Method and system for managing the functionality of user devices

• US 8,302,150 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Appaji, Anuradha K.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZECHER, CORDELIA P K
• Application Number:
  US11/599,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 726/1, 380/258
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1425 the protection being physical, e.g. cell, word, block
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/82 Protecting input, output or interconnection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS

Abstract

A method for managing the functionality of a user device is provided that includes storing security information for a secure zone in a user device. The security information for the secure zone includes at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone. Based on the security information for the secure zone, the at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone is automatically disabled when the user device enters the secure zone.

Claims

1. A method for managing the functionality of a user device, the method comprising:

receiving security information for a secure zone from a security controller associated with the secure zone, the security information comprising a list of at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone and a time limit during which the security information cannot be deleted from the user device, the at least one peripheral comprising a camera associated with the user device;

storing the security information for the secure zone in the user device;

based on the security information for the secure zone, automatically disabling the at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone when the user device enters the secure zone without further input from the security controller; and

displaying at least a portion of the security information on the user device when the user device is in the secure zone, wherein the at least portion of security information comprises an identifier and a location of the secure zone and the list of the at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, based on the security information for the secure zone, automatically enabling the at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone when the user device exits the secure zone without further input from the security controller.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral further comprises a USB connector.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising monitoring a location for the user device.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, the security information for the secure zone further comprising a location for the secure zone, the method further comprising:

comparing the location for the user device to the location for the secure zone; and

determining whether the user device has entered the secure zone based on the comparison of the location for the user device to the location for the secure zone.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, the location for the secure zone comprising a set of Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates and a secure zone radius.

7. The method as set forth in claim 4 further comprising determining the location for the user device by determining a set of GPS coordinates for the user device.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

deleting the security information for the secure zone when the time limit for the secure zone has expired.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

storing security information for a second secure zone in the user device, the security information for the second secure zone comprising at least one peripheral associated with the second secure zone; and

automatically disabling the at least one peripheral associated with the second secure zone when the user device enters the second secure zone based on the security information for the second secure zone.

10. A user device comprising:

at least one peripheral comprising a camera associated with the user device;

a memory configured to store security information for at least one secure zone, the security information received from a security controller associated with the at least one secure zone, the security information comprising a list of at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone and a time limit during which the security information cannot be deleted from the user device; and

a peripheral controller configured to disable the at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone when the user device enters the secure zone based on the security information for the secure zone and without further input from the security controller,

wherein the user device is configured to display at least a portion of the security information when the user device is in the secure zone, the at least portion of security information comprising an identifier and a location of the secure zone and the list of the at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone.

11. The user device as set forth in claim 10, the peripheral controller further configured to enable the at least one peripheral associated with the secure zone when the user device exits the secure zone based on the security information for the secure zone without further input from the security controller.

12. The user device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the at least one peripheral further comprises a USB connector.

13. The user device as set forth in claim 10, the peripheral controller further configured to monitor a location for the user device.

14. The user device as set forth in claim 13, the security information for the secure zone further comprising a location for the secure zone, the peripheral controller further configured to compare the location for the user device to the location for the secure zone and to determine whether the user device has entered the secure zone based on the comparison of the location for the user device to the location for the secure zone.

15. The user device as set forth in claim 14, the location for the secure zone comprising a set of GPS coordinates and a secure zone radius.

16. The user device as set forth in claim 13 further comprising:

a device locator configured to determine the location for the user device by determining a set of GPS coordinates for the user device.

17. The user device as set forth in claim 10, the peripheral controller further configured to delete the security information for the secure zone when the time limit for the secure zone has expired.

18. The user device as set forth in claim 10,

the memory further configured to store security information for a first secure zone and for a second secure zone, the security information for the first secure zone comprising at least one peripheral associated with the first secure zone, and the security information for the second secure zone comprising at least one peripheral associated with the second secure zone;

and

the peripheral controller configured to disable the at least one peripheral associated with the first secure zone when the user device enters the first secure zone, to enable the at least one peripheral associated with the first secure zone when the user device exits the first secure zone, to disable the at least one peripheral associated with the second secure zone when the user device enters the second secure zone, and to enable the at least one peripheral associated with the second secure zone when the user device exits the second secure zone.

19. A system for managing the functionality of user devices, comprising:

a secure zone;

a server for the secure zone, the server comprising a security controller configured to provide security information for the secure zone to a plurality of user devices, the security information comprising a list of at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone and a time limit during which the security information cannot be deleted from the user device, the at least one peripheral comprising a camera associated with at least one of the user devices; and

the plurality of user devices, each of the user devices configured to automatically disable the at least one peripheral identified by the security information for the secure zone when the user device enters the secure zone without further input from the security controller, and display at least a portion of the security information when the user device is in the secure zone, the at least portion of security information comprising an identifier and a location of the secure zone and the list of the at least one peripheral to be disabled in the secure zone.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19, wherein each of the user devices are further configured to automatically enable the at least one peripheral identified by the security information for the secure zone when the user device exits the secure zone without further input from the security controller.

21. The system as set forth in claim 19, the security information for the secure zone comprising a location for the secure zone.

22. The system as set forth in claim 21, the location for the secure zone comprising a set of GPS coordinates and a secure zone radius.

23. The system as set forth in claim 19, wherein each of the user devices operable are further configured to delete the security information for the secure zone when the time limit for the secure zone has expired.

24. The system as set forth in claim 19, the security controller configured to provide security information for the secure zone to the plurality of user devices by initializing the security information in each of the user devices.

25. The system as set forth in claim 24, the security controller further configured to provide security information for the secure zone to the plurality of user devices by maintaining the security information in each of the user devices.