Monitoring mobile phone communications

• US 20100112986A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher Gilboy, Paul Ellingham
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilboy, Christopher, Ellingham, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/16 with lock-out or secrecy provision in party-line systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The specification describes systems, and operation of systems, that allows a parent or other responsible party to monitor the mobile device activities of a child. In addition, it optionally allows the parent to dynamically control the mobile device activities of the child. It relies on software, or a network adjunct, that links a mobile device to a station set or mobile phone under the control of the parent. Calling traffic to and from the mobile device may be routed to a receiver at a location monitored by the parent. In preferred embodiments, software is designed to allow the parent to intervene in the communications of the child. The intervention may take a variety of forms, such as interrupting a call in progress, terminating all call activity, interrupting or terminating Internet access. Where the mobile device is provided with pre-programmed restraining software, the intervention may be to modify the restraining software to add new restraints.

Claims

1. Method for placing and receiving calls between a mobile device controlled by a first party and a wireless network, the mobile device containing control logic, comprising:

a. entering a dialed call address in the mobile device,

b. using the control logic comparing the dialed call address to a dialed call address list stored in the mobile device,

c. placing a call only when the dialed call address is on the stored dialed call address list,

d. entering a received call address in the mobile device,

e. using the control logic comparing the received call address to a received call address list stored in the mobile device,

f. blocking a call when the received call address is not on the stored received call address list,

g. placing a call over the wireless network between the mobile device and a remote monitor,

h. receiving by the remote monitor a request from the first party to amend a call address list,

j. sending from the remote monitor to the mobile device over the wireless network a message to amend the call list,

k. using the control logic in the mobile device to authenticate the message, and, if authenticated, to amend the call list.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein calls are simultaneously routed to the mobile device and to the remote monitor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the remote monitor intervenes in a call in progress.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the intervention is to listen to a call in progress.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the intervention is to terminate a call in progress.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the call address is a telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the call address is an Internet access number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the call address is an Internet URL.

9. Method for placing calls between a mobile device and a wireless network comprising:

a. placing calls between the mobile device and the wireless network,

b. timing the duration of the calls placed to generate a total call duration,

when the total call duration reaches a predetermined value;

c. entering a dialed number in the mobile device,

d. comparing the dialed number to a dialed number list stored in the mobile device,

e. placing a call that matches a dialed number on the stored dial number list.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the dialed number list is amended using a monitor device connected to the wireless network.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein calls placed by the mobile device are compared with a call address list to determine whether an exemption applies, and applying step b. selectively to calls for which an exemption does not apply.

12. Method for placing a call between a mobile device and a wireless network wherein the call is monitored by a remote monitor device connected to the wireless network comprising:

a. entering a dialed address in the mobile device,

b. comparing the dialed address to an Internet number list stored in the mobile device,

if the dialed number matches a stored Internet number,

c. notifying the monitor device.

13. The method of claim 12 further including transmitting Internet images to the remote monitor device that duplicate Internet images transmitted to the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 12 further including:

d. entering a URL in the mobile device,

e. comparing the URL to a URL list stored in the mobile device,

f. transmitting the URL to the Internet when the URL is on the stored URL list,

g. blocking transmission of the URL to the Internet when the URL is not on the stored URL list.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the URL list is amended using a monitor device connected to the wireless network.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the monitor device terminates the Internet access between the mobile device and the wireless network.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitor device terminates the Internet access between the mobile device and the wireless network.