Administration of policies for wireless devices in a wireless communication system

• US 9,270,682 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Boudreau, Jesse, Panezic, Alan, Murphy, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US12/171,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20090028049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/328, 455/418
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for providing a administration mechanism for wireless systems. In an embodiment, a mobile wireless server including a plurality of parameters that may be set to configure a mobile wireless client. The mobile wireless server also includes at least one computer program to set one or more of the parameters. The computer programs permit a user of at least one of the wireless clients to select a desired mode of operation for one or more of the wireless clients. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

rendering on a display of a wireless server, a graphical user interface to administer a mobile wireless device and to present a selectable desired mode of operation for the wireless device, the selectable desired mode of operation being presented as an abstract description of one or more administration parameters associated with the selectable desired mode of operation for configuring the mobile wireless device,

receiving, via the graphical user interface, a selected desired mode of operation for the mobile wireless device, the selected desired mode of operation correlated to one or more policies to control flow of information with respect to the mobile wireless device;

using the selected desired mode of operation to determine, without human intervention, one or more administration parameters to configure the mobile wireless device to implement a policy at the mobile wireless device; and

transmitting the one or more administration parameters from the wireless server to the mobile wireless device to implement the policy at the mobile wireless device based on the one or more administration parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the method includes establishing a secure communication channel with the mobile wireless device such that substantially all communications between the wireless server and the mobile wireless device are over the secure communication channel.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile wireless device is enabled to register with a plurality of separate wireless services and enabled to integrate a plurality of policies, at least one from each service with which the mobile wireless device is registered, such that a policy from a service that is designated as a primary service has override control over policies from other services.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting the one or more administration parameters from the wireless server to the mobile wireless device causes the wireless device to be configured for the desired mode of operation using the administration parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises turning off a phone function.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises controlling website access.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises restricting international phone calls.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises restricting phone calls to specified area codes.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises turning off SMS.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises turning off MMS.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises turning off browser use.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises blocking downloading of specified content.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the specified content comprises games.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode of operation comprises maintaining usage data for one or more mobile devices.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the usage data comprises information about phone calls.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein usage data comprises information about web sites.

17. A wireless server comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an interface operable in connection with the processor and the memory, and configured to communicatively operate with a plurality of mobile wireless clients;

a plurality of parameters selectable to configure the wireless clients; and

at least one computer program operable in connection with the processor and the memory, and configured to set one or more of the parameters wherein the computer program is operable to;

render on a display of the wireless server, a graphical user interface to administer the plurality of wireless clients and to present a selectable desired mode of operation for one of the wireless clients, the selectable desired mode of operation being presented as an abstract description of one or

more administration parameters associated with the selectable desired mode of operation for configuring the mobile wireless device;

receive a selection of a desired mode of operation for one or more of the wireless clients, the desired mode of operation correlated to one or more policies to control flow of information with respect to the one or more of the wireless clients;

use the desired mode of operation to select, without human intervention, the one or more of the administration parameters to configure the mobile wireless device to implement a policy at the one or more wireless clients; and

transmit the selected one or more parameters from the wireless server to the one or more wireless clients to implement the policy at the one or more wireless clients based on the one or more parameters.

18. The wireless server of claim 17 wherein the wireless server is operable to establish a secure communication channel with each of the plurality of wireless clients such that substantially all communications between the wireless server and each wireless client is over the respective secure communication channel for each wireless client.

19. The wireless server of claim 17 wherein each wireless client is enabled to register with a plurality of separate wireless services and enabled to integrate a plurality of policies, at least one from each service with which the wireless client is registered, such that a policy from a service that is designated as a primary service has override control over policies from other services.

20. The wireless server of claim of 17 wherein the desired mode of operation represents less than all of the one or more of the plurality of parameters.

21. The wireless server of claim 17 wherein the desired mode of operation includes one or more of turning off a phone function, controlling web site access, restricting international phone calls, or restricting phone calls to specified area codes.

22. The wireless server of claim 17, wherein the desired mode of operation includes one or more of turning off SMS, turning off MMS, turning off browser use, or downloading of specified content.

23. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores instructions, which, when performed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

rendering on a display of a wireless server, a graphical user interface to administer a mobile wireless device and to present a selectable desired mode of operation for the mobile wireless device, the selectable desired mode of operation being as an abstract description of one or more administration parameters associated with the selectable desired mode of operation for configuring the mobile wireless device,

receiving, via the graphical user interface displayed on the wireless server, a selected desired mode of operation for the mobile wireless device, the selected desired mode of operation correlated to one or more policies to control flow of information with respect to the mobile wireless device;

using the selected desired mode of operation to determine, without human intervention, the one or more administration parameters to configure the wireless device to implement a policy at the mobile wireless device; and

transmitting the one or more administration parameters from the wireless server to the mobile wireless device to implement the policy based on the one or more administration parameters.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the instructions include one or more instructions to establish a secure communication channel with the mobile wireless device such that substantially all communications between the wireless server and the mobile wireless device are over the secure communication channel.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the mobile wireless device is enabled to register with a plurality of separate wireless services and enabled to integrate a plurality of policies, at least one from each service with which the mobile wireless device is registered, such that a policy from a service that is designated as a primary service has override control over policies from other services.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the instructions include instructions to configure the mobile wireless device for the desired mode of operation using the administration parameters.

27. A mobile wireless device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an interface operable in connection with the processor and the memory, and configured to communicatively operate with a wireless server as a mobile wireless client, the wireless server operable with a plurality of mobile wireless clients;

a plurality of administration parameters selectable to configure one or more of the plurality of the mobile wireless clients;

at least one computer program operable in connection with the processor and the memory, and configured to set one or more of the administration parameters and operable to;

render on a display of the mobile wireless device, a graphical user interface to administer one or more of the plurality of mobile wireless clients and to present a selectable desired mode of operation for one or more of the plurality of mobile wireless clients, the selectable desired mode of operation being presented as an abstract description of the one or more parameters associated with the selectable desired mode of operation for configuring the mobile wireless device;

receive a selection of a desired mode of operation for one or more of the plurality of mobile wireless clients, the desired mode of operation correlated to one or more policies to control flow of information with respect to the plurality of mobile wireless clients; and

transmit the desired mode of operation to the wireless server to select, without human intervention, the one or more administration parameters to implement a policy at one or more of the plurality of mobile wireless clients based on the one or more administration parameters.

28. The mobile wireless device of claim 27 wherein the mobile wireless device is operable to establish a secure communication channel with the wireless server such that substantially all communications between the mobile wireless device and the wireless server is over the secure communication channel.

29. The mobile wireless device of claim 27 wherein the mobile wireless device is enabled to register with a plurality of separate wireless services and enabled to integrate a plurality of policies, at least one from each service with which the mobile wireless device is registered, such that a policy from a service that is designated as a primary service has override control over policies from other services.

30. The mobile wireless device of claim 27 wherein the desired mode of operation includes one or more of turning off a phone function, controlling web site access, restricting international phone calls, or restricting phone calls to specified area codes.

31. The mobile wireless device of claim 27, wherein the desired mode of operation includes one or more of turning off SMS, turning off MMS, turning off browser use, or downloading of specified content.