System, method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing mobile device support services

• US 9,483,344 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assurant Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Assurant Incorporated, Mobile Defense, Inc. (Assurant Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hurst, Cameron, Saunders, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, SARAI E
• Application Number:
  US13/841,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0742 in a data processing system embedded in a mobile device, e.g. mobile phones, handheld devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method is provided for providing mobile device support services. The method may include monitoring a mobile device status. The method may additionally include performing device diagnostics based at least in part on captured deice status data to identify potential faults that may affect mobile device functionality. A corresponding system, apparatus, and computer program product are also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory having program code instructions embodied therein, the at least one memory and program code instructions being configured to, with the at least one processor, direct the apparatus to at least:

receive device status data from a mobile device;

determine an application profile for the mobile device based at least in part on the device status data, the application profile comprising;

one or more applications installed on the mobile device;

configuration settings for the one or more applications installed on the mobile device; and

resource usage of the one or more applications installed on the mobile device;

receive aggregated device status data from a plurality of other mobile devices;

determine one or more fault profiles for the plurality of other mobile devices based at least in part on the aggregated device status data, the one or more fault profiles comprising;

one or more applications installed on the plurality of other mobile devices;

one or more configuration settings for the one or more applications installed on the plurality of other mobile devices;

resource usage of the one or more applications installed on the plurality of other mobile devices; and

statistical information related to a probability that a particular device configuration may give rise to one or more particular faults;

determine one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part on the device status data, the application profile, and the one or more fault profiles, wherein the one or more potential faults comprise a predicted fault that has a non-zero probability of affecting the mobile device in the future; and

cause information regarding the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device to be provided to the mobile device, wherein the apparatus is configured to;

receive device status from the mobile device via a first network; and

receive device status from at least one of the other mobile devices via a second network that is not the first network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network comprises a direct connection between the mobile device and the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second network comprises an indirect connection between the at least one of the other mobile devices and the apparatus.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first computer network is a cellular network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second computer network is a wireless local area network.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program code portions stored therein, the program code portions being configured to, upon execution, direct an apparatus to at least:

receive device status data from a mobile device;

receive device status data from a plurality of other mobile devices;

aggregate the device status data received from the plurality of other mobile devices;

identify one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part on the device status data and the aggregated device status data; and

cause information regarding the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device to be provided to the mobile device, wherein the apparatus is configured to;

receive device status from the mobile device via a first network; and

receive device status from at least one of the other mobile devices via a second network that is not the first network.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the one or more potential faults comprise at least one predicted fault.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the one or more potential faults comprise at least one present fault.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the determining the one or more potential faults comprises determining at least one an application profile.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the one or more potential faults comprises two or more conflicting applications.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the at least one application profile comprises a first application profile determined at a first time, the method further comprising determining at least a second application profile determined at a second time, and wherein determining the one or more potential faults comprises comparing the first and second application profiles.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the information regarding the one or more potential faults comprises information representing a comparison between a performance indication of the mobile device and one or more benchmark performance indications.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the one or more potential faults comprises information regarding applications installed on the mobile device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information regarding applications installed on the device comprises one or more of:

identifications of applications installed on the mobile device, configuration settings for installed applications, processor usage data of installed applications, memory usage data of installed applications, crash logs of installed applications, execution data of installed applications, or usage data of installed applications.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information regarding applications installed on the device comprises one or more of indicia of one or more application characteristics, the one or more application characteristics comprising one or more of:

security characteristics, privacy characteristics, or performance characteristics.

16. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the device status data comprises one or more of:

hardware usage data, device settings information, system log contents, application log contents, a device ID, installed application information, device application data, or device sensor data.

17. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein determining the one or more potential faults based further on the aggregated device status data comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the aggregated device status data, one or more fault profiles; and

comparing the device status data received from the mobile device to the one or more fault profiles.

18. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further directed to determine, based at least in part on the one or more potential faults, one or more solutions to the one or more potential faults.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the information regarding the one or more faults comprises at least one indication of the at least one solution.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the device status data received from the plurality of other mobile devices comprises information regarding solution implementation results.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the apparatus is further directed to determine, based at least in part on the information regarding the solution implementation results, a probability of success for at least one of the solutions.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is further directed to cause at least one of the one or more solutions to be automatically performed.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is further directed to receive an indication of a selection of at least one of the one or more solutions and, in response, to cause the solution to be performed.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is directed to cause the one or more solutions to be provided by causing the one or more solutions to be provided via a web portal.

25. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first network comprises a direct connection between the mobile device and the apparatus.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the second network comprises an indirect connection between the at least one of the other mobile devices and the apparatus.

27. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first computer network is a cellular network.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second computer network is a wireless local area network.

29. A system comprising:

a mobile device comprising at least one first processor and at least one first memory having first program code instructions embodied therein, the at least one first memory and first program code instructions being configured to, with the at least one first processor, direct the mobile device to at least;

collect device status data,

transmit the device status data,

receive information regarding one or more potential faults related to the mobile device, and

cause the information regarding the one or more potential faults to be displayed;

a mobile device support apparatus comprising at least one second processor and at least one second memory having second program code instructions embodied therein, the at least one second memory and second program code instructions being configured to, with the at least one second processor, direct the mobile device support apparatus to at least;

receive the device status data from the mobile device,

receive aggregated device status data from a plurality of other mobile devices;

determine one or more fault profiles for the plurality of other mobile devices based at least in part on the aggregated device status data, the one or more fault profiles comprising statistical information related to a probability that a particular device configuration may give rise to one or more particular faults;

identify one or more potential faults related to the mobile device based at least in part on the device status data and the one or more fault profiles, and

cause the information regarding the one or more potential faults related to the mobile device to be provided to the mobile device, wherein the apparatus is configured to;

receive device status from the mobile device via a first network; and

receive device status from at least one of the other mobile devices via a second network that is not the first network.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first network comprises a direct connection between the mobile device and the apparatus.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the second network comprises an indirect connection between the at least one of the other mobile devices and the apparatus.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first computer network is a cellular network.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the second computer network is a wireless local area network.