| 摘要 |
A system and method for the real-time management of a device, and more particularly to the establishment and enforcement of policies or rules associated with the feature or functions that may be performed with the device, such as making and receiving calls, exchanging data, playing games and music, sending and receiving email, accessing web sites, and paying for goods and services. If a child or employee is using the device, there may be a need to regulate how that device can be used and to determine who will pay for what goods or services. In addition to providing all of the features associated with a device, service providers need to be able to establish and enforce rules (policies) regulating how and when that device can be used and who will pay for a good or service requested by the user of the device. |
| 主权项 |
1. A mobile communications device communicating on a first communications network, the mobile communications device comprising a memory bearing instructions that, when executed on the mobile communications device, cause the mobile communications device to at least:
initiate a request to run a function associated with a first account, the first account being associated with electronic units of value that can be used to run the function on the mobile communications device, the first account being generated based on input associated with an administrator of the mobile communications device and associated with a plan that is shared with a second mobile communications device, the electronic units of value associated with the first account being allocated from electronic units of value associated with the plan that are not allocated to other electronic wallets; in response to transmitting the request to a server located in a second communications network, receive in real-time from the server a decision that the function is permitted to run on the mobile communications device, the decision being based on a policy stored at the server, the policy including one or more allowed contacts and one or more blocked contacts associated with the mobile communications device; run the function on the mobile communications device based at least in part on the decision received from the server; and transmit, by the mobile communications device to the server, information indicative of running the function on the mobile communications device, wherein, in response to receiving the information, the server is configured to charge, based at least in part on a rule and in real-time, electronic units of value associated with a cost for running the function to the first account, to a second account, or to unallocated electronic units of value in the plan, the electronic units of value representing credits for paying for a service associated with a service provider of the first or second accounts, the rule specifying that the charged electronic units of value are decremented from the electronic units of value associated with first account when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are sufficient to pay for running the function, and wherein the rule further specifies that the charged electronic units of value are decremented from the electronic units of value associated with the second account when the electronic units of value associated with the first account are insufficient to pay for running the function and when running the function causes the mobile communications device to interact with a computing device associated with the one or more allowed contacts, wherein the unallocated electronic units of value in the plan can be used by either the first or second communications device. |
