Feature management of a communication device

• US 9,237,433 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kajeet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kajeet, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Matthew Donald, Geller, Steven Ira, Kesser, Douglas Owen, Neal, Daniel John, Politi, Carol Ann, Weintraub, Ben Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Manoharan, Muthuswamy
• Application Number:
  US13/786,685
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/466, 705/30, 705/43, 705/44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/10 Account details or usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/35 Pay as you go
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the establishment and enforcement of policies or rules associated with the feature or functions that may be performed with the device, such as making and receiving calls, exchanging data, playing games and music, sending and receiving email, accessing web sites, and paying for goods and services. If a child or employee is using the device, there may be a need to regulate how that device can be used and to determine who will pay for what goods or services. In addition to providing all of the features associated with a device, service providers need to be able to establish and enforce rules (policies) regulating how and when that device can be used and who will pay for a good or service requested by the user of the device.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device communicating on a first communications network, the mobile communications device comprising a memory bearing instructions that, when executed on the mobile communications device, cause the mobile communications device to at least:

initiate a request to run a function associated with a first account, the first account being associated with electronic units of value that can be used to run the function on the mobile communications device, the first account being generated based on input associated with an administrator of the mobile communications device and associated with a plan that is shared with a second mobile communications device, the electronic units of value associated with the first account being allocated from electronic units of value associated with the plan that are not allocated to other electronic wallets;

in response to transmitting the request to a server located in a second communications network, receive in real-time from the server a decision that the function is permitted to run on the mobile communications device, the decision being based on a policy stored at the server, the policy including one or more allowed contacts and one or more blocked contacts associated with the mobile communications device;

run the function on the mobile communications device based at least in part on the decision received from the server; and

transmit, by the mobile communications device to the server, information indicative of running the function on the mobile communications device, wherein, in response to receiving the information, the server is configured to charge, based at least in part on a rule and in real-time, electronic units of value associated with a cost for running the function to the first account, to a second account, or to unallocated electronic units of value in the plan, the electronic units of value representing credits for paying for a service associated with a service provider of the first or second accounts, the rule specifying that the charged electronic units of value are decremented from the electronic units of value associated with first account when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are sufficient to pay for running the function, and wherein the rule further specifies that the charged electronic units of value are decremented from the electronic units of value associated with the second account when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are insufficient to pay for running the function and when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts, wherein the unallocated electronic units of value in the plan can be used by either the first or second communications device.

2. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device is a mobile phone.

3. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the function comprises one or more of voice calling, messaging, data surfing, gaming, content accessing, goods purchasing, and service purchasing.

4. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the policy specifies that the function is permitted to run independently of the electronic units of value associated with the first account when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a contact stored at the server.

5. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the function is permitted to run when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts, and wherein the function is blocked when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more blocked contacts.

6. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the policy specifies that the function is permitted to run on the mobile communications device when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are sufficient to pay for the running of the function independently of the electronic units of value associated with the second account.

7. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the policy specifies that the function is permitted to run on the mobile communications device when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are insufficient to pay for the running of the function, when the electronic units of value associated with the second account are sufficient to pay for the running of the function, and when the running of the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with one or more computing devices associated with a list of trusted contacts defined based on input associated with the administrator.

8. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the rule specifies that the charged electronic units of value are decremented from the electronic units of value associated with the second account when the electronic units of value associated with the first are insufficient to pay for the running of the function, when the electronic units of value associated with the second account are sufficient units to pay for the running of the function, and when the running of the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with one or more computing devices associated with a list of trusted contacts defined based on input associated with the administrator.

9. The mobile communications device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed on the mobile communications device, further cause the mobile communications device to at least receive a notification from the server when a number of the electronic units of value associated with the first account reaches a predefined level.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a mobile communications device communicating on a first communications network, cause the mobile communications device to at least:

initiate a request to run a function associated with a first allowance, the first allowance comprising electronic units of value that can be used to run the function on the mobile communications device, the electronic units of value representing credits for paying for a service associated with a service provider, the first allowance being generated based on input associated with an administrator of the mobile communications device and associated with a plan that is shared with a second mobile communications device, the electronic units of value associated with the first allowance being allocated from electronic units of value associated with the plan that are not allocated to other electronic wallets;

receive in real-time from a server located in a second communications network a decision as to whether the function is permitted to run on the mobile communications device, the decision being based on a server rule and a device rule, the server rule determining whether the function is permitted to run independently of the first allowance and the server rule including one or more allowed contacts and one or more blocked contacts associated with the mobile communications device, the device rule determining whether the function is permitted to run based on the first allowance and whether to decrement electronic units of value, when the function is permitted to run, from the first allowance when the electronic units of value associated with the first allowance are sufficient to pay for running the function, decrement electronic units of value from a second allowance that is associated with the second mobile communications device when the electronic units of value associated with the first allowance are insufficient to pay for running the function and when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts, or from unallocated electronic units of value in the plan;

run the function based on the decision received from the server; and

transmit information to the server, wherein the server is configured to update the first allowance, the second allowance, or from the unallocated electronic units of value in the plan when the device rule is applied wherein the unallocated electronic units of value in the plan can be used by either the first or second communications device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the request is based on an input of a user.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the server rule is defined based on input associated with a service provider.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the device rule is defined based on input associated with the administrator.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the device rule determines that the function is permitted to run dependently on the first allowance when the first allowance comprises sufficient electronic units of value to pay for running the function.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein electronic units of value are transferable between the first allowance and the second allowance.

16. A method executed on a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

loading a first wallet and a second wallet on the mobile communications device, the first wallet comprising a first set of electronic units of value that can be used to pay for an execution of a function on the mobile communications device, the first set of electronic units of value being allocated from a plan shared with the first and second wallets, the second wallet comprising a second set of electronic units of value that can be used to pay for the execution of the function on the mobile communications device, the second set of electronic units of value being allocated from the plan that are not allocated to other wallets, the electronic units of value representing credits for paying for a service associated with a service provider;

loading a first rule and a second rule on the mobile communications device, the first rule specifying whether the execution of the function is allowed agnostically of the electronic units of value in the first wallet and the second wallet, the second rule determining whether the execution of the function is allowed based on the electronic units of value in the first wallet and the second wallet and specifying whether electronic units of value associated with the execution of the function are decremented from the first wallet or the second wallet or from unallocated electronic units of value in the plan, wherein either the first rule or the second rule includes one or more allowed contacts and one or more blocked contacts associated with the mobile communications device;

initiating a request for the execution of the function;

determining, in real-time, whether the execution of the function is permitted based on the first rule or is permitted based on the second rule; and

deducting, in real-time, electronic units of value from the electronic units of value associated with first wallet when the electronic units of value associated with the first wallet are sufficient to pay for running the function, and deducting electronic units of value from the electronic units of value associated with the second wallet when the electronic units of value associated with the first wallet are insufficient to pay for running the function and when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising avoiding a deduction of electronic units of value from the first wallet and the second wallet when the execution of the function is permitted based on the first rule.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first rule is defined based on input associated with a service provider of the mobile communications device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first rule is defined based on input associated with a third party.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising deducting the electronic units of value from an account associated with the third party.

21. A method executed on a first mobile communications device, the method comprising:

initiating a request for a use of a function of the first mobile communications device, the use of the function being associated with a first account, the first account comprising electronic units of value representing credits that can be used to pay for the use of the function, the first mobile communications device being associated with a plan that is shared with a second mobile communications device, the electronic units of value associated with the first account being allocated from electronic units of value associated with the plan;

in response to transmitting to a server data indicative of the request, receiving in real-time from the server a decision that grants or denies the use of the function, the decision being based on a policy stored at the server, the policy including one or more allowed contacts and one or more blocked contacts associated with the mobile communications device;

using the function based on the decision received from the server; and

transmitting information to the server, wherein the server is configured to decrement electronic units of value from the first account when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are sufficient to pay for running the function, and wherein the server is further configured to decrement electronic units of value from a second account associated with the second mobile communications device when the electronic units of value associated in the first account are insufficient to pay for running the function and running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the server is associated with a service provider.

23. The method of claim 21, the first account and the second account are managed based on input associated with an administrator.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising receiving a notification from the server when a total of the electronic units of value in the first account reaches or passes a predefined level.