System and method for administration and operation of one or more mobile electronic communications devices

• US 9,565,538 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Heredia, Rafael, Crowe, Michael W., Greer, Frank U. IV, Ellis, Joseph A., Upham, Jordan, Matson, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US14/829,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/66.1, 455/411, 455/418, 455/456.6, 455/422.1, 455/432.1, 713/170, 713/186, 370/328, 358/402, 358/1.15, 358/400, 379/100.08
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system for managing mobile electronic communications devices includes a user directory database configured to hold authentication data associated with at least one user, an authentication authority communicatively connected to the user directory database, an administration server configured to send and receive command messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device, a messaging server configured to send and receive communications messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device, and the authentication authority, administration server, and messaging server are configured to send and receive data via a data communications network. The authentication authority accepts or denies authentication data for a user received from at least one mobile electronic communications device, stores status information corresponding to authenticated users in the user directory database, and stores an association between each authenticated user and each mobile electronic device that sent authentication data for an authenticated user in the user directory database.

Claims

1. A system for managing mobile electronic communications devices comprising:

a user directory database configured to hold authentication data associated with at least one user;

an authentication authority communicatively connected to the user directory database, the authentication authority configured to;

accept or deny authentication data for a user received from at least one mobile electronic communications device;

to store status information corresponding to authenticated users in the user directory database; and

to store an association between each authenticated user and each mobile electronic device that sent authentication data for an authenticated user in the user directory database;

an administration server configured to;

send and receive command messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device;

identify that a second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data for a user is different from a first mobile electronic communications device associated with the user in the user directory database; and

send a command message to the first mobile electronic communications device in response to the second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data, the first mobile electronic communications device being configured to erase at least a portion of data stored in a memory in the first mobile electronic communications device in response to receiving the command message;

a messaging server configured to send and receive communications messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device; and

the authentication authority, administration server, and messaging server being configured to send and receive data via a data communications network.

2. The system of claim 1, the administration server being further configured to:

send a command message having an alarm command to a mobile electronic communications device.

3. The system of claim 2, the administration service being further configured to:

send the alarm command with an identification of a volume level for an audible alarm.

4. The system of claim 1, the administration server being further configured to:

send at least one list containing at least one location identifier to a mobile electronic communications device.

5. The system of claim 4, the administration server being further configured to:

send the at least one list with at least one location identifier associated with a location in which the mobile electronic communications device is configured to operate with an automatically adjusted volume setting.

6. The system of claim 4, the administration server being further configured to:

send the at least one list with at least one location identifier associated with a location in which the mobile electronic communications device is configured to deactivate a wireless transceiver.

7. The system of claim 1, the user directory database being further configured to include:

a plurality of paging group records, each paging group record identifying a plurality of users in the user directory database; and

the messaging server being further configured to send a communications message to each user identified by the paging group record in response to the communications message identifying the paging group.

8. The system of claim 7, the messaging server being further configured to:

store a number of acknowledgement messages generated in response to the communications message that identifies the paging group.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a non-volatile memory;

a compressor, the compressor configured to read seed data from the non-volatile memory, to generate compressed seed data, and to compress at least one other set of uncompressed data for transmission by at least one of the messaging server, administration server, and authentication authority after compressing the seed data; and

a decompressor, the decompressor being configured to read the compressed seed data generated by the compressor, to decompress the compressed seed data, and to decompress at least one other set of compressed data received by the at least one of the messaging server, administration server, and authentication authority after decompressing the seed data.

10. A system for managing mobile electronic communications devices comprising:

a user directory database configured to hold authentication data associated with at least one user;

an authentication authority communicatively connected to the user directory database, the authentication authority configured to;

accept or deny authentication data for a user received from at least one mobile electronic communications device;

to store status information corresponding to authenticated users in the user directory database; and

to store an association between each authenticated user and each mobile electronic device that sent authentication data for an authenticated user in the user directory database;

an administration server configured to send and receive command messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device;

a message archive database;

a messaging server configured to;

send and receive communications messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device,

retain copies of sent and received communications messages in the message archive database;

send at least one retained communications message held in the message archive database to at least one authenticated mobile electronic communications device;

maintain a record of an acknowledgment message sent from a receiving mobile electronic communications device, the acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of a communications message; and

maintain a record of a second acknowledgment message sent from a displaying mobile electronic communications device, the second acknowledgment message including an acknowledgment that the mobile electronic communications device displayed a received communications message.

11. The system of claim 10, the messaging server being further configured to:

send at least a portion of data associated with a user in the user directory database to an authenticated mobile electronic communications device providing authentication data corresponding to the user.

12. The system of claim 10, the administration server and messaging server being further configured to:

identify a second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data for a user, the second mobile electronic communications device being different from a first mobile electronic communications device associated with the user in the user directory database;

send at least a portion of the copies of sent and received communications messages retained in the message archive database to the second mobile electronic communications device; and

send a command message to the first mobile electronic communications device in response to the second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data.

13. The system of claim 12, the first mobile electronic communications device being configured to:

erase at least a portion of data stored in a memory in the first mobile electronic communications device in response to receiving the command message.

14. The system of claim 10, the administration server being further configured to:

provide access to at least one administrator, the administration server allowing the at least one administrator to read;

at least a portion of copies of communications messages held in the message archive database;

at least a portion of records of acknowledgment messages that include acknowledgments that a mobile electronic communications device received a communications message;

at least a portion of records of second acknowledgment messages that include acknowledgments that a mobile electronic communications device displayed a received communications message.