Wireless network edge guardian

• US 8,588,764 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Koller, Gary D., Peden, Mark D., Reeves, Raymond E., Youngs, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US13/359,311
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/423, 455/403, 455/412.2, 455/466, 455/410, 726/22
• US Class Current: 455/423
• 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 mobile communication device. The mobile communication device comprises a radio transceiver to communicatively couple the mobile communication device to a radio access network by a wireless communication link, a memory, a processor, and an application stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the application builds a communication history of the mobile communication device, analyzes the communication history of the mobile communication device to determine a pattern of communication usage of the mobile communication device, monitors recent communication usage of the mobile communication device, compares the recent communication usage of the mobile communication device to the pattern of communication usage of the mobile communication device, and when the recent communication usage of the mobile communication device differs from the pattern of communication usage of the mobile communication device by more than a predefined threshold, blocks at least one attempt to initiate communication by the mobile communication device.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a radio transceiver to communicatively couple the mobile communication device to a radio access network by a wireless communication link;

a memory;

a processor; and

an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor,

builds a communication history of the mobile communication device, wherein the communication history comprises communication usage of the mobile communication device,

analyzes the communication history of the mobile communication device to determine a pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device,

monitors recent communication usage of the mobile communication device,

compares the recent communication usage of the mobile communication device to the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device, and

when the recent communication usage of the mobile communication device differs from the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device by more than a predefined threshold beyond the pattern of communication usage expectations, blocks at least one attempt to initiate communication by an identified application on the mobile communication device by disabling the identified application.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a wireless enabled computer, or a media player.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the radio transceiver establishes a wireless communication link with the radio access network according to a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless communication protocol, a global system for mobile communication (GSM) wireless communication protocol, a long-term evolution (LTE) wireless communication protocol, or a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless communication protocol.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein determining a pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device comprises determining a statistical mean or average and a statistical standard deviation of a communication usage of the mobile communication device and wherein the predefined threshold is defined in terms of the statistical standard deviation of the communication usage.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein when the recent communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device differs from the pattern of communication usage of the mobile communication device by more than a predefined threshold, the application presents a notification to the user of the mobile communication device about the communication usage that differs from the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 5, wherein the application further presents a query to the user of the mobile communication device to ask if the user wants to continue with the communication usage that differs from the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein when the recent communication usage of the mobile communication device differs from the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device by more than a predefined threshold, the application transmits a message via the radio transceiver to the radio access network reporting the communication usage of the mobile communication device that differs from the pattern of communication usage expectations of the mobile communication device.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the application delays the mobile communication device exiting from an airplane mode of operation of the mobile communication device when the application detects a repetition of exiting from the airplane mode of operation by the mobile communication device within a predefined period of time.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 8, wherein the delay of exiting from the airplane mode of operation is a randomized time delay.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attempt to initiate communication by the mobile communication device is made by a non-trusted application stored in the mobile communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the non-trusted application is installed by a user after the mobile communication device is sold to the user.

12. A method of managing a radio access network, comprising:

monitoring communications between at least one mobile communication devices and a radio access network, wherein monitoring communications between the mobile communication devices and the radio access network comprises monitoring communication usage history between at least one mobile communication device and the radio access network;

based on monitoring communication usage history between the at least one mobile communication device and the radio access network, determining an expected communication usage pattern of the radio access network;

determining that recent usage by the at least one mobile communication device of at least part of the radio access network differs from the expected communication usage pattern of the radio access network by an amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

based on recent radio access network usage differing from the expected communication usage pattern of the radio access network by an amount exceeding the predetermined threshold beyond the expected communication usage pattern, transmitting a message to the at least one mobile communication device via the radio access network, wherein the message requests the at least one mobile communication device to modify a communication activity of the mobile communication device, and wherein the message transmitted to the at least one mobile communication device identifies an application installed on the at least one mobile communication and requests the at least one mobile communication device to turn off the identified application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the message transmitted to the at least one mobile communication device requests the at least one mobile communication device to turn off all non-trusted applications installed on the at least one mobile communication device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the message transmitted to the at least one mobile communication device requests the at least one mobile communication device to discontinue sending short message system (SMS) messages or to discontinue sending multimedia message system (MMS) messages.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising, based on recent radio access network usage differing from the expected usage pattern of the radio access network by an amount exceeding the predetermined threshold, transmitting a message to a plurality of mobile communication devices via the radio access network, wherein the message requests the plurality of mobile communication devices to modify a communication activity, wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices are located in the same area, wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices are the same model of device, and wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices have installed the same version of an application.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the application installed on the at least one mobile communication device is a non-trusted application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the non-trusted application is at least one of provided by a third party developer not subject to at least one of design standards or quality control standards defined by a wireless service provider or freeware.