Enforcing device settings for mobile devices

• US 8,626,128 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Limont, David P., Atwood, John Allen, Ciccotosto, Massimiliano, Aftab, Omar, Tousignant, Patrick, Nalliah, Selvaraj, Yang, Zhidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US13/081,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20120258687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 726/1, 726/2, 726/3, 726/4, 726/5, 726/6, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for enforcing device settings for mobile devices. Generally, a computer system enforces appropriate mobile device settings (e.g., policy and/or configuration settings) prior to permitting a mobile device to access maintained data. The computer system receives a request from a mobile device. The computer system determines that current mobile device settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data. The computer system sends device settings, representing a new mobile device configuration that is appropriate accessing the maintained data, to the mobile device. The computer system receives an indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device settings. The computer system permits the mobile device to access the maintained data in response to receiving the indication that the mobile device is configured in accordance with the device settings.

Claims

1. At a device, a method for updating device configuration settings to access data maintained at a computer system, the method comprising:

sending, from the device, a first data request to the computer system, the first data request requesting that the device be permitted to access the data maintained at the computer system, the first data request indicating current device configuration settings of the device;

receiving at the device a notification indicating that the current device configuration settings are not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

in response to receiving the notification, sending, from the device, a policy request to the computer system, the policy request requesting policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

receiving, at the device, new device configuration settings;

in response to receiving the device configuration settings, implementing, at the device, the new device configuration settings;

sending, from the device, a second data request to the computer system; and

receiving at least a portion of the maintained data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second data requests are sync requests, the sync requests requesting that the device be permitted to access the data maintained by the computer system in order to sync data between the device and the computer system.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first data request comprises a configuration version corresponding to the current device configuration settings.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data maintained at the computer system comprises electronic mail data.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending a second data request to the computer system includes sending an indication that the device is configured in accordance with the new device configuration settings.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, in response to sending the second data request, receiving a notification that the device is permitted to access the data maintained at the computer system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of:

a mobile telephone;

a PDA; and

a watch.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second data requests are sent in accordance with HTTP.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second data requests comprise requests to receive a Web page.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing, at the device, the data maintained at the computer system.

11. A system for updating, at a device, device configurations to access data maintained at a computer system, the method comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, the memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising;

sending a first data request to the computer system, the first data request requesting to access the data maintained at the computer system, the first data request indicating a current device configuration;

receiving a notification indicating that the current device configuration is not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

in response to receiving the notification, sending a policy request to the computer system, the policy request requesting policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

receiving device configuration settings, the device configuration settings representing a new device configuration that is appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

in response to receiving the device configuration settings, implementing the new device configuration that is appropriated for accessing the maintained data;

in response to implementing the new device configuration, sending a second data request to the computer system; and

in response to sending the second data request, accessing the data maintained at the computer system.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises storing the data maintained at the computer system.

13. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first data request comprises a configuration version corresponding to the current device configuration.

14. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the device configuration settings comprise settings related to a Personal Identification Number (“

PIN”

).

15. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first and second data requests are sync requests, the sync requests requesting that the device be permitted to access the data maintained by the computer system in order to sync data between the device and the computer system.

16. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the data maintained at the computer system comprises electronic mail data.

17. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first and second data requests comprise requests to receive a Web page.

18. A storage device encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method for updating device configurations to access data maintained at a computer system, the method comprising:

sending, from a mobile device, a first sync request to the computer system, the first sync request requesting that the mobile device be permitted to access the data maintained at the computer system in order to sync data between the mobile device and the computer system, the sync request indicating a current mobile device configuration of the mobile device and including a configuration version corresponding to the current mobile device configuration, the data maintained by the computer system comprising electronic mail data;

receiving at the mobile device a notification indicating that the current mobile device configuration is not appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

in response to receiving the notification, sending, from the mobile device, a policy request to the computer system, the policy request requesting policy settings that are appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

receiving, at the mobile device, device configuration settings, the device configuration settings representing a new mobile device configuration that is appropriate for accessing the maintained data;

in response to receiving the device configuration settings, implementing, at the mobile device, the new mobile device configuration that is appropriated for accessing the maintained data;

in response to implementing the new mobile device configuration, sending, from the mobile device, a second sync request to the computer system; and

in response to sending the second sync request, accessing the data maintained at the computer system.

19. The storage device of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises one of:

a mobile telephone;

a PDA; and

a watch.

20. The storage device of claim 18, wherein the first and second sync requests are sent in accordance with HTTP.