Method and apparatus for bearer and server independent parental control on smartphone, managed by the smartphone

摘要

In some embodiments, the invention involves parental or master control of a child or subordinate mobile phone without service provider intervention. An embodiment of the invention is a system and method relating to master control of the subordinate smart phone using features on the smart phones, and independent of features provided by the phone service providers. Communication between the master and subordinate phones may be initiated using SMS messaging, near field communication, Bluetooth, direct connect to a PC, or by other secure wireless or wired connections. Once initiated, desired communication events are captured by the parental control application to effect control policies on the subordinate phone. Communication between the phones may be encrypted to prevent malicious intervention of message traffic Other embodiments are described and claimed.

主权项

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of mobile phones, each phone to be identified as one of either a master phone or a child phone, each master phone configured to control at least one child phone, wherein each child phone to be configured to be controlled by at least one master phone, wherein each phone further comprising:
a user interface of a parental control application to allow a master user on a master phone to interactively manage and control the at least one child phone, wherein a set-up phase is to identify whether a phone is to act as a master phone or child phone;an authentication agent configured to enable the phone to authenticate a data connection session between a master phone and child phone, and between more than one master phone, the authentication to utilize a security engine coupled to the phone for encrypting and decrypting messages and/or certificates;a policy management and enforcement agent to initiate changes in a control policy in a child phone and record the changes in the master phone, wherein (i) the control policy defines control and management of at least one feature of the child phone and (ii) the policy management and enforcement agent restricts, redirects, and/or monitors the at least one feature of the child phone, according to the control policy;a communication agent configured to send requests and control policy changes from the master phone to the child phone, and perform a handshake communication between phones to initiate the data connection session is by a series of short message service (SMS) messages between a master phone and child phone, wherein the master hone and child shone communicate via a TCP/IP protocol after the data connection session is initiated by the series of SMS messages; andsecure storage for storing at least one control policy, the at least one control policy being associated with one of the at least one child phones.