Device centric controls for a device controlled through a web portal

• US 8,190,694 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Heredia, Rafael, Greer, Frank U. IV, Crowe, Michael Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao, Ranodhi
• Application Number:
  US13/275,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 224 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/223, 707/705
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B

Abstract

A system controls computer network communication devices in a background session in accordance with a control database. The system includes a computer network communication device having a non-volatile memory containing a unique device identifier and a communication module for communicating with a control site, the communication module being configured to generate monitor messages containing the unique device identifier and data corresponding to entry of a command by a user and to parse command messages received from the control site, and a control site comprising a device database and a control database, the control site being configured to compare data in the monitor message to control data stored in the control database in response to the monitor message having a unique device identifier that is also stored in the device database.

Claims

1. A method for controlling operation of a computer network communication device that communicates over a computer network comprising:

generating, with a computer network communication device, monitor messages having a unique device identifier and command identification data;

sending the generated monitor messages to a control site in background to a communication session between the computer network communication device and a communication service;

verifying with a server at the control site that the unique device identifier in the generated monitor messages received at the control site is also stored in a device database;

comparing the command identification data in a monitor message to control data stored in a control database with the server in response to the unique device identifier in the monitor message also being stored in the device database; and

generating control messages to operate the computer network communication device with the server in response to the command identification data in the monitor message failing to correspond to the control data stored in the control database, the control messages comprising;

a computer network communication device stop command generated in response to the command identification data corresponding to a communication from the computer network communication device outside prescribed time limits stored in the control database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer network communication device is an instant messaging device.

3. The method of claim 1, the control messages further comprising:

a computer network communication device block command generated in response to the command identification data corresponding to communication with a buddy name having a block rule stored in the control database in association with the buddy name.

4. The method of claim 1, the control messages further comprising:

a computer network communication device block command generated in response to the command identification corresponding to a data source having a block rule stored in the control database in association with the data source.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating other control messages to operate the computer network communication device with the server in response to the command identification data in the monitor message corresponding to the control data stored in the control database.

6. The method of claim 5, the other control messages disabling use of a predetermined service in response to the monitor message indicating the computer network communication device is operating within a predetermined communication network.

7. The method of claim 6, the other control messages delivering predetermined content in response to the monitor message indicating the computer network communication device is operating within a predetermined communication network.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing administrative accounts for devices in response to unique device identifiers in monitor messages corresponding to device identifiers stored in the device database.

9. A method for control of a computer network communication device comprising:

generating a data message with a computer network communication device in response to a command entered by a user, the data message being configured for use with a service accessed through an Internet Service Provider;

generating a monitor message with the computer network communication device containing a unique device identifier and data corresponding to the data message;

sending the generated monitor message from the computer network communication device to a control site;

identifying control data stored in a control database in the control site in response to the monitor message received from the computer network communication device having a unique device identifier that is verified with a server at the control site as also being stored in a device database in the control site;

generating a command message corresponding to the control data, the command message including a block command, in response to the monitor message identifying the service accessed through the Internet Service Provider having a block rule stored in the control database in association with the service;

sending the command message from the control site to the computer network communication device;

parsing the command message in the computer network communication device to identify a block command in the command message; and

displaying a message for the user indicating that the command has been blocked.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data message is generated for use with an instant messaging service accessed through the Internet Service Provider.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating a monitor message that contains buddy list data in response to the user entering commands corresponding to buddy list selections, buddy list additions, and buddy list modifications.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the data message is generated to request a photograph from the service accessed through the Internet Service Provider.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

sending the monitor message to the control site in background of a communication session with the service accessed through the Internet Service Provider.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

comparing the unique device identifier in the monitor message to a plurality of unique device identifiers stored in the device database with the server; and

establishing an administrative account for the network communication device with the server in response to the unique device identifier corresponding to a device identifier stored in the device database.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein an administrator enters control data in association with the unique device identifier into a control database, and the control site generates the command message with the server using the control data.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the administrator enters control data corresponding to time usage limits, time of day limits, and buddy restrictions in association with the unique device identifier into the control database.