METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BEARER AND SERVER INDEPENDENT PARENTAL CONTROL ON SMARTPHONE, MANAGED BY THE SMARTPHONE

• US 20110237221A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Prakash, Gyan, Dadu, Saurabh, Poornachandran, Rajesh, Aissi, Selim
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

In some embodiments, the invention involves parental or master control of a child or subordinate mobile phone without service provider intervention. An embodiment of the invention is a system and method relating to master control of the subordinate smart phone using features on the smart phones, and independent of features provided by the phone service providers. Communication between the master and subordinate phones may be initiated using SMS messaging, near field communication, Bluetooth, direct connect to a PC, or by other secure wireless or wired connections. Once initiated, desired communication events are captured by the parental control application to effect control policies on the subordinate phone. Communication between the phones may be encrypted to prevent malicious intervention of message traffic Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of mobile phones, each phone to be identified as one of either a master phone or a child phone, each master phone configured to control at least one child phone, wherein each child phone to be configured to be controlled by at least one master phone, wherein each phone further comprising;

a user interface of a parental control application to allow a master user on a master phone to interactively manage and control the at least one child phone, wherein a set-up phase is to identify whether a phone is to act as a master phone or child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the phone to authenticate a data connection session between a master phone and child phone, and between more than one master phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in a child phone and record the changes in the master phone;

a communication agent configured to send requests and policy changes from the master phone to the child phone, and perform a handshake communication between phones; and

secure storage for storing at least one control policy (hereafter, “

policy”

), the at least one policy being associated with one of the at least one child phones.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a logging agent to log message and event activity in a phone.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data connection session is to be initiated with a series of short message service (SMS) messages between a master phone and child phone.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein once the data connection session is established, the master phone and child phone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by the parental control application is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

7. A child mobile phone, comprising:

a plurality of communication features of the mobile phone to be controlled by at least one authenticated master phone, wherein control of the communication features is transparent to a user of the child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the child phone to authenticate a data connection session between a master phone and the child phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the child phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in the child phone and record the changes in a secure storage coupled to the child phone;

a communication agent configured to receive requests and policy changes from the master phone, and perform a handshake communication between the child phone and the master phone.

8. The phone as recited in claim 7, wherein the data connection session is to be initiated with a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone.

9. The phone as recited in claim 8, wherein once the data connection session is established, the master phone and the child phone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol.

10. The phone as recited in claim 8, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by a parental control application on the child phone is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

11. The phone as recited in claim 7, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

12. A master mobile phone, comprising:

a user interface of a parental control application to allow a master user on the master phone to interactively manage and control at least one child phone, wherein a set-up phase is to identify whether a phone is to act as a master phone or child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the master phone to authenticate a data connection session between the master phone and the at least one child phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the master phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in the at least one child phone and record the changes in a secure storage coupled to the master phone;

a communication agent configured to send requests and policy changes to the at least one child phone, and perform a handshake communication between the at least one child phone and the master phone.

13. The phone as recited in claim 12, wherein the data connection session is to be initiated with a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the at least one child phone.

14. The phone as recited in claim 13, wherein once the data connection session is established, the master phone and the child phone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol.

15. The phone as recited in claim 12, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by the parental control application on the master phone is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

16. The phone as recited in claim 12, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the at least one child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

17. The phone as recited in claim 12, wherein a master synchronization data connection session is to be initiated between the master phone and at least one other master phone, the at least one other master phone configured to control a same child phone as to be controlled by the master phone, wherein the master synchronization data connection is to synchronize a stored policy on the master phone and the at least one other master phone, the stored policy with the same child phone.

18. A method for controlling at least one child mobile phone by at least on master mobile phone, comprising:

identifying whether a phone is to be a master or child phone, by a master user;

initiating a message handshake protocol between a master phone and a child phone;

requesting authenticating of the master phone to the child phone; and

controlling features of the child phone by the master phone, after authentication by sending a control policy to the child phone.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein, the sending of the control policy to the child phone further comprises:

initiating a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone;

sending a request to the child phone from the master phone;

when the request comprises a change in control policy, storing the change in control policy in a secure storage coupled to the master phone.

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

receiving a request by the child phone; and

performing an action based on the request.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein when the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change, then storing the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

registering, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

23. A method for enabling control in a child phone by at least one master phone, comprising:

identifying whether a phone is to be a master or child phone, by a master user;

responding to a message handshake protocol initiation between a master phone and a child phone;

receiving a request for authentication of the master phone by the child phone;

authenticating the master phone by the child phone; and

receiving a request from the master phone, by the child phone.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising:

\performing an action based on the request, responsive to receiving the request by the child phone.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein when the request received by the child phone is comprises a control policy change, then storing the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone, the secure storage inaccessible to a non-master user on the child phone.

26. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

registering, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

27. A machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for controlling at least one child mobile phone, the instructions when executed by a machine cause the machine to:

categorize that a phone is to be a master phone or a child phone based on a selection by a master user;

initiate a message handshake protocol between a master phone and a child phone;

request authenticating of the master phone to the child phone; and

control features of the child phone by the master phone, after authentication by sending a control policy to the child phone.

28. The medium as recited in claim 27, wherein, the sending of the control policy to the child phone further comprises instructions to:

initiate a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone;

send a request to the child phone from the master phone;

when the request comprises a change in control policy, store the change in control policy in a secure storage coupled to the master phone.

29. The medium as recited in claim 28, further comprising instructions to:

receive a request by the child phone; and

perform an action based on the request.

30. The medium as recited in claim 29, wherein when the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change, then store the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone.

31. The medium as recited in claim 29, further comprising instructions to:

register, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

32. A machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for enabling controlling of a child mobile phone, the instructions when executed by a machine cause the machine to:

categorize that a phone is to be a master phone or a child phone based on a selection by a master user;

respond to a message handshake protocol initiation between a master phone and a child phone;

receive a request for authentication of the master phone by the child phone;

authenticate the master phone by the child phone; and

receive a request from the master phone, by the child phone.

33. The medium as recited in claim 32, further comprising instructions to:

\perform an action based on the request, responsive to receiving the request by the child phone.

34. The medium as recited in claim 33, wherein when the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change, then store the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone, the secure storage inaccessible to a non-master user on the child phone.

35. The medium as recited in claim 33, further comprising instructions to:

register, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.