US 11916902

Patent Overview: US 11916902 B2

Title: "Systems and methods for using a network access device to secure a network prior to requesting access to the network by the network access device"

Patent number: US11916902B2 | Application number: US17/185,542 | Publication: US20220272086A1

Inventor: Emilio Borbolla Galindo | Assignee: Fortinet, Inc.

Key dates: Priority/filing date: 2021-02-25. Granted/publication date: 2024-02-27. Legal status listed as Active with an adjusted expiration of 2041-03-31. A later priority claim (2023-12-26) to US18/396,393 (US12225007B2) is noted.

Purpose and plain-language scope: The supplied excerpt frames the invention as securing networks against access from off-network devices. Specifically, embodiments "relate to systems and methods for identifying potential threats included in a remote network by a network access device prior to requesting access to a known secure network via the remote network." The scenario described: a secure corporate device is taken outside the secure corporate network and used to reach it through a remote (e.g., home) network that the network administrator does not control, potentially containing unsecured devices — including IoT devices like televisions, cameras, and microphones. The disclosure defines "known network"/"on-network" as a network controlled and secured by a responsible entity (e.g., a corporate network protected by a network security appliance, such as FORTIGATE), and "remote network"/"off-network" as one with elements not known to, governed by, or controlled by that entity. A "known access device" is defined as a device with a module governing access to a known network via a remote network. The figures describe methods for determining potential network security issues and then either denying access based on detected insecurity (FIG. 2) or attempting to mitigate it (FIGS. 3–6). Classification includes H04L63/0876 (identity based on terminal/device fingerprint) and H04L63/1433 (vulnerability analysis).

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US11916902/en

What the excerpt does not establish: It provides no actual claims, no detailed technical implementation of scanning or mitigation, no complete figure descriptions, and no prior-art references. It gives no information on litigation, ownership transfers, validity, or claim scope.