System and method for controlling the use of a wireless device

• US 9,106,732 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ringen, Deron J., Wilch, Brenda S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US14/316,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20140308948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/411, 455/414.1, 455/565, 455/416, 455/445, 455/456.1, 455/420, 379/200, 379/210.02, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• 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 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72475 specially adapted for disabled users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2272 Subscriber line supervision circuits, e.g. call detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64

Abstract

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for enabling a user to select telephone numbers to which a wireless device may place calls and from which the wireless device may receive calls. One preferred embodiment of the present invention includes software for use on a general purpose computer allowing the user to input into the memory of a wireless device desired telephone numbers that may not be changed by the operator of the wireless device. The computer software also programs the wireless device to only place calls to, or receives calls from, the telephone numbers entered into the memory of the wireless device by the owner.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

storing, in a data store of the user equipment, number data representing a set of telephone numbers, wherein the user equipment is restricted to communicate with a set of respective communication devices associated with the set of telephone numbers,

in response to verifying that first request data indicative of a first request for a modification of the number data has been received via an input interface of the user equipment, rejecting the first request,

in response to verifying that second request data indicative of a second request for the modification of the number data has not been received via the input interface of the user equipment and has been received from a device coupled to the user equipment via a communication link, initiating an authentication of the device based on identifier data representing an alphanumeric sequence associated with the device, and

in response to determining that the authentication satisfies a defined authentication criterion, accepting the second request to facilitate the modification.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the communication link is a wired communication link.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is coupled to a serial port of the device via the communication link.

4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the user equipment is coupled to the serial port via a cradle device that comprises a plug element that facilitates communication with the user equipment.

5. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is coupled to a parallel port of the device via the communication link.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving, from the device via the communication link, instruction data that requests the number data, directing the number data to the device via the communication link.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the number data comprises information indicative of a first subset of the set of telephone numbers associated with a first subset of the set of respective communication devices from which the user equipment is authorized to receive first communication data and a second subset of the set of telephone numbers associated with a second subset of the set of respective communication devices to which the user equipment is authorized to transmit second communication data.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment and the operations further comprise:

receiving, from a second user equipment, communication data associated with a communication session, and

in response to determining that the set of telephone numbers does not comprise a telephone number of the second user equipment, terminating the communication session.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment and the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the input interface of the user equipment, instruction data indicative of an instruction for initiating a communication session with a second user equipment, and

in response to determining that the set of telephone numbers does not comprise a telephone number of the second user equipment, prohibiting an initiation of the communication session.

10. The user equipment of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the prohibiting, facilitating a rendering of message data via a display interface of the user equipment, wherein the message data specifies that the initiation of the communication session has been denied.

11. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the input interface comprises a keypad.

12. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that, in response to execution, cause a user equipment comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

storing in a data store of the user equipment, number data representing a set of telephone numbers, wherein the user equipment is restricted to communicate with a set of respective communication devices associated with the set of telephone numbers;

rejecting a first request to modify the number data, wherein the first request is determined to be received via an input interface of the user equipment;

initiating an authentication of a second request to modify the number data, wherein the second request is not determined to be received via the input interface of the user equipment and is determined to be received via a device coupled to the user equipment via a communication link and wherein the authentication employs identifier data representing an alphanumeric sequence associated with the device; and

in response to determining that the authentication satisfies a defined authentication criterion, modifying the number data based on the second request.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the communication link is a wired communication link.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the input interface is a keypad of the user equipment.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the second request instructs the user equipment to delete the number data and the modifying comprises deleting the number data from the data store.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the set of telephone numbers comprises a telephone number associated with a communication device of the set of respective communication devices, wherein the user equipment is authorized to transmit communication data to the communication device.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the set of telephone numbers comprises a telephone number associated with a communication device of the set of respective communication devices, wherein the user equipment is authorized to receive communication data from the communication device.

18. A method, comprising:

storing, by a first piece of equipment comprising a processor, identifier data indicative of a second piece of equipment within a data store of the first piece of equipment, wherein the storing prohibits a communication between the first piece of equipment and a third piece of equipment disparate from the second piece of equipment;

in response to determining that first modification data that initiates a first modification of the identifier data has been received via an input interface of the first piece of equipment, prohibiting, by the first piece of equipment, the first modification;

in response to determining that second modification data that initiates a second modification of the identifier data has not been received via the input interface of the first piece of equipment and has been received via a device coupled to the first piece of equipment via a communication link, verifying, by the first piece of equipment, that the device is an authorized device based on credential data indicative of an alphanumeric sequence associated with the device; and

in response to the verifying, allowing, by the first piece of equipment, the second modification.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the first piece of equipment, the second modification data via a wired communication link.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the first piece of equipment, instruction data from the device via the communication link, wherein the instruction data requests the identifier data; and

in response to the receiving, facilitating, by the first piece of equipment, a transmission of the identifier data to the device via the communication link.