System and method for operating an electronic device in a limited radio mode

• US 8,971,931 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wuellner, Trond Thomas, Woodward, Joshua, Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich, Tabone, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisner, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US13/651,347
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455418-421, 455/550.1, 455/404.2, 4554561-457, 340/539.13, 340988-996, D10/104.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

A system and method for operating an electronic device in a limited radio mode are provided. The system determines a location of an electronic device. The system also identifies one or more components of the electronic device enabled to provide radio data communication services. The system, for each of the identified one or more components, determines if a respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service at a determined location of the electronic device and selectively disables the component if the respective data communication service is not an authorized service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by an electronic device, a location of the electronic device;

identifying one or more components of the electronic device configured to provide radio data communication services, wherein a first identified component is associated with a first set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a first radio data communication service, and wherein a second identified component is associated with a second set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a second radio data communication service;

for each of the identified first identified component and the second identified component, determining, by the electronic device, whether the first radio data communication service provided by the first component is an authorized service at the determined location of the electronic device, and whether the second radio data communication service provided by the second component is an authorized service at the determined location of the electronic device;

responsive to determining that the first radio data communication service is not an authorized service, and that the second radio data communication service is an authorized service, disabling at least one of the radio transmitters of the first set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the first identified component, and enabling at least one of the second transmitters of the second set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the second identified component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication for the electronic device to operate in a limited radio mode,

wherein the determining whether the respective data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service is performed responsive to receiving the indication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication for the electronic device to operate in the limited radio mode is generated by a user interaction with a user selectable control that is configured to trigger the electronic device to operate in the limited radio mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is determined based on signals transmitted from a satellite navigation system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service comprises:

receiving a service set identifier from an active access point associated with the respective radio data communication service; and

determining whether the received service set identifier matches any of a set of authorized service set identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service comprises:

receiving a media access control address from an active access point associated with the respective radio data communication service; and

determining whether the received media access control address matches any of a set of authorized media access control addresses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service comprises:

receiving regulatory domain settings from an active access point associated with the respective radio data communication service; and

determining whether the regulatory domain settings do not prohibit the radio data communication service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the regulatory domain settings are designated by a governing agency.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the radio data communication services is WIFI or another wireless local area network service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the radio data communication services is mobile broadband.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, for display at the electronic device, a listing of authorized radio data communication services and one or more user selectable controls configured to disable one or more radio transmitters associated with the one or more components enabled to provide the authorized radio data communication services.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the respective radio data communication service provided by the component is an authorized service is based on the location of the electronic device being within a proximity of a public transportation vehicle.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors, and a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the processors, an indication for an electronic device to operate in a limited radio mode;

identifying one or more components of the electronic device configured to provide radio data communication services, wherein a first identified component is associated with a first set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a first radio data communication service, and wherein a second identified component is associated with a second set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a second radio data communication service;

responsive to receiving the indication, for the first identified component and for the second identified component;

determining, by the processors, whether the first radio data communication service provided by the first component is an authorized service at a location of the electronic device, and whether the second radio data communication service provided by the second component is an authorized service at the location of the electronic device; and

responsive to determining that the first radio data communication service is not an authorized service, and that the second radio data communication service is an authorized service, disabling at least one of the radio transmitters of the first set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the first identified component, and enabling at least one of the second transmitters of the second set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the second identified component.

14. The system of claim 13, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a service set identifier from the active access point; and

comparing the received service set identifier against a set of authorized service set identifiers,

wherein the radio data communication service is determined to be authorized if the received service set identifier matches one of the set of authorized service set identifiers.

15. The system of claim 13, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a media access control address from the active access point; and

comparing the received media access control point against a set of authorized media access control addresses,

wherein the radio data communication is determined to be authorized if the received media access control address matches one of the set of authorized media access control addresses.

16. The system of claim 13, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations further comprising:

receiving regulatory domain settings from the active access point; and

determining whether the regulatory domain settings prohibit the radio data communication service,

wherein the radio data communication is determined to be authorized if the radio data communication service is not prohibited by the regulatory domain settings.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein, for the second identified component:

the component is already enabled to receive radio signals before selectively enabling the component, and selectively enabling the component comprises enabling the component to transmit radio signals.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the indication to operate in the limited radio mode is received responsive to determining the electronic device is operating at a location that requires limited radio mode.

19. The system of claim 13, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations further comprising:

scanning for an identifier for a known in-flight service provider; and

responsive to obtaining the identifier for the known in-flight service provider, receiving the indication to operate in the limited radio mode.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the processor, an indication for an electronic device to operate in a limited radio mode;

identifying one or more components of the electronic device configured to provide radio data communication services, wherein a first identified component is associated with a first set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a first radio data communication service, and wherein a second identified component is associated with a second set of one or more radio transmitters for sending radio signals related to a second radio data communication service;

for each of the first identified component and the second identified component;

determining, by the processor, whether the first radio data communication service provided by the first component is an authorized service at a location of the electronic device, and whether the second radio data communication service provided by the second component is an authorized service at the location of the electronic device; and

responsive to determining that the first radio data communication service is not an authorized service, and that the second radio data communication service is an authorized service, disabling at least one of the radio transmitters of the first set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the first identified component, and enabling at least one of the second transmitters of the second set of one or more radio transmitters associated with the second identified component.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a service set identifier from the active access point; and

comparing the received service set identifier against a set of authorized service set identifiers,

wherein the radio data communication service is determined to be authorized responsive to determining the received service set identifier matches one of the set of authorized service set identifiers.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the received service set identifier is not determined to match the one of the set of authorized service set identifiers, and further comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a media access control address from the active access point; and

comparing the received media access control point against a set of authorized media access control addresses;

wherein the radio data communication is determined to be authorized responsive to determining the received media access control address matches one of the set of authorized media access control addresses.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the received media access control address is not determined to match the one of the set of authorized media access control addresses, and further comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving regulatory domain settings from the active access point; and

wherein the radio data communication is determined to be authorized responsive to determining the radio data communication service is not prohibited by the regulatory domain settings.