Location based, software control of mobile devices

• US 8,374,623 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vellanki, Vivekanand, Devi, Durga
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/459,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20080019317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.2, 455/437, 455/436, 455/453, 4554561-4566, 455/404.2, 455/525, 370331-334, 370/310
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for controlling mobile computing devices such as laptops, PDAs and cellular telephones, based on their location. A mobile computing device may include a software-rendered map of defined geographic regions, location handlers for defining behavior of a mobile device in a given geographic region, and a location handling engine for determining when a new geographic zone has been entered and exited, and for executing and terminating location handlers accordingly.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of controlling system settings of a plurality of mobile computing devices based on locations of the devices, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving one or more defined geographic zones for each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, the one or more geographic zones for a first mobile computing device capable of being different than the one or more geographic zones for a second mobile computing device and the one or more defined geographic zones for the first mobile computing device includes;

a first geographic zone having a first set of system settings associated therewith for the first mobile computing device, the first geographic zone capable of being uniquely created for the first mobile computing device, and

a second geographic zone having a second set of system settings associated therewith for the first mobile computing device, the second set of system settings being different than the first set of system settings, the second geographic zone capable of being uniquely created for the first mobile computing device, the second geographic zone being different than and overlapping with the first geographic zone;

(b) determining when the first mobile computing device crosses a boundary of a geographic zone received in said step (a) associated with the first mobile computing device; and

(c) altering the system setting of the first mobile computing device upon crossing the boundary of the geographic zone in said step (b).

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (a) of receiving one or more defined geographic zones comprises the step of receiving a plurality of coordinates, the coordinates defining a shape of the one or more geographic zones.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) of altering a system setting of the first mobile computing device comprises the step of connecting to one of a WWAN, a WiMax network, a WLAN and a WPAN.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein two mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices share a common defined geographic zone, but the system settings which are altered upon entering the shared geographic zone are different for the two mobile computing devices.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of altering a multimedia property of the device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) of altering a system setting of the mobile computing device comprises the step of powering down the device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the instruction within memory of the mobile computing device prior to said step (b) of determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary of a geographic zone.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving the instruction within memory of the mobile computing device after said step (b) of determining when the mobile computing device crosses a boundary of a geographic zone.

9. A computer implemented method of controlling a behavior of a plurality of mobile computing devices based on a location of the devices, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining one or more geographic zones for each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, the one or more geographic zones for a first mobile computing device capable of being different than the one or more geographic zones for a second mobile computing device and the one or more defined geographic zones for the first mobile computing device includes;

a first geographic zone having a first set of system settings associated therewith for the first mobile computing device, the first geographic zone capable of being uniquely created for the first mobile computing device, and

a second geographic zone having a second set of system settings associated therewith for the first mobile computing device, the second set of system settings being different than the first set of system settings, the second geographic zone capable of being uniquely created for the first mobile computing device, the second geographic zone being different than and completely contained within the first geographic zone;

(b) defining one or more location handlers, associated with the one or more geographic zones for each mobile computing device, the one or more location handlers capable of altering one or more system settings of mobile computing devices of the plurality of mobile computing devices in different ways;

(c) storing the one or more location handlers defined in said step (a) in a memory location accessible by the plurality of mobile computing devices;

(d) receiving a request to receive the one or more location handlers from a mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices upon the mobile computing device crossing a boundary of the geographic zone with which the one or more location handlers are associated; and

(e) forwarding the one or more location handlers requested in said step (c) to alter the one or more system settings of the requesting mobile computing device.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of categorizing the one or more location handlers so that a first set of mobile computing devices receive a first set of location handlers upon a request in said step (d), and second set of mobile computing devices receive a second set of location handlers upon a request in said step (d).

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step of categorizing the one or more location handlers comprises the step of categorizing the one or more handlers according to a group policy set up for the plurality of mobile computing devices.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first set of mobile computing devices are laptops and the second set of mobile computing devices are laptops.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first and second sets of mobile computing devices are two different types of mobile computing devices from a group of mobile computing devices including laptops, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones and computing devices incorporated into vehicles.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said step (b) of defining one or more location handlers for altering one or more system settings of the plurality of mobile computing devices comprises the step of defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of a mobile computing device to cause the mobile computing device to disconnect from a first wireless network and connect to a second wireless network.

15. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said step (b) of defining one or more location handlers for altering one or more system settings of the plurality of mobile computing devices comprises the step of defining a software instruction for interacting with an operating system of a mobile computing device to cause a change in a multimedia setting of the mobile computing device.