Owner privacy in a shared mobile device

• US 8,549,657 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karlson, Amy Kathleen, Brush, Alice Jane Bernheim, Schechter, Stuart Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/194,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20090282473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28, 726/1, 726/2
• US Class Current: 726/28
• 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 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Systems and methods that regulate range of access to personal information of a mobile unit'"'"'s owner. The access control component can designate granularity for access levels and/or a spectrum of access modes—(as opposed to a binary choice of full access or no access at all). Such access can be based on a spectrum and/or discrete trust relationship between the owner and user of the mobile unit. A profile definition component can exploit an owner'"'"'s trust relationships to designate levels of security. The profile definition component can further define a profile based on a set of applications, such as entertainment mode, browser mode, and the like.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system comprising:

an access control component of a mobile device that regulates a range of access for a non-owner user of the mobile device to personal information of an owner of the mobile device, the personal information stored on the mobile device;

an analysis component of the mobile device that recommends an access mode specifying the range of access, based at least in part on an amount of the personal information that is accessible by one or more applications on the mobile device, wherein the access control component regulates the range of access based at least partly on the recommended access mode; and

a usage profile that designates the range of access for the non-owner user of the mobile device to the personal information, the usage profile employed by the access control component to regulate the range of access based on the recommended access mode.

2. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the usage profile designates one or more trust relationships between the owner of the mobile device and the non-owner user.

3. The computer implemented system of claim 1, the access control component including a profile definition component that defines the usage profile of the non-owner user.

4. The computer implemented system of claim 1, the access control component including a profile selection component that selects the usage profile.

5. The computer implemented system of claim 1 further comprising an artificial intelligence component that infers one or more associations between the personal information and one or more applications on the mobile device.

6. The computer implemented system of claim 1 wherein the analysis component recommends the access mode further based on one or more trust relationships indicated by the owner for one or more users other than the non-owner user.

7. The computer implemented system of claim 6, wherein the analysis component further analyzes the one or more applications on the mobile device to determine a presence of the personal information.

8. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein a trust relationship between the owner and the non-owner user is representable as a spectrum of trust levels.

9. The computer implemented system of claim 1, the usage profile further including one or more personality profiles for the non-owner user.

10. A computer implemented method comprising:

defining one or more usage profiles that each designates a range of access for a non-owner user of a mobile device to personal data of an owner of the mobile device, the personal data stored on the mobile device;

automatically recommending an access mode specifying the range of access for the non-owner user, based at least in part on an amount of the personal data that is accessible by one or more applications on the mobile device; and

employing at least one of the usage profiles for regulating the range of access to the personal data when the non-owner user employs the mobile device, the range of access regulated according to the recommended access mode.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the defining of each of the usage profiles is further based on one or more trust relationships between the owner of the mobile device and the non-owner user thereof.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 further comprising supplying a spectrum of choices for the one or more trust relationships to the owner.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising granting access modes at granular levels to the non-owner user.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising segregating the personal data from functionalities of an application stored on the mobile device.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising evaluating existence of the personal data on an application available on the mobile device.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing to the owner one or more discrete trust relationship choices corresponding to the one or more trust relationships; and

tuning the range of access based at least on the owner'"'"'s selection of one of the discrete trust relationship choices for the non-owner user.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein recommending the access mode for the non-owner user is further based on one or more trust relationships indicated by the owner for one or more users other than the non-owner user.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising inferring the access mode.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18, wherein inferring the access mode is based at least in part on a social network of the owner.

20. A tangible computer readable storage device storing instructions that enable actions for controlling access to a mobile device, the actions comprising:

regulating a range of access for one or more non-owner users of the mobile device to personal information of an owner of the mobile device, the personal information stored on the mobile device;

automatically recommending an access mode specifying the range of access for the one or more non-owner users, based at least in part on an amount of the personal information that is accessible by one or more applications on the mobile device; and

designating one or more access levels, each of the access levels provided for at least one of the non-owner users, granted by the owner of the mobile device, each of the access levels used for regulating the range of access for the at least one of the non-owner users to the personal information based at least in part on the recommended access mode.