System And Method For Administration And Operation Of One Or More Mobile Electronic Communications Devices

• US 20140335823A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zipit Wireless, Inc.
• Inventors: Heredia, Rafael, Greer, Frank, Ellis, Joseph, Upham, Jordan, Matson, William, Crowe, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile electronic communications device includes a housing, a memory, a data entry mechanism, a display for visual data, at least one wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals conforming to a plurality of wireless signaling protocols, and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the memory, data entry mechanism, and display; and is configured to send and receive data using the at least one wireless transceiver. The controller detects available wireless networks using at least one of the plurality of wireless signaling protocols, compares network identifications of available wireless networks to a predetermined list of network identifications ordered by preference, establishes a wireless network connection with an available wireless network having a network identification corresponding to a most preferred network identification in the predetermined list of network identifications, and executes an authentication process in response to establishing the wireless network connection.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic communications device comprising:

a housing;

a memory;

a data entry mechanism;

a display for visual data;

at least one wireless transceiver, the at least one wireless transceiver configured to transmit and receive data via electromagnetic signals conforming to a plurality of wireless signaling protocols;

a controller, the controller being communicatively connected to the memory, data entry mechanism, display, and audio output, and being configured to send and receive data using the at least one wireless transceiver;

the controller additionally configured to;

detect available wireless networks through which the at least one wireless transceiver is able to send and receive data using at least one of the plurality of wireless signaling protocols;

compare network identifications of available wireless networks to a predetermined list of network identifications ordered by preference;

establish a wireless network connection with an available wireless network having a network identification corresponding to a most preferred network identification in the predetermined list of network identifications for which a wireless network is available; and

execute an authentication process in response to establishing the wireless network connection.

2. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, the controller being further configured, as part of the authentication process execution, to:

operate the at least one transceiver to transmit authentication data sent to the controller by the data entry mechanism; and

determine if an acknowledgement message received by the at least one transceiver in response to transmitted authentication data indicates a successful authentication result.

3. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, the controller further configured to:

detect that the mobile electronic communications device is in a location;

compare the location to a list of at least one exclusion zone locations stored in the memory; and

deactivate at least one of the at least one wireless transceivers in response to the location matching an exclusion zone location in the list of at least one exclusion zone locations.

4. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1 further comprising:

an audio output;

an actuator configured to adjust a volume level of the audio output; and

the controller being further configured to adjust the volume level of the audio output to a second volume level in response to the controller detecting that the mobile electronic communications device is in a location, the location matching at least one of a list of predetermined locations stored in the memory.

5. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, the controller further configured to:

receive at least one command message through the at least one wireless transceiver; and

execute at least one command contained in the at least one command message.

6. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 5, the controller further configured to delete at least a portion of data stored in the memory in response to a command message that includes a data deletion command.

7. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 5 further comprising:

an audio output; and

the controller being further configured to emit sound through the audio output in response to receiving a command message that includes an alarm condition command.

8. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 7, the controller further configured to store a first volume level in the memory prior to adjusting the volume level of the audio output to the second volume level, and to adjust the volume level of the audio output to the first volume level subsequent to adjustment of the volume level of the audio output to the second volume level.

9. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, the controller further comprising:

a compressor, the compressor configured to read seed data from the memory, to generate compressed seed data, and to compress at least one other set of uncompressed data for transmission by the at least one wireless transceiver after compressing the seed data; and

a decompressor, the decompressor being configured to read the compressed seed data generated by the compressor, to decompress the compressed seed data, and to decompress at least one other set of compressed data received by the at least one wireless transceiver after decompressing the seed data.

10. The mobile electronic communications device of claim 1, the controller being further configured to:

identify a priority level in data corresponding to a communications message received from the at least one wireless transceiver;

display the communications message on the display for visual data in response to the identified priority level being greater than or equal to a first predetermined priority level;

display at least one predetermined response to the communications message on the display for visual data in response to the identified priority level being greater than or equal to the first predetermined priority level; and

generate a response data message for transmission by the at least one wireless transceiver that corresponds to one of the at least one predetermined responses to the communications message.

11. A system for managing mobile electronic communications devices comprising:

a user directory database configured to hold authentication data associated with at least one user;

an authentication authority communicatively connected to the user directory database, the authentication authority configured to;

accept or deny authentication data for a user received from at least one mobile electronic communications device;

to store status information corresponding to authenticated users in the user directory database; and

to store an association between each authenticated user and each mobile electronic device that sent authentication data for an authenticated user in the user directory database;

an administration server configured to send and receive command messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device;

a messaging server configured to send and receive communications messages with at least one mobile electronic communications device; and

the authentication authority, administration server, and messaging server being configured to send and receive data via a data communications network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the administration server is further configured to:

identify that a second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data for a user is different from a first mobile electronic communications device associated with the user in the user directory database; and

to send a command message to the first mobile electronic communications device in response to the second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data, the first mobile electronic communications device being configured to erase at least a portion of data stored in a memory in the first mobile electronic communications device in response to receiving the command message.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the administration server is further configured to send a command message having an alarm command to a mobile electronic communications device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the alarm command identifies a volume level for an audible alarm.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the administration server is further configured to send at least one list containing at least one location identifier to a mobile electronic communications device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least list includes at least one location identifier associated with a location in which the mobile electronic communications device is configured to operate with an automatically adjusted volume setting.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least list includes at least one location identifier associated with a location in which the mobile electronic communications device is configured to deactivate a wireless transceiver.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the user directory database includes a plurality of paging group records, each paging group record identifying a plurality of users in the user directory database, and wherein the messaging server is configured to send a communications message to each user identified by the paging group record in response to the communications message identifying the paging group.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the messaging server is further configured to store a number of acknowledgement messages generated in response to the communications message that identifies the paging group.

20. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a message archive database;

the messaging server being further configured to;

retain copies of sent and received communications messages in the message archive database;

send at least one retained communications message held in the message archive database to at least one authenticated mobile electronic communications device;

maintain a record of an acknowledgment message sent from a receiving mobile electronic communications device, the acknowledgement message acknowledging receipt of a communications message; and

maintain a record of a second acknowledgment message sent from a displaying mobile electronic communications device, the second acknowledgment message including an acknowledgment that the mobile electronic communications device displayed a received communications message.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the messaging server is further configured to send at least a portion of data associated with a user in the user directory database to an authenticated mobile electronic communications device providing authentication data corresponding to the user.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the administration server and messaging server are further configured to:

identify a second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data for a user, the second mobile electronic communications device being different from a first mobile electronic communications device associated with the user in the user directory database;

send at least a portion of the copies of sent and received communications messages retained in the message archive database to the second mobile electronic communications device; and

to send a command message to the first mobile electronic communications device in response to the second mobile electronic communications device sending valid authentication data.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the first mobile electronic communications device is configured to erase at least a portion of data stored in a memory in the first mobile electronic communications device in response to receiving the command message.

24. The system of claim 20, the administration server further configured to provide access to at least one administrator, the administration server allowing the at least one administrator to read:

at least a portion of copies of communications messages held in the message archive database;

at least a portion of records of acknowledgment messages that include acknowledgments that a mobile electronic communications device received a communications message;

at least a portion of records of second acknowledgment messages that include acknowledgments that a mobile electronic communications device displayed a received communications message.

25. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a non-volatile memory;

a compressor, the compressor configured to read seed data from the non-volatile memory, to generate compressed seed data, and to compress at least one other set of uncompressed data for transmission by at least one of the messaging server, administration server, and authentication authority after compressing the seed data; and

a decompressor, the decompressor being configured to read the compressed seed data generated by the compressor, to decompress the compressed seed data, and to decompress at least one other set of compressed data received by the at least one of the messaging server, administration server, and authentication authority after decompressing the seed data.

26. An application program stored on a computer readable medium, wherein a controller in a two-way electronic communications device executes the application program to enable one of a first wireless transceiver and a second wireless transceiver for data communication and to disable the other of the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver for data communication in response to a detected network identifier obtained without user interaction.

27. The program of claim 26, wherein the controller executes the application program to enable one of the first wireless transceiver and second wireless transceiver and to disable the other of the first wireless transceiver and second wireless transceiver by comparing the detected network identifier for a detected wireless network to a predetermined list of network identifiers, and determining whether the network identifier of the detected wireless network has a higher priority than a network identifier for a type of wireless network through which the other wireless network transceiver communicates.

28. The program of claim 26, wherein the controller executes the application program to disable at least one of the first wireless transceiver and second wireless transceiver in response to a detected location corresponding to a location stored in a predetermined list of locations.

29. The program of claim 26, the controller executes the application program to select one of a first wireless transceiver that communicates through a cellular network and a second wireless transceiver that communicates through an 802.11 standard network.

30. A method for delivering data from a first network computing device to a subscriber computing device comprising:

establishing at least one publisher node in a network computing device;

configuring a subscriber computing device with a subscription to the at least one publisher node;

generating a data message for publication by the at least one publisher node;

transmitting the data message from the at least one publisher node to the subscriber computing device with the subscription;

generating a receipt message in the subscriber computing device that corresponds to the data message; and

transmitting the receipt message from the subscriber computing device to the network computing device.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

transmitting the data message from the at least one publisher node to the subscriber computing device a predetermined number of times; and

generating a record that indicates that the subscriber computing device failed to receive the data message in response to the subscriber computing device failing to send a receipt message to the network computer device in response to any one of the transmitted data messages.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

generating a version number corresponding to the data message generated by the publisher node;

identifying a version number stored in the subscriber computing device; and

transmitting the data message from the at least one publisher node to the subscriber computing device in response to the version number corresponding to the data message being greater than the version number stored in the subscriber computing device.

33. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

storing the data message generated by the publisher node in a memory in the publisher node; and

removing a second data message having a second version number generated by the publisher node from the memory in response to the data message generated by the publisher node having a version number that is greater than the second version number.