System and method for mobile device control delegation

• US 10,148,805 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Location Labs (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Weiss, Andrew, Roumeliotis, Tasos, Roy, Sourya
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US14/291,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for implementing controls corresponding to a particular mobile device. The method includes receiving from a first party corresponding to the particular mobile device a designation of a second party and receiving control instructions from the second party. A particular geographic area and/or a particular time frame is associated with the second party. A processor alternately delegates one or more device controls of the particular mobile device from the first party to the second party based on a current location of the particular mobile device relative to the particular geographic area and/or a current time relative to the particular time frame. The control instructions received from the second party are applied when the one or more device controls are delegated to the second party.

Claims

1. A method of implementing controls corresponding to a first mobile device of a particular user which is subject to monitoring by a first party, the method comprising:

receiving by a network-connectable computing system from the first party a designation of a second party via a computer network;

receiving by the computing system via the computer network control instructions from the first party;

receiving by the computing system via the computer network control instructions from the second party, the control instructions from the second party identifying a plurality of devices comprising a second device of a third party;

determining by the first mobile device at least one of a first location of the first mobile device or a first time;

delegating by at least one processor of the computing system at least one device control of the first mobile device from the first party to the second party based on the at least one of the first time or the first location of the first mobile device;

determining a distance of a location of the second device corresponding to the third party from the first location of the first mobile device during a period of time when the at least one device control is delegated to the second party, the determining of the distance performed by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system;

generating an alert by the computing system based on the distance of the location of the second device from the first location of the first mobile device;

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the second party during a period of time when the at least one device control is delegated to the second party to at least one of enable or disable a functional component of the first mobile device;

determining by the first mobile device at least one of a second location of the first mobile device or a second time;

transferring by the at least one processor of the computing system the at least one device control of the first mobile device from the second party to the first party based on the at least one of the second location of the first mobile device or the second time; and

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the first party during a period of time when the at least one device control is transferred to the first party to at least one of enable or disable the functional component of the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the control instructions from the first party via a first user account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the control instructions from the first party comprises a particular application executing on the first mobile device to constrain at least one of communication or application use on the first mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an exception from the first party to the control instructions from the second party, wherein applying the control instructions from the second party comprises constraining at least one of communication or application use on the first mobile device mitigated by the exception to the control instructions from the first party.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the exception to the control instructions from the second party comprises at least one phone number to which communication is not constrained.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the exception to the control instructions from the second party comprises at least one application of which use is not constrained.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the control instructions from the first party to the first mobile device from the network-connectable computing system through the computer network; and

applying the control instructions from the first party by an application executed on the first mobile device to constrain at least one of communication or application use on the first mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the control instructions from the first party comprises communicating instructions to a telecommunication carrier system configured to service the first mobile device to constrain communication of the first mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the control instructions from the second party comprises setting a particular geographic constraint on the first mobile device, the method further comprising:

determining a third location of the first mobile device;

determining based on the third location that the first mobile device has violated the particular geographic constraint; and

providing an alert responsive to determining that the first mobile device has violated the particular geographic constraint.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing the alert to at least one of the first party or the second party.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the control instructions from the second party comprises selectively constraining application use on the first mobile device, wherein the control instructions from the second party comprise a listing of at least one particular application not constrained on the first mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a computer user interface listing identifiers of a plurality of parties corresponding to a plurality of user accounts; and

receiving from the first party via a first user account the designation of the second party from the identifier list via the user interface.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a modification from the second party to the control instructions from the second party;

providing a notification to the first party regarding the modification from the second party to the control instructions from the second party;

receiving a permission from the first party to apply the modification from the second party to the control instructions from the second party; and

applying the modified control instructions from the second party when the at least one device control is delegated to the second party responsive to receiving the permission from the first party.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the control instructions from the first party and the control instructions from the second party on the network-connectable computing system;

accessing the network-connectable computing system by the first mobile device to retrieve the control instructions from the first party and the control instructions from the second party; and

applying the control instructions from the first party and the control instructions from the second party via a particular application executing on the first mobile device to constrain at least one of communication or application use on the first mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a first user account corresponding to the first party corresponding to the first mobile device;

enabling a second user account corresponding to the second party;

receiving the designation of the second party from the first party via the first user account; and

receiving the control instructions from the second party via the second user account.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein an identity of a user of the first mobile device is unavailable to the second party.

17. A method of implementing controls corresponding to a first mobile device of a particular user which is subject to monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving by a network-connectable computing system via a computer network a first instruction set via a first user account of a first party, the first instruction set directed to at least one of mobile device monitoring or mobile device control;

receiving by the computing system via the computer network a second instruction set via a second user account of a second party, the second instruction set directed to at least one of mobile device monitoring or mobile device control, and the second instruction set identifying a plurality of devices comprising a second mobile device of a third party;

tracking a moving position of the first mobile device by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system;

tracking a moving position of the second mobile device of the third party by at least one of the second mobile device, the computing system, or the first mobile device;

determining a first distance between the tracked moving position of the first mobile device and the tracked moving position of the second mobile device at a first time of day, the determining of the first distance performed by at least one of the computing system or the first mobile device;

applying by at least one processor of the first mobile device the first instruction set based on the first distance between the tracked moving position of the first mobile device and the tracked moving position of the second mobile device at the first time of day to at least one of enable or disable a functional component of the first mobile device;

determining a second distance between the tracked moving position of the first mobile device and the tracked moving position of the second mobile device at a second time of day, the determining of the second distance performed by at least one of the computing system or the first mobile device; and

applying by the at least one processor of the first mobile device the second instruction set based on the second distance between the tracked moving position of the first mobile device and the tracked moving position of the second mobile device at the second time of day to at least one of enable or disable the functional component of the first mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving via the first user account the first instruction set corresponding to at least one of monitoring or control of the first mobile device; and

receiving via the second user account the second instruction set corresponding to at least one of monitoring or control of the first mobile device.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving the first instruction set and the second instruction set by a network connectable server; and

applying the first instruction set and the second instruction by at least one of the network connectable server and the particular mobile device based on data received from the network connectable server.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving at least one exception to the second instruction set from the first party.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the second instruction set provides a communication constraint restricting telephone communication by the first mobile device;

the at least one exception to the second instruction set comprises at least one unrestricted telephone number; and

applying the second instruction set comprises allowing communications corresponding to the at least one unrestricted telephone number and disallowing communications not corresponding to the unrestricted telephone number.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the second instruction set provides a constraint restricting application use by the first mobile device;

the at least one exception to the second instruction set comprises an indication of at least one unrestricted application; and

applying the second instruction set comprises allowing use of the at least one unrestricted application by the first mobile device and disallowing use of a plurality of other applications by the first mobile device.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising

enabling designation of an identifier corresponding to the second user account;

receiving designation of the identifier corresponding to the second user account by the first party; and

alternately applying the second instruction set based on the designation of the identifier corresponding to the second user account by the first party.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining by the first mobile device that the first mobile device has entered a particular dynamic geographic area corresponding to a location of the second mobile device; and

applying the second instruction set responsive to determining the first mobile device has entered the particular dynamic geographic area.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

associating a particular time frame with the second party; and

applying the second instruction set during the particular time frame.

26. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining the first mobile device has entered a particular dynamic geographic area based on the tracked moving position of the second mobile device during a particular time frame; and

applying the second instruction set responsive to determining the first mobile device has entered the particular dynamic geographic area and that a current time corresponds to the particular time frame.

27. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

tracking the moving position of the first mobile device by the first mobile device via a GPS receiver of the first mobile device; and

tracking the moving position of the second mobile device by the second mobile device via a GPS receiver of the second mobile device.

28. A method of implementing controls corresponding to a first mobile device of a particular user which is subject to monitoring by a first party, the method comprising:

receiving by a network-connectable computing system from the first party a designation of a second party;

receiving by the computing system via a computer network control instructions from the first party;

receiving by the computing system via the computer network control instructions from the second party, the control instructions from the second party identifying a plurality of devices comprising a second mobile device of a third party;

determining by the first mobile device a first location of the first mobile device;

determining by the second mobile device of the third party a first location of the second mobile device of the third party;

delegating by the computing system at least one device control of the first mobile device from the first party to the second party based on a distance of the determined first location of the first mobile device from the first location of the second mobile device;

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the second party during a period of time when the at least one device control is delegated to the second party to enable a functional component of the first mobile device;

determining by the first mobile device a second location of the first mobile device;

determining by the second mobile device a second location of the second mobile device of the third party;

transferring by the computing system the at least one device control of the first mobile device from the second party to the first party based on a distance of the second location of the first mobile device from the second location of the second mobile device; and

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the first party during a period of time when the at least one device control is transferred to the first party to disable the functional component of the first mobile device.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving via the computer network time frame schedule data comprising a first time frame and a second time frame;

delegating the at least one device control of the first mobile device from the first party to the second party further based on a current time being within the first time frame; and

transferring the at least one device control of the first mobile device from the second party to the first party further based on a current time being within the second time frame.

30. A method of implementing controls corresponding to a first mobile device of a particular user which is subject to monitoring by a first party, the method comprising:

receiving by a network-connectable computing system from the first party a designation of a second party;

receiving by the computing system via a computer network control instructions from the first party;

receiving by the computing system via the computer network control instructions from the second party, the control instructions from the second party identifying a plurality of devices comprising a second mobile device of a third party;

tracking a moving position of the first mobile device of the particular user by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system;

tracking a moving position of the second mobile device of the third party by at least one of the second mobile device, the computing system, or the first mobile device;

delegating by the computing system at least one device control of the first mobile device from the first party to the second party at a first time based on the tracked moving position of the first mobile device coinciding with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device;

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the second party during a period of time when the at least one device control is delegated to the second party to at least one of enable or disable a functional component of the first mobile device;

transferring by the computing system the at least one device control of the first mobile device from the second party to the first party at a second time based on the tracked moving position of the first mobile device not coinciding with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device; and

applying by the first mobile device the control instructions from the first party during a period of time when the at least one device control is transferred to the first party to at least one of enable or disable the functional component of the first mobile device.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

tracking the moving position of the first mobile device by the first mobile device via a GPS receiver of the first mobile device; and

tracking the moving position of the second mobile device by the second mobile device via a GPS receiver of the second mobile device.

32. A method of implementing controls corresponding to a first mobile device of a particular user which is subject to monitoring, the method comprising:

receiving by a network-connectable computing system via a computer network a first instruction set via a first user account of a first party, the first instruction set directed to at least one of mobile device monitoring or mobile device control;

receiving by the computing system via a computer network a second instruction set via a second user account of a second party, the second instruction set directed to at least one of mobile device monitoring or mobile device control, and the second instruction set identifying a plurality of devices comprising a second mobile device of a third party;

tracking a moving position of the first mobile device by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system;

tracking a moving position of the second mobile device of the third parry by at least one of the second mobile device, the computing system, or the first mobile device;

determining by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system that the tracked moving position of the first mobile device does not coincide with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device;

applying by at least one processor of the first mobile device the first instruction set based on the tracked moving position of the first mobile device not coinciding with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device to enable a functional component of the first mobile device;

determining by at least one of the first mobile device or the computing system that the tracked moving position of the first mobile device coincides with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device; and

applying by the at least one processor of the first mobile device the second instruction set based on the tracked moving position of the first mobile device coinciding with the tracked moving position of the second mobile device to disable the functional component of the first mobile device.