Methods, systems and computer program products for remotely controlling wireless terminals

• US 20060099965A1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aaron, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• 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

Abstract

Wireless terminals are remotely controlled by identifying a wireless terminal that is located at a premises and obtaining at least one operational authorization rule for the wireless terminal that was identified, and that applies to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located. Selected operations of the wireless terminal are disabled and/or enabled in response to the at least one operational authorization rule that was obtained for the wireless terminal that was identified and that applies to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located.

Claims

1. A method of remotely controlling wireless terminals comprising:

identifying a wireless terminal that is located at a premises;

obtaining at least one operational authorization rule for the wireless terminal that was identified and that applies to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located; and

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal that was identified in response to the at least one operational authorization rule that was obtained for the wireless terminal that was identified and that applies to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein obtaining is preceded by:

setting the at least one operational authorization rule for the wireless terminal that was identified and that applies to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located, by a party associated with the premises and/or by a party associated with the wireless terminal.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein setting comprises:

obtaining a first operational authorization rule for the wireless terminal that is set by a party associated with the premises;

obtaining a second operational authorization rule for the wireless terminal that is set by a party associated with the wireless terminal; and

combining the first and second operational authorization rules.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein the following is performed between identifying and disabling and/or enabling:

authenticating the party associated with the premises by the wireless terminal.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein disabling and/or enabling is followed by:

logging the disabling and/or enabling of the selected operations of the wireless terminal.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein disabling and/or enabling is followed by:

identifying that the wireless terminal is no longer located at the premises; and

withdrawing the disabling and/or enabling of the selected operations of the wireless terminal in response thereto.

7. A method according to claim 1:

wherein the at least one operational authorization rule includes a plurality of scenarios for the wireless terminal that was identified and that apply to the premises at which the wireless terminal is located; and

wherein disabling and/or enabling comprises disabling and/or enabling first selected operations of the wireless terminal in response to occurrence of a first scenario at the premises at which the wireless terminal is located, and disabling and/or enabling second selected operations of the wireless terminal in response to occurrence of a second scenario at the premises at which the wireless terminal is located.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein disabling and/or enabling is followed by:

overriding the disabling and/or enabling of the selected operations in response to an override condition.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the premises comprises an educational institution, a business facility, a government facility, an apartment/housing complex, a neighborhood, a city block, a residence and/or an entertainment venue.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal comprises:

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of time of day;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of an event schedule at the premises;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of a class of the wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of a class of the user of the wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of a class of a message transmitted to or from the wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of location of the wireless terminal within the premises; and

/or

disabling respective transmit or receive operations of the wireless terminal while enabling respective receive or transmit operations of the wireless terminal.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the selected operations of the wireless terminal comprise:

applications that execute on the wireless terminal;

functions that are provided by the wireless terminal; and

/or

communications that are provided by the wireless terminal.

12. A system of remotely controlling wireless terminals comprising:

a rules database that is configured to store therein operational authorization rules for wireless terminals as a function of a plurality of premises at which the wireless terminals may be located;

a proximity detector that is configured to identify at least one wireless terminal that is located at a premises; and

a monitoring system that is responsive to the proximity detector and to the rules database and that is configured to disable and/or enable selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal that is located at the premises in response to at least one operational authorization rule for the at least one wireless terminal that applies to the premises.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the rules database comprises:

a third party usage policy database that is configured to store therein rules that apply to the premises that is controlled by a third party; and

a central preferences database that is configured to store therein rules that apply to the wireless terminals.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein the monitoring system comprises:

a third party controller that is configured to provide the rules that apply to the premises, from the third party usage policy database to the at least one wireless terminal that is located at the premises; and

a central monitor that is configured to provide the rules that apply to the at least one wireless terminal, from the central preferences database to the at least one wireless terminal that is located at the premises.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the at least one wireless terminal is configured to disable and/or enable selected operations thereof in response to the rules that apply to the premises and the rules that apply to the wireless terminal.

16. A system according to claim 13 wherein the monitoring system is configured to disable and/or enable selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal that is located at the premises, in response to the rules that apply to the premises and the rules that apply to the wireless terminal.

17. A system according to claim 14 further comprising:

a central server that is configured to accept administrator preferences for a plurality of wireless terminals and to store the administrator preferences in the central preferences database.

18. A system according to claim 12 wherein the monitoring system is configured to disable and/or enable selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal by:

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal as a function of time of day;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal as a function of an event schedule at the premises;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal as a function of a class of the at least one wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the wireless terminal as a function of a class of the user of the wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal as a function of a class of a message transmitted to or from the at least one wireless terminal;

disabling and/or enabling selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal as a function of location of the at least one wireless terminal within the premises; and

/or

disabling respective transmit or receive operations of the at least one wireless terminal while-enabling respective receive or transmit operations of the at least one wireless terminal.

19. A system according to claim 12 wherein the selected operations of the at least one wireless terminal comprise:

applications that execute on the at least one wireless terminal;

functions that are provided by the at least one wireless terminal; and

/or

communications that are provided by the at least one wireless terminal.

20. A computer program product that is configured to remotely control wireless terminals, the computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer-readable program code that is configured to provide a rules database that is configured to store therein operational authorization rules for wireless terminals as a function of a plurality of premises at which the wireless terminals may be located;

computer readable program code that is configured to identify wireless terminals located at a particular premises;

computer readable program code that is configured to authenticate the wireless terminal and/or the premises;

computer readable program code that is configured to authorize the disabling and/or enabling of selected operations of at least one wireless terminal that is located at a premises; and

computer-readable program code that is configured to disable and/or enable selected operations of at least one wireless terminal that is located at a premises in response to at least one operational authorization rule for the at least one wireless terminal that applies to the premises.