GB2580364A

GB2580364A - Management system for docking stations

Info

Publication number: GB2580364A
Application number: GB1900120.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dunn David; Latimer Edward; Cong Zhou Scott; Kothari Nilay
Original assignee: DisplayLink UK Ltd
Current assignee: DisplayLink UK Ltd
Priority date: 2019-01-04
Filing date: 2019-01-04
Publication date: 2020-07-22

Abstract

Methods for managing a plurality of docking stations 110 and a method for controlling access to a docking station are provided. Each docking station is connected to one or more peripheral devices 111 and to a central controller 21 and is located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise. A particular location and/or docking station 110 is reserved via a central controller 21, and upon a particular user or host device 31 attempting to access a docking station at a location, the docking station 110 or the central controller 21 determines whether the particular user or host device 31 is the same as a user/host 31 that has reserved the particular location and/or docking station 110 and allowing or preventing access to the docking station 110 based on the determination.

Description

Management System for Docking Stations

Background

Especially with the increasing popularity of remote working, it is becoming more common for offices and other working spaces to use so-called "hotdesking" systems, whereby instead of each employee or other user having his or her own assigned desk there are multiple desks with docking systems and peripheral devices that can be used by any user. Many other spaces such as cafes and libraries are also beginning to use similar technology to allow users to rent a place to connect their own devices to use peripheral devices, such as screens, printers, etc. However, this can cause management problems, especially in cases where there arc many hotdcsks located over a wide area and where there may be competition between users: in large offices users can spend a significant length of time searching for a free hotdesk across multiple rooms and sometimes multiple floors, causing fmstration and wasted time.

Similar problems affect IT managers, who in current systems must manually monitor hotdesks for faults and may not be able to collect data on the use and status of peripheral devices without manual checking or simply waiting for a peripheral device to fail, causing more wasted time. Furthermore, it is difficult to collect data on hotdesk use, which may result in the provision of more hotdesk systems than are actually used, resulting in wasted spending and resources.

The invention seeks to solve or at least mitigate some or all of these problems.

Summary

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention provides a method for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the method comprising: receiving, at a particular docking station of the plurality of docking stations from the central controller, information that the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or a host device associated with the identified person using the reservation interface; determining, at the particular docking station, that a particular user or a host device associated with the particular user is attempting to access the particular docking station; determining, at the particular docking station, whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is or is not the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person who reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located; if it is determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person, permitting the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user to access the particular docking station; if it is determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is not the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person, preventing the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user from accessing the particular docking station.

According to a second aspect, the invention provides a method for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the method comprising: determining, at a particular docking station of the plurality of docking stations, that a particular user or a host device associated with the particular user is attempting to access the particular docking station; sending, by the particular docking station, a signal to the central controller informing the central controller that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is attempting to access the particular docking station; determining, at the central controller, whether the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or a host device associated with the identified person using the reservation interface; if it is determined that the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or a host device associated with the identified person, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is or is not the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person who reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located; if it is determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person who reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller to the particular docking station indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted to access the particular docking station; if it is determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is not the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person who reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller to the particular docking station indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be prevented from accessing the particular docking station; at the particular docking station, receiving the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted or prevented from accessing the particular docking station and, respectively, either permitting or preventing the particular user from accessing the particular docking station.

in a preferred embodiment, if it is determined that the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has not been reserved, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted to access the particular docking station.

Preferably, the method further comprises, prior to transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted access the particular docking station, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station, and only transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted access the particular docking station if it has been determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station.

Determining whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station may comprise determining whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is on a list allowing access to the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is on the list, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted to access the particular docking station.

In an embodiment, prior to allowing the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person to reserve the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located, the method includes determining, at the central controller, whether the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, allowing the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located.

Determining whether the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located may comprise determining whether the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person is on a list allowing reservation of the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located.

The method may further comprise, if it is determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is the identified person or the host device associated with the identified person who reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station and only transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted to access the particular docking station if it has been determined that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station.

Preferably, determining whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station comprises determining whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is on a list allowing access to the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is on the list, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is to be permitted to access the particular docking station.

In some embodiments, determining whether the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is authorized to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located may comprise obtaining authentication of the particular user and/or the particular host device associated with the particular user.

Obtaining authentication of the particular user may comprise using a biometric sensor and/or a camera at the particular location where the particular docking station is located to obtain biometric data and/or an image of the particular user and transmitting the biometric date and/or an image of the particular user to an authenticator.

Authentication of the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user preferably comprises a digital token or a physical token. The digital token may comprises a password. The physical token may comprises a dongle.

in an embodiment, preventing the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user from accessing the particular docking station comprises displaying an indication that the particular user is prevented from accessing the particular docking station on a display connected to the particular docking station.

The method may further comprise displaying on the display, if no user is currently accessing the docking station, whether or not the particular docking station has been reserved. Each of the plurality of docking stations preferably has an identification and the central controller preferably stores a list of the identifications of the docking stations, together with their respective locations. The central controller preferably further stores in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information relating to the one or more peripheral devices connected to the respective docking station. The central controller may further store in the list, for each of the one or more peripheral devices connected to a respective docking station, metrics relating to their age and/or use for maintenance purposes. The central controller may further store in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information indicating whether the respective docking station is in use by a user or is free. The central controller may further store in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information indicating whether the respective docking station has been reserved by a user for a particular time or particular time period.

In an embodiment, the method, further comprises showing, on the reservation interface, available docking stations and/or locations having available docking stations for specified time periods enabling a person to reserve a particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located for a particular time and/or particular time period.

Preferably" if the particular user or the host device associated with the particular user is permitted to access the particular docking station, the particular docking station allows a particular level of access depending on the particular user.

According to a third aspect, the invention provides a system for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the system being configured to perform all steps of a method as described above.

In an aspect, there is provides a system for managing docking in a multi-dock environment, comprising a number of docking stations connected to a network and arranged to communicate with a central server or other controller, where each docking station is able to communicate at least identification and connection information to the central server.

The connection information can include a signal each time a computing device is connected to or disconnected from the docking station.

The identification information can include a mac address or any other unique identifier for the docking station.

The central server may use this information to manage the connected docking stations by, for example, allowing a "booking" system which allows users to determine which docking stations are not currently connected to a computing device and "reserve" a docking station. The central server can then send a signal to the reserved docking station which causes the docking station to refuse to connect to any computing device that is not the approved computing device. Optionally, the docking station can also produce a splash screen to display on any connected display panel to indicate that the docking station is booked.

Each docking station may also monitor peripherals connected to it and send messages on the network, including to the central server, containing information on its own status and the connected peripherals. including: * Connected peripherals * Statistics of docking station and peripheral use I5 * Status of docking station and peripherals, including end-of-life messages, errors, and requests for maintenance * Changes in connected peripherals, such as the removal or connection of a peripheral * Information on data being transmitted through the docking station, for example keystroke logging, internet sites accessed, etc. This information and the network connection can then be used for management functions such as: * Remote provisioning of firmware * Remote diagnosis of problems * Predictive maintenance for error prevention

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be more fully described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, of which: Figure I shows an office layout with four hotdesking stations; Figure 2 shows a network topography of the office; Figure 3 shows an example block diagram of a docking station and central server; Figure 4 shows an example block diagram of a docked computing device and central server; Figure 5 shows an example interface; Figure 6 shows an example process for initial configuration of the docking station; Figure 7 shows an example process of user connection to a docking station.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows an example office layout [11] with four hotdesks [12] and several recognisable landmarks. The office [11] incorporates a server room [13] in the lower-left corner, a water cooler [15] and coffee machine [16] on a table [14] next to the server room [13], some toilet facilities [17], a printer station [18], a meeting room [19], five windows [20] distributed around the four walls of the office [ID, and a door [10]. These landmarks can be referenced by a user when locating a specific hotdesk [12], as will be further described with reference to Figure 5 relating to the user interface.

Each of the four hotdesks [12] includes a docking station [110] and a collection of peripheral devices [111], which are shown here as a monitor, a mouse, and a keyboard but can include any devices that can be connected to a host computing device, including a network access device, which may form part of the docking station [110] itself A user can connect his or her computing device to the docking station [110] in order to interact with the peripheral devices [111] and access the network, which may also allow access to the interne, a server in the server room [13], and a printer at the printer station [18].

I5 in some embodiments, a hotdesk [12] may also or instead have a so-called "thin client" which allows a user to access applications run centrally on a server or the internet, possibly via a virtual machine, by simply logging onto the thin client. It may be possible for a docking station [110] on a hotdesk [12] to be dual-purpose such that when a computing device is connected it acts as a docking station, but it can also act as a thin client, making the connection of a computing device unnecessary. For the purposes of the invention, thin clients and dual-purpose docking stations will be described as docking stations [110] and function in a similar way.

Figure 2 shows an example network topography of the four hotdesks [12] shown in Figure 1. Each hotdesk [12A, 12B, 12C, 12D] is shown separately, each having peripheral devices [111] connected to a docking station [110]. The docking stations [110] are connected to a central control server [21] across a network. The central control server [21] may be a server controlled by the owner of the office and may be on-site or off-site accessible across an external network, including the intemet.

The central control server [21] can interface with the docking stations [110] in order to transmit and receive information and control the behaviour of the docking stations [110] and the peripheral devices [111]. It is also connected to a user interface [22] which allows users to issue instructions to the central control server [21] and view its status. In practice there may be multiple interfaces used by different types of user: for example, an ordinary user may be able to request a limited number of behaviours and view a limited number of statuses, while an IT manager has far more extensive abilities, and they may therefore be shown different user interfaces [22].

Figure 3 shows a more detailed network topography centred on a single hotdesk [12]. The docking station [110] includes a peripheral controller [37], which monitors the status of each of the peripheral devices [111] and their use as well as handling the flow of data between peripheral devices [111] and between the peripheral devices [711] and the network [32], as well as any connected computing device [31]. It also includes a network controller [38], which likewise monitors the use of the network [32] and handles the flow of data between the network [32] and other components, and a host controller [39], which performs similar functions for the connection to a computing device [31], as well as determining whether a particular computing device [31] should or should not be permitted Lo connect Lo the docking station [110].

The docking station [110] further includes a central processor [36], which not only passes data between the controllers [37, 38, 39] and may carry out monitoring activities based on data collected by the controllers [37. 38, 39], but also communicates with the central control server [21] over the network [32] in order to signal to the host controller [39] to determine whether a particular computing device p is able to connect to the docking station [110].

In a case where the docking station [110] is or can act as a thin client without a connected computing device [31], the central processor [36] and host controller [39] may instead act to determine whether a particular user is able to log on. However, as previously mentioned, this will function in a very similar way to the connection of a computing device [31] for the purposes of the invention.

As previously explained, the docking station [110] is connected to a central control server [21] across a network [32]. This network connection may be wired or wireless and may be across any suitable network connection, including the Internet.

The central control server [21] includes, among other components, a database of three lists [33, 34, 35], which are populated by input from all connected docking stations [110A, 110B, 110C, 110D] and the user interface [22], as well as during initial configuration of the docking stations [110]. These lists [33, 34, 35] include: * Hotdcsk bookings [33], which are used to generate the interface [22] and determine whether each docking station [110] can be connected to a particular computing device [31] or used by a particular user, depending on the system. This list could include an ID of each docking station [110] and/or hotdesk and an indication of whether the docking station [110] is free, reserved, currently in use, unavailable, etc.; * The locations [34] of the docking stations [110] for use in generating the interface [22] and helping user navigation. This list could include the identification of each docking station [110] and a description of its location as co-ordinates, a physical description, triangulation or other mapping data, etc.; and * Details of the peripherals [111] connected to the docking stations [110], including their current status and metrics indicating use, age, efficiency etc. so that appropriate users such as IT managers can consult them for maintenance purposes.

Of course, these lists may, in practice, be implemented as a single list structure.

Finally, as previously explained, the central control server [21] is connected to a user nterface 1221.

This docking station [110] may be able to send signals to the central control server [21] when the equipment connected Lo it changes due to reasons other than errors; for example, if a peripheral device [Ill] is removed. This might result in an alert sent to an IT manager and, where there is a camera connected to the docking station [110], the docking station [110] could automatically take a photo when the peripheral device [111] is removed to help an IT manager determine who is responsible for the removal of the peripheral device [111]. A similar process could be followed if a new peripheral device [Ill] is connected, which could be useful in tracking a peripheral device [111] being moved from one hotdcsk [12] to another or determining when a user has connected an unauthoriscd device to a docking station [110].

Although Figure 3 only shows one docking station [110], as shown in Figure 2, all the docking stations [110A, 110B, 110C, 110D] in the overall network are connected to the central control server [21] and their data together with the data of connected peripheral devices [111] and any connected user or computing device [31] will be stored in the database lists [33, 34, 35] as appropriate.

Figure 4 shows a second more detailed network topography centred on a single hotdesk [12], but in this case the communication with the central control server [21] is instead carried out by the computing device [31]. This is a less preferable system because it requires a secondary connection between the computing device [31] and the central control server [21] and also does not allow for user booking notifications as will be described later, but it can be useful in cases where the software or firmware on the docking station [110] is not able to communicate the correct information to the central control server [21].

In this example, the central control server [21] and interface [22] arc arranged as previously described, and the docking station [110] is connected to a collection of peripheral devices [111] as previously described. The computing device [31] includes a driver [41], which handles the connection to the docking station [110], including the connection process itself and handling data transmitted to and received from the docking station [110]. It is also in communication with a telemetry library [42], which is connected to a networking control application [43]. This communicates with the central control server [21], in one embodiment across an encrypted HTTP connection to a REST API. This enables the computing device [31] to pass information to the central control server [21] in the same way as was previously described for the docking station [110].

As in Figure 3, Figure 4 only shows one hotdesk [12], but there will be multiple hotdesks [l2A, 12B, 12C, 12D] connected to the central control server [21]. Furthermore, the types of hotdesk may be mingled such that some hotdesks [12] have a docking station [110] as described in Figure 3 while others have a docking station [110] that requires a computing device [31] to communicate with the central control server [21] as described in Figure 4.

Figure 5 shows an example of a display of a user interface [22], comprising a map of the office [11] as described in Figure 1. In the display, however, the four hotdesks [12] are represented by boxes [51] with different notations to indicate their availability, based on the Bookings list [33] described in Figures 3 and 4. In this example, a white box with a solid outline [51A, 51D] indicates that the hotdesk [12A, 12D] is not currently in use and is available for booking, diagonal hatching [51C] indicates that the hotdesk [12C] is currently booked or in use (there might also be an indication of when the booking will expire, if appropriate), and a white box with a dashed outline [51B] indicates that the hotdesk [12B] is not available, for example due to a fault or because it is currently undergoing maintenance. An IT manager could also use this interface [22] to immediately and intuitively see hotdesks that have faults. In any case, the inclusion of landmarks in the interface [22] display makes it easier for a user to find the physical hotdesk [1 2] he or she has just booked.

Alternatively, the "unavailable" notation [51B] could simply mean that the hotdesk [12] cannot be booked, for example because it has a docking station [110] which is not intelligent enough to handle bookings, though once a computing device [31] is connected such a docking station could behave like the docking station described in Figure 4, such that the connected computing device [31] communicates with the central control server [21] to indicate that the docking station [110] is now in use. Where there is a mixture of types of docking stations [110], it may be more useful to have separate notations for hotdesks [12] that cannot be used and hotdesks [12] that can be used but cannot be booked.

The interface [22] display may be a simplified map as shown, or the hotdesk selection/availability notation [51] might, for example, be superimposed on an image of the office as it actually appears.

Alternative interface displays could show which user is currently using a hotdesk [12] that is in use [12C], facilitating interpersonal communication in a setting where otherwise it is impossible to know where a given person is sitting on a particular day. A completely different example interface [22] may simply show a list of the available hotdesks 1121 and their locations.

Furthermore, the interface [22] display may show, either immediately or via an extended display such as an information box that appears when a hotdesk [12] is selected, what peripheral devices [111] are available at each hotdesk [12]. This could be useful where, for example, a user knows that he or she will require a higher-resolution display device than normal for that day's work, or where a user has particular accessibility requirements and therefore needs a hotdesk arrangement that can fulfil those requirements.

He or she could then use the interface to ensure that an appropriate hotdesk [12] is reserved for him or her.

Figure 6 shows an example configuration process for a docking station [110] such as that shown in Figure 3. This is preferably carried out by an IT manager or similar person at the initial installation of the docking station [110] and after maintenance that has required it to be disconnected.

At Step S61, the manager physically installs the docking station [110] on the appropriate hotdesk [12] and connects it to the appropriate peripheral devices [11 and network [32] in the conventional way. The peripheral controller 1371 in the docking station [110] determines identifications for the peripheral devices [111] and forwards these to the central processor [36], which can then pass them to the central control server [21] along with appropriate initial metrics and its own identification for storage in the Peripherals list [35]. The central control server [21] is now aware of the peripheral devices [111] attached to the docking station [110] and can monitor them.

The identification used for the docking station [110] could be any unique identification, including one generated by an issuer or owner of the docking station [110]. Alternatively, it could be pre-configured or written into the hardware or firmware of the docking station [110], such as a media access control (MAC) address At Step S62, the manager records the identification of the docking station [110] in the Bookings list [33] and may also insert an indication that it is currently undergoing maintenance. This means that it will not be available for user booking through any interface [22] and in the example interface shown in Figure 5 it will be shown as a white box with a dashed outline [51B].

At Step S63, the manager determines the location of the hotdcsk [12]. This may, for example, be done based on triangulation of the docking station's [110] location compared to transmitters in the office [11] such as wireless network access points or receivers such as RFID readers. Alternatively, it may be based on physical landmarks [13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19], for example, "next to the coffee machine [16] and the toilets [17]". it could also be some other identification of the hotdesk [12] as opposed to the docking station [110]. This location is then entered into the Locations list [34] on the central control server [21] at Step S64, along with the identification of the docking station [110], which can also act as an identification for the associated hotdcsk [12].

Finally, at Step S65, the manager sets the docking station's [110] status to "active" in the Bookings list [33] on the central control server [21], indicating that the hotdesk [12] is ready for use. It can then show as active and available on any interface [22], and it is possible for a user to connect a computing device [31] to it.

The IT manager's interactions with the central control server [21] can be via an interface on the docking station [110] or could be via a separate interface [22] that edits the values in the three lists [33, 34, 35] directly.

Figure 7 shows an example process for a user interaction with a docking station [110], beginning with optional booking steps and moving on to the actual process of connection.

Prior to attempting to connect a computing device [31] to the docking station [110], a user can use the interface [22] to reserve that particular docking station [110], which is useful in settings such as large offices with many employees, where a user might otherwise have to spend a significant length of time searching for a free hotdesk [14 and even if he or she knows where to find one it might have been taken by the time he or she reaches it. Booking takes place in Steps S701-S703, which are outlined with dashed lines in Figure 7.

At Step 5701 the user selects a hotdesk [12] via the interface [22]. For example, if an interface [22] such as that shown in Figure 5 were shown on a touchscreen at reception, the user might touch an available hotdesk notation [51] in order to book the associated hotdesk [12]. Alternatively, the user may reserve a hotdesk by reserving a particular location. For example, if a hotdesk is in a separate office or cubicle, the user may reserve that office or cubicle, which would include the hotdesk (and everything else within the office or cubicle). The office or cubicle may be reserved by virtue of its location, in the same way that hotdesk could be booked by virtue of its location (e.g. nearest the water cooler, etc). A similar interface [22] might be shown via an application on, say, a smartphone. This causes the interface [22] to send a signal to the central control server [21] indicating the hotdesk [12] selected. At Step 5702, the central control server [21] updates the Bookings list [33] in the database to change the status of the selected hotdesk [21], perhaps to a special status "reserved" which causes the interface [22] to indicate that the hotdesk [12] is not available but which will time out if no computing device [31] is connected before a time period has elapsed. The provision of a time limit is beneficial because it means that it will not be possible for a user -for example -to simply book the same hotdesk [12] upon leaving every evening, which would defeat the purpose of hotdesking.

The "reserved" status could also be used in circumstances such as when a user is temporarily absent from his or her hotdesk [12] -for example, in a meeting -and has taken his or her computing device [31], thus disconnecting it from the docking station [110]. This means that the "reserved" status can be used as a technological equivalent of leaving a coat on the desk chair in order to indicate that the user is still "using", i.e. in possession of, the hotdesk, even though not there at present, allowing the user to retain the same hotdesk [12] for the duration of the meeting rather than potentially having to find a new hotdesk [12] upon leaving the meeting.

Alternatively, if appropriate, booking a hotdesk [12] might simply set the status of that hotdesk [12] to "in use" or otherwise unavailable in the Bookings list [33].

The central control server [21] also inserts an identification of the user into the Bookings list [33] in order to indicate who has booked that particular hotdesk.

The ability to book hotdesks [12] could also be used to restrict booking to particular areas and/or allow priority to particular users. For example, ensuring that members of a team that should have access to a lab can only use hotdesks [12] within a certain distance of the lab and members of teams that have no need to use the lab cannot book these hotdesks [12] until, for example, all members of the team that needs the lab have booked or are using hotdesks [12]. Accordingly, the central control server [21] could check at Step 5701 whether the user has particular attributes or is on a list of permitted users for that particular docking station [110] and only allow the user to book the hotdesk [12] in question if the user is permitted.

As a further natural restriction on the booking of hotdesks [12], the central control server [21] could first determine whether the user has already booked a hotdesk [12], in order to prevent accidental or deliberate multiple bookings. Such a check could also be applied during the connection process described with respect to the rest of Figure 7 in order to ensure that the user does not connect to one docking station [110] having already booked another, at least without releasing the booking.

In one embodiment, information might be sent to the docking station [110] on the booked hotdesk [12] indicating that the hotdesk [12] has been booked and optionally by whom. Accordingly, at Step 5703, a display device connected to the docking station [110] on the booked hotdcsk shows a splash screen generated by either the docking station [110] or the central control server [21] indicating that the hotdesk [12] is booked and, for example, also indicating who has booked it and/or for what time period and/or when the booking will expire. Normally, the display device might show a screen indicating that the hotdesk [12] is available, or some other informational screen such as a rotating set of announcements or advertisements.

These steps are optional and may not be appropriate in all settings, and the main process starts at Step S71.

At Step S71, the user arrives at a hotdesk [12], which he or she may or may not have booked in advance. He or she then starts to connect his or her computing device [31] to the docking station [110] in the conventional way, for example by plugging in a USB cable or initiating wireless docking. The docking station [110] and computing device [31] will not fully connect at this stage but will form an initial connection so that the two devices [110, 31] can exchange initial handshaking and identification. In the case of an embodiment such as that shown in Figure 3, this might mean the computing device [31] transmitting an identification to the docking station [110] identifying the user or the user simply entering an identification directly into the docking station [110] where the docking station [110] is acting as a thin client or the docking protocol calls for a user login. In any case, this interaction indicates to the docking station [110] that a particular user and/or computing device [31] is attempting to access that docking station [110].

in an embodiment such as that shown in Figure 4 this step might involve the computing device [31] fetching an identification of the docking station [110].

At Step S72, the docking station [110] checks whether that particular hotdesk [12] is booked. In one embodiment of a system such as that shown in Figure 3, this can be carried out by the central processor [36] on the docking station [110] sending a signal across the network [32] to the central control server [21] to check the Bookings list [33] in the database for the identification of the docking station [110]. If it is present and associated with the status "reserved" or "active" or similar, as appropriate, the hotdesk [12] is booked and the process follows the branch to the left, beginning at -Yes". Otherwise it follows the branch to the right, beginning at "No". At this stage, such a signal could comprise only the identification of the docking station [110] or it could also include an identification of the user and/or computing device [31].

In another embodiment of a system such as that shown in Figure 3, the central control server [21] might have already sent a signal to the docking station [110] indicating that the docking station [110] has been booked, for example at the time of booking as previously mentioned. In this case a flag could be set within the docking station [110] indicating the particular time period for which the hotdesk [12] is booked and determining whether the docking station [110] is booked at a particular time could comprise checking this flag.

In an embodiment such as that shown in Figure 4, the computing device [31] communicates with the central control server [21] following a similar process but without involving the docking station[110]: the driver [41], through the networking control application [43], signals the central control server [21] to inform it of the identification of the docking station [1 10] and request permission to access it. This could mean, for example, determining whether the docking station's [110] ID is present in the Bookings list [33] and its associated status.

At this stage, the central control server [21] could also send a message back to the docking station [110] indicating that the docking station [110] is unavailable, perhaps due to a fault somewhere, missing peripheral devices [111], being overdue for scheduled maintenance, etc.. In this case, the process could end here and the user's computing device [31] would not be allowed to connect to the docking station [110]. A connected display device could display a splash screen indicating the type of error, for example the type of peripheral device [111] that is missing, or simply indicating that the hotdesk [12] is unavailable.

In any case, if the hotdesk [12] is not booked and is available, the user is able to fully connect the computing device [31] to the docking station at Step S72N. Where this determination is made by the central control server [21], it transmits a signal to the docking station [110] indicating that the user is allowed to connect. The Bookings list [33] is then updated to indicate that the hotdesk [12] is in use at Step S72N2, and the central control server [21] may begin collecting telemetry such as statistics for peripheral device use, volume of data being transmitted, keystroke logging, internet sites or network locations accessed, etc. from the docking station [110], either directly or via signals from the computing device [31].

In some embodiments, prior to allowing the user to connect, the docking station [110] or the central control server [21] could determine whether the user is in fact authorised to connect to the docking station [110]. For example, as previously mentioned, particular docking stations [110] or the central controller could be configured to give priority to -or restrict access to -members of a particular team, or users who have particular accessibility or other requirements. The central control server [21] could therefore also have access to a list of users who arc permitted to access the particular docking station [110] and check this prior to transmitting a signal to the docking station [110] indicating that the user should be allowed to connect to the docking station Alternatively, the docking station [110] could have an internal list and the central processor [36] could check this prior to allowing a final connection to the computing device [31].

If the hotdcsk [12] was booked, the process moves to Step S73 and the docking station [110] determines whether the user attempting to connect a computing device [31] is the user that booked the hotdesk [12]. In an example embodiment of a system such as that shown in Figure 3, the central processor [36] on the docking station [110] may query the central control server [21] to determine which user holds the booking from the Bookings list [33], or in a second example may already have been informed which user holds the booking via an earlier signal from the central control server [21] so such determination involves checking this stored value.

in another example embodiment, the docking station [110] might have sent an initial signal at Step S7I indicating that a user is attempting to connect and containing an identification of the user, such that no further querying by the docking station [110] is required. In this case, the central control server [21] can determine whether the user attempting to connect a computing device [110] is the user that booked the hotdesk [12] without waiting for a further query from the docking station [110], but otherwise the process is the same.

In an embodiment such as that shown in Figure 4, the computing device [31] can query the central control server [21] in a similar way to a docking station [110], or it may have already transmitted its own identification to the central control server [21]. In either case, the central control server [21] can determine whether the computing device [31] attempting to access the docking station [110] is the computing device [31] that reserved it in the same way as if the querying were carried out by a docking station.

in any case, the identity of the user attempting to connect to the docking station [110] can be determined and authenticated using details such as an identification of the computing device [31], user-inserted logon details such as a username and/or password, a photo taken by a camera connected to the docking station [110], input via another biometric device such as a fingerprint reader, the presence of a physical token such as a dongle, key fob, etc.. the presence of a digital token such as a signal from a donglc or similar, etc. which arc compared to known data by the docking station [110] or a network device, including the central control server [21]. If the user attempting to connect to the docking station [110] is the user who booked the hotdesk [12], the process follows the branch to the left, beginning at "Yes". The central control server [21] sends a signal to the docking station [110] indicating that the user is to be permitted to connect -or, alternatively, the central processor [36] on the docking station [110] determines this based on already-stored values according to an earlier signal from the central control server [21], as previously suggested -and the connection between the computing device [31] and the docking station [110] is finalised at Step S73Y1. The system is then updated as previously described at Step S73Y2.

In an embodiment such as that shown in Figure 4, the signal from the central control server [21] indicating that the computing device [31] is to be permitted to access the docking station [110] -or not could be transmitted to the docking station [110], which in this case would require enough intelligence to either allow or not allow a connection from the computing device [31] attempting to connect to it, or it could be transmitted to the computing device [31] itself, in which case the central control server [21] would need to be allowed sufficient control over the connection behaviour of the computing device [31] that it is able to allow or prevent a connection according to the internal functionality of the computing device [31].

As previously mentioned, use of particular docking stations [110] and hotdesks [12] could be reserved for particular types of users or even particular individuals, or such users could be prioritised over others for reservation and use of particular hotdesks [12]. While, preferably, a user should not be permitted to book a hotdesk [12] he or she is not permitted to use, the central control server [21] or the docking station [110] could determine prior to allowing the user to connect at Step S73Y1 whether the user is in fact permitted to use the docking station [110], perhaps by consulting a list stored on the central control server [21], and if not the central control server [21] could still send a signal indicating that the user is not permitted to connect and/or the docking station [110] could not allow the computing device [31] to connect even if the user has booked the hotdesk [12]. This could also result in the display of a splash screen indicating the reason that the connection was unsuccessful.

If the user attempting to connect was not the user who had booked the docking station 11101. the connection is rejected at Step S73N1 according to a signal from the central control server [21] or internal values stored on the docking station [110] in response to an earlier signal from the central control server [21], as previously mentioned. The user is not able to log on to or connect his or her computing device [31] to the docking station [110] and no changes are made to the system. A connected display device could display a splash screen indicating that the user is not permitted to use the hotdesk [12] and possibly also the identity of the user who has booked the hotdesk [12]. Also, or alternatively, there could be an indication of the time that the booking will expire.

Where the user is permitted to connect a computing device [31] to the docking station [110], he or she could be granted a different level of access to functionality and connected devices, including on the network [32], depending on his or her status or user type. For example, a manager could be allowed to access a network server which remains hidden from an ordinary employee, and an IT manager could be allowed to read metrics and amend settings which cannot be accessed by any other type of user.

Although particular embodiments have been described in detail above, it will be appreciated that various changes, modifications and improvements can be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. For example, hardware aspects may be implemented as software where appropriate and vice versa, and engines/modules which are described as separate may be combined into single engines/modules and vice versa. Functionality of the engines or other modules may be embodied in one or more hardware processing device(s) e.g. processors and/or in one or more software modules, or in any appropriate combination of hardware devices and software modules. Furthermore, software instructions to implement the described methods may be provided on a computer readable medium.

Claims

Claims 1. A method for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the method comprising: receiving, at a particular docking station of the plurality of docking stations from the central controller, information that the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or an identified host device using the reservation interface; determining, at the particular docking station, that a particular user or a particular host device is attempting to access the particular docking station; determining, at the particular docking station, whether the particular user or the particular host device is or is not the identified person or the identified host device that reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located; if it is determined that the particular user or the particular host device is the identified person or the identified host device, permitting the particular user or the particular host device to access the particular docking station; if it is determined that the particular user or the particular host device associated with the particular user is not the identified person or the identified host device, preventing the particular user or the particular host device from accessing the particular docking station.
2. A method for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the method comprising: determining, at a particular docking station of the plurality of docking stations, that a particular user or a particular host device is attempting to access the particular docking station; sending, by the particular docking station, a signal to the central controller informing the central controller that the particular user or the particular host device is attempting to access the particular docking station; determining, at the central controller, whether the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or an identified host device using the reservation interface; if it is determined that the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located has been reserved by an identified person or an identified host device, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the particular host device is or is not the identified person or the identified host device that reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located; if it is determined that the particular user or the particular host device is the identified person or the identified host device that reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller to the particular docking station indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted to access the particular docking station; if it is determined that the particular user or the particular host device is not the identified person or the identified host device that reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller to the particular docking station indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the particular docking station; at the particular docking station, receiving the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted or prevented from accessing the particular docking station and, respectively, either permitting or preventing the particular user or the particular host device from accessing the particular docking station.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein if it is determined that the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located has not been reserved, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted to access the particular docking station.
4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising, prior to transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted access the particular docking station, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station, and only transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted access the particular docking station if it has been determined that the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein determining whether the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station comprises determining whether the particular user or the particular host device associated with the particular user is on a list allowing access to the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the particular user or the particular host device is on the list, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted to access the particular docking station.
6. A method according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein prior to allowing the identified person or the identified host device to reserve the particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located, determining, at the central controller, whether the identified person or the identified host device is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the identified person or the identified host device is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, allowing the identified person or the identified host device to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein determining whether the identified person or the identified host device is authorized to reserve the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located comprises determining whether the identified person or the identified host device is on a list allowing reservation of the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located.
8. A method according to claim 2, further comprising, if it is determined that the particular user or the particular host device is the identified person or the identified host device that reserved the particular docking station and/or the particular location where the particular docking station is located, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located and only transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located if it has been determined that the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein determining whether the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located comprises determining whether the particular user or the particular host device is on a list allowing access to the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located, and, if the particular user or the particular host device is on the list, transmitting the signal indicating that the particular user or the particular host device is to be permitted to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located.
10. A method according to any one of claims 4, 5, 8 or 9, wherein determining whether the particular user or the particular host device is authorized to access the particular docking station and/or to the particular location where the particular docking station is located comprises obtaining authentication of the particular user and/or the particular host device.
11. A method according to claim 10, wherein obtaining authentication of the particular user comprises using a biometric sensor and/or a camera at the particular location where the particular docking station is located to obtain biometric data and/or an image of the particular user and transmitting the biometric date and/or an image of the particular user to an authenticator.
12. A method according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein authentication of the particular user or the particular host device comprises a digital token or a physical token.
13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the digital token comprises a password.
14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the physical token comprises a dongle. 30
15. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein preventing the particular user or the particular host device from accessing the particular docking station comprises displaying an indication that the particular user or the particular host device is prevented from accessing the particular docking station on a display connected to the particular docking station.
16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising displaying on the display, if no user is currently accessing the docking station, whether or not the particular docking station has been reserved.
17. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein each of the plurality of docking stations has an identification and the central controller stores a list of the identifications of the docking stations, together with their respective locations.
18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the central controller further stores in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information relating to the one or more peripheral devices connected to the respective docking station.
19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the central controller further stores in the list, for each of the one or more peripheral devices connected to a respective docking station, metrics relating to their age and/or use for maintenance purposes.
20. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the central controller further stores in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information indicating whether the respective docking station is in use by a user or is free.
21. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the central controller further stores in the list, for each of the plurality of docking stations, information indicating whether the respective docking station has been reserved by a user for a particular time or particular time period.
22. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising showing, on the reservation interface, available docking stations and/or locations having available docking stations for specified time periods enabling a person to reserve a particular docking station and/or a particular location where the particular docking station is located for a particular time and/or particular time period.
23. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein, if the particular user or the particular host device is permitted to access the particular docking station, the particular docking station allows a particular level of access depending on the particular user or the particular host device.
24. A system for managing a plurality of docking stations, each docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller and being located at one of a plurality of different locations at an enterprise, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the system being configured to perform all steps of a method according to any one of the preceding claims.
25. A method for controlling access to a docking station, the docking station being connected to one or more peripheral devices and to a central controller, the central controller being connected to a reservation interface, the method comprising: sending an initial communication by a particular host device to the docking station in an attempt to access the docking station; obtaining, by the particular host device from the docking station, an identification of the docking station; sending, by the particular host device to the central controller over a connection that does not include the docking station, a signal informing the central controller of the identification of the docking station and requesting permission to access the docking station; determining, at the central controller, whether the docking station and/or a location where the docking station is located has been reserved by an identified host device using the reservation interface; if it is determined that the docking station and/or the location where the docking station is located has been reserved by an identified host device, determining, at the central controller, whether the particular host device is or is not the identified host device that reserved the docking station and/or the location where the docking station is located; if it is determined that the particular host device is the identified host device that reserved the docking station and/or the location where the docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller indicating that the particular host device is to be permitted to access the docking station; if it is determined that the particular host device is not the identified host device that reserved the docking station and/or the location where the docking station is located, transmitting a signal from the central controller indicating that the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the docking station.
26. A method for controlling access to a docking station according to claim 25, wherein the signal from the central controller indicating that the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the docking station and/or the signal indicating that the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the docking station are transmitted from the central controller to the docking station, the method further comprising, at the docking station, receiving the signal indicating that the particular host device is to be permitted or prevented from accessing the docking station and, respectively, either permitting or preventing the particular host device from accessing the docking station.
27. A method for controlling access to a docking station according to claim 25, wherein the signal from the central controller indicating that the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the docking station and/or the signal indicating that the particular host device is to be prevented from accessing the docking station arc transmitted from the central controller to the particular host device, the method further comprising, at the particular host device, receiving the signal indicating that the particular host device is to be permitted or prevented from accessing the docking station and, respectively, either permitting or preventing the particular host device from accessing the docking station.