Systems and methods for controlling mobile device use

• US 10,397,786 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Matthew Allen, Shields, Daniel R., Fletter, Marc Ashley, Jones, Nicholaus Adam, Taylor, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US16/124,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20190007839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for operating a mobile device, comprising: establishing by a locking mechanism at the mobile device that the mobile device is owned or controlled by a retail establishment at which an operator of the mobile device is an agent; searching, by a mobile device, for a signal from a network; authorizing the mobile device to operate in a vicinity of the network when the signal is detected from the network; and inactivating the mobile device or displaying information where the mobile device can operate in response to a failure by the mobile device to detect the signal.

Claims

1. A system for controlling access of a mobile device, comprising:

a special-purpose hardware processor that executes rules for establishing conditions under which the mobile device or at least one application of the mobile device are locked, the conditions establishing an authorization to execute the at least one application or filter available access or activities within the at least one application according to an ownership type and an access level; and

a special-purpose hardware processor for locking the at least one application of the mobile device when the mobile device is outside the vicinity of a network and the ownership type is a first ownership type, and for authorizing the use of the at least one application or filtering the available access or activities within the at least one application according to the access level when the mobile device is outside of the vicinity of the network and the ownership type is a second ownership type.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a special-purpose hardware processor for determining the ownership type, wherein the ownership type includes an ownership type of the mobile device, including determining whether the mobile device is store-owned, company-owned, or user-owned.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein conditions under which the mobile device or at least one application of the mobile device are locked includes determining the access level, and wherein the access level includes an access level of the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a special-purpose hardware processor for performing an action or task-based authentication.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the conditions establishing an authorization to execute the at least one application or filter available access or activities within the at least one application are further according to a user status, and wherein the user status includes a pay type of an agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the special-purpose hardware processor for locking the mobile device locks the mobile device or the application in response to the access level being less than a predetermined threshold.

7. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to determine whether a mobile device is store-owned or user-owned;

computer readable program code configured to inactivate the mobile device in response to a determination that the device is store-owned and that a signal is not detected; and

computer readable program code configured to control a use of at least one application executable by the mobile device in response to a determination that the mobile device is user-owned and that the signal is not detected and further in response to a determination of a user status with respect to the user-owned mobile device.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code configured to inactivate the mobile device comprises computer readable program code configured to at least one of prevent a bootup of the mobile device, prevent applications of the mobile device from deploying, prevent applications from displaying as an option, and allow actions to be performed in an application.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the signal includes a signal of a network that is searched in response to executing the at least one application by the mobile device.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to authorize the mobile device to operate in a predetermined vicinity of a network when the signal is detected from the network.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the vicinity of the network includes a workplace facility, and wherein the mobile device is operated by an agent of the workplace facility.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to install registry entries from the profile on the mobile device, permitting the mobile device to search for the signal from a network.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the registry entries include data for identifying an owner of the mobile device, and wherein the application of the applications is permitted to operate depending on the owner of the mobile device.

14. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the signal is detected but the mobile device is not authenticated, and is prohibited from connecting to a network.

15. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to provide a profile on the mobile device;

computer readable program code configured to identify by the profile an owner of the mobile device;

computer readable program code configured to identify by the profile rights of a user regarding use of the mobile device;

computer readable program code configured to permit the mobile device to search for a signal from a network for operating in the vicinity of the network, wherein the mobile device is inactivated in a lockout state in response to a determination that the mobile device is store or company owned and that the mobile device does not receive or recognize the signal from the network;

computer readable program code configured to identify applications on the mobile device for use outside of the network; and

computer readable program code configured to check whether an application of the applications outside the network is permitted to operate in response to identifying the owner of the mobile device and the rights of the user regarding the use of the mobile device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is a store owned or company owned electronic device having a display for presenting data related to the applications.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to install registry entries from the profile on the mobile device, permitting the mobile device to search for the signal from the network.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code configured to searching for the signal determines when the mobile device is within range of the signal.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the signal is searched when the application is selected to determine whether the application is permitted to operate.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the signal is detected but the mobile device is not authenticated, and is prohibited from connecting to the network.