Mobile Device Mediator for Secured Terminal Log Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secured terminals, such as automated teller machines, often have security configurations that prevent remote retrieval of logs, necessitating on-site visits by field engineers or technicians to collect performance and transaction data, which is inefficient and limits geography-specific issue identification.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mobile device to download logs from a secured terminal, determine its geographic location using positioning services, and upload the data to a server, allowing for remote log collection and analysis, even from terminals connected via non-public networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secured terminals are configured with security restrictions to prevent remote access, then security is improved, but log retrieval efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the secured terminal and the remote system. The mobile device establishes a local connection to the secured terminal, retrieves logs locally, then uploads them to the remote server. This mediator approach allows log retrieval without requiring the secured terminal to have direct remote access capabilities, thus maintaining security restrictions while enabling efficient log collection.
2Reliability
If field engineers must visit terminals on-site to collect logs, then security protocols are maintained, but time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service log retrieval where the mobile device automatically connects to the secured terminal, retrieves the necessary log data, and uploads it to the remote server without requiring continuous human intervention. The automated upload process using positioning data and network connectivity allows the system to service itself, eliminating the need for field engineers to physically visit each terminal for routine log collection.
3Device complexity
If logs are collected without geographic location data, then data collection is simpler, but geography-specific issue identification is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple data types into a single comprehensive log package: terminal performance logs, geographic location data from positioning services, and device identification information. By combining these diverse data elements into one unified dataset that is uploaded together, the system captures geography-specific information without significantly increasing the complexity of the data collection process itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device, such as a cellular phone, can retrieve log data from a secured terminal, such as an automated teller machine. The mobile device can download data including a log from a secured terminal through a connection established therebetween, such as through a wired port on the secured terminal. The mobile device can determine a data representation of a geographic location of the secured terminal determined from at least one of a positioning service and a positioning device, such as from a global positioning system module of the mobile device. The mobile device can automatically upload data including the log and the geographic location to at least one server via a network, such as a wireless 3G network. The at least one server can select the closest secured terminal to the first geographic location, based on a database of known, stored locations of secured terminals.