Method and system for providing supervisory control over wireless phone usage
First Claim
1. A method of controlling the usage of a wireless device, comprising the steps of:
- in a defining step, defining, via a mathematical description, a geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and
in response to an attempt to establish a communication involving said wireless device and another communication device;
in an obtaining step, obtaining a set of coordinates in a specified coordinate system representative of a geographic location of said wireless device;
in a first determining step, determining, based upon said mathematical description of the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted and said set of coordinates representing the geographic location of said wireless device, whether the geographic location of said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and
in a preventing step, based on a result of said first determining step, if the geographic location of said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted, preventing the attempted communication involving said wireless device and said other communication device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for controlling wireless phone usage enables a supervisor to establish user profiles for supervised users of wireless phones across a range of parameters which are stored in a user profile database. Such parameters may include one or more locations at which use of the wireless phone is restricted or permitted. In addition, restrictions on phone use may be provided based upon total phone usage within a specified control period, time periods, dates or days of the week during which phone use is restricted or permitted. One or more lists including numbers that are always-accessible may be provided and one or more lists including numbers that are never-accessible may also be provided. In the event a call does not satisfy predefined criteria, the call is blocked. Predetermined messages may be played to the called or calling party as applicable when a call is blocked. Boolean combinations of restrictions and permissive use criteria for the wireless phone may be specified to provide for flexibility when establishing use criteria for the wireless phone.
-
Citations
35 Claims
-
1. A method of controlling the usage of a wireless device, comprising the steps of:
-
in a defining step, defining, via a mathematical description, a geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and in response to an attempt to establish a communication involving said wireless device and another communication device; in an obtaining step, obtaining a set of coordinates in a specified coordinate system representative of a geographic location of said wireless device; in a first determining step, determining, based upon said mathematical description of the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted and said set of coordinates representing the geographic location of said wireless device, whether the geographic location of said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and in a preventing step, based on a result of said first determining step, if the geographic location of said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted, preventing the attempted communication involving said wireless device and said other communication device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A system for controlling the usage of a wireless device, comprising:
-
a storage device containing a user profile database, said user profile database storing a mathematical description of a geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and at least one first processor in communication with said user profile database, said at least one first processor operative in response to an attempt to establish a communication involving said wireless device and another communication device; to obtain a set of coordinates representative of a geographic location of said wireless device; to determine, based upon said mathematical description of the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted and said set of coordinates representing the geographic location of said wireless device, whether said wireless device is within the geographic area where the use of the wireless device is restricted; to generate a control message of a first type in the event said wireless device is within the geographic area where the use of the wireless device is restricted; and to generate a control message of a second type in the event said wireless device is outside of the geographic area where the use of the wireless device is restricted. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A system for controlling the usage of a wireless device, comprising:
-
a supervisory control system, comprising; a storage device containing a user profile database, said user profile database storing a mathematical description of a geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; and at least one first processor in communication with said user profile database; and a wireless device in communication with said supervisory control system, said wireless device comprising; a memory; and at least one second processor in communication with said memory; said at least one first processor operative to forward said mathematical description of the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted to said wireless device for storage in said memory; and said at least one second processor operative, in response to an attempt to establish a communication from said wireless device to another communication device; to obtain a set of coordinates in a specified coordinate system representative of a geographic location of said wireless device; and to determine, based upon said mathematical description of the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted and said set of coordinates representing the geographic location of said wireless device, whether said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of said wireless device is restricted; to generate a control message of a first type upon a determination that said wireless device is within the geographic area where use of the wireless device is restricted; and to generate a control message of a second type upon a determination that said wireless device is outside of the geographic area where the use of the wireless device is not restricted. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
-
Specification