Method and system for providing limited usage of an electronic device

• US 8,973,104 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rokusek, Daniel S., Brann, Edward D., Gupta, Sanjay, Vanyek, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US13/731,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726/17, 726/34, 455/418, 710/303, 710/304
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/123 by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An electronic device (100) includes a control circuit (208) and one or more modules (210) operable with the control circuit. An application usage module (211) is operable with the control circuit to define one or more applications (104,105,106,107), operable with the control circuit and otherwise available for use by a user (101) when the electronic device is in an unlocked state, that are precluded from use by an authorized person when the electronic device is operably connected to a predefined peripheral accessory (300) when unlocked.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

while operating in a locked state and operably connected to a peripheral device, receiving, by an electronic device, an indication of an unlocking input detected at a user interface of the electronic device, wherein one or more applications are prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in the locked state;

responsive to receiving the indication of the unlocking input, transitioning, by the electronic device, from operating in the locked state to operating in an unlocked state;

identifying, by the electronic device, the peripheral device from a stored list of peripheral devices, the stored list including information specifying at least one application from the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral device;

responsive to identifying the peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, and while the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral device, preventing, by the electronic device, the at least one application from being accessed by the user and from the electronic device; and

allowing, by the electronic device, the at least one application to be accessed, by the user from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably disconnected from the peripheral device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the electronic device, an indication of a control input defining which applications to prevent from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operably connected to the peripheral device, wherein the at least one application is further determined based at least in part on the control input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control input further defines an identifier of the peripheral device and the at least one application is further determined in response to determining, by the electronic device, based on the identifier, that the electronic device is operably connected to the peripheral device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication of the control input is received from a remote computing system associated with an administrator of the electronic device, the administrator of the electronic device having usage privileges associated with the electronic device that are superior to user privileges of the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the electronic device, from the remote computing system, administrator credentials; and

determining, by the electronic device, based on the administrator credentials, that the administrator is authorized to provide the control input, wherein the at least one application is further determined in response to the determination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is operably connected to the peripheral device via a wireless communication link.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a first peripheral device, the unlocking input is a first unlocking input, and the at least one application is a first application, the method further comprising:

while operating in the locked state and being operably connected to a second peripheral device, receiving, by the electronic device, an indication of a second unlocking input detected at the user interface of the electronic device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second unlocking input, transitioning, by the electronic device, from operating in the locked state to operating in the unlocked state;

identifying, by the electronic device, the second peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, wherein the information included in the stored list further specifies that a second application from the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the second peripheral device; and

responsive to identifying the second peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, and while operating in the unlocked state and being operably connected to the second peripheral device, preventing, by the electronic device, the second application from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising while operating in the unlocked state, while being operably connected to the second peripheral device, and while being operably disconnected from the first peripheral device, allowing, by the electronic device, the first application to be accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising while operating in the unlocked state, while being operably connected to the second peripheral device, and while being operably connected to the first peripheral device, preventing, by the electronic device, the first application and the second application from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while operating in the unlocked state and after preventing the at least one application from being accessed by the user and from the electronic device and responsive to determining that the electronic device is operably disconnected from the peripheral device, allowing, by the electronic device, the at least one application to be accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an administrator control module of an electronic device, information defining one or more applications of the electronic device that are to be prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in an unlocked state and is operably connected to a peripheral accessory;

configuring, by the administrator control module, based on the information, the electronic device to prevent access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications while the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral accessory;

responsive to determining that the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral accessory, preventing, by the administrator control module, access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications; and

responsive to determining that the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably disconnected from the peripheral accessory, allowing, by the administrator control module, access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

subsequent to configuring the electronic device to prevent access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications, inhibiting, by the administrator control module, access to the administrator control module to prevent changes to the configuration of the electronic device that prevents access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the electronic device is operably disconnected from the peripheral accessory, configuring, by the administrator control module, the electronic device to permit access, by the user and from the electronic device, to the one or more applications.

10. A peripheral accessory, comprising:

a communication circuit for exchanging secure data and information with an electronic device, the information specifying one or more applications of the electronic device that are accessible from the electronic device, the secure data defining at least one of the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in an unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral accessory and is allowed to be accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in the unlocked state and is operably disconnected from the peripheral device;

a processor; and

a secure memory module operable by the processor to;

receive, via the communication circuit, from the electronic device, the information;

determine, based on the information, the at least one of the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operating in an unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral accessory; and

transmit, via the communication circuit, to the electronic device, the secure data defining the at least one of the one or more applications.

11. The peripheral accessory of claim 10, further comprising a secure crypto memory configured to store the secure data defining the one or more applications, wherein the secure memory module is further operable by the processor to retrieve, from the secure crypto memory, the secure data.

12. The peripheral accessory of claim 10, wherein the information comprises at least one of an identifier of the electronic device or a security level indicator associated with a user of the electronic device, wherein the secure memory module is further operable by the processor to determine, based on at least one of the identifier of the electronic device or the security level indicator associated with the user, the at least one of the one or more applications.

17. An electronic device comprising:

an input device configured to detect unlocking inputs;

a processor; and

at least one module operable by the processor to;

while the electronic device operates in a locked state and is operably connected to a peripheral device, receive, an indication of an unlocking input detected at the input device, wherein one or more applications are prevented from being accessed, by a user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device operates in the locked state;

responsive to receiving the indication of the unlocking input, transition the electronic device from operating in the locked state to operating in an unlocked state;

identify the peripheral device from a stored list of peripheral devices, the stored list including information specifying at least one application from the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device operates in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral device;

responsive to identifying the peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, and while the electronic device operates in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the peripheral device, prevent the at least one application from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device; and

allow the at least one application to be accessed, by the user from the electronic device, while the electronic device operates in the unlocked state and is operably disconnected from the peripheral device.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the processor to configure the at least one application to be accessible, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device operates in the locked state and is operably disconnected from the peripheral device.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the processor to:

receive an indication of a control input defining which applications to prevent from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is operably connected to the peripheral device; and

determine the at least one application based at least in part on the indication of the control input.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the peripheral device is a first peripheral device, the unlocking input is a first unlocking input, the at least one application is a first application, and the at least one module is further operable by the processor to:

while the electronic device is operating in the locked state and is operably connected to a second peripheral device, receive an indication of a second unlocking input detected at the input device;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second unlocking input, transition the electronic device from operating in the locked state to operating in the unlocked state;

identify the second peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, wherein the information included in the stored list further specifies that a second application from the one or more applications that is to be prevented from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device, while the electronic device is in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the second peripheral device; and

responsive to identifying the second peripheral device from the stored list of peripheral devices, and while the electronic device operates in the unlocked state and is operably connected to the second peripheral device, prevent the second application from being accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the processor to, while the electronic device operates in the unlocked state, is operably connected to the second peripheral device, and is operably disconnected from the first peripheral device, allow the first application to be accessed, by the user and from the electronic device.