Method and apparatus for bearer and server independent parental control on smartphone, managed by the smartphone

• US 8,798,610 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Prakash, Gyan, Aissi, Selim, Dadu, Saurabh, Poornachandran, Rajesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US12/732,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20110237221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/411, 455/466, 455/518, 455/519, 455/521
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

In some embodiments, the invention involves parental or master control of a child or subordinate mobile phone without service provider intervention. An embodiment of the invention is a system and method relating to master control of the subordinate smart phone using features on the smart phones, and independent of features provided by the phone service providers. Communication between the master and subordinate phones may be initiated using SMS messaging, near field communication, Bluetooth, direct connect to a PC, or by other secure wireless or wired connections. Once initiated, desired communication events are captured by the parental control application to effect control policies on the subordinate phone. Communication between the phones may be encrypted to prevent malicious intervention of message traffic Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of mobile phones, each phone to be identified as one of either a master phone or a child phone, each master phone configured to control at least one child phone, wherein each child phone to be configured to be controlled by at least one master phone, wherein each phone further comprising;

a user interface of a parental control application to allow a master user on a master phone to interactively manage and control the at least one child phone, wherein a set-up phase is to identify whether a phone is to act as a master phone or child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the phone to authenticate a data connection session between a master phone and child phone, and between more than one master phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in a child phone and record the changes in the master phone, wherein (i) the control policy defines control and management of at least one feature of the child phone and (ii) the policy management and enforcement agent restricts, redirects, and/or monitors the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy;

a communication agent configured to send requests and control policy changes from the master phone to the child phone, and perform a handshake communication between phones to initiate the data connection session is by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between a master phone and child phone, wherein the master hone and child shone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages; and

secure storage for storing at least one control policy, the at least one control policy being associated with one of the at least one child phones.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a logging agent to log message and event activity in a phone.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by the parental control application is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

5. A child mobile phone, comprising:

a plurality of communication features of the child phone to be controlled by at least one authenticated master phone, wherein control of the communication features is transparent to a user of the child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the child phone to authenticate a data connection session between a master phone and the child phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the child phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in the child phone and record the changes in a secure storage coupled to the child phone, wherein (i) the control policy defines control and management of at least one feature of the child phone and (ii) the policy management and enforcement agent restricts, redirects, and/or monitors the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy;

a communication agent configured to receive requests and control policy changes from the master phone, and perform a handshake communication between the child phone and the master phone to initiate the data connection session by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone, wherein the master phone and the child phone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages.

6. The phone as recited in claim 5, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by a parental control application on the child phone is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

7. The phone as recited in claim 5, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

8. A master mobile phone, comprising:

a user interface of a parental control application to allow a master user on the master phone to interactively manage and control at least one child phone, wherein a set-up phase is to identify whether a phone is to act as a master phone or child phone;

an authentication agent configured to enable the master phone to authenticate a data connection session between the master phone and the at least one child phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the master phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;

a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in the at least one child phone and record the changes in a secure storage coupled to the master phone, wherein (i) the control policy defines control and management of at least one feature of the child phone and (ii) the child phone restricts, redirects, and/or monitors the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy;

a communication agent configured to send requests and control policy changes to the at least one child phone, and perform a handshake communication between the at least one child phone and the master phone to initiate the data connection session by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the at least one child phone, wherein the master phone and the child phone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages.

9. The phone as recited in claim 8, further comprising a communication driver to generate an event associated with a message type and content of a received SMS message, wherein the generation of an event type registered by the parental control application on the master phone is to be processed by the parental control application before other user applications on the phone.

10. The phone as recited in claim 8, wherein the policy identifies control and management in the at least one child phone of at least one of:

short message service (SMS) policy;

language parsing control and SMS redirections;

phone calling control;

phone receiving control and redirection;

restricted location based beaconing when near to restricted locations;

instance messaging (IM) and Web browsing policy and language control; and

phone application download and install policy.

11. The phone as recited in claim 8, wherein a master synchronization data connection session is to be initiated between the master phone and at least one other master phone, the at least one other master phone configured to control a same child phone as to be controlled by the master phone, wherein the master synchronization data connection is to synchronize a stored policy on the master phone and the at least one other master phone, the stored policy with the same child phone.

12. A method for controlling at least one child mobile phone by at least on master mobile phone, comprising:

identifying whether a phone is to be a master or child phone, by a master user;

initiating a message handshake protocol between a master phone and a child phone;

initiating a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone;

communicating between the master phone and the child phone via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages;

requesting authentication of the master phone to the child phone;

controlling features of the child phone by the master phone, after authentication by sending a control policy to the child phone;

defining control and management of at least one feature of the child phone in the control policy; and

restricting, redirecting, and/or monitoring the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein, the sending of the control policy to the child phone further comprises:

sending a request to the child phone from the master phone;

when the request comprises a change in control policy, storing the change in control policy in a secure storage coupled to the master phone.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request by the child phone; and

performing an action based on the request.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein when the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change, then storing the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

registering, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

17. A method for enabling control in a child phone by at least one master phone, comprising:

identifying whether a phone is to be a master or child phone, by a master user;

defining control and management of at least one feature of the child phone in a control policy;

responding to a message handshake protocol initiation between a master phone and a child phone;

initiating a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone;

communicating between the master phone and the child phone via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages;

receiving a request for authentication of the master phone by the child phone;

authenticating the master phone by the child phone;

receiving a request from the master phone, by the child phone, wherein the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change; and

restricting, redirecting, and/or monitoring the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy as updated by the control policy change.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

performing an action based on the request, responsive to receiving the request by the child phone.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising storing the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone, the secure storage inaccessible to a non-master user on the child phone.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

registering, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

21. A non-transitory, machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for controlling at least one child mobile phone, the instructions when executed by a machine cause the machine to:

categorize that a phone is to be a master phone or a child phone based on a selection by a master user;

initiate a message handshake protocol between a master phone and a child phone;

initiate a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone;

communicate between the master phone and the child phone via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages;

request authenticating of the master phone to the child phone;

control features of the child phone by the master phone, after authentication by sending a control policy to the child phone;

define control and management of at least one feature of the child phone in the control policy; and

restrict, redirect, and/or monitor the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy.

22. The medium as recited in claim 21, wherein, the sending of the control policy to the child phone further comprises instructions to:

send a request to the child phone from the master phone;

when the request comprises a change in control policy, store the change in control policy in a secure storage coupled to the master phone.

23. The medium as recited in claim 22, further comprising instructions to:

receive a request by the child phone; and

perform an action based on the request.

24. The medium as recited in claim 23, wherein when the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change, then store the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone.

25. The medium as recited in claim 23, further comprising instructions to:

register, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.

26. A non-transitory, machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for enabling controlling of a child mobile phone, the instructions when executed by a machine cause the machine to:

categorize that a phone is to be a master phone or a child phone based on a selection by a master user;

define control and management of at least one feature of the child phone in a control policy;

respond to a message handshake protocol initiation between a master phone and a child phone;

initiate a data connection session between the master phone and the child phone by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between the master phone and the child phone;

communicate between the master phone and the child phone via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages;

receive a request for authentication of the master phone by the child phone;

authenticate the master phone by the child phone;

receive a request from the master phone, by the child phone, wherein the request received by the child phone comprises a control policy change; and

restrict, redirect, and/or monitor the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy as updated by the control policy change.

27. The medium as recited in claim 26, further comprising instructions to:

perform an action based on the request, responsive to receiving the request by the child phone.

28. The medium as recited in claim 27, further comprising instructions to:

store the control policy change in a secure storage coupled to the child phone, the secure storage inaccessible to a non-master user on the child phone.

29. The medium as recited in claim 27, further comprising instructions to:

register, with a mobile operating system on the child phone, events to be captured and processed by a parental control module, wherein the events to be captured are associated with the features to be controlled by the master phone, and processing by the parental control module is prior to processing of the events by user applications on the child phone.