Territorial enforcement of device functionality

• US 7,689,231 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Pomerantz, Itzhak, Mardiks, Eitan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost; Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, CHRISTOPHER P
• Application Number:
  US11/582,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.4, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/410, 455/411, 455/558, 340/3.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.3, 340/5.31, 340/5.8, 340/541, 340/572.1, 320/112
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

The present invention discloses an enforcement system for controlling security in a territory including: (a) a multifunctional device having a plurality of device functionalities; (b) a disabling mechanism for reversibly disabling at least one device functionality; and (c) a gate controller, for enforcing security in the territory, having a restricting mechanism for activating the disabling mechanism. A method for controlling device functionalities of a device in a territory including the steps of: (a) sending a disable instruction to the device to disable at least one device functionality upon entry of the device into the territory; and (b) disabling at least one device functionality, by the device, upon receipt by the device of the disable instruction.

Claims

1. A multifunctional communication device having a plurality of device functionalities and comprising a subscriber identify module (SIM) card that is operative to cause the multifunctional communication device to reversibly disable at least one of the device functionalities upon entry of the multifunctional communication device into a secured territory, wherein the multifunctional communication device is further configured to reject replacement of said SIM card while said at least one device functionality is disabled.

2. The multifunctional communication device of claim 1, wherein said multifunctional communication device is a mobile phone.

3. The multifunctional communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one said device functionality includes a camera functionality.

4. The multifunctional communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one said device functionality includes an audio-recorder functionality.

5. The multifunctional communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one said device functionality includes a wireless communication functionality.

6. The multifunctional communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one said device functionality includes a ring-tone functionality.

7. A method for controlling device functionalities of a multifunctional communication device in a territory, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) upon entry of the multifunctional communication device into the territory receiving a disable instruction at a subscriber identify module (SIM) card of the multifunctional communication device to reversibly disable at least one device functionality of the multifunctional communication device

(b) reversibly disabling said at least one device functionality, by the SIM card, upon receipt by the multifunctional communication device of said disable instruction; and

(c) configuring the multifunctional communication device to reject replacement of the SIM card while said at least one device functionality is disabled.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said disable instruction designates said at least one device functionality for disabling, and wherein said disabling is performed by the multifunctional communication device polling the SIM card of the multifunctional communication device.

9. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising the steps of:

(d) receiving an enable instruction at the multifunctional communication device in order to re-enable at least one device functionality upon exit of the multifunctional communication device from the territory; and

(e) enabling said at least one device functionality, by the SIM card, upon receipt by the multifunctional communication device of said enable instruction.

10. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising the step of:

(f) validating a signed said enable instruction for authenticity by the multifunctional telecommunication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a private key is used for creating said signed enable instruction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of enabling includes enabling said at least one device functionality, by the SIM card, upon receipt by the multifunctional communication device of a valid said signed enable instruction.