any future messages needed for product evolution. The schema also defines security at multiple levels to guard against malicious users who may try to hook into the system to fraudulently use and/or configure the electronic devices for their own use and gain.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2007Publication date: December 25, 2008Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Rajagopal Venkatachalam, Zhangwei Xu, Zeyong Xu
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Publication number: 20080183623Abstract: A pay-per-use business model relies on an accurate, or at least, un-tampered, time reference for the administration of prepaid usage time, e.g. hours, or subscription expiration dates. A protocol for provisioning usage requires that any electronic device request for provisioning includes current time at the device. A server responding to the request may evaluate the time at the device and send an updated time when the current time at the device is outside a variance limit. If the electronic device repeatedly sends requests with inaccurate time, the server may cease sending time updates and block the electronic device from further updates for suspected tampering.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Inventors: Zhangwei Xu, Josh Benaloh, Martin H. Hall, David Jaroslav Sebesta, Jeffrey Alan Herold, Zeyong Xu, Douglas Reed Beck, Curt Andrew Steeb
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Patent number: 7290258Abstract: Multiple devices on which operating systems can be automatically deployed are managed. According to one aspect, an apparatus manages installation of operating systems on a plurality of computing devices. The installation is performed across the plurality of computing devices both concurrently and asynchronously.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2003Date of Patent: October 30, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Curt A. Steeb, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu, Martin L. Holladay, Paul C. Sutton, Raymond D. Pedrizetti
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Publication number: 20070156713Abstract: Linked databases including a core database and a distribution database support provisioning for computers in pay-per-use and subscription business models. The core database is well removed from front-end processing and includes job, device and bootstrap tables. The distribution database includes tables for packet distribution and logging and is near the front-end processing blocks. The core database is well protected from attack, while the more volatile data in the distribution database is available with low latency. Performance is maintained while reducing the surface area exposed to external attack.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2005Publication date: July 5, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Zeyong Xu, Curt Steeb, Jeffrey Herold, Gokul Thirumalai, Minghui Gao, Munisamy Prabu, Muhsin Demirbag
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Publication number: 20070153681Abstract: Inter-service messages conform to a protocol message schema and support predetermined types according to the destination service. Because the schema and types are well defined, input queues corresponding to the services are able to quickly identify and remove non-conforming messages. The schema supports both prepaid and subscription business models and is extensible to other types.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2005Publication date: July 5, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt Steeb, Minghui Gao, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu
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Publication number: 20070157317Abstract: An XML provisioning schema for provisioning and configuring a prepaid and/or a subscription based usage of a provisioned resource is used to communicate between a provisioning server and a client computer. The XML schema disclosed in here includes a content node containing content data identifying the service to be provisioned on the client computer and a signature node containing a signature of the content data. The XML provisioning server may generate an XML provisioning document using the XML provisioning schema, sign such an XML provisioning document using a key derived from a trusted root and communicate the XML provisioning document to the client computer using the provisioned resource.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2005Publication date: July 5, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Rajagopal Venkatachalam, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20070150725Abstract: A client data distribution service may receive messages from a client device requesting data sets from the data distribution service. The data sets may include a client certificate used to protect in verified subsequent communications between the client device in the data distribution service as well as provisioning packets used by the client device to enable operation by the user. Specific messages between the client device in the data distribution service include hardware identifiers, initialization keys, last used sequence numbers, and Underwriter product identifiers. Corresponding acknowledgment messages may be used by the data distribution service to remove completed transactions.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2005Publication date: June 28, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt Steeb, Gokul Thirumalai, Jeffrey Herold, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu
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Patent number: 7237243Abstract: A multiple device management method and system that executes commands on one controller computer, such as in a data center, to initiate operations on controlled computers containing agent software. An operation may comprise the execution of script, execution of a binary program, or other operations. The mechanism works with sets of computers as if they were a single computer, whereby, for example, management of computing devices is greatly simplified, and the cost of managing computing devices in a data center is significantly reduced. The controller communicates with the nodes using a messaging format, and provides a schema to represent the available nodes in the data center, their organization into sets, and the results of ongoing and completed operations. The schema may also be used to manage jobs to perform on nodes and sets of nodes.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2002Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Paul C. Sutton, Curt A. Steeb, Gang Wang, Martin L. Holladay, Zeyong Xu
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Publication number: 20070121870Abstract: An application program interface (API) for sending and receiving batches of requests and responses has a batch request call for exchanging one or more request items between a provider system and a subscription system and a batch response call for exchanging corresponding responses between the provider system and the subscription system. Requests are grouped according to an extensible markup language schema and responses are grouped according to another extensible markup language schema.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2006Publication date: May 31, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Jeffrey Herold, Minghui Gao, Curt Steeb, James Duffus, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu, Martin Hall, Muhsin Demirbag
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Publication number: 20070100886Abstract: A pay-per-use or subscription computer may require customer assistance for both technical and business purposes. A customer service interface available via a web service may be used to provide customer service offered by a provider at a different level of the distribution chain. The web service may be focused in three areas, each exposing various methods. The three areas may include customer/computer data, distribution/sales data, and business or service level adjustments.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2006Publication date: May 3, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt Steeb, Gokul Thirumalai, Jeffrey Herold, Zeyong Xu
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Publication number: 20070061268Abstract: A computer participates in a system for licensing use in a metered fashion using individual licenses cryptographically linked to the computer and a particular service provider or underwriter. The computer may have a cryptographic unit, secure memory, sanction and metering functions as part of a secure execution environment for enabling metered operation and conformance to a security policy. Payment for licenses may be made through a payment system with licenses generated at a server with access to cryptographic functions for verification of requests, certificate/key pair generation, and signing licenses.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2005Publication date: March 15, 2007Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Jeffrey Herold, Munisamy Prabu, Thomas Phillips, James Duffus, Curt Steeb, Paul Sutton, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu, Alexander Frank
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Publication number: 20060165227Abstract: A software provisioning method and apparatus use a provisioning packet delivery mechanism having a database, a distribution service, and a confirmation service to receive, queue, and confirm delivery of provisioning packet to a computer. When the number of unconfirmed delivery requests exceeds a limit the distribution service may remove the provisioning packet from the database, for example, to limit denial of service attacks.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2005Publication date: July 27, 2006Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt Steeb, Jeffrey Herold, Paul Sutton, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20060107335Abstract: A dynamic software provisioning system allows provisioning software on a number of different computing devices based upon a desired business process. The dynamic software provisioning system allows a user to request usage of the operating system for a specific period of time, for a specific amount of usage, or in any other desired manner from an operating system provisioning service or from a third party. The provisioning service processes the request from the user or from the third party to provision the use of the operating system and in response to the request provisions use of the operating system for a specific device specified by the request. The dynamic software activation system also includes a local provisioning module located on the device using the operating system, wherein the local provisioning module activates and deactivates the operating system based on instructions received from the provisioning service.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2004Publication date: May 18, 2006Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Alexander Frank, Curt Steeb, James Duffus, Mark Light, Martin Holladay, Paul Sutton, Thomas Phillips, Zeyong Xu, Zhangwei Xu
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Publication number: 20040267716Abstract: Task sequences are used to manage devices. According to one aspect, a user-defined or user-selected task sequence is received. The task sequence is converted into an ordered series of steps, and the series of steps are performed, in accordance with their order, in managing a device over a network. In certain implementations, the ordered series of steps are steps for automatically deploying an operating system on the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2003Publication date: December 30, 2004Inventors: Munisamy Prabu, Michael J. Gallop, Raymond D. Pedrizetti, Curt A. Steeb, Zeyong Xu, Paul C. Sutton, Martin L. Holladay
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Publication number: 20040268292Abstract: According to one aspect of task sequence interfaces, a method includes exposing an interface that allows task sequences to be performed on a plurality of remote devices, and receiving requests regarding the task sequences and the plurality of remote devices via the interface. The interface comprises an object model including device objects that represent physical devices in a network, and jobs objects that represent task sequences performed on one or more of the plurality of remote devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2003Publication date: December 30, 2004Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt A. Steeb, Raymond D. Pedrizetti, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu, Martin L. Holladay, Paul C. Sutton
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Publication number: 20040268340Abstract: Multiple devices on which operating systems can be automatically deployed are managed. According to one aspect, an apparatus manages installation of operating systems on a plurality of computing devices. The installation is performed across the plurality of computing devices both concurrently and asynchronously.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2003Publication date: December 30, 2004Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Curt A. Steeb, Munisamy Prabu, Zeyong Xu, Martin L. Holladay, Paul C. Sutton, Raymond D. Pedrizetti