Methods, systems, and computer program products for role-and locale-based mobile user device feature control

• US 20070004386A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Armstrong Quinton Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Singh, Mona, Singh, Munindar
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for role- and locale-based mobile user device feature control are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for controlling at least one feature of a mobile user device based on a locale and a role of a user of the mobile user device is disclosed. The method includes storing, in a database, role information defining a plurality of different roles assigned to different user types and corresponding locale-based mobile user device feature control policies. In response to a mobile user device being within the locale, a role of the mobile user device is determined. A policy corresponding to the role is selected from a database. At least one feature of the mobile user device is controlled based on the locale-based feature control policy.

Claims

1. A method for controlling at least one feature of a mobile user device based on a locale and the role of a user of the mobile user device, the method comprising:

(a) storing, in a database, role information identifying a plurality of different roles assigned to different usertypes and corresponding locale-based mobile user device feature control policies; and

(b) in response to the mobile user device being within a locale;

(i) determining a role of a user of the mobile user device;

(ii) selecting, from the database, a locale-based mobile user device feature control policy corresponding to the role of the user; and

(iii) controlling at least one feature of the mobile user device based on the locale-based feature control policy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein storing role information defining roles for a plurality of different user types includes defining roles for employee and guest user types.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a role of a user includes communicating a plurality of roles to the user and receiving a selection of a role from the plurality of roles from the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a role of a user includes automatically selecting a role to be assigned to the user based on an authentication parameter supplied by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a locale-based mobile user device feature control policy includes selecting a policy from a database external to the mobile user device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a locale-based mobile user device feature control policy includes selecting a policy from a database internal to the mobile user device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein controlling at least one feature includes receiving a request from the user for activation of a feature and determining whether to activate the feature based on a number of current users using the feature.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising activating the feature in response to determining that activating the feature would not cause the number of current users to meet or exceed a maximum simultaneous use threshold.

9. The method of claim 7 comprising, refusing to activate the feature in response to determining that activating the feature would cause a maximum simultaneous use threshold to be met or exceeded and storing pending user activation request data in a simultaneous feature use control database.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising:

(a) monitoring usage time by current users of the feature;

(b) determining whether the usage time of any of the current users meets or exceeds a maximum feature usage time; and

(c) in response to determining that the usage time of any of the current users meets or exceeds the maximum feature usage time, disabling the feature for that user and enabling the feature for the requesting user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile user device comprises a mobile telephone.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile user device comprises a camera.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile user device comprises a combination of a mobile telephone and a camera.

14. A method for implementing role- and locale-based feature control policies at a mobile user device, the method comprising:

at a mobile user device;

(a) receiving information identifying a plurality of user roles;

(b) selecting one of the roles;

(c) receiving a user device feature control policy corresponding to the selected role; and

(d) controlling a feature of the mobile user device based on the user device feature control policy.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving information identifying a plurality of roles automatically without action from the user.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving information identifying a plurality of roles includes receiving the roles and corresponding user device feature control policies in response to a request from a user.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein selecting a role includes automatically selecting a role based on a user authentication parameter.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein selecting a role includes selecting a role in response to a role selection input from a user.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein controlling a feature based on the user device feature control policy includes controlling at least one mobile phone feature based on the user device feature control policy.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein controlling a feature includes controlling at least one camera feature based on the mobile user device feature control policy.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein controlling at least one feature based on the mobile user device feature control policy includes requesting permission for activating a simultaneous-use-controlled feature and activating the feature in response to receiving the permission.

22. The method of claim 14 comprising overriding the policy in response to receiving an override input from the user.

23. A method for applying different feature control policies to different user devices in the same locale, the method comprising:

(a) automatically communicating a first role- and locale-based feature control policy to a first mobile user device based on a role of a first user;

(b) automatically communicating a second role- and locale-based feature control policy to a second mobile user device based on a role of a second user; and

(c) controlling the first and second mobile user devices using the first and second policies, wherein the first policy is different from the second policy.

24. A system for role- and locale-based user device feature control, the system comprising:

(a) a mobile user device feature control policy database for storing a plurality of different mobile user device feature control policies and corresponding mobile user roles; and

(b) a role- and locale-based policy controller for determining a role assigned to a user of a mobile user device, for extracting a policy corresponding to the role from the database, and for communicating the policy to the mobile user device.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the mobile user device feature control policy database is adapted to store user device feature control policies for camera devices.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the mobile user device feature control policy database is adapted to store user device feature control policies for mobile communications devices.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the policy controller is adapted to broadcast a locale identifier over an air interface, to receive a user device role request from the mobile user device over the air interface, and to send available roles and corresponding policies to the mobile user device over the air interface.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the policy controller is adapted to:

(a) monitor a number of users simultaneously using a simultaneous-use-limited feature;

(b) receive a request from the mobile user device for activating the simultaneous-use-limited feature;

(c) grant the request in response to determining that granting the request would not cause the number of users using the simultaneous-use-limited feature to meet or exceed a threshold; and

(d) refuse to grant the request and storing pending request data in response to determining that granting the request would cause the number of users using the simultaneous-use-limited feature to meet or exceed the threshold.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the policy controller is adapted to:

(a) monitor a use duration for current users of the simultaneous-use-limited feature; and

(b) in response to determining that a use duration for one of the current users meets or exceeds a maximum feature usage time threshold, disable the feature for the current user and activate the feature for the user corresponding to the pending request data.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the policy controller is adapted to communicate the policy to the user device automatically without requiring intervention from the user.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the policy controller is adapted to communicate the policy to the user in response to a request from a user over an air interface.

32. A user device for implementing role- and locale-based feature control, the user device comprising:

(a) a feature control client for obtaining information identifying a plurality of user roles, for communicating a selected role to a policy controller and for obtaining a user device feature control policy corresponding to the selected role; and

(b) a feature controller for controlling at least one feature of the device based on the user device feature control policy.

33. The user device of claim 32 wherein the feature control client is adapted to automatically obtain the information identifying the roles from the policy controller without intervention from the user.

34. The user device of claim 32 wherein the feature control client is adapted to receive input from the user regarding the selected role.

35. The user device of claim 32 wherein the feature controller is adapted to request permission for performing a simultaneous-use-controlled action and to perform the action in response to receiving the permission.

36. The user device of claim 32 wherein the feature controller is adapted to override the user device feature control policy in response to an override request from a user.

37. A system for controlling at least one feature of mobile user device based on a locale and a role of a user of the mobile user device, the system comprising:

(a) means for storing, in a database, role information identifying a plurality of different roles assigned to different user types and corresponding locale-based mobile user device feature control policies;

(b) means for determining a role of a user of the mobile user device;

(c) means for selecting, from the database, a locale-based mobile user device feature control policy corresponding to the role of the user; and

(d) means for controlling at least one feature of the mobile user device based on the locale-based feature control policy.

38. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

at a mobile user device;

(a) receiving information identifying a plurality of user roles;

(b) selecting one of the roles;

(c) receiving a user device feature control policy corresponding to the selected role; and

(d) controlling a feature of the mobile user device based on the user device feature control policy.

39. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

(a) automatically communicating a first role- and locale-based feature control policy to a first mobile user device based on a role of a first user;

(b) automatically communicating a second role- and locale-based feature control policy to a second mobile user device based on a role of a second user; and

(c) controlling the first and second mobile user devices using the first and second policies, wherein the first policy is different from the second policy.