System and method for enabling mobile device applications and functional components

• US 9,591,452 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Location Labs (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodges, Daniel, Roumeliotis, Tasos, Hotes, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/688,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20140148192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/414.1, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of enabling device use is provided. The method includes receiving from a first user an indication of at least one geographic area. Location information of a second user corresponding to a mobile device is received. The location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area are compared, and at least one of an application on the mobile device and a functional component of the mobile device are enabled based on the comparison of the location information of the second user and the at least one geographic area. A computing system for enabling device use is also provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of enabling device use, the method comprising:

receiving from a first user an indication of a plurality of other users;

receiving location information of a second user corresponding to a mobile device, the location information corresponding to Global Positioning System (GPS) data originating via a GPS receiver of the mobile device;

receiving location information of the plurality of other users;

comparing the GPS location information of the second user and the GPS location information of the plurality of other users;

for each of the plurality of other users, determining based on signals received by the mobile device a particular wireless access point which the mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the second user and the GPS location information of the plurality of other users, a location of the second user corresponds to the location of a respective one of the plurality of other users;

for each of the plurality of other users, determining based on signals received by the mobile device when the mobile device connects to the particular wireless access point corresponding to the respective one of the plurality of other users; and

for each of the plurality of other users, enabling at least one of an application on the mobile device or a functional component of the mobile device when the mobile device connects to the particular wireless access point corresponding to the respective one of the plurality of other users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one functional component of the mobile device enables at least one of electronic messaging, electronic photo messaging, telephone communication, internet usage, camera usage, video camera usage, or application execution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one application comprises enabling at least one of a plurality of applications on the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one application comprises enabling a category of applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one functional component comprises enabling access to at least one restricted internet site.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling selection of an internet site category;

receiving indication of selection of an internet site category;

associating the selected internet site category with at least one of the plurality of other users;

wherein enabling the at least one of the application or the functional component comprises enabling access to a plurality of internet sites corresponding to a restricted internet site category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a client application executed on the mobile device of the second user enables the steps of receiving the location information and enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a plurality of functional components when the mobile device connects to the particular wireless access point.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining based on signals received by the mobile device when the mobile device disconnects from the particular wireless access point;

disabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device when the mobile device disconnects from the particular wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device via an operating system level of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device via a user interface of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising disabling the at least one of the application or the functional component by limiting use by the mobile device of a network resource.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the location information of the second user via at least one network resource in communication with the mobile device of the second user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device at a network level by enabling at least one network resource configured for connection with the mobile device via a network.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user an indication of the at least one of the application or the functional component; and

enabling the at least one of the application on the mobile device or the functional component of the mobile device based on the indication of the at least one of the application or the functional component from the first user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first user an indication of a particular category of applications; and

enabling the particular category of applications based on the indication of the particular category of applications received from the first user when the mobile device connects to the particular wireless access point corresponding to the respective one of the plurality of other users.

17. A computer-implemented method of enabling device use, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a particular user and a plurality of other users and indications of at least one of a plurality of applications, a plurality of categories of applications, a plurality of internet sites, or a plurality of functional components selectively associated with the plurality of other users;

receiving location information of the particular user corresponding to a particular mobile device, the location information corresponding to Global Positioning System (GPS) data originating via a GPS receiver of the articular mobile device;

receiving location information of the plurality of other users corresponding to a plurality of other mobile devices, the location information corresponding to Global Positioning System (GPS) data originating via GPS receivers of the plurality of other mobile devices;

comparing the GPS location information of the particular user and the GPS location information of the plurality of other users;

determining based on signals received by the particular mobile device a first particular wireless access point which the particular mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the particular user and the GPS location information of the plurality of other users, a location of the particular user corresponds to a location of a first one of the plurality of other users;

determining based on signals received by the particular mobile device a second particular wireless access point which the particular mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the particular user and the GPS location information of the plurality of other users, a location of the particular user corresponds to a location of a second one of the plurality of other users;

enabling at least one of a first application, a first internet site, or a first functional component on the particular mobile device when the mobile device connects to the first particular wireless access point; and

enabling at least one of a second application, a second internet site, or a second functional component on the particular mobile device when the mobile device connects to the first particular wireless access point.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the location of the particular mobile device corresponds to the location of a first one of the plurality of other users when the particular mobile device is within a threshold distance a first one of the plurality of other mobile devices.

19. A computer-implemented method of enabling device use, the method comprising:

receiving from a first user indications of a plurality of geographic areas and indications of at least one of a plurality of applications or a plurality of categories of applications selectively associated with the plurality of geographic areas;

receiving location information of a second user corresponding to Global Positioning System (GPS) data originating via a GPS receiver of a mobile device corresponding to the second user;

comparing the GPS location information of the second user and the plurality of geographic areas;

receiving by the mobile device signals from a plurality of wireless access points;

determining based on signals received by the mobile device a first particular wireless access point which the mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the second user and the plurality of geographic areas, a location of the second user corresponds to a first indicated geographic area;

determining based on signals received by the mobile device a second particular wireless access point which the mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the second user and the plurality of geographic areas, a location of the second user corresponds to a second indicated geographic area;

enabling at least one of a first application or a first functional component when the mobile device connects to the first particular wireless access point corresponding to the first indicated geographic area; and

enabling at least one of a second application or a second functional component when the mobile device connects to the second particular wireless access point corresponding to the second indicated geographic area.

20. The method of claim 19, the method further comprising receiving location information of at least one other user, wherein at least one of the plurality of geographic areas is a dynamic geographic area based on a position of at least one other user determined by the location information of the at least one other user.

21. The method of claim 20, the method further comprising receiving an indication of the at least one other user from the first user.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one other user is the first user.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining the distance between the second user and the at least one other user;

determining based on the signals received by the mobile device the first particular wireless access point which the mobile device connects to when, based on the comparison of the GPS location information of the second user and the plurality of geographic areas, the distance between the second user and the at least one other user is within a particular length.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein a client application executed on a mobile device of the at least one other user enables receiving the location information of the at least one other user.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining that the mobile device of the second user and a device corresponding to the at least one other user are both connected to a third particular wireless access point; and

enabling at least one of a third application or a third functional component responsive to determining that the mobile device of the second user and the device corresponding to the at least one other user are both connected to the third particular wireless access point.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using a network-connected computing system to receive the indications of the plurality of geographic areas from the first user;

communicating the indications of the plurality of geographic areas from the first user to a client application on the mobile device; and

enabling the at least one of the first application on the mobile device or the first functional component of the mobile device using the client application on the mobile device.