Enforcing device settings for mobile devices

• US 20070006289A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Zhidong, Aftab, Omar, Tousignant, Patrick, Nalliah, Selvaraj, Ciccotosto, Massimiliano, Atwood, John, Limont, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for enforcing device settings for mobile devices. Generally, a computer system enforces appropriate mobile device settings (e.g., policy and/or configuration settings) prior to permitting a mobile device to access maintained data. The computer system receives a request from a mobile device. The computer system determines that current mobile device settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data. The computer system sends device settings, representing a new mobile device configuration that is appropriate accessing the maintained data, to the mobile device. The computer system receives an indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device settings. The computer system permits the mobile device to access the maintained data in response to receiving the indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device settings.

Claims

1. At a computer system that maintains data accessible to mobile devices, a:

method for enforcing an appropriate mobile device configuration prior to permitting a mobile device to access the maintained data, the method comprising;

an act of receiving a request from a mobile device, the request requesting that the mobile device be permitted to access data maintained by the computer system, the request indicating a current mobile device configuration of the mobile device;

an act of determining that current mobile device configuration is not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

an act of sending device configuration settings to the mobile device, the device configuration settings representing a new mobile device configuration that is appropriate accessing the maintained data;

an act of receiving an indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device configuration settings subsequent to sending the device configuration settings to the mobile device; and

an act of permitting the mobile device to access the maintained data in response to receiving the indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device configuration settings.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request from a mobile device comprises an act of receiving a request that was sent in accordance with HTTP.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request from a mobile device comprises an act of receiving a request for a Web page.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a request from a mobile device comprises an act of receiving a request from a mobile device selected from among a mobile telephone, a PDA, and a watch.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of determining that current mobile device configuration is not appropriate for accessing the maintained data comprises an act of comparing a received configuration version to one or more configuration versions representing appropriate configurations for accessing the maintained data.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of sending device configuration settings to the mobile device comprises sending configuration settings that are designated to alter the current configuration of one or more of an operating system, an application program, hardware, allocated resources, a network interface, and wireless protocol settings, at the mobile device.

7. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device configuration settings comprises comparing a comprises an act of comparing a received configuration version to one or more configuration versions representing appropriate configurations for accessing the maintained data.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprises:

an act of notifying the mobile device that access to maintained data has been permitted.

9. At a computer system that maintains data accessible to mobile devices, a method for enforcing mobile device access policies prior to permitting mobile device access to maintained data, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a data command from a mobile device, the data command indicating a policy version, the policy version representing the current policy settings at the mobile device;

an act of determining that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system;

an act of notifying the mobile device that the current policy settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

an act of receiving a policy request from the mobile device, the policy request requesting policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

an act of identifying updated policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

an act of sending the updated policy settings along with a corresponding updated policy version to the mobile device, the updated policy version representing the updated policy settings;

an act of receiving a data request along with the updated policy version from the mobile device, the data request requesting that the mobile device be permitted to access the maintained data, the updated policy version indicating that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the updated policy settings; and

an act of notifying the mobile device that access to the maintained data has been permitted.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of receiving a data command from a mobile device comprises an act of receiving a request for electronic mail data.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein an act of determining that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system comprises an act of comparing a received policy version, representing the current policy settings to one or more policy versions representing appropriate policy settings for accessing the maintained data.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein an act of determining that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system comprises an act of determining that the mobile device does not support policy settings.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein an act of determining that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system comprises an act of determining that the mobile device does not support PIN lock.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of receiving a policy request from the mobile device comprises an act of receiving a policy request for policy settings that are appropriate for accessing electronic mail data.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of receiving a policy request from the mobile device comprises an act of receiving a policy request from a mobile device selected from among a mobile telephone, a PDA, and a watch.

16. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of identifying updated policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data comprises an act identifying one or more of PIN lock settings, storage wipe settings, periodic enforcement settings, and policy exceptions.

17. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of sending the updated policy settings along with a corresponding updated policy version to the mobile device comprises an act of sending or more of PIN lock settings, storage wipe settings, periodic enforcement settings, and policy exceptions.

18. The method as recited in claim 9, where the act of receiving a data request along with the updated policy version from the mobile device comprises an act of receiving a policy version indicating that the user of the mobile device is at least temporarily excepted from policy compliance.

19. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

An act of initiating a remote storage wipe of the mobile device.

20. A computer-program product for use at a computer system that maintains data accessible to mobile devices, the computer program product for implementing a method for enforcing mobile device access policies prior to permitting mobile device access to maintained data, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computer system to perform the following:

receive a data command from a mobile device, the data command indicating a policy version, the policy version representing the current policy settings at the mobile device;

determine that the current policy settings at the mobile device are not appropriate for accessing data maintained by the computer system;

notify the mobile device that the current policy settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

receive a policy request from the mobile device, the policy request requesting policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

identify updated policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

send the updated policy settings along with a corresponding updated policy version to the mobile device, the updated policy version representing the updated policy settings;

receive a data request along with the updated policy version from the mobile device, the data request requesting that the mobile device be permitted to access the maintained data, the updated policy version indicating that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the updated policy settings; and

notify the mobile device that access to the maintained data has been permitted.