Parent telecommunication device configuration of activity-based child telecommunication device

• US 8,825,036 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Kemery, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US12/544,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20110045811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/677 Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4217 Managing service interactions

Abstract

A telecommunications network offers a subscription plan or feature for parent and activity-based child devices. Configuration choices are made at the parent device and communicated to the activity-based child device. The child device creates a graphical menu showing activities as specified by the configuration information received from the parent device.

Claims

1. A child telecommunications device, comprising:

an interactive user interface that offers activities to a user of the child telecommunications device;

the child telecommunications device being configured to perform actions comprising;

receiving remote configuration information that indicates the activities that are to be available on the child telecommunications device, the indicated activities designating allowed executable applications, allowed communication contacts, and allowed content;

adding the indicated activities to the interactive user interface in response to receiving the remote configuration information; and

removing activities designating communication contacts from the interactive user interface if the communication contacts are not included in the allowed communication contacts of the remote configuration information,

wherein the remote configuration information includes a list of allowable applications and content that is preconfigured by a service provider such that a user of a parent device specifies additional descriptive or limiting information to said list to create the remote configuration information received by the child telecommunications device, the allowable applications and content comprising applications and content that are created by the service provider and enable the child telecommunications device to communicate with the parent telecommunications device.

2. A child telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, the actions further comprising loading resources as needed to enable the indicated activities on the child telecommunications device.

3. A child telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, the actions further comprising removing activities from the interactive user interface if they are not indicated by the remote configuration information.

4. A child telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein the indicated activities designate allowed executable applications, and wherein one or more of the applications facilitate interactions with users of other devices;

the actions further comprising limiting interaction by the applications to contacts specified in the remote configuration information.

17. The child telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, the actions further comprising automatically downloading the executable application or content in response to receiving the remote configuration information.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that are executable on a telecommunications device to perform actions comprising:

receiving configuration settings from a remote device, the configuration settings indicating activities for a user to initiate on the telecommunications device, the indicated activities designating allowed executable applications, allowed communication contacts, and allowed content;

adding the indicated activities to a graphical display of activities available on the telecommunications device in response to receiving the configuration settings; and

removing activities designating communication contacts from the interactive user interface if the communication contacts are not included in the allowed communication contacts of the configuration settings,

wherein the configuration settings includes a list of allowable applications and content that is preconfigured by a service provider such that a user of a parent device specifies additional descriptive or limiting information to said list to create the remote configuration settings received by the telecommunications device, the allowable applications and content comprising applications and content that are created by the service provider and enable the telecommunications device to communicate with the parent telecommunications device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, the actions further comprising configuring the telecommunications device to load resources as needed to enable the indicated activities on the telecommunications device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the actions further comprise disallowing communications by the telecommunications device with parties that are not among the allowed communication contacts.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the indicated activities designate allowed remote resources;

the actions further comprising disallowing access to remote resources that are not among the allowed remote resources.

18. The one or more tangible computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 5, the actions further comprising automatically downloading the executable application or content in response to receiving the configuration settings.

9. A method comprising:

associating, by an administrative component of a telecommunication network, a set of telecommunication devices with a common subscription feature of a subscription for telecommunication services provided by the telecommunication network, the administrative component being separate and distinct from the set of telecommunication devices;

designating, by the administrative component, a parent device from among the set of telecommunication devices;

designating, by the administrative component, a child device from among the set of telecommunication devices;

configuring, by the administrative component, the parent device to accept configuration settings for the child device from a user of the parent device, the configuration settings indicating activities for a child to initiate on the child device, the indicated activities designating allowed executable applications, allowed communication contacts, and allowed content;

configuring, by the administrative component, the child device to receive the configuration settings; and

further configuring, by the administrative component, the child device to present one or more graphical menus on the child device in response to the received configuration settings, the one or more graphical menus showing the activities indicated by the configuration settings, and to remove activities designating communication contacts from the interactive user interface if the communication contacts are not included in the allowed communication contacts of the remote configuration settings,

wherein the configuration settings includes a list of allowable applications and content that is preconfigured by a service provider such that the user of the parent device specifies additional descriptive or limiting information to said list to create the remote configuration settings received by the child device, the allowable applications and content comprising applications and content that are created by the service provider and enable the child device to communicate with the parent device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

configuring the child device to limit access by the child device to the activities indicated by the configuration settings.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the activities comprise rendering remote content.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the activities comprise viewing a web site.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the activities comprise executing an application on the child device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising configuring the child device to respond to changes in the configuration settings by changing the activities shown on the one or more graphical menus.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising configuring the child device to load content onto the child device in response to receiving configuration settings indicating an activity associated with such content.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising configuring the child device to load an application onto the child device in response to receiving configuration settings indicating an activity associated with the application.