Granted Patent B2

US 12,262,207 · App. 17/731,397 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Inventors: Preeti Agarwal (Mountain View, CA); William J. McFarland (Portola Valley, CA)

Assignee: PLUME DESIGN, INC.

H04W12/121H04L61/5007H04W8/005H04W12/71H04W24/08H04L2101/622

Abstract

Claims (54)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable code stored thereon, the computer readable code configured to enable a computer to perform the steps of:

monitoring one or more user devices operating on a Wi-Fi network;

analyzing usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices, the analysis comprising analyzing, over time, the usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices;

creating, based on the analysis of the usage parameters over time, one or more behavioral models associated with one or more users, each behavioral model representing a usage pattern of a respective user according to how the respective user uses at leastone of the one or more user devices;

assigning one or more unique user identifiers for representing the one or more users;

associating the one or more unique user identifiers with the one or more behavioral models;

identifying the one or more user devices based on the usage parameters; and

configuring the Wi-Fi network based on at least a portion of the usage parameters.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the steps of:

retrieving a device identifier associated with each of the one or more user devices; and

correlating the device identifier of each of the one or more user devices with an operational identity based on the usage parameters.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 , wherein the device identifier associated with each of the one or more user devices is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3 , wherein the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the steps of:

detecting when a new MAC address is retrieved with respect to an unidentified user device operating on the Wi-Fi network,

analyzing current usage parameters of the unidentified user device; and

comparing the current usage parameters of the unidentified user device with the usage parameters of the one or more previously-identified user devices.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein, in response to determining that the current usage parameters match the usage parameters of one of the previously-identified user devices, the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the step of stitching the new MAC address with the MAC address of the corresponding previously-identified user device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the step of analyzing the usage parameters over time includes utilizing a machine learning technique to create the one or more behavioral models.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the step of retraining the one or more behavioral models to accommodate changes to the usage parameters of each corresponding user.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to an identity of one or more apps installed on the one or more user devices.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to the categories of one or more apps installed on the one or more user devices.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to app usage information, and wherein the app usage information includes one or more of:

a frequency of use of one or more apps,

a time spent in each of the one or more apps,

a type of communication associated with app use, and

a time of day of app use.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to an identity of one or more websites or domains accessed by the one or more user devices.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to categories of websites or domains accessed by the one or more user devices.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the usage parameters are related to one or more of open ports, networking services, security level, security policies, or potential security vulnerabilities on the one or more user devices.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the step of refining an identity of each of the one or more user devices based on weighted values of multiple metrics including one or more of:

an identity of one or more apps installed,

app usage information, and

browsing patterns,

wherein the weighted values are related to a uniqueness of each of the metrics.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the computer readable code is further configured to enable the computer to perform the step of refining an identity of each of the one or more user devices based on both the usage parameters of the device, and a determined device type for the device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more user devices include one or more smart phones, computers, laptops, tablets, smart televisions, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and/or media players, and wherein the usage parameters are related to device-based behaviors, the device-based behaviors including one or more of Wi-Fi access point usage, Wi-Fi network connection patterns, Bluetooth-related transmission, and device port usage.

17. A system comprising:

a processor; and

memory configured to store computer logic having instructions that enable the processor to:

monitor one or more user devices operating on a Wi-Fi network;

analyze usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices, the analysis comprising analyzing, over time, the usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices;

create, based on the analysis of the usage parameters over time, one or more behavioral models associated with one or more users, each behavioral model representing a usage pattern of a respective user according to how the respective user uses at least one of the one or more user devices;

assign one or more unique user identifiers for representing the one or more users;

associate the one or more unique user identifiers with the one or more behavioral models;

identify the one or more user devices based on the usage parameters; and

configure the Wi-Fi network based on at least a portion of the usage parameters.

18. A method comprising the steps of:

monitoring one or more user devices operating on a Wi-Fi network;

analyzing usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices, the analysis comprising analyzing, over time, the usage parameters with respect to each of the one or more user devices;

creating, based on the analysis of the usage parameters over time, one or more behavioral models associated with one or more users, each behavioral model representing a usage pattern of a respective user according to how the respective user uses at least one of the one or more user devices;

assigning one or more unique user identifiers for representing the one or more users;

associating the one or more unique user identifiers with the one or more behavioral models;

identifying the one or more user devices based on the usage parameters; and

configuring the Wi-Fi network based on at least a portion of the usage parameters.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (25)