Systems and methods for controlling mobile device use

• US 9,900,777 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Matthew Allen, Shields, Daniel R., Fletter, Marc Ashley, Jones, Nicholaus Adam, Taylor, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US15/094,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for operating a mobile device, comprising: establishing by a locking mechanism at the mobile device that the mobile device is owned or controlled by a retail establishment at which an operator of the mobile device is an agent; searching, by a mobile device, for a signal from a network; authorizing the mobile device to operate in a vicinity of the network when the signal is detected from the network; and inactivating the mobile device or displaying information where the mobile device can operate in response to a failure by the mobile device to detect the signal.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile device, comprising:

establishing by a locking mechanism at the mobile device that the mobile device is owned or controlled by a retail establishment at which an operator of the mobile device is an agent;

searching, by a mobile device, for a signal from a network;

authorizing the mobile device to operate in a vicinity of the network when the signal is detected from the network; and

inactivating the mobile device or displaying information where the mobile device can operate in response to a failure by the mobile device to detect the signal, wherein the vicinity of the network includes a workplace facility, wherein the mobile device is operated by an agent of the workplace facility, and wherein the mobile device is locked if the agent is an hourly wage pay type and the mobile device is not in the vicinity of the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the network includes a service set identification (SSID).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating the mobile device for access to applications executable by the mobile device in response to a detection of the signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein inactivating the mobile device comprises at least one of preventing a bootup of the mobile device, preventing applications of the mobile device from deploying, preventing applications from displaying as an option, and allowing certain actions to be performed in an application.

5. The method of claim 1, the signal of the network is searched in response to selecting an application at the mobile device.

6. A method for operating a mobile device, comprising:

providing a profile on the mobile device;

identifying by the profile an owner of the mobile device;

identifying by the profile rights of a user regarding use of the mobile device;

permitting, by the profile, the mobile device to search for a signal from a network for operating in the vicinity of the network, wherein the mobile device is inactivated in a lockout state in response to a determination that the mobile device is store or company owned and that the mobile device does not receive or recognize the signal from the network;

identifying applications on the mobile device for use outside of the network; and

checking whether an application of the applications outside the network is permitted to operate in response to identifying the owner of the mobile device and the rights of the user regarding the use of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile device is a store owned or company owned electronic device having a display for presenting data related to the applications.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising, installing registry entries from the profile on the mobile device, permitting the mobile device to search for the signal from the network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein searching for the signal determines when the mobile device is within range of the signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the registry entries include data for identifying an owner of the mobile device, and wherein the application of the applications is permitted to operate depending on the owner of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the signal is searched when the application is selected to determine whether the application is permitted to operate.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile device is a bring your own device (BYOD), and the owner of the mobile device and the user of the mobile device are the same.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal is detected but the mobile device is not authenticated, and is prohibited from connecting to the network.

14. A system for controlling access of a mobile device, comprising:

a locking mechanism that determines whether the mobile device is store-owned, company-owned, or user-owned, searches for a signal from a network, and inactivates the mobile device in response to a determination that the mobile device is store-owned, company-owned, or user-owned and the signal is not detected; and

a lockout system that establishes conditions under which the mobile device or at least one application of the mobile device are locked, the conditions including mobile device ownership, location of the mobile device relative to the network, user status, and permissible actions outside the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the lockout system searches for the signal after at least one of power-up of the mobile device and after an application is launched at the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism receives data from the lockout system to determine an ownership of the mobile device, including determining whether the mobile device is store-owned, company-owned, or user-owned.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the locking mechanism determines an access level of the mobile device, and locks the mobile device or the application in response to the access level being less than a predetermined threshold.