Methods, systems and computer products for remote monitoring and control of application usage on mobile devices

• US 20080125079A1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Neil, Douglas, Sherman, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US11/593,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer products for notifying a customer if particular telephone numbers are in communication with the mobile network, and when a particular application associated with the telephone numbers are in use. Exemplary embodiments include a methods, systems and computer products for providing a mobile network notification service, including establishing a notification relationship between a device and the mobile network, monitoring the device for application usage on the network, generating a notification on the network related to the application usage and in response to the notification, generating a response to the application usage.

Claims

1. A method for providing a mobile network notification service, comprising:

establishing a notification relationship between a device and the mobile network;

monitoring the device for application usage on the network;

generating a notification on the network related to the application usage; and

in response to the notification, generating a response to the application usage.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein establishing the notification relationship comprises:

establishing the device as subordinate; and

configuring the device to receive commands to control an application residing on the device.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the commands terminate the application.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising configuring the device to monitor for application usage.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein application usage includes at least one of:

telephony;

messaging;

e-commerce; and

browsing.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein establishing the notification relationship comprises establishing the device as subordinate to a master device that allows the subordinate device to be at least one of configured by the master device, monitored by the master device, and controlled by the master device

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further receiving a message from the network in the device related to the application usage.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein generating a response to the application usage is terminating the application usage.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein generating a response to the application usage is limiting the application usage.

10. A system for providing a mobile network notification service, comprising:

a network;

a device in communication with the network; and

a notification application residing on at least one of the network and the device, the notification application monitoring the device for application usage.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the notification application includes instructions to configure the device to monitor application usage.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the notification application includes instructions to receive control commands in the device.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the control commands include commands to terminate the application usage.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a graphical user interface including a display and a selection device

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the notification application includes instructions to:

retrieve a set of menu entries, each of the menu entries representing a notification criterion and a notification preference;

display the set of menu entries on the display;

receive a plurality of menu entry selection signals indicative of the selection device pointed at a selected menu entry from the set of menu entries; and

in response to the signal, configuring the device to monitor application usage and provide notification to the network, represented by the selected menu entries.

16. The system as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a device application residing on the device.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the device application usage includes at least one of:

telephone;

message;

e-commerce; and

browser.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

establishing a notification relationship between a device and the mobile network;

establishing the device as subordinate and configurable by a configuration process;

monitoring the device for application usage on the network;

generating a notification on the network related to the application usage; and

in response to the notification, receiving commands in the device to control the device.

19. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein the configuration process comprises instructions to:

set-up notification criteria based on application usage; and

set-up notification preferences.

20. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 18, wherein receiving commands in the device to control the device includes receiving commands to terminate the application usage.