Selectively limiting communications through a port of a mobile communications device

• US 8,060,060 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: DeLaTorre, Christopher Robert, Schempp, Dale Scott, Hammerberg, Karl William
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US12/186,181
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 455572-574, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 455/412.1, 455418-420, 455557-558
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64

Abstract

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for performing a method of selectively controlling communications through a communications port of a mobile communications device. The system-provider information is useable by the mobile communications device to communicate with a wireless telecommunications network that is designated in the system-provider information. Illustratively, the method includes presenting a user interface on the mobile communications device. The UI exposes an option to enable the communications port to be useable to modify the system-provider information. The mobile communications device can be in a first state that currently prohibits data from being passed through the communications port to the system-provider information. Input is received that is to be used to enable data to be passed through the communications port to the system-provider information. The input is authenticated to determine that it is a valid input that is authorized to transition the mobile communications device to a second state, in which the communications port is enabled to receive data that is useable to modify the system-provider information. Incident to authenticating the input, the mobile communications device is transitioned to the second state.

Claims

1. One or more nontransitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of selectively controlling the communications through a hard-wired communications port of a mobile communications device, wherein the mobile communications device stores system-provider information that is useable by the mobile communications device to communicate with a wireless telecommunications network that is designated in the system-provider information, the method comprising:

presenting a user interface on the mobile communications device that exposes an option to enable the hard-wired communications port (“

communications port”

) to be useable to modify the system-provider information, wherein the mobile communications device is in a first state that currently prohibits data from being passed through the communications port to the system-provider information, wherein the first state is characterized by an enabled subset of features of the communications port, and wherein the subset of features includes permitting the communications port to be used to retrieve data from the mobile communications device while preventing data from being communicated to the mobile communications device;

receiving input to be used to enable data to be passed through the communications port to the system-provider information;

authenticating the input to determine that it is a valid input that is authorized to transition the mobile communications device to a second state, in which the communications port is enabled to receive data that is useable to modify the system-provider information; and

incident to authenticating the input, transitioning the mobile communications device to the second state.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the system-provider information includes a list of frequencies on which the mobile communications device might search in order to communicate with the wireless telecommunications network.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the system-provider information includes a list of systems that the device is permitted to access.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the list of systems includes a list of wireless-telecommunications-systems providers (“

providers”

).

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the system-provider information includes a preferred roaming list (“

PRL”

).

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the subset of features includes permitting the communications port to be used to recharge a battery of the mobile communications device.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the input includes a code.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the code is a code that is capable of being entered by way of a keypad of the mobile communications device.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the input is received incident to a determination that the mobile communications device is authorized to communicate with the wireless telecommunications network.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein the authenticating of the input is accomplished independently by the mobile communications device.

11. The media of claim 1, wherein the authenticating of the input is accomplished by a process that includes:

passing the input to the wireless telecommunications network; and

receiving a validity indication from the wireless telecommunications network.

12. The media of claim 1, further comprising modifying the system-provider information by receiving data through the communications port.

13. The media of claim 1, further comprising modifying any software within the mobile communications device by receiving data through the communications port.

14. A method of selectively controlling communications through a hard-wired communications port of a mobile communications device, wherein the mobile communications device stores system-provider information that is useable by the mobile communications device to communicate with a wireless telecommunications network that is designated in the system-provider information, the method comprising:

disabling an ability of the hard-wired communications port (“

communications port”

) to be useable to modify the system-provider information, wherein the communications port is enabled to recharge the mobile communications device while unable to pass data into the mobile communications device;

storing a code in a memory component of the mobile communications device, which code is useable to enable the mobile communications device to receive via the communications port data that is useable to modify the system-provider information, such that

(A) if the code is not entered into the mobile communications device, then passing data to the mobile communications device by way of the communications port is not allowed, but

(B) if the code is entered into the mobile communications device, then passing data to the mobile communications device by way of the communications port is allowed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the system-provider information includes an indication of wireless-telecommunications-network providers which the mobile communications device is permitted to access.

16. A method of selectively controlling communications through a hard-wired communications port of a mobile communications device, wherein the mobile communications device stores system-provider information that is useable by the mobile communications device to communicate with one or more wireless telecommunications networks, the method comprising:

obtaining the mobile communication device in a state in which an ability of the hard-wired communications port (“

communications port”

) to be used to input information into the mobile communications device is disabled, wherein the ability can be enabled by way of entering a code into the mobile communications device, which code, if correct, would allow data to be inputted to the mobile communications device by way of the communications port;

identifying the code, wherein identifying the code includes

(A) establishing a communications link with a wireless telecommunications network that is designated in the system-provider information;

(B) requesting the code from the wireless telecommunications network;

(C) receiving the code from the wireless telecommunications network; and

entering the code into the mobile communications device, thereby enabling the communications port to be used to input data into the device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the system-provider information by passing data through the communications port.