Systems and methods for monitoring a mobile-computing device using geo-location information

• US 8,111,154 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Sawhney, Sanjay, Puri, Hemant, Kashyap, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/559,456
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/506, 340/13.24, 340/573.1, 455/456.1, 455/411
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for monitoring a mobile-computing device using geo-location information is disclosed. The method may include a learning phase. During the learning phase, a user may be located within a first range of physical locations during a recurring time period. The method may include generating a location profile for a mobile-computing device of the user and receiving a device-monitoring policy for the mobile-computing device from an administrator. The location profile may correlate the first range of physical locations with the recurring time period. The method may further include detecting, after the learning phase, that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during a first instance of the recurring time period. The method may also include implementing the device-monitoring policy after detecting that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the first instance of the recurring time period.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring a mobile-computing device using geo-location information, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

determining, during a learning phase, that a user is located within a first range of physical locations during a recurring time period;

generating a location profile for a mobile-computing device of the user, the location profile correlating the first range of physical locations with the recurring time period;

receiving a device-monitoring policy for the mobile-computing device from an administrator;

detecting, after the learning phase, that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during a first instance of the recurring time period;

implementing the device-monitoring policy after detecting that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the first instance of the recurring time period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, during the learning phase, that the user is located within the first range of physical locations during the recurring time period comprises detecting that the mobile-computing device is within one or more physical locations within the first range of physical locations during a plurality of learning instances of the recurring time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, during the learning phase, that the user is located within the first range of physical locations during the recurring time period comprises:

detecting that the mobile-computing device is within a first physical location within the first range of physical locations during a first learning instance of the recurring time period;

detecting that the mobile-computing device is within a second physical location within the first range of physical locations during a second learning instance of the recurring time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user is a child;

the administrator is a guardian of the child.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring time period recurs at intervals specified by the administrator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the recurring time period recurs according to a schedule specified by the administrator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the location profile comprises at least one of:

coordinates within the first range of physical locations;

boundaries of the first range of physical locations;

addresses within the first range of physical locations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the device-monitoring policy comprises notifying the administrator that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the first instance of the recurring time period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein notifying the administrator comprises at least one of:

sending an email to the administrator;

sending a text message to a mobile-computing device of the administrator;

sending an automated phone message to the administrator.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the device-monitoring policy comprises telephonically connecting a computing device of the administrator to the mobile-computing device of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the administrator with access to device-setting policies of the mobile-computing device of a user;

receiving a device-setting policy for the mobile-computing device from the administrator;

implementing the device-setting policy on the mobile-computing device after detecting that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the first instance of the recurring time period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device-setting policy comprises at least one of:

a ringer setting;

a lighting setting;

a power setting;

an email setting;

a voicemail setting;

a network setting;

a sound setting;

a camera setting;

a global positioning system setting;

a messaging setting;

a Bluetooth setting;

an infrared data-association setting;

an installed application setting;

a built-in application setting.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to override the device-monitoring policy for the mobile-computing device from the user;

sending the override request to the administrator;

receiving authorization from the administrator to override the device-monitoring policy.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, during an update phase, that the user is located within a physical location outside the first range of physical locations during a second instance of the recurring time period;

updating the location profile for the mobile-computing device of the user, the location profile correlating a second range of physical locations with the recurring time period, the second range of physical locations including the physical location outside the first range of physical locations.

15. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

16. A computer-implemented method for monitoring a mobile-computing device using geo-location information, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

determining, during a learning phase, that a user is located within a first range of physical locations during a first time period having a first length of time;

generating a location profile for a mobile-computing device of the user, the location profile correlating the first range of physical locations with the first length of time;

receiving a device-monitoring policy for the mobile-computing device from an administrator;

detecting, after the learning phase, that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during a second time period having a length approximately equal to the first length of time;

implementing the device-monitoring policy after detecting that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the second time period.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, during the learning phase, that the user is located within the first range of physical locations according to a first sequence during the first time period;

detecting, after the learning phase, that the mobile-computing device is located within the first range of physical locations according to a second sequence during the second time period, the second sequence differing from the first sequence;

implementing the device-monitoring policy after detecting that the mobile-computing device is located within the first range of physical locations according to the second sequence.

18. The method of claim 16, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

19. A system for monitoring a mobile-computing device using geo-location information, the system comprising:

an interface programmed to receive a device-monitoring policy for a mobile-computing device of a user from an administrator;

a profile-management module programmed to generate a location profile for the mobile-computing device, the location profile comprising a first range of physical locations correlated with a recurring time period;

a monitoring module programmed to detect that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during a first instance of the recurring time period;

an enforcement module configured to implement the device-monitoring policy after detecting that the mobile-computing device is outside the first range of physical locations during the first instance of the recurring time period;

one or more processors configured to execute the interface, the profile-management module, the monitoring module, and the enforcement module.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the interface comprises at least one of:

a drop-down menu comprising a first setting option and a second setting option, the device-setting policy comprising the first setting option;

a text-box configured to receive input from the administrator;

a button configured to allow the administrator to select between the first setting option and the second setting option.