SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING MOBILE DEVICE APPLICATIONS AND FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS

• US 20140148192A1
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wavemarket Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodges, Daniel, Roumeliotis, Tasos, Hotes, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,591,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of enabling device use is provided. The method includes receiving from a first user an indication of at least one geographic area. Location information of a second user corresponding to a mobile device is received. The location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area are compared, and at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device are enabled based on the comparison of the location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area. A computing system for enabling device use is also provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of enabling device use, the method comprising:

receiving from a first user an indication of at least one geographic area;

receiving location information of a second user corresponding to a mobile device;

comparing the location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area; and

enabling at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device based on the comparison of the location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one functional component of the mobile device enables at least one of electronic messaging, electronic photo messaging, telephone communication, internet usage, camera usage, video camera usage, and application execution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one application comprises enabling at least one of a plurality of applications on the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one application comprises enabling a category of applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one functional component comprises enabling access to at least one restricted internet site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one functional component comprises enabling access to a plurality of internet sites corresponding to a restricted internet site category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one geographic area corresponds to a plurality of geographic areas.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising receiving location information of at least one other user, wherein the at least one geographic area is a dynamic geographic area based on a position of at least one other user determined by the location information of the at least one other user.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising receiving an indication of the at least one other user from the first user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one other user is the first user.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining the distance between the second user and the at least one other user;

enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device responsive to the distance between the second user and the at least one other user being within a particular length.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein a client application executed on a mobile device of the at least one other user enables receiving the location information of the at least one other user.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the location information of the second user comprises receiving an indication of a particular wireless access point or wired access point the mobile device connects to, the method further comprising:

determining that the mobile device of the second user and a device corresponding to the at least one other user are both connected to the particular wireless access point or wired access point; and

enabling the at least one of the application and the functional component responsive to determining that a mobile device of the second user and a device corresponding to the at least one other user are both connected to the particular wireless or wired access point.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the location information of the second user comprises receiving an indication of a particular wireless access point or wired access point the mobile device connects to, the method further comprising:

enabling the at least one of the application and the functional component responsive to determining that the mobile device of the second user is connected to the particular wireless or wired access point; and

disabling the at least one of the application and the functional component responsive to determining that the mobile device of the second user is disconnected from the particular wireless or wired access point.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the location information of the second user comprises receiving Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) data from the mobile device of the second user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a client application executed on the mobile device of the second user enables the steps of receiving the location information and enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a plurality of functional components based on the comparison of the location information of the second user and the indication of the at least one geographic area.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a network-connected computing system to receive the indication of the at least one geographic area from the first user;

communicating the indication of the at least one geographic area from the first user to a client application on the mobile device; and

enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device using the client application on the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device based on the comparison of the location information of the second user and the indication of the at least one geographic area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device via an operating system level of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device via a user interface of the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application and the functional component by limiting use by the mobile device of a network resource.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the location information of the second user via at least one network resource in communication with the mobile device of the second user.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user an indication of a plurality of other users; and

receiving location information of the plurality of other users, wherein the at least one geographic area is a plurality of dynamic geographic areas, each of the plurality of dynamic geographic areas based on a position of at least one of the plurality of other users as determined by the location information.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device at a network level by enabling at least one network resource configured for connection with the mobile device via a network.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user an indication of the at least one of the application and the functional component; and

enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device and the functional component of the mobile device based on the indication of the at least one of the application and the functional component from the first user.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user an indication of a particular category of applications; and

enabling the particular category of applications based on the indication of the particular category of applications received from the first user.

28. A computing system comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the system, cause the system to perform a process including:

receiving location information of a user corresponding to a mobile device;

comparing the location information of the user and at least one geographic area; and

enabling at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device based on the comparison of the location information of the user and the at least one geographic area.

29. Non-transitory computer-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by at least one computing system to implement a method, the at least one computing system being capable of interfacing with a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving location information of a user corresponding to a mobile device;

comparing the location information of the user and at least one geographic area; and

enabling at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device based on the comparison of the location information of the user and the at least one geographic area.

30. A computer-implemented method of enabling device use, the method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal transmitted by at least one of a first mobile device and a second mobile device with the other of the first mobile device and the second mobile device;

enabling at least one of a particular application and a particular functional component of at least one of the first mobile device and the second mobile device responsive to receiving the wireless signal;

determining that the strength of the received wireless signal has decreased below a particular level; and

disabling the at least one of the particular application and the particular functional component responsive to determining the strength of the received wireless signal has decreased below a particular level.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

determining that the strength of the received wireless signal has decreased below a detectable level; and

disabling the at least one of the particular application and the particular functional component responsive to determining the strength of the received wireless signal has decreased below a detectable level.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

determining that the strength of the received wireless signal is greater than a particular level; and

enabling the at least one of the particular application and the particular functional component responsive to determining the strength of the received wireless signal is greater than a particular level.