Mobile device and service management

• US 9,578,182 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Headwater Research LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Original Assignee: Headwater Partners I LLC (Greg Raleigh)
• Inventors: Raleigh, Gregory G., Lavine, James, Carter, Russell Bertrand III
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US14/275,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20140248852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/456.1, 455/566, 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/723 using the user's device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 : Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A wireless end-user device, comprising one or more modems enabling the wireless end-user device to communicate with a network system over a wireless access network, a touch-screen user interface, and one or more processors configured to execute one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect a user input through the touch-screen user interface, the user input comprising a request to remove the wireless end-user device from an existing device group account, the existing device group account being associated with one or more devices including the wireless end-user device, and send a message to the network system over the wireless access network, the message conveying the request to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account.

Claims

1. A wireless end-user device, comprising:

one or more modems enabling the wireless end-user device to communicate with a network system over a wireless access network;

a touch-screen user interface; and

one or more processors configured to execute one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to;

detect a user input through the touch-screen user interface, the user input comprising a request to remove the wireless end-user device from an existing device group account, the existing device group account being associated with one or more devices including the wireless end-user device, and

send a message to the network system over the wireless access network, the message conveying the request to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account.

2. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

present a notification through the touch-screen user interface, the notification comprising an offer to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account,

and wherein the user input comprises a response to the offer.

3. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

obtain a credential through the touch-screen user interface.

4. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 3, wherein the credential comprises a password associated with the existing device group account.

5. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 3, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send the credential or information representing or identifying the credential to the network system over the wireless access network.

6. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 3, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

before sending the message to the network system over the wireless access network, determine, based on the credential, that the request to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account is authorized.

7. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

present a notification through the touch-screen user interface, the notification comprising an offer to create a new device group account associated with the wireless end-user device.

8. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, through the touch-screen user interface, a user response to the offer, the user response accepting the offer to create the new device group account associated with the wireless end-user device.

9. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send an indication of the user response to the network system.

10. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a confirmation message from the network system over the wireless access network, the confirmation message confirming creation of the new device group account associated with the wireless end-user device.

11. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 8, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, through the touch-screen user interface, information associated with an account holder, the account holder to be associated with the new device group account.

12. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 11, wherein the information associated with the account holder comprises a name, an address, a password, a credential, or payment information.

13. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send the information associated with the account holder to the network system over the wireless access network.

14. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 1, wherein the existing device group account is a first existing device group account, and wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

present a notification through the touch-screen user interface, the notification comprising an offer to add the wireless end-user device to a second existing device group account.

15. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, through the touch-screen user interface, a user response to the offer, the user response accepting the offer to add the wireless end-user device to the second existing device group account.

16. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send an indication of the user response to the network system.

17. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a confirmation message from the network system over the wireless access network, the confirmation message confirming that the wireless end-user device has been added to the second existing device group account.

18. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, through the touch-screen user interface, a credential associated with the second existing device group account.

19. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 18, wherein the credential comprises a name, a physical address, an e-mail address, a password, or payment information.

20. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 18, wherein the credential comprises a code.

21. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 20, wherein the code comprises a personal identification number (PIN), a sequence of digits, a bar code, or a quick response (QR) code.

22. The wireless end-user device recited in claim 18, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

send the credential to the network system over the wireless access network.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions that cause one or more processors of a wireless end-user device to:

detect a user input through a touch-screen user interface of the wireless end-user device, the user input comprising a request to remove the wireless end-user device from an existing device group account, the existing device group account being associated with one or more devices including the wireless end-user device; and

send a message to a network system over a wireless access network, the message conveying the request to remove the wireless end-user device from the existing device group account.