Controlling access to a mobile device

• US 9,084,118 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, MONG-THUY THI
• Application Number:
  US13/804,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 713/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method of controlling user access to a mobile device includes detecting at the mobile device the presence of a wireless device via a short-range wireless signal; identifying the wireless device from the wireless signal; accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices and is stored at the mobile device; comparing the identity of the detected wireless device with the identity or identities include with the list of trusted wireless devices; determining that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices; and deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determination that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices.

Claims

1. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting at the mobile device the presence of a wireless device via a short-range wireless signal;

(b) identifying the wireless device from the wireless signal;

(c) accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices;

(d) comparing the identity of the detected wireless device with the identity or identities included with the list of trusted wireless devices;

(e) determining that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices;

(f) determining that the mobile device is located within a user-defined geofence; and

(g) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determination of steps (e) and (f).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting the presence of the wireless device based on the existence of a short-range wireless link between the mobile device and the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the wireless device is no longer in the presence of the mobile device or the mobile device leaves the user-defined geofence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device further comprises a vehicle telematics unit.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of designating the wireless device as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving the geo-fence at the mobile device from the user.

8. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) designating a vehicle telematics unit as a trusted wireless device using the mobile device;

(b) receiving a user-defined geofence at the mobile device from a user;

(c) establishing a short-range wireless link between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device after designating the vehicle telematics unit as the trusted wireless device;

(d) detecting that the short-range wireless link currently exists between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device;

(e) determining whether the mobile device is within the user-defined geofence; and

(f) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device while the short-range wireless link exists between the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device is within the user-defined geofence.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the short-range wireless link between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device ends or the mobile device leaves the user-defined geofence.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of designating the vehicle telematics unit as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving the geo-fence at the mobile device from the user.

13. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting at the mobile device the presence of a vehicle telematics unit via a short-range wireless signal;

(b) identifying the vehicle telematics unit from the short-range wireless signal;

(c) accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices;

(d) comparing the identity of the vehicle telematics unit with the identity or identities included with the list of trusted wireless devices;

(e) determining that the identity of the vehicle telematics unit is included with the list of trusted wireless devices;

(f) determining that the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit are located within a user-defined geo-fenced area; and

(g) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determinations made in steps (e) and (f).

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the short-range wireless signal is no longer present or the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit are no longer located within the user-defined geo-fenced area.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of designating the vehicle telematics unit as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of receiving the user-defined geo-fenced area at the mobile device.