Method and system for automatically configuring access control

• US 7,532,882 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Owen, Russell, Adams, Neil, Tyhurst, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Application Number:
  US11/550,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20070207777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 4554141-4142, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455418-420, 455/425, 455/550, 455/556.2, 455/550.1, 709/203, 709/229, 709/231, 709/217
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A method for automatically configuring an access control point based upon the network resource requirements of an application. The installation of a new application on a mobile device or other user device is accompanied, before, during, or after installation, with the distribution of access control information. An access control point blocks communications based upon access rules. An access update module modifies or sets the access rules based upon the access control information. The access control point and the access update module may be located within the mobile device, within an associated wireless connector system, or in other locations within the mobile communication system. The setting or resetting of the access rules based upon the access control information may be triggered during installation, modification, or removal of the application.

Claims

1. A method of automatically configuring access control for a mobile device communications system:

receiving access control information regarding remote resources utilized by an application,

downloading to the mobile device an application file associated with said application,

installing and setting-up the application on the mobile device based upon the application file, and

modifying access control rules in accordance with the access control information, the access control rules providing a basis for deciding which communications to allow and which communications to block between the application and the remote resources, said modifying occurring after it has been confirmed that downloading of the application file will proceed or installing is complete,

wherein said modifying further comprises modifying server access control rules in accordance with the access control information, and said modifying server access control rules further comprises sending a message to a server access update module, and responsive thereto the server access update module implementing the modification of the server access rules, and

wherein receiving comprises receiving the access control information within a descriptor file, and reading the access control information from the descriptor file.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, following installation, evaluating whether or not the installation and set-up was successful, and, if not, generating an error message or other notification, and if the installation has occurred successfully, then performing the step of modifying.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying further comprises modifying device access control rules in accordance with the access control information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving further comprises receiving the descriptor file by a wireless connector system and forwarding of the descriptor file from the wireless connector system to the mobile device over a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the wireless connector system invokes the server access update module to read the access control information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the server access update module, before modifying access control rules, awaits confirmation that the installation is going to proceed or has been completed.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving system requirements of the application and prior to downloading the application file, evaluating whether the mobile device satisfies the systems requirements such that the application can be downloaded and installed.