System, method and apparatus for protecting privacy when a mobile device is located in a defined privacy zone

• US 8,437,780 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sennett, DeWayne Allan, Shaw, Venson, Hu, Q. James, McNamara, Justin Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/468,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20120220285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for protecting privacy when a mobile device is located in a defined privacy zone are described herein. The available features that a user of a mobile device may use are controlled while the mobile device is located in a define privacy zone. Once a mobile device is detected in the define privacy zone, a database is accessed to determine if the mobile device has the features available that are to be disabled. If the features are available, a disable signal is sent via the communications network to the mobile device and the feature is disabled. Once the mobile device is detected to be outside of the defined privacy zone, the previously disabled mobile device feature is enabled.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

rendering, on a mobile device, an indication of an area of coverage;

receiving an indication of a boundary of a privacy zone associated with area of coverage;

upon determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary, rendering an indication of features of the mobile device; and

receiving an indication of a selected feature, of the rendered features of the mobile device, to be disabled.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is located within the boundary as the physical location as the boundary varies.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon a determination that the mobile device has exited the boundary,

receiving an indication to enable the-disabled selected feature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary is defined based upon a proximate distance of a mobile device to a near field communication post.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected feature comprises at least one of voice calling, incoming call alert, incoming message alert, text messaging, instant messaging, picture messaging, video messaging, camera, or video.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary comprises determining the location of the mobile device relative to the defined boundary.

7. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:

rendering, on a mobile device, an indication of an area of coverage;

receiving an indication of a boundary of a privacy zone associated with area of coverage;

upon determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary, rendering an indication of features of the mobile device; and

receiving an indication of a selected feature, of the rendered features of the mobile device, to be disabled.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the mobile device is located within the boundary as the physical location of the boundary varies.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising:

upon a determination that the mobile device has exited the boundary,

receiving an indication to enable the-disabled selected feature.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the boundary is defined based upon a proximate distance of a mobile device to a near field communication post.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the selected feature comprises at least one of voice calling, incoming call alert, incoming message alert, text messaging, instant messaging, picture messaging, video messaging, camera, or video.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary comprises determining the location of the mobile device relative to the defined boundary.

13. A mobile device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising;

rendering, on the mobile device, an indication of an area of coverage;

receiving an indication of a boundary of a privacy zone associated with area of coverage;

upon determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary, rendering an indication of features of the mobile device; and

receiving an indication of a selected feature, of the rendered features of the mobile device, to be disabled.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the mobile device is located within the boundary as the physical location as the boundary varies.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising:

upon a determination that the mobile device has exited the boundary,

receiving an indication to enable the-disabled selected feature.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the boundary is defined based upon a proximate distance of a mobile device to a near field communication post.

17. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the selected feature comprises at least one of voice calling, incoming call alert, incoming message alert, text messaging, instant messaging, picture messaging, video messaging, camera, or video.

18. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein determining that the mobile device is located within the boundary comprises determining the location of the mobile device relative to the defined boundary.