Mobile device and service management

• US 10,264,138 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Carter, III, Russell Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/428,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20170279971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 705 16, 705 17, 705 21, 705 35, 709219-226, 4554141, 4554221, 4554321, 455502, 4555561, 4555562, 463 16, 370352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/723 using the user's device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/852 Low balance or limit reached
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 : De-registration or detaching

Abstract

A wireless end-user device, comprising one or more modems enabling the wireless end-user device to communicate with a network system over a wireless access network, a touch-screen user interface, and one or more processors configured to execute one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect a user input through the touch-screen user interface, the user input comprising a request to remove the wireless end-user device from an existing device group account, the existing device group account being associated with one or more devices including the wireless end-user device, and send a message to the network system over the wireless access network, the message conveying the request to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

one or more modems enabling the wireless end-user device to communicate with a network system over a wireless access network;

a touch-screen user interface; and

one or more processors configured to execute instructions that cause the one or more processors to;

detect a user input through the touch-screen user interface, the user input comprising an attempt by a user to perform a device group management task for an existing device group account, the existing device group account being associated with a plurality of wireless one or more devices including the wireless end-user device,

make a first determination as to whether the wireless end-user device has a level of control over the existing device group account that allows the device to perform the device group management task,

based on the determination indicating the level of control, present one or more options on the touch-screen user interface to enable the user to perform the attempted device group management task,

based on the first determination indicating a lack of the level of control,

make a second determination as to whether the user has a level of control over the existing device group account, and

based on the second determination indicating the level of control, present the one or more options on the touch-screen user interface to enable the user to perform the attempted device group management task, and

based on a user selection of the one or more options on the touch-screen user interface, send a message to the network system over the wireless access network, the message conveying a request to configure one or more device group management aspects of a wireless service policy for the existing device group account.

2. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to cause the one or more processors to make a first determination comprises cooperating with a service controller in the network system to make the first determination.

3. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to cause the one or more processors to make a second determination comprises cooperating with a service controller in the network system to make the second determination.

4. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to cause the one or more processors to make a second determination comprises determining whether the user has a level of control over the existing device group account based on whether the user can log in to the device group account.

5. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the one or more processors to, based on the second determination indicating a lack of the level of control, present on the touch-screen user interface, instead of the one or more options, information about a service plan applied to the wireless end-user device.

6. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the one or more processors to make an initial determination as to whether the attempted device group management task only affects the wireless end-user device, and, based on the initial determination indicating that the attempted device grounp management task only affects the wireless end-user device, present one or more options on the touch-screen user interface to enable the user to perform the attempted device group management task, without making the first or second determinations.

7. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to cause the one or more processors to make a first determination comprises cooperating with a second wireless device in the existing device group account to make the first determination.

8. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to cause the one or more processors to make a second determination comprises cooperating with a second wireless device in the existing device group account to make the second determination.

9. The wireless end-user device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the one or more processors to display, on the touch-screen user interface, information for multiple ones of the wireless devices associated with the existing device group account, the information displayed for each of the multiple ones of the wireless devices comprising indicia of one or more capabilities and/or restrictions of that wireless device.