How Microsoft Protects Corporate Data on Employee Devices
A system that lets companies remotely lock or delete specific work data on a phone or computer without wiping the user's personal files.
Original patent title: “Data protection for organizations on computing devices”
A system that lets companies remotely lock or delete specific work data on a phone or computer without wiping the user's personal files. Granted to Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC in 2016 with 23 claims and 10 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a software gatekeeper on a device that manages corporate data security. It provides an API, or a set of rules, that apps use to ask the system to encrypt specific files using a corporate key. If an employee leaves a company or loses their device, the company sends a signal to the device. The system then deletes the specific decryption key for that organization, effectively turning the work files into unreadable digital noise while leaving personal photos and apps untouched.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover full-device remote wipes that erase all personal and system data.
- Does not cover encryption methods that rely on user-entered passwords rather than managed keys.
- Does not cover cloud-based storage security that does not involve local device-level key management.
- Does not cover hardware-level security like Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) that exist independently of the OS API.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
By managing security at the file and key level rather than the device level, the system enables selective 'corporate amnesia' where only work-related data is destroyed upon command.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Microsoft Intune
Windows Information Protection
Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) suites
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This technology is a cornerstone of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. It allows businesses to enforce security compliance on personal smartphones without infringing on employee privacy, which is essential for modern enterprise mobility management.
Filed
July 2, 2013
Granted
August 30, 2016
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Microsoft remains the primary developer of this technology through its Intune and Microsoft 365 platforms. Competitors like VMware (Workspace ONE) and MobileIron have developed similar containerization and key-management architectures to solve the same BYOD security challenges.
Market impact
This patent helped formalize the 'containerization' approach to mobile security. It reduced the friction for employees using personal devices for work, as it provided a legal and technical framework for companies to protect their assets without needing total control over the user's personal hardware.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a software gatekeeper on a device that manages corporate data security. It provides an API, or a set of rules, that apps use to ask the system to encrypt specific files using a corporate key. If an employee leaves a company or loses their device, the company sends a signal to the device. The system then deletes the specific decryption key for that organization, effectively turning the work files into unreadable digital noise while leaving personal photos and apps untouched.
The clever bit
By managing security at the file and key level rather than the device level, the system enables selective 'corporate amnesia' where only work-related data is destroyed upon command.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover full-device remote wipes that erase all personal and system data.
- Does not cover encryption methods that rely on user-entered passwords rather than managed keys.
- Does not cover cloud-based storage security that does not involve local device-level key management.
- Does not cover hardware-level security like Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) that exist independently of the OS API.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
21/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
15/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$125K – $399K
Midpoint $250K · 7.0 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
23 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Sinha, S., Grass, M. J., Acharya, N. S., Basmov, I., Kannan, G., Ide, N. J., Macaulay, C. R., Adam, P. D., Ureche, O. T., & Novotney, P. J. (2016). How Microsoft Protects Corporate Data on Employee Devices (U.S. Patent No. 9,430,664). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9430664/windows-defender-antivirus
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Microsoft Protects Corporate Data on Employee Devices cover?
A system that lets companies remotely lock or delete specific work data on a phone or computer without wiping the user's personal files.
Who owns patent US 9430664?
Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC owns this patent, granted in 2016.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on August 30, 2036, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 9430664 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 10 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This technology is a cornerstone of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. It allows businesses to enforce security compliance on personal smartphones without infringing on employee privacy, which is essential for modern enterprise mobility management.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover full-device remote wipes that erase all personal and system data.
Same assignee
More from Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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