System and method for controlling device usage
First Claim
1. A method for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a policy to said device for controlling usage of said device during a restricted period, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting a selected one or more of said features, and a trigger for initiating said rules in order to inhibit said selected one or more of said features;
implementing said trigger in said device for applying said rules during said restricted period; and
initiating said trigger upon commencement of said restricted period and applying said set of rules to inhibit said selected ones of said features for the duration of said restricted period according to said rules.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Mobile device usage may be monitored and restricted by pushing enabling/disabling events from an administrator the device. The events impose a certain set of rules that can “lock” certain features provided by the device, according to permissions and pre-established policies, for a certain period of time. Such restricted periods may coincide with meetings or other events in which distractions should be kept to a minimum. Preferably, the rules include conditional locks that allow a user to use a feature a reasonable number of times before the lock is activated to place the onus on the user for minimizing such distractions, while enabling the user to maintain access to such a vital communication tool. Cancel packets may also be used to not only control but to monitor the application of the rule sets and when certain conditions are breaches, which provides an employer with sufficient information to use in auditing device usage or in reprimanding users for misuse of a privilege such as the use of mobile data communications devices.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a policy to said device for controlling usage of said device during a restricted period, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting a selected one or more of said features, and a trigger for initiating said rules in order to inhibit said selected one or more of said features;
implementing said trigger in said device for applying said rules during said restricted period; and
initiating said trigger upon commencement of said restricted period and applying said set of rules to inhibit said selected ones of said features for the duration of said restricted period according to said rules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said system comprising an entity for providing a policy to said device to inhibit a selected one or more of said features of said device during a restricted period, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting said selected one or more of said features and a time sensitive trigger for initiating said rules;
- said entity employing a connection between itself and said device to deploy said trigger in said device using said policy, and to inhibit said selected one or more of said features upon initiation of said trigger for the duration of said restricted period according to said rules.
- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification