SMS check in and check out

• US 9,942,734 B1
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Corporation
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Zarick, Joseph E., Thraen, Darren S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/829,917
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• 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]

Abstract

Providing SMS check in and check out, comprising receiving an SMS mobile originated entrance communication from at least one user, authenticating the SMS mobile originated entrance communication, determining at least one location of the authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication and authorizing the at least one user to enter the at least one location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server location, a plurality of SMS mobile originated entrance communications from a plurality of users, each SMS mobile originated entrance communication associated with a particular user;

determining, at the server location, whether any of the received SMS mobile originated entrance communications are authentic,

wherein each determination of SMS mobile originated entrance communication authenticity is performed independently by the server;

determining an originating location of each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication;

correlating each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication with an associated physical facility;

authorizing each user associated with each of the authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communications to enter the associated physical facility;

receiving an exit message from each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility, the exit message including a keyword;

validating the keyword in the exit message;

wherein when the exit message is invalid, an automated SMS message is sent advising the respective user to make another attempt; and

wherein the exit message is valid, an acknowledgement SMS exit message is sent to the respective user;

determining a time duration that each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility spent at the associated facility; and

transmitting a mobile terminated message to each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorizing is based upon a pre-scheduled entrance time.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

logging an entry time of the user to the associated physical facility.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating a checked in status with data associated with the user at the associated physical facility.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

logging an exit time of the user from the associated physical facility.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating a central jurisdiction console with data associated with the user at the associated physical facility.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a geographic location is determined based on GPS data embedded within the SMS mobile originated entrance communication.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a geographic location is determined based on an angle of transmission, time of communication delay to multiple cell phone towers and strength of signal to multiple cell phone towers.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorizing each user is for a group of users.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorizing each user to enter the associated physical facility includes authorization for a plurality of physical facilities.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when read by a processor perform:

receiving a plurality of SMS mobile originated entrance communications from a plurality of users, each SMS mobile originated communication associated with a particular user;

determining, individually, whether any of the received SMS mobile originated entrance communications are authentic;

determining an originating location of each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication;

correlating each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication with an associated physical facility;

authorizing each user associated with each of the authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communications to enter the associated physical facility;

receiving an exit message from each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility, the exit message including a keyword;

validating the keyword in the exit message;

wherein when the exit message is invalid, an automated SMS message is sent advising the respective user to make another attempt; and

wherein the exit message is valid, an acknowledgement SMS exit message is sent to the respective user;

determining a time duration that each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility spent at the associated facility; and

transmitting a mobile terminated message to each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising instructions for:

logging an entry time of the user to the associated physical facility.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising instructions for:

updating a checked in status with data associated with the user at the associated physical facility.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising instructions for:

logging an exit time of the user from the associated physical facility.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising instructions for:

updating a central jurisdiction console with data associated with the user at the associated physical facility.

16. A system, comprising:

a processor, wherein the processor,

receives plurality of SMS mobile originated entrance communications from a plurality of users, each SMS mobile originated communication associated with a particular user;

determines, individually, whether any of the received SMS mobile originated entrance communications are authentic;

determines an originating location of each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication;

correlates each authenticated SMS mobile originated entrance communication with an associated physical facility;

authorizes each user associated with each of the authenticated SMS mobile originated communications to enter the associated physical facility;

receiving an exit message from each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility, the exit message including a keyword;

validating the keyword in the exit message;

wherein when the exit message is invalid, an automated SMS message is sent advising the respective user to make another attempt; and

wherein the exit message is valid, an acknowledgement SMS exit message is sent to the respective user;

determining a time duration that each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility spent at the associated facility;

transmitting a mobile terminated message to each user having authorization to enter the associated physical facility; and

a non-transitory memory communicably coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores the authorization of the user to enter the associated physical facility.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor,

logs an entry time of the user to the associated physical facility.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor,

updates a checked in status with data associated with the user at the associated physical facility.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor,

logs an exit time of the user from the associated physical location.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the processor,

updates a central jurisdiction console with data associated with the user at the associated physical location.