{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853985","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9853985","title":"Device time accumulation","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2015-10-13T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H04L","H04L","H04L","H04L"],"num_claims":12,"abstract":"A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for performing a device time accumulation operation. With a device time accumulation operation systems within a security intelligence platform which accumulate events within the IT environment associate an event ingest time with the event. When the events are provided for analysis, the device time accumulation operation analyzes the ingest times as well as the emit time to take into account historical time data associated with the accumulated events."},"analysis":{"summary":"The Device Time Accumulation patent addresses the critical challenge of accurately correlating events within security intelligence platforms by accounting for historical time data. The core innovation involves associating an event ingest time with each event, in addition to the event's emit time. This approach solves the problem of inaccurate event correlation caused by inconsistencies in device clocks, time zone differences, and network latency across diverse IT environments.\n\nTraditional SIEM systems often rely solely on the emit time of events, which can be unreliable due to clock drift and other synchronization issues. This leads to inaccurate incident detection, delayed response times, and inefficient forensic analysis. The Device Time Accumulation system mitigates these issues by providing a consistent reference point for time synchronization, enabling a more accurate alignment of events from different sources.\n\nBy analyzing both the emit time and the ingest time, the system can effectively normalize time data across disparate systems, providing a more comprehensive and reliable view of security incidents. This is particularly crucial for identifying advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other sophisticated attacks that often involve subtle and time-sensitive activities across multiple systems.\n\nThe business value of Device Time Accumulation lies in its ability to improve incident detection rates, reduce false positives, and enhance forensic analysis. This translates to faster response times, reduced security costs, and an overall strengthened security posture. The market opportunity for this technology is significant, as organizations increasingly recognize the importance of accurate event correlation for effective cybersecurity. The integration of Device Time Accumulation into existing security intelligence platforms offers a seamless and cost-effective way to enhance security operations and gain a deeper understanding of the threat landscape.","layman_explanation":"The Device Time Accumulation patent addresses a fundamental challenge in cybersecurity: ensuring the accuracy of event timelines when analyzing security incidents. Imagine a detective trying to solve a crime, but all the witnesses have clocks that are running at different speeds or are set to different times. This would make it incredibly difficult to piece together what actually happened and in what order.\n\n**1. What Problem Does This Solve?**\nExisting security systems often rely on the timestamps generated by individual devices to determine the sequence of events during a cyberattack. However, these timestamps can be unreliable due to various factors, such as clock drift (where a device's clock gradually becomes inaccurate), time zone differences, and network delays. This inaccuracy can lead to misinterpretations of event sequences, making it harder to identify the root cause of an incident and respond effectively. Current solutions often fall short because they don't adequately address the complexities of synchronizing time across diverse and distributed IT environments.\n\n**2. How Does It Work?**\nThis patent introduces a clever approach to solve this problem. Instead of relying solely on the device's timestamp (the 'emit time'), the system also records the time when the event is received by the central security system (the 'ingest time'). Think of it like this: the device's clock is like a suspect's alibi, while the ingest time is like a reliable third-party confirmation. By comparing the two, the system can identify and compensate for any discrepancies in the device's clock. This allows the system to create a more accurate and consistent timeline of events, regardless of the accuracy of individual device clocks. It's like having a universal timekeeper for your entire IT environment.\n\n**3. Why Does This Matter?**\nThe impact of this technology is significant for businesses. Accurate event timelines are crucial for effective incident response, forensic analysis, and threat hunting. By improving the accuracy of event correlation, Device Time Accumulation enables organizations to detect and respond to cyber threats more quickly and effectively. This translates to reduced downtime, lower costs associated with security breaches, and improved compliance with industry regulations. The competitive advantage lies in the improved ability to accurately analyze security events, giving organizations a clearer understanding of their threat landscape and enabling them to make better-informed security decisions. The potential ROI is significant, as it reduces the impact of security breaches, and improves the efficiency of security operations.\n\n**4. What's Next?**\nFuture applications of Device Time Accumulation could include integration with other security technologies, such as threat intelligence platforms and automated incident response systems. As the volume and complexity of cyber threats continue to grow, the need for accurate event timelines will become even more critical. Market adoption is likely to increase as organizations realize the limitations of traditional time-based analysis methods and seek more effective solutions. Investment implications are positive, as this technology represents a valuable asset for organizations looking to enhance their security posture.","technical_analysis":"The Device Time Accumulation patent presents a technical solution to the problem of inaccurate event correlation in security intelligence platforms. The core of the invention lies in the association of an event ingest time with each event, supplementing the traditional emit time. This ingest time serves as a consistent reference point, mitigating the effects of clock drift, time zone discrepancies, and network latency that commonly plague distributed systems.\n\nThe technical architecture involves a module that captures the ingest time as an event enters the security intelligence platform. This ingest time is then stored as metadata alongside the event data. The analysis engine is modified to utilize both the emit time and the ingest time when correlating events. This allows the system to account for the time difference between when an event occurred and when it was received by the platform, providing a more accurate representation of the event's timeline.\n\nOne key aspect of the implementation is the algorithm used to analyze the time difference between the emit time and the ingest time. This algorithm can be designed to detect and correct for clock drift, time zone differences, and network latency. For example, the algorithm can use historical data to estimate the average network latency between a particular device and the security intelligence platform. This estimate can then be used to adjust the emit time, providing a more accurate representation of the event's actual occurrence time.\n\nThe Device Time Accumulation system can be integrated into existing security intelligence platforms with minimal disruption. The ingest time capture module can be implemented as a plugin or extension to the platform's event processing pipeline. The analysis engine can be modified to incorporate the ingest time without requiring significant changes to the existing codebase. The performance characteristics of the system are also favorable, as the ingest time capture and analysis processes can be optimized to minimize overhead.\n\nFrom a code-level perspective, the implementation would involve modifications to the event data structure to include the ingest time field. The analysis engine would need to be updated to query and utilize this field when correlating events. The algorithm for analyzing the time difference between the emit time and the ingest time would be implemented as a separate module, allowing for flexibility and customization.\n\nThe implications of this technology are significant for developers and engineers working in the field of cybersecurity. By providing a more accurate and reliable method for event correlation, Device Time Accumulation can improve the effectiveness of security intelligence platforms and enhance the overall security posture of organizations.","business_analysis":"The Device Time Accumulation patent addresses a significant pain point in the cybersecurity industry: the inaccurate correlation of events due to time synchronization issues. This innovation presents a compelling business opportunity for security intelligence platform vendors and organizations seeking to improve their security posture. The market opportunity size is substantial, as the need for accurate event correlation is growing rapidly with the increasing complexity of IT environments and the sophistication of cyber threats.\n\nThe competitive advantages of Device Time Accumulation are clear. Traditional SIEM systems often struggle with time synchronization issues, leading to missed threats and delayed response times. This patent provides a unique and effective solution to this problem, offering a significant competitive edge for security intelligence platform vendors that incorporate this technology into their products.\n\nThe revenue potential for Device Time Accumulation is substantial. Security intelligence platform vendors can charge a premium for products that incorporate this technology, as it provides a clear and measurable improvement in security effectiveness. Organizations can also realize significant cost savings by reducing the time required for incident investigation and response.\n\nSeveral business models are possible for this technology. Security intelligence platform vendors can license the patent from the inventors and incorporate it into their products. Alternatively, the inventors can develop their own security intelligence platform based on this technology. Organizations can also implement the technology themselves by developing custom integrations with their existing security intelligence platforms.\n\nThe strategic positioning of Device Time Accumulation is strong. The technology addresses a fundamental problem in the cybersecurity industry and provides a clear and measurable improvement in security effectiveness. This makes it an attractive investment for organizations seeking to enhance their security posture and reduce their risk of cyberattacks.\n\nThe ROI projections for Device Time Accumulation are compelling. By reducing the time required for incident investigation and response, organizations can save significant amounts of money on security operations. Moreover, the improved security posture can help organizations to avoid costly data breaches and regulatory penalties. Overall, Device Time Accumulation offers a strong ROI for organizations of all sizes.","faqs":null,"topics":["security intelligence","event correlation","time synchronization","threat hunting","cybersecurity"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Device Time Accumulation - Patent US-9853985","description":"Discover Device Time Accumulation: a patent that improves security intelligence by accurately correlating events using ingest time. Full analysis & claims here.","keywords":["security intelligence","event correlation","time synchronization","threat hunting","cybersecurity","patent","patent US-9853985"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853985","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853985","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Device time accumulation\" (US-9853985). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853985","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9853985","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9853985","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-05-30T04:28:46.461Z"}