Mobile device management system and method

• US 10,708,785 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2018
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scorpion Security Products Inc.
• Original Assignee: Scorpion Security Products Inc.
• Inventors: Gulick, Jr., Franklyn W., Gulick, Grant William, Thakral, Anuj
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US16/485,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20190373477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information

Abstract

A mobile device management system. A first beacon includes a first wireless transceiver programmed to receive a first unique identifier and a first signal level; and repeatedly transmit, at the first signal level, a first beacon signal with the first unique identifier. A second beacon includes a second wireless transceiver programmed to receive a second unique identifier and a second signal level; and repeatedly transmit, at the second signal level, a second beacon signal with the second unique identifier. A mobile device includes at least one wireless transceiver; a memory; and a processor. Upon the wireless transceiver receiving the first beacon signal with the first unique identifier, the mobile device performs first zone entry actions based upon the first unique identifier. Upon the wireless transceiver receiving one or more of first beacon signal or the second beacon signal, the mobile device ends the alert action. Upon the wireless transceiver receiving the second beacon signal with the second unique identifier, the mobile device performs second zone entry actions based upon the second unique identifier.

Claims

1. A method for mobile device security of a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a global positioning system (GPS) tracker for locating the mobile device, the method comprising:

establishing a first zone and a second zone in a monitoring area, wherein the mobile device is maintained in a first operating mode when the mobile device is located in the first zone and a second operating mode when the mobile device is located in the second zone;

receiving one or more characteristics of the first zone from a management system;

upon the mobile device being located outside the first zone for longer than a predetermined time period, performing alert actions comprising locking the mobile device and alerting the management system; and

upon the mobile device being disconnected from a power source, locking the mobile device and alerting the management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device security application is loaded on the mobile device by the management system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the management system comprises a map display to monitor locations of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises ending the alert actions upon the mobile device re-entering the first zone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the alert actions further comprises disabling a factory reset capability of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the alert actions further comprises disabling a power-off of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises activating, upon the mobile device leaving the first zone, one or more of a visible warning or an audible warning.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the first zone received from the management server comprises a geographical radius of the first zone.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, on a second mobile device, the one or more characteristics of the first zone from a management system, wherein the second mobile device is maintained in the first operating mode when the second mobile device is located in the first zone.