REMOTE ASSISTANCE FOR MANAGED MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20150319178A1
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Desai, Nitin, Singh, Jaspreet
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

According to some aspects disclosed herein, a system for remote assistance and control of user devices subject to one or more remote assistance policies may be provided. In some embodiments, an administrator may request remote control of a managed user device. A managed application launcher may be provided by the user device and may be modified by the user device to remove managed applications or otherwise prevent access to applications that have a policy indicating that remote assistance is not allowed. The administrator may open a managed application included in the launcher and remotely control that application. In other embodiments, a user of the managed user device may initiate a request for remote assistance from within a managed application and/or the managed application launcher. The administrator'"'"'s control of the user device and access to other applications on the user device may be limited based on the remote assistance policies.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a remote assistance connection on a managed mobile device having a remote assistance policy set, wherein the remote assistance policy set comprises one or more remote assistance policies;

receiving user input from a remote user;

processing, by the managed mobile device, the user input based on the remote assistance policy set; and

sending user interface updates from the managed mobile device to the remote user based on the remote assistance policy set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the remote assistance connection on the managed mobile device comprises:

receiving, by the managed mobile device, a request for remote control from the remote user;

determining, based on the remote assistance policy set, whether to grant the request for remote control; and

establishing the remote assistance connection with the remote user based on the determining.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a first access policy of the remote assistance policy set allows remote control requests for managed applications.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a second access policy of the remote assistance policy set denies remote control requests for unmanaged applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the remote assistance connection on the managed mobile device comprises:

receiving, by the managed mobile device, a request for remote assistance from a local user;

sending a message requesting remote assistance to at least one of;

a remote support server or and a remote user device; and

establishing the remote assistance connection with the remote user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the user input based on the remote access policy set comprises:

determining whether the user input is allowed based on an input policy of the remote assistance policy set; and

providing the user input to an application on the managed mobile device when it is determined that the user input is allowed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is processed based on a first input policy of the remote assistance policy set that limits types of actions that may be performed by the remote user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is processed based on a second input policy of the remote assistance policy set that limits portions of a user interface that may be operated by the remote user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface updates are based on a first screen content policy of the remote assistance policy set that obscures potions of a user interface generated by the managed mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface updates are based on a second screen content policy of the remote assistance policy set comprising a content rule that obscures content matching one or more criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to override a first policy of the remote assistance policy set from the remote user;

determining whether to approve the request to override the first policy; and

if the request to override the first policy is approved, bypassing the first policy during processing the user input and sending user interface updates to the remote user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether to approve the request to override the first policy comprises determining whether the remote user is authorized to override the first policy.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to override the remote assistance policy set from the remote user;

determining whether to approve the request to override the remote assistance policy set; and

if the request to override the remote assistance policy set is approved, bypassing the remote assistance policy set during processing the user input and sending user interface updates to the remote user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether to approve the request to override the remote assistance policy set comprises prompting a local user of the managed mobile device for approval.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

receive a request to establish a remote assistance connection;

determine, based on one or more remote assistance policies, whether to establish the remote assistance connection;

establish the remote assistance connection with a remote user based on the determining;

receive user input from the remote user;

provide the user input to an application executing on the at least one computing device in accordance with the one or more remote assistance policies; and

send user interface updates associated with the application to the remote user based on the one or more remote assistance policies.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the request to establish the remote assistance connection is associated with the application and determining whether to establish the remote assistance connection is based on an access policy associated with the application.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more remote assistance policies include at least one first policy having a scope applying to an individual device and at least one second policy having a scope applying to a group of devices.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more remote assistance policies include at least one user-defined policy configured by a local user and at least one managed policy associated with a managed application framework.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, by a managed mobile device, a request to establish a remote assistance connection from a remote user;

providing a list of applications to the remote user based on a remote assistance policy;

establishing the remote assistance connection with the remote user, wherein the remote assistance connection provides access to an application selected by the remote user from the list of applications;

receiving user input from the remote user;

providing the user input to the selected application on the managed mobile device based on the remote assistance policy; and

sending user interface updates associated with the selected application to the remote user based on the remote assistance policy.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a request to access a different application within the remote assistance connection from the remote user;

determining whether the remote assistance policy allows access to the different application; and

providing the remote user with access to the different application if it is determined that the remote policy allows access to the different application.