System and Method for Controlling Device Usage

• US 20140080471A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Coskun, Risvan, Martin, Daryl Joseph, Hassan, Ahmed E., Wilson, John Ferguson
• Granted Patent: US 9,560,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

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 or be during regular, predetermined time periods. 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.

Claims

1. A method for controlling usage of features provided by a first mobile device in a communication system, the features requiring user interaction, said method comprising:

receiving at said first mobile device, from a second mobile device, a set of rules having been selected from a calendar application on said second mobile device for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules having been broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device for controlling usage of particular features on said first mobile device during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules being selected on said second mobile device from a plurality of rules;

storing said set of rules on said first mobile device; and

applying said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of rules is received in a calendar invitation, said method further comprising updating said calendar application after detecting acceptance of said calendar invitation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising including an indication of said feature restrictions in details associated with the calendar invitation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication includes at least one of an icon and a list of features being restricted.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said set of rules further comprises one or more exemptions related to circumstances where triggering said feature restrictions should not be implemented.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said set of rules is provided to said first mobile device via a policy packet, said set of rules also being modifiable using other policy packets.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said set of rules comprises at least one conditional rule, each conditional rule allowing a corresponding one of said particular features to be used a predetermined number of times during said restricted period, said method further comprising:

enabling at least one of said corresponding one of said particular features to be used during said at least one restricted period;

detecting that said predetermined number of times has been exceeded during one of said restricted periods; and

preventing further use of said corresponding one of said particular features during a remainder of said one of said restricted periods.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

during said one or more predetermined restricted periods, providing as an output on said first mobile device, an option to override one or more of said feature restrictions in said set of rules during said restricted period to thereby permit access to one or more corresponding features; and

if said first mobile device detects an input to said first device indicating that said option to override has been used, sending a cancel indicator to said second mobile device to enable said second mobile device to monitor usage of said first mobile device.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, upon receiving a policy packet comprising a change to the set of rules, applying one or more changes to at least one of said one or more feature restrictions and said one or more time restrictions in said set of rules on said first mobile device, to thereby dynamically change said set of rules on said first mobile device to accommodate a change in category level or to enable a temporary exemption.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said set of rules is received from the second mobile device via a direct non-network supported link.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions executable by a processor of a first mobile device for:

receiving at said first mobile device, from a second mobile device, a set of rules having been selected from a calendar application on said second mobile device for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules having been broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device for controlling usage of particular features on said first mobile device during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules being selected on said second mobile device from a plurality of rules;

storing said set of rules on said first mobile device; and

applying said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules.

12. A first mobile device configured for providing one or more features requiring user interaction, said first mobile device being communicably connectable to a communication system for receiving data from other entities, said first mobile device comprising a memory and a processor for executing instructions stored in the memory for:

receiving at said first mobile device, from a second mobile device, a set of rules having been selected from a calendar application on said second mobile device for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules having been broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device for controlling usage of particular features on said first mobile device during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules being selected on said second mobile device from a plurality of rules;

storing said set of rules on said first mobile device; and

applying said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules.

13. A method of controlling usage of features provided by a first mobile device in a communication system, said features requiring user interaction, said method comprising a second mobile device:

selecting a set of rules from a plurality of rules to be broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device, in a calendar application on said second mobile device, for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules causing said first mobile device to apply said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules; and

broadcasting said set of rules to said first mobile device to have said set of rules stored on said first mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of rules is broadcast in a calendar invitation to enable said first mobile device to update said calendar application.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising including an indication of said feature restrictions in details associated with the calendar invitation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication includes at least one of an icon and a list of features being restricted.

17. The method according to claim 13 wherein said set of rules further comprises one or more exemptions related to circumstances where triggering said feature restrictions should not be implemented.

18. The method according to claim 13 wherein said set of rules is provided to said first mobile device via a policy packet, said set of rules also being modifiable using other policy packets.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein said set of rules comprises at least one conditional rule, each conditional rule allowing a corresponding one of said particular features to be used a predetermined number of times during said restricted period, said conditional rule configured to have said first mobile device:

enable at least one of said corresponding one of said particular features to be used during said at least one restricted period;

detect that said predetermined number of times has been exceeded during one of said restricted periods; and

prevent further use of said corresponding one of said particular features during a remainder of said one of said restricted periods.

20. The method according to claim 13, said set of rules being further configured to enable the first mobile device to:

during said one or more predetermined restricted periods, provide as an output on said first mobile device, an option to override one or more of said feature restrictions in said set of rules during said restricted period to thereby permit access to one or more corresponding features; and

if said first mobile device detects an input to said first device indicating that said option to override has been used, send a cancel indicator to said second mobile device to enable said second mobile device to monitor usage of said first mobile device.

21. The method according to claim 13, further comprising sending a policy packet comprising a change to the set of rules to have said first mobile device apply one or more changes to at least one of said one or more feature restrictions and said one or more time restrictions in said set of rules on said first mobile device, to thereby dynamically change said set of rules on said first mobile device to accommodate a change in category level or to enable a temporary exemption.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein said set of rules is sent by said second mobile device via a direct non-network supported link.

23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions executable by a processor of a first mobile device for:

selecting a set of rules from a plurality of rules to be broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device, in a calendar application on said second mobile device, for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules causing said first mobile device to apply said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules; and

broadcasting said set of rules to said first mobile device to have said set of rules stored on said first mobile device.

24. A second mobile device configured for controlling usage of features provided by a first mobile device in a communication system, said features requiring user interaction, said second mobile device being communicably connectable to said first mobile device over said communication system, said second mobile device comprising a memory for storing a plurality of rules for controlling said usage of said features, and a processor configured for:

selecting a set of rules from said plurality of rules to be broadcast by said second mobile device to said first mobile device, in a calendar application on said second mobile device, for imposing feature restriction, said calendar application used for selecting at least one restricted period during which said feature restriction is imposed, said set of rules comprising at least one feature restriction and at least one time restriction for restricting usage of said particular features during said at least one restricted period, said set of rules causing said first mobile device to apply said feature restrictions for the duration of said at least one restricted period according to said set of rules; and

broadcasting said set of rules to said first mobile device to have said set of rules stored on said first mobile device.