Analyzing Applications for Different Access Modes

• US 20140283142A1
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Federighi, Craig M., Alsina, Thomas M., Christie, Gregory N., Lemay, Stephen O., Coffman, Patrick L., Shepherd, Matthew E., Pedrick, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724634 With partially locked states, e.g. when some telephonic functional locked states or applications remain accessible in the locked states

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a mobile device with multiple access modes. The device in some embodiments has at least two access modes, a primary access mode and a secondary access mode, that provide different restrictions for accessing the applications and/or data that are stored on the device. In some embodiments, the mobile device automatically selects applications to share or keep private based metadata associated with the applications.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a plurality of access modes for the device, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

when the device is operating in a first access mode, presenting a plurality of applications for use at the device;

based on analysis of the plurality of applications and metadata associated with the plurality of applications, determining a subset of the plurality of applications to share in a second access mode of the device; and

when the device is operating in the second access mode, presenting the subset of the plurality of applications for use at the device.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, the program further comprising a set of instructions for generating additional metadata associated with the plurality of applications based on the metadata associated with the plurality of applications, wherein the set of instructions for determining the subset of the plurality of applications to share in the second access mode of the device comprises a set of instructions for determining the subset of the plurality of applications to share in the second access mode of the device based on analysis of the plurality of applications, the metadata associated with the plurality of applications, and the additional metadata associated with the plurality of applications.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the set of instructions for generating additional metadata associated with the plurality of applications based on the metadata associated with the plurality of applications comprises sets of instructions for:

performing an analysis of the metadata associated with a particular application in the plurality of applications upon installation of the particular application on the device; and

generating additional metadata associated with the particular application based on the analysis of the metadata associated with the particular application.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the analysis of the metadata associated with the particular application is a first analysis, wherein the additional metadata associated with the particular application is a first additional metadata, wherein the set of instructions for generating additional metadata associated with the plurality of applications based on the metadata associated with the plurality of applications further comprises sets of instructions for:

performing a second analysis of the metadata associated with the particular application and the first additional metadata; and

generating a second additional metadata associated with the particular application based on the second analysis of the metadata associated with the particular application.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for storing at the device the generated additional metadata associated with the plurality of applications for later analysis.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of applications comprises metadata specified by developers of the plurality of applications.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the metadata associated with the plurality of applications further comprises metadata generated, based on the metadata specified by developers of the plurality of applications, at a server from which the plurality of applications are downloaded to the device for installation on the device.

8. A method for sharing applications installed on a device in a shared access mode of the device, the method comprising:

for a first setting of a parameter, analyzing a plurality of applications and information related to the plurality of applications for determining a first set of applications in the plurality of applications to share in the shared access mode of the device;

for a second setting of the parameter, analyzing the plurality of applications and information related to the plurality of applications for determining a second set of applications in the plurality of applications different from the first set of applications to share in the shared access mode of the device;

when the device is operating in the shared access mode and the parameter is set at the first setting, providing the first set of applications for use at the device; and

when the device is operating in the shared access mode and the parameter is set at the second setting, providing the second set of applications for use at the device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter is an age parameter and the first and second settings of the parameter specify first and second ranges of ages.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the information related to the plurality of applications comprises age ratings for the applications.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the information related to the plurality of applications further comprises genre classifications of the applications.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

for a third setting of the parameter, analyzing the plurality of applications and information related to the plurality of applications for determining a third set of applications in the plurality of applications different from the first and second sets of applications to share in the shared access mode of the device; and

when the device is operating in the shared access mode and the parameter is set at the third setting, providing the third set of applications for use at the device.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving input specifying one of the first and second settings of the parameter.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing the plurality of applications for use at the device when the device is operating in a non-shared access mode.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of a device provides a plurality of access modes for the device, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

analyzing a set of attributes of each application in a plurality of applications to determine a set of heuristic measures for the application;

determining a ranking for each application in the plurality of applications based on the set of heuristic measures of the application; and

determining a set of applications in the plurality of applications to share in the shared access mode of device based on the rankings of the plurality of applications.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, the program further comprising a set of instructions for providing the set of applications for use at the device and preventing access to remaining applications in the plurality of applications when the device is operating in the shared access mode.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes of each application comprises an age restriction for the application.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes of each application comprises a genre to which the application is categorized.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes of each application comprises entitlements that the application utilizes when operating on the device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes of each application comprises linked libraries that the application uses when operating on the device.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes of each application comprises encryption levels that the application uses to manage data on the device.