Mobile services access management methods and systems

• US 8,838,077 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Felt, Michelle, Saeed, Farida, Relyea, Donald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US12/874,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20120058744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/26.1, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/415, 455/418
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/28 Services making use of subscriber schedule information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a mobile services access management system maintaining a mobile services access schedule associated with a mobile access device, the mobile services access schedule specifying one or more restricted access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to one or more mobile services requires entry of a predetermined access code, receiving a request to access at least one mobile service within the one or more mobile services during one of the one or more restricted access time periods, receiving entry of a predetermined access code in conjunction with the request, granting the mobile access device access to the at least one mobile service, and providing a notification of the access to a predetermined recipient. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a mobile services access management system, a mobile services access schedule associated with a mobile access device, the mobile services access schedule specifying one or more restricted access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to one or more mobile services requires entry of a predetermined access code and one or more normal access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to the one or more mobile services does not require entry of the predetermined access code,

automatically defining, by the mobile services access management system, at least one of the one or more restricted access time periods to coincide with one or more events specified by a calendar maintained by a calendaring system linked to the mobile services access management system;

receiving, by the mobile services access management system during one of the one or more restricted access time periods, a request to access at least one mobile service within the one or more mobile services;

receiving, by the mobile services access management system, an entry of the predetermined access code in conjunction with the request;

granting, by the mobile services access management system in response to the receiving the entry of the predetermined access code, the mobile access device access to the at least one mobile service; and

providing, by the mobile services access management system, a notification of the access to the at least one mobile service to a predetermined recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the mobile services access management system, configuration parameters defining one or more aspects of the mobile services access schedule.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration parameters are provided by a primary account holder of a mobile services account associated with the mobile access device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration parameters define at least one of the one or more mobile services to be restricted during the one or more restricted access time periods, dates and times of the one or more restricted access time periods, dates and times of one or more normal access time periods, the predetermined recipient, a manner of providing the notification to the predetermined recipient, and the predetermined access code.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the configuration parameters is received by way of a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the configuration parameters is received by way of another mobile access device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the calendaring system is associated with a third party.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating, by the mobile services access management system, the mobile services access schedule to coincide with the calendar.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more mobile services comprise at least one of a mobile telephone service, a mobile text message service, a mobile email service, a video call service, and a mobile data service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the notification is triggered by the predetermined access code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes information identifying at least one of the at least one mobile service, a time of the access to the at least one mobile service, a duration of the access to the at least one mobile service, a content of a communication sent or received during the access to the at least one mobile service, a sender or recipient of the communication sent or received during the access to the at least one mobile service, and a physical location of the mobile access device at the time of the access to the at least one mobile service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined recipient is a primary account holder of a mobile services account associated with the mobile access device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the notification comprises sending a text message to the predetermined recipient notifying the predetermined recipient of the access to the at least one mobile service.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least another one of the one or more restricted access time periods corresponds to at least one of a school schedule, a study schedule, a sleep schedule, and a work schedule associated with a user of the mobile access device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the access by the mobile access device to the one or more mobile services during the one or more restricted access time periods further requires that the mobile access device be physically located within a predetermined geographic area.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile services access management system, an override command to override a particular restricted access time period within the one or more restricted access time periods; and

overriding, by the mobile services access management system in response to receiving the override command, the requirement to enter the predetermined access code during the particular restricted access time period such that the mobile access device is granted unrestricted access to the one or more mobile services during the particular restricted access time period.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving of the override command comprises receiving a communication including a predetermined override code, the communication comprising at least one of a text message and an email.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising concealing, by the mobile services access system, the override code from a user of the mobile access device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the access to the at least one mobile service is limited to a single use of the at least one mobile service.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the single use of the at least one mobile service comprises sending or receiving a telephone call, an email, or a text message.

21. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

22. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile services access management system, configuration parameters defining a mobile services access schedule associated with a mobile access device, the mobile services access schedule specifying one or more restricted access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to one or more mobile services requires entry of a predetermined access code and one or more normal access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to the one or more mobile services does not require entry of the predetermined access code, the configuration parameters provided by a primary account holder of a mobile services account associated with the mobile access device,

automatically defining, by the mobile services access management system, at least one of the one or more restricted access time periods in the mobile services access schedule defined by the configuration parameters to coincide with one or more events specified by a calendar maintained by a calendaring system linked to the mobile services access management system;

receiving, by the mobile services access management system during one of the one or more restricted access time periods, a request to access at least one mobile service within the one or more mobile services;

receiving, by the mobile services access management system, an entry of the predetermined access code in conjunction with the request;

granting, by the mobile services access management system in response to the receiving the entry of the predetermined access code, the mobile access device access to the at least one mobile service, the access to the at least one mobile service limited to a single use of the at least one mobile service; and

providing, by the mobile services access management system, a notification of the access to the primary account holder.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the configuration parameters is received by way of a graphical user interface.

24. A system comprising:

at least one computing device implementing;

a scheduling facility configured to maintain a mobile services access schedule associated with a mobile access device, the mobile services access schedule specifying one or more restricted access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to one or more mobile services requires entry of a predetermined access code and one or more normal access time periods during which access by the mobile access device to the one or more mobile services does not require entry of the predetermined access code,

wherein the scheduling facility automatically defines at least one of the one or more restricted access time periods to coincide with one or more events specified by a calendar maintained by a calendaring system linked to the mobile services access management system;

an access management facility communicatively coupled to the scheduling facility and configured to

receive, during one of the one or more restricted access time periods, a request to access at least one mobile service within the one or more mobile services,

receive an entry of the predetermined access code in conjunction with the request, and

grant, in response to receiving the entry of the predetermined access code, the mobile access device access to the at least one mobile service; and

a notification facility communicatively coupled to the access management facility and configured to provide a notification of the access to the at least one mobile service to a predetermined recipient.