Limiting device operation without third party permission
OwnerAriel S. Rogsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the invention include a set of rules established by a third-party to control the execution of various functions offered by a device. The set of rules can block a function outright, or can specify particular combinations of days and times when the function can be executed and when it is blocked. Then, when the user of the device requests an instance of the function to be executed, the set of rules can be accessed to determine whether the requested function instance is permitted, after which the device can either block or execute the requested function instance.
Claims19
A system, comprising:
- a mobile device;
- a function configured to be executed by the mobile device;
- a receiver on the mobile device to receive a request from a user of the mobile device to execute an instance of the function;
- an authorizer on the mobile device including a set of functions that cannot be executed by the mobile device without authorization from said third party, the authorizer operative to determine whether a third party authorizes the mobile device to execute said instance of the function, wherein said third party is a person other than said user;
- and
- an executor on the mobile device to execute said instance of the function if the authorizer determines that said third party authorizes the mobile device to execute said instance of the function and to execute said instance of the function in an emergency even without authorization from said third party if said third party has indicated that the function can be executed in an emergency,
- wherein determination of whether to execute said instance of the function is not controlled by said user of the mobile device.
A method, comprising:
- receiving a request to execute an instance of a function using a mobile device by a user of the mobile device;
- determining on the mobile device whether a third party has blocked the function from operating without permission from the third party, wherein the third party is a person other than the user;
- determining on the mobile device whether the third party permits the instance of the function, including permitting the instance of the function if the third party has previously indicated that the function is permitted in an emergency even without permission from the third party to execute the instance of the function;
- and
- when the third party has blocked the function from operating without permission from the third party and the third party permits the instance of the function, executing the instance of the function,
- wherein determination of whether to permit executing the instance of the function is not controlled by the user of the mobile device.
An article, comprising a non-transitory storage medium, said non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a mobile device, result in:
- receiving a request to execute an instance of a function using a mobile device by a user of the mobile device;
- determining at the mobile device whether a third party has blocked the function from operating without permission from the third party, wherein the third party is a person other than the user;
- determining at the mobile device whether the third party permits the instance of the function, including permitting the instance of the function if the third party has previously indicated that the function is permitted in an emergency even without permission from the third party to execute the instance of the function;
- and
- when the third party has blocked the function from operating without permission from the third party and the third party permits the instance of the function, executing the instance of the function,
- wherein determination of whether to permit executing the instance of the function is not controlled by the user of the mobile device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.