Mobile Device Self-Recovery from Corrupted State

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Solution Overview

Problem

Computing devices often enter a corrupted state, leading to frequent restarts and debilitating functionality, which ordinary users cannot recover from, requiring complex recovery techniques that may not be accessible in all situations.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for automatically detecting a corrupted state in a computing device, identifying untrusted changes made by untrusted entities, and resetting them to default values, allowing the device to self-recover with escalating corrective actions, including software and hardware initialization, without user intervention.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If complex recovery techniques are implemented to handle corrupted states, then device reliability improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice reliabilityVSAvoidrecovery technique complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary actions by monitoring system data changes and tracking initialization events before the device enters a corrupted state. The system maintains a history of system data changes and detects patterns that precede corruption, allowing it to prepare recovery actions in advance. This is evident in the monitoring mechanism that tracks initialization events and system data modifications, enabling the device to identify corrupted states before they fully manifest and to execute appropriate recovery techniques without requiring complex user intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If automated recovery mechanisms are added to enable self-recovery, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser intervention requirementVSAvoidrecovery system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by enabling the computing device to automatically detect corrupted states, identify the underlying causes through system data analysis, and execute recovery actions without user intervention. The system monitors its own operational state, tracks initialization events, analyzes system data changes, and autonomously determines when to reset or restore components. This automated self-diagnosis and self-recovery capability eliminates the need for users to understand or perform complex recovery procedures, while the underlying complexity is managed within the system's automated processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If extensive monitoring of system data changes is implemented to identify untrusted changes, then reliability improves, but use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by focusing monitoring efforts on specific critical system data and initialization events rather than continuously monitoring all system activities. The system selectively tracks system data changes that are most indicative of corrupted states, such as boot loader modifications, kernel parameter changes, and hardware initialization events. This targeted approach to monitoring maintains high detection accuracy for corruption-related issues while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption from monitoring non-critical system operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3757791B1Automated recovery of unstable mobile devices
Publication Date: 2022.01.26 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3757791B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3757791B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3757791B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

Apparatus and methods related to recovering a computing device are provided. A computing device can determine that the computing device has entered into a corrupted state after being initialized at least a pre-determined number of times during a pre-determined interval of time. The computing device can store at least system data and information about a plurality of changes to the system data. After determining that the computing device has entered into the corrupted state, the computing device can identify untrusted changes to the system data from the plurality of changes, wherein the untrusted changes are made by untrusted entities. The computing device can reset the untrusted changes to the system data to default values. After resetting the untrusted changes to the system data to default values, the computing device can be initialized.