Control of a mobile device

• US 9,264,888 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Starr, Ephraim D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDA, ADAM K
• Application Number:
  US14/659,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• 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 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium are disclosed to control a mobile device. A disable event module detects a failure to respond to a communication. The communication is sent to a mobile communications device from a supervisory source. A function disable module disables one or more functions of the mobile communications device in response to detecting the failure to respond to the communication. An enable event module detects a second communication between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source. A function enable module enables the one or more functions in response to detecting the second communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selectively disabling, by use of a processor, one or more functions of a mobile communications device in response to detecting a failure to respond to a communication sent to the mobile communication device from a supervisory source; and

enabling, by use of the processor, the one or more functions in response to detecting a second communication between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

receiving an expected location from the supervisory source;

determining that the expected location matches a current location of the mobile communications device, wherein the one or more functions are enabled in response to detecting the second communication and

a determination that the expected location matches the current location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication comprises a time-stamped photograph sent from the mobile communications device to the supervisory source and further wherein the one or more functions are enabled in response to detecting the second communication and in response to receiving an enable confirmation from the supervisory source.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing one or more emergency communications from the mobile communications device while the one or more functions are disabled.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating an alert from the mobile communications device in response to detecting the failure to respond to the communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communications device comprises a mobile telephone device, the supervisory source comprises a predefined telephone number, and the communication comprises a voice call from the predefined telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a failure to respond to a predefined number of previous communications from the supervisory source, the number of previous communications sent to the mobile communications device from the supervisory source prior to the communication, wherein the one or more functions of the mobile communications device are disabled in response to detecting the failure to respond to the communication and further in response to detecting the failure to respond to the predefined number of previous communications.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising waiting a predefined time period in response to receiving the communication, wherein detecting the failure to respond to the communication comprises detecting a failure to respond to the communication within the predefined time period.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing communications between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source while the one or more functions are disabled.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication comprises a voice call between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source, the voice call lasting at least a predefined duration.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication comprises an enable confirmation from the supervisory source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the enable communication comprises a code entered from the supervisory source during the second communication, the second communication comprising a voice call between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the enable confirmation comprises a text message from the supervisory source to the mobile communications device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is selected from the group consisting of an email message and a text message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a failure to respond to the communication comprises a failure to view the communication within a predefined time period.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication comprises a predefined disable command.

17. A method comprising:

producing computer executable program code;

providing the computer executable program code to be deployed to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and executed on a computer system, the computer executable program code performing;

selectively disabling one or more functions of a mobile communications device in response to detecting a failure to respond to a communication sent to the mobile communication device from a supervisory source; and

enabling, by use of the processor, the one or more functions in response to detecting a second communication between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second communication comprises a voice call between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source, the voice call lasting at least a predefined duration.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a first processor;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable program code executable by a second processor, the computer executable program code performing;

selectively disabling one or more functions of a mobile communications device in response to detecting a failure to respond to a communication sent to the mobile communication device from a supervisory source; and

enabling, by use of the processor, the one or more functions in response to detecting a second communication between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second communication comprises a voice call between the mobile communications device and the supervisory source, the voice call lasting at least a predefined duration.