IP Library Granted Patent US 10,768,948
Granted Patent B2
US 10,768,948 · App. 16/042,217 · Granted Sep 8, 2020

Apparatus and method for dynamic modification of machine branding of information handling systems based on hardware inventory

Inventors: Timothy M. Lambert (Austin, TX); Eugene Cho (Austin, TX); Pablo R. Arias (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
G06F9/44542G06F9/4411G06F13/102G06F16/24569G06F9/4401
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,768,948
App. No.
16/042,217
Granted
Sep 8, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus executes a boot operation, and determines a planar type associated with a motherboard. The apparatus queries an electronic database for the planar type associated with the motherboard, and identifies a branding identity that is electronically associated with the planar type.

Claims (38)

1. A system comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory device storing instructions that when executed cause the hardware processor to perform operations, the operations including:

executing a boot operation;

determining a planar type associated with a motherboard;

querying an electronic database for the planar type associated with the motherboard, the electronic database having entries that electronically associate branding identities to planar types including the planar type associated with the motherboard; and

identifying a branding identity of the branding identities in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the planar type.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include determining a model number that is electronically associated with the planar type associated with the motherboard.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include retrieving a planar type minor.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the operations further include determining the planar type based on the planar type minor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include retrieving a planar type major.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations further include determining the planar type based on the planar type major.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include determining the planar type based on a value of a serial peripheral interface obtained from an operating system.

8. A method of dynamically branding an information handling system, the method comprising:

executing, by the information handling system, a boot operation;

determining, by the information handling system, during the boot operation, a planar type minor and a planar type major associated with a motherboard installed within the information handling system;

querying, by the information handling system, an electronic database for the planar type minor associated with the motherboard, the electronic database having entries that electronically associate branding identities and planar types including the planar type minor associated with the motherboard; and

identifying one of the branding identities in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the planar type minor.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining a model number that is electronically associated with the planar type minor associated with the motherboard.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising retrieving the planar type minor.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising extracting the planar type minor from a value of a restore Serial Peripheral Interface.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising retrieving the planar type major.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising reading a value of a Serial Peripheral Interface as the planar type minor.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein if the value of the restore Serial Peripheral Interface matches the value of the Serial Peripheral Interface, then determining the planar type minor is a matching value between the value of the restore Serial Peripheral Interface and the value of the Serial Peripheral Interface.

15. An apparatus storing instructions that when executed cause a hardware processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

executing a boot operation by an information handling system;

determining, during the boot operation, a planar type minor and a planar type major associated with a motherboard;

constructing a planar type based on the planar type minor and the planar type major;

querying a branding database for the planar type constructed based on the planar type minor and the planar type major, the electronic database electronically associating branding identities and planar types including the planar type constructed based on the planar type minor and the planar type major; and

identifying a brand of the branding identities in the electronic database that is electronically associated with the planar type constructed based on the planar type minor and the planar type major.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further include retrieving the planar type minor.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further include constructing the planar type once per the boot operation.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further include holding the information handling system in an S5 power state while the planar type is being constructed based on the planar type minor and the planar type major.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the operations further include reading a value of a restore Serial Peripheral Interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the operations further include:

reading a value of a Serial Peripheral Interface;

determining a matching value between the value of the restore Serial Peripheral Interface and the value of a Serial Peripheral Interface; and

assigning the planar type minor to the matching value between the value of the restore Serial Peripheral Interface and the value of a Serial Peripheral Interface.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (047648/0422) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060160/0862 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 047648 FRAME 0346 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058298/0510 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2019
From: LAMBERT, TIMOTHY M.; CHO, EUGENE; ARIAS, PABLO R.
To: DELL PRODUCTS, LP
Reel/Frame 049184/0104 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Oct 12, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047648/0346 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Oct 12, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047648/0422 →