MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT

• US 20110055546A1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: BOUDREAU, Jesse J., KLASSEN, Gerhard D., CREDITOR, Karen, GAGNE, Alain R., MAJOR, Harry Richmond
• Granted Patent: US 8,353,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A device management method, is disclosed in which available features on a slave mobile device are managed (monitored or controlled) by a slave manager module commanded by a master device through secure messages exchanged between the two devices using respective electronic messaging capabilities on the two devices. Selection of the features of the slave mobile device to be controlled or monitored is facilitated on the master device through a master manager module resident thereon. The features that are controlled or monitored may comprise any user-accessible feature incorporated or installed on the slave mobile device and user access to the feature may be prevented according to at least one criterion, such as: date of use, time of day of use, number of times of use, originator and recipient. User access to the feature may be prevented access to the user-accessible feature when usage limitations for the feature have been reached.

Claims

1. A slave mobile device comprising:

a. a user-accessible feature;

b. a two way electronic messaging capability; and

c. a slave manager module adapted to decrypt an electronic message received through the electronic messaging capability the electronic message containing, and to manage the user-accessible feature in accordance with the request.

2. The slave mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the user-accessible feature is selected from a group consisting of:

a telephone module, an electronic messaging module, a browser module, a game, a multimedia player, a camera, a social networking module, a calendar module, an address book module and a mapping module.

3. The slave mobile device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic messaging capability is selected from a group consisting of:

an e-mail function, an SMS messaging function and a PIN messaging function.

4. The slave mobile device according to claim 1, the slave manager module for managing the user-accessible feature by preventing user access to the feature according to at least one criterion.

5. The slave mobile device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one criterion is selected from a group consisting of:

date of use, time of day of use, number of times of use, originator and recipient.

6. The slave mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the user-accessible feature is a communications feature and the slave manager module is adapted to manage the user-accessible feature by controlling the slave device to prevent access to the user-accessible feature when usage limitations for the feature have been reached.

7. The slave mobile device according to claim 6, wherein the slave manager module is further adapted to override usage limitations to permit the user-accessible feature to communicate with authorized persons.

8. The slave mobile device of claim 1 wherein the slave mobile device is a handset.

9. The slave mobile device of claim 1, wherein the slave manager module is adapted to pair with a master device to permit encrypted communication between the slave mobile device and the master device through the electronic messaging capability.

10. The slave mobile device of claim 9, wherein the slave manager module is adapted to pair with the master device utilizing a key exchange protocol to jointly establish a shared secret key over an insecure communications channel.

11. A master device comprising:

a. a two way electronic messaging capability; and

b. a master management module adapted to generate, encrypt, and transmit an electronic message to a paired slave mobile device, the message being transmitted through the electronic messaging capability and containing a request to manage a user-accessible feature of the slave mobile device in accordance with the request.

12. A method of managing a slave mobile device comprising:

decrypting an electronic message received through a two-way electronic messaging capability of the slave mobile device which message contains a request, and managing a user-accessible feature of the slave mobile device in accordance with the request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user-accessible feature is selected from a group consisting of:

a telephone module, an electronic messaging module, a browser module, a game, a multimedia player, a camera, a social networking module, a calendar module, an address book module and a mapping module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the electronic messaging capability is selected from a group consisting of:

an e-mail function, an SMS messaging function and a PIN messaging function.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the user-accessible feature is managed by preventing user access to the feature according to at least one criterion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one criterion is selected from a group consisting of:

date of use, time of day of use, number of times of use, originator and recipient.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the user-accessible feature is a communications feature and a slave manager module manages the user-accessible feature by controlling the slave device to prevent access to the user-accessible feature when usage limitations for the feature have been reached.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising overriding the usage limitations to permit the user-accessible feature to communicate with authorized persons.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the slave mobile device is a handset.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

pairing the slave device with the master device to permit encrypted communication between the slave mobile device and the master device through the electronic messaging capability.