System and method for controlling device usage

• US 7,929,960 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Martin, Daryl J., Wilson, John F. (Sean), Hassan, Ahmed E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US11/402,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• 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: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent

Abstract

Mobile device usage may be monitored and restricted by pushing enabling/disabling events from an administrator the device. The events impose a certain set of rules that can “lock” certain features provided by the device, according to permissions and pre-established policies, for a certain period of time. Such restricted periods may coincide with meetings or other events in which distractions should be kept to a minimum. Preferably, the rules include conditional locks that allow a user to use a feature a reasonable number of times before the lock is activated to require the user to minimize such distractions, while enabling the user to maintain access to such a vital communication tool. Cancel packets may also be used to not only control but to monitor the application of the rule sets and when certain conditions are breaches, which provides an employer with sufficient information to use in auditing device usage or in reprimanding users for misuse of a privilege such as the use of mobile data communications devices.

Claims

1. A method for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said features requiring user interaction, said method comprising:

said device obtaining a policy from another entity for controlling usage of particular features on said device during restricted periods, said policy being imposed by said another entity without input from a user of said device, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting access to a selected one or more of said particular features during said restricted periods, wherein application of said rules enables restriction of both local features not requiring a connection to said communication system and communication-based features requiring a connection to said communication system;

said device storing said policy in said device for referencing said rules to determine said selected one or more of said particular features to be restricted during said restricted periods;

said device determining a particular restricted period and a duration therefor;

upon commencement of said particular restricted period, said device referencing said set of rules in said policy and inhibiting access to said selected ones of said one or more of said particular features for the duration of said particular restricted period according to said rules;

during said particular restricted period, said device providing as an output on said device, an option to override one or more of said rules in said policy during said restricted period to thereby permit access to one or more of said selected ones of said particular features; and

if said device detects an input to said device indicating that said option to override has been used, said device sending a cancel indicator to said another entity to enable said another entity to monitor usage of said device.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising said device authenticating said policy to validate the origin of said policy.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said policy is generated in response to a scheduled time period for a user of said device.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said set of rules is a conditional rule, said conditional rule allowing a conditional feature to be used a predetermined number of times during said particular restricted period, wherein if said predetermined number of times is exceeded, said conditional feature is disabled thereafter and a conditional indicator is provided to an administrator for monitoring said usage.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said policy is generated by an administrator at said another entity in response to a request to restrict the use of said device, said device being operated by said user, said request being sent to said user via said device and monitored by an administrator.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said administrator comprises a rules database, said policy being generated according to at least one rule set contained in said rules database.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein said administrator monitors usage by updating an administration log.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein said policy is generated by another user in response to a request thereby to inhibit said selected ones of said features, said request being sent to said device by said another user using another device.

9. A system for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said features requiring user interaction, said system comprising:

a) a communication subsystem for obtaining a policy from another entity for controlling usage of particular features on said device during restricted periods, said policy being imposed by said another entity without input from a user of said device, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting access to a selected one or more of said particular features during said restricted periods, wherein application of said rules enables restriction of both local features not requiring a connection to said communication system and communication-based features requiring a connection to said communication system;

b) a memory for storing said policy in said device for referencing said rules to determine said selected one or more of said particular features to be restricted during said restricted periods; and

c) computer executable instructions for;

i) determining a particular restricted period and duration therefor;

ii) upon commencement of said restricted period, referencing said set of rules in said policy and inhibiting access to said selected one or more of said particular features for the duration of said particular restricted period according to said rules;

iii) during said particular restricted period, providing as an output on said device, an option to override one or more of said rules in said policy during said restricted period to thereby permit access to one or more of said selected ones of said features; and

iv) if an input to said device is detected which is indicative that said option to override has been used, sending a cancel indicator to said another entity to enable said another entity to monitor usage of said device.

10. A system according to claim 9, said device and said another entity comprising a security key for use by said device to authenticate said policy.

11. A system according to claim 9 wherein said policy has been generated in response to a scheduled time period for said user of said device.

12. A system according to claim 9 wherein at least one of said set of rules is a conditional rule, said conditional rule allowing a conditional feature to be used a predetermined number of times during said particular restricted period, wherein if said predetermined number of times is exceeded, said conditional feature is disabled thereafter and a conditional indicator is provided to an administrator for monitoring said usage.

13. A system according to claim 9 wherein said policy has been generated by said another entity in response to a request to restrict the use of said device, said device being operated by said user, said request being sent to said user via said device and monitored by said another entity.

14. A system according to claim 9 further comprising a rules database, said policy being generated according to at least one rule set contained in said rules database.

15. A system according to claim 9 further comprising an administration log, wherein an administrator monitors usage by updating said administration log.

16. A system according to claim 9 wherein said another entity is another user having another device, said policy being generated by said another user in response to a request thereby to inhibit said selected ones of said features, said request being sent to said device by said another user.

17. A memory storing software program instructions for controlling usage of features provided by a device in a communication system, said software program instructions comprising instructions for:

said device obtaining a policy from another entity for controlling usage of particular features on said device during restricted periods, said policy being imposed by said another entity without input from a user of said device, said policy containing a set of rules for inhibiting access to a selected one or more of said particular features during said restricted periods, wherein application of said rules enables restriction of both local features not requiring a connection to said communication system and communication-based features requiring a connection to said communication system;

said device storing said policy in said device for referencing said rules to determine said selected one or more of said particular features to be restricted during said restricted periods;

said device determining a particular restricted period and a duration therefor;

upon commencement of said particular restricted period, said device referencing said set of rules in said policy and inhibiting access to said selected ones of said one or more of said particular features for the duration of said particular restricted period according to said rules;

during said particular restricted period, said device providing as an output on said device, an option to override one or more of said rules in said policy during said restricted period to thereby permit access to one or more of said selected ones of said particular features; and

if said device detects an input to said device indicating that said option to override has been used, said device sending a cancel indicator to said another entity to enable said another entity to monitor usage of said device.

18. A memory according to claim 17 further comprising instructions for having said device authenticate said policy to validate the origin of said policy.

19. A memory according to claim 17 wherein said policy is generated in response to a scheduled time period for a user of said device.

20. A memory according to claim 17 wherein at least one of said set of rules is a conditional rule, said conditional rule allowing a conditional feature to be used a predetermined number of times during said particular restricted period, wherein if said predetermined number of times is exceeded, said conditional feature is disabled thereafter and a conditional indicator is provided to an administrator for monitoring said usage.

21. A memory according to claim 17 wherein said policy is generated by an administrator at said another entity in response to a request to restrict the use of said device, said device being operated by said user, said request being sent to said user via said device and monitored by an administrator.

22. A memory according to claim 21 wherein said administrator comprises a rules database, said policy being generated according to at least one rule set contained in said rules database.

23. A memory according to claim 21 wherein said administrator monitors usage by updating an administration log.

24. A memory according to claim 17 wherein said policy is generated by another user in response to a request thereby to inhibit said selected ones of said features, said request being sent to said device by said another user using another device.