CA2619325C - System and method for controlling device usage - Google Patents

Abstract

Mobile device usage may be monitored and restricted by pushing enabling/disabling events from an administrator the device. The events impose a certain set of rules that can "lock" certain features provided by the device, according to permissions and pre-established policies, for a certain period of time. Such restricted periods may coincide with meetings or other events in which distractions should be kept to a minimum or be during regular, predetermined time periods. Preferably, the rules include conditional locks that allow a user to use a feature a reasonable number of times before the lock is activated to place the onus on the user for minimizing such distractions, while enabling the user to maintain access to such a vital communication tool. Cancel packets may also be used to not only control but to monitor the application of the rule sets and when certain conditions are breaches, which provides an employer with sufficient information to use in auditing device usage or in reprimanding users for misuse of a privilege such as the use of mobile data communications devices.

Description

2

3 TECHNICAL FIELD:

4 [0001] The following relates to systems and methods for controlling device usage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
6 [0002] Mobile device usage has become widespread amongst both individuals and 7 corporations, and often such users rely heavily, and may even become dependent on, the use of 8 such devices. Mobile devices are often used to conduct business, maintain contact with peers 9 and perform other communication tasks while the user of the device is away from their home or office. Due to their ubiquity, mobile devices, in particular the usage of the devices, have been 11 viewed by many as an interruption to public environments, such as corporate meetings, movie 12 theatres, and public transit.
13 [0003] In particular, mobile devices have been known to cause interruptions and distractions 14 in a corporate meeting environment, most notably where there are several attendees. For example, in a large meeting, mobile device users may send messages to each other, respond to 16 emails, play games, and even answer telephone calls. Often a presenter or facilitator of such 17 meetings may be distracted by these activities, which can have a negative influence on a 18 presentation, and may cause a user who is participating in the distracting activity to miss or 19 overlook an important point in the presentation.
[0004] In certain scenarios, users do not intend on creating a distraction but merely forget to 21 turn off or silence their device prior to arriving at a meeting. A
buzzing or ringing caused by 22 receipt of a message or telephone call could then inadvertently occur which serves to both 23 embarrass the user and possibly result in undesirable consequences.
24 [0005] In other scenarios, users may bring their mobile device with them while they are away from the office and send and receive emails as if they were actually in their office. The 26 convenience of a mobile device having email capabilities can therefore make it difficult for a 27 company to control attendance.
21730940.1 1 [0006] It is therefore an object of the following to obviate or mitigate at least one of the 2 above disadvantages.

4 [0007] Embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
6 [0008] Figure 1 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user data items from a user's 7 desktop PC (host system) to the user's mobile device, where the redirector software is operating 8 at the user's desktop PC.
9 [0009] Figure 2 is a system diagram showing the redirection of user data items from a network server (host system) to the user's mobile device, where the redirector software is 11 operating at the server.
12 [0010] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the interaction of the redirector software with 13 other components of the host system in Figure 1 (the user's desktop PC) to enable the pushing of 14 information from the host system to the user's mobile device.
[0011] Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the redirector software 16 operating at the host system.
17 [0012] Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out by the mobile device to 18 interface with the redirector software operating at the host system.
19 [0013] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a system for controlling mobile device usage.
21 [0014] Figure 7 is a schematic representation of the graphical user interface (GUI) shown in 22 Figure 6.
23 [0015] Figure 8 is a schematic representation of the rules database shown in Figure 6.
21730940.1 1 [0016] Figure 9 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out in generating and pushing a 2 policy packet from the administrator to the device in Figure 6.
3 [0017] Figure 10 is a flow chart showing the steps carried out in triggering the policy packet 4 and applying a rule set for a duration of time to the device in Figure 6.
[0018] Figure 11 is a flow chart showing an alternative method for pushing a policy packet 6 to the device in Figure 6.
7 [0019] Figure 12 is another embodiment of a system for controlling mobile device usage.
8 [0020] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a mobile device and a display screen therefor.
9 [0021] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another mobile device and a display screen therefor.
11 [0022] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of components of the mobile device of any or 12 both of Figures 13 and 14.
13 [0023] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of the memory shown in Figure 15.
14 [0024] Figure 17 is a screen shot of a home screen displayed by the mobile device of any or both of Figures 13 and 14.
16 [0025] Figure 18 is a schematic representation of a category stored in memory in Figure 16.
17 [0026] Figure 19 is a block diagram showing yet another embodiment of a system for 18 controlling mobile device usage.

[0027] Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is an exemplary system diagram showing the 21 redirection of user data items (such as message A or C) from a user's office PC (host system) 10 22 to the user's mobile device 24, where the redirector software 12 is operating at the user's PC.
23 Message A in Figure 1 represents an internal message sent from desktop 26 to the user's host 21730940.1 1 system 10 via LAN 14. Message C in Figure 1 represents an external message from a sender that 2 is not directly connected to LAN 14, such as the user's mobile device 24, some other user's 3 mobile device (not shown), or any user connected to the Internet 18.
Message C also represents 4 a command message from the user's mobile device 24 to the host system 10.
As described in more detail in Figure 3, the host system 10 preferably includes, along with the typical hardware 6 and software associated with a workstation or desktop computer, the redirector program 12, a 7 TCP/IP subsystem 42, a primary message store 40, an E-mail subsystem 44, a screen saver 8 subsystem 48, and a keyboard subsystem 46.
9 [0028] In Figure 1, the host system 10 is the user's desktop system, typically located in the user's office. The host system 10 is connected to a LAN 14, which also connects to other 11 computers 26, 28 that may be in the user's office or elsewhere. The LAN
14, in turn, is connected 12 to a wide area network ("WAN") 18, preferably the Internet, which is defined by the use of the 13 Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP") to exchange information, but which, 14 alternatively could be any other type of WAN. The connection of the LAN
14 to the WAN 18 is via high bandwidth link 16, typically a T1 or T3 connection. The WAN 18 in turn is connected to 16 a variety of gateways 20, via connections 32. A gateway forms a connection or bridge between 17 the WAN 18 and some other type of network, such as an RF wireless network, cellular network, 18 satellite network, or other synchronous or asynchronous land-line connection.
19 [0029] In one embodiment, mobile device 24 is a hand-held two-way wireless paging computer, a wirelessly enabled palm-top computer, a mobile telephone with data messaging 21 capabilities, or a wirelessly enabled laptop computer, but could, alternatively be other types of 22 mobile devices capable of sending and receiving messages via a network connection 22. Mobile 23 devices 24 could alternatively not be capable of sending and receiving message via network 24 connection 22. In another embodiment, mobile device 24 is a digital entertainment device, such as an MP3 player or video game device. In yet another embodiment, mobile device 24 is any 26 electronic device which can be used by a user to provide any number of features such as an 27 alarm, email, phone etc.
21730940.1 1 [0030] In some embodiments, the mobile device 24 includes software program instructions 2 that work in conjunction with the redirector program 12 to enable the seamless, transparent 3 redirection of user-selected data items. Figure 4 describes the basic method steps of the 4 redirector program 12, and Figure 5 describes the steps of the corresponding program operating at the mobile device 24.
6 [0031] In an alternative embodiment, not explicitly shown in the drawings, the mobile device 7 24 also includes a redirector program. In this embodiment, user selected data items can be 8 replicated from the host to the mobile device and vice versa. The configuration and operation of 9 the mobile device 24 having a redirector program is similar to that described herein with respect to FIGS. 1-4.
11 [0032] A user can configure the redirector program 12 to push certain user-selected data 12 items to the user's mobile device 24 when the redirector 12 detects that a particular user-defined 13 event trigger (or trigger point) has taken place. User-selected data items preferably include E-14 mail messages, calendar events, meeting notifications, address entries, journal entries, personal alerts, alarms, warnings, stock quotes, news bulletins, etc., but could, alternatively, include any 16 other type of message that is transmitted to the host system 10, or that the host system 10 17 acquires through the use of intelligent agents, such as data that is received after the host system 18 10 initiates a search of a database or a website or a bulletin board. In some instances, only a 19 portion of the data item is transmitted to the mobile device 24 in order to minimize the amount of data transmitted via the wireless network 22. In these instances, the mobile device 24 can 21 optionally send a command message to the host system to receive more or all of the data item if 22 the user desires to receive it.
23 [0033] Among the user-defined event triggers that can be detected by the redirector program 24 12 are, in the preferred embodiment, external events, internal events and networked events.
External events preferably include: (1) receiving a command message (such as message C) from 26 the user's mobile device to begin redirection, or to execute some other command at the host, such 27 as a command to enable the preferred list mode, or to add or subtract a particular sender from the 28 preferred list; (2) receiving a similar message from some external computer, and (3) sensing that

- 5 -1 the user is no longer in the vicinity of the host system; although, alternatively, an external event 2 can be any other detectable occurrence that is external to the host system. Internal events could 3 be a calendar alarm, screen saver activation, keyboard timeout, programmable timer, or any other 4 user-defined event that is internal to the host system. Networked events are user-defined messages that are transmitted to the host system from another computer coupled to the host

6 system via a network to initiate redirection. These are just some of the events that could be used

7 to initiate replication of the user-selected data items from the host system 10 to the mobile device

8 24.

9 [0034] Figure 1 shows an E-mail message A being communicated over LAN 14 from computer 26 to the user's desktop system 10 (also shown in Figure 1 is an external message C, 11 which could be an E-mail message from an Internet user, or could be a command message from 12 the user's mobile device 24). Once the message A (or C) reaches the primary message store of 13 the host system 10, it can be detected and acted upon by the redirection software 12. The 14 redirection software 12 can use many methods of detecting new messages.
The preferred method of detecting new messages is using Microsoft's Messaging API (MAPI), in which programs, 16 such as the redirector program 12, register for notifications or 'advise syncs' when changes to a 17 mailbox take place. Other methods of detecting new messages could also be used.
18 [0035] Assuming that the redirector program 12 is activated, and has been configured by the 19 user (either through the sensing of an internal, network or external event) to replicate certain user data items (including messages of type A or C) to the mobile device 24, when the message A is 21 received at the host system 10, the redirector program 12 detects its presence and prepares the 22 message for redirection to the mobile device 24. In preparing the message for redirection, the 23 redirector program 12 could compress the original message A, could compress the message 24 header, or could encrypt the entire message A to create a secure link to the mobile device 24.
[0036] Also programmed into the redirector 12 is the address of the user's mobile device 24, 26 the type of device, and whether the device 24 can accept certain types of attachments, such as 27 word processing or voice attachments. If the user's type of mobile device cannot accept these 21730940.1 1 types of attachments, then the redirector 12 can be programmed to route the attachments to a fax 2 or voice number where the user is located using an attached fax or voice machine 30.
3 [0037] The redirector may also be programmed with a preferred list mode that is configured 4 by the user either at the host system 10, or remotely from the user's mobile device by transmitting a command message C. The preferred list contains a list of senders (other users) 6 whose messages are to be redirected or a list of message characteristics that determine whether a 7 message is to be redirected. If activated, the preferred list mode causes the redirector program 12 8 to operate like a filter, only redirecting certain user data items based on whether the data item 9 was sent from a sender on the preferred list or has certain message characteristics that if present will trigger or suppress redirection of the message. In the example of Figure 1, if desktop system 11 26 was operated by a user on the preferred list of host system 10, and the preferred list option 12 was activated, then message A would be redirected. If, however, desktop 26 was operated by a 13 user not on the host system's preferred list, then message A would not be redirected, even if the 14 user of the host system had configured the redirector to push messages of type A. The user of the host system 10 can configure the preferred list directly from the desktop system, or, alternatively, 16 the user can then send a command message (such as C) from the mobile device 24 to the desktop 17 system 10 to activate the preferred list mode, or to add or delete certain senders or message 18 characteristics from the preferred list that was previously configured.
It should be appreciated 19 that a redirection program could combine message characteristics and preferred sender lists to result in a more finely-tuned filter. Messages marked as low priority or that are simple return 21 receipts or message read receipts, for example, could always be suppressed from redirection 22 while messages from a particular sender would always be redirected.
23 [0038] After the redirector has determined that a particular message should be redirected, 24 and it has prepared the message for redirection, the software 12 then sends the message A to a secondary memory store located in the mobile device 24, using whatever means are necessary. In 26 the preferred embodiment this method is to send the message A back over the LAN 14, WAN
27 18, and through the wireless gateway 20 to the mobile device 24. In doing so, the redirector 28 preferably repackages message A as an E-mail with an outer envelope B
that contains the 29 addressing information of the mobile device 24, although alternative repackaging techniques and 21730940.1 1 protocols could be used, such as a TCP/IP repackaging and delivery method (most commonly 2 used in the alternative server configuration shown in Figure 2). The wireless gateway 20 requires 3 this outer envelope information B in order to know where to send the redirected message A.
4 Once the message (A in B) is received by the mobile device 24, the outer envelope B is removed and the original message A is placed in the secondary memory store within the mobile device 24.
6 By repackaging and removing the outer envelope in this manner, the mobile computer 24 7 appears to be at the same physical location as the host system 10, thus creating a transparent 8 system.
9 [0039] In the case where message C is representative of an external message from a computer on the Internet 18 to the host system 10, and the host 10 has been configured to 11 redirect messages of type C, then in a similar manner to message A, message C would be 12 repackaged with an outer envelope B and transmitted to the user's mobile device 24. In the case 13 where message C is representative of a command message from the user's mobile device 24 to 14 the host system 10, the command message C is not redirected, but is acted upon by the host system 10.
16 [0040] If the redirected user data item is an E-mail message, as described above, the user at 17 the mobile device 24 sees the original subject, sender's address, destination address, carbon copy 18 and blind carbon copy. When the user replies to this message, or when the user authors a new 19 message, the software operating at the mobile device 24 adds a similar outer envelope to the reply message (or the new message) to cause the message to be routed first to the user's host 21 system 10, which then removes the outer envelope and redirects the message to the final 22 destination, such as back to computer 26. In the preferred embodiment this results in the 23 outgoing redirected message from the user's host system 10 being sent using the E-mail address 24 of the host mailbox, rather than the address of the mobile device, so that it appears to the recipient of the message that the message originated from the user's desktop system 10 rather 26 than the mobile device. Any replies to the redirected message will then be sent to the desktop 27 system 10, which if it is still in redirector mode, will repackage the reply and resend it to the 28 user's mobile data device, as described above.
21730940.1 1 [0041] Figure 2 is an alternative system diagram showing the redirection of user data items 2 from a network server 11 to the user's mobile device 24, where the redirector software 12 is 3 operating at the server 11. This configuration is particularly advantageous for use with message 4 servers such as Microsoft's Exchange Server, which is normally operated so that all user messages are kept in one central location or mailbox store on the server instead of in a store 6 within each user's desktop PC. This configuration has the additional advantage of allowing a 7 single system administrator to configure and keep track of all users having messages redirected.
8 If the system includes encryption keys, these too can be kept at one place for management and 9 update purposes.
[0042] In this alternative configuration, server 11 preferably maintains a user profile for each 11 user's desktop system 10, 26, 28, including information such as whether a particular user can 12 have data items redirected, which types of message and information to redirect, what events will 13 trigger redirection, the address of the users' mobile device 24, the type of mobile device, and the 14 user's preferred list, if any. The event triggers are preferably detected at the user's desktop system

10, 26, 28 and can be any of the external, internal or network events listed above. The desktop 16 systems 10, 26, 28 preferably detect these events and then transmit a message to the server 17 computer 11 via LAN 14 to initiate redirection. Although the user data items are preferably 18 stored at the server computer 11 in this embodiment, they could, alternatively, be stored at each 19 user's desktop system 10, 26, 28, which would then transmit them to the server computer 11 after an event has triggered redirection.
21 [0043] As shown in Figure 2, desktop system 26 generates a message A that is transmitted to 22 and stored at the host system 11, which is the network server operating the redirector program 23 12. The message A is for desktop system 10, but in this embodiment, user messages are stored at 24 the network server 11. When an event occurs at desktop system 10, an event trigger is generated and transmitted to the network server 11, which then determines who the trigger is from, whether 26 that desktop has redirection capabilities, and if so, the server (operating the redirector program) 27 uses the stored configuration information to redirect message A to the mobile computer 24 28 associated with the user of desktop system 10.
21730940.1 1 [0044] As described above with reference to Figure 1, message C
could be either a command 2 message from a user's mobile device 24, or it could be a message from an external computer, 3 such as a computer connected to the Internet 18. If the message C is from an Internet computer to 4 the user's desktop system 10, and the user has redirection capabilities, then the server 11 detects the message C, repackages it using electronic envelope B, and redirects the repackaged message 6 (C in B) to the user's mobile device 24. If the message C is a command message from the user's 7 mobile device 24, then the server 11 simply acts upon the command message.
8 [0045] Turning now to Figure 3, a block diagram showing the interaction of the redirector 9 software 12 with additional components of the host system 10 of Figure 1 (the desktop PC) to enable more fully the pushing of information from the host system 10 to the user's mobile device

11 24 is set forth. These additional components are illustrative of the type of event-generating

12 systems that can be configured and used with the redirector software 12, and of the type of

13 repackaging systems that can be used to interface with the mobile communication device 24 to

14 make it appear transparent to the user.
[0046] The desktop system 10 is connected to LAN 14, and can send and receive data, 16 messages, signals, event triggers, etc., to and from other systems connected to the LAN 14 and to 17 external networks 18, 22, such as the Internet or a wireless data network, which are also coupled 18 to the LAN 14. In addition to the standard hardware, operating system, and application programs 19 associated with a typical microcomputer or workstation, the desktop system 10 includes the redirector program 12, a TCP/IP sub-system 42, an E-mail sub-system 44, a primary data storage 21 device 40, a screen saver sub-system 48, and a keyboard sub-system 46.
The TCP/IP and E-mail 22 subsystems 42, 44 are examples of repackaging systems that can be used to achieve 23 transparency, and the screen saver and keyboard sub-systems 46, 48 are examples of event 24 generating systems that can be configured to generate event messages or signals that trigger redirection of the user selected data items.
26 [0047] The method steps carried out by the redirector program 12 are described in more 27 detail in Figure 4. The basic functions of this program are: (1) configure and setup the user-28 defined event trigger points that will start redirection; (2) configure the types of user data items 21730940.1 1 for redirection and optionally configure a preferred list of senders whose messages are to be 2 redirected; (3) configure the type and capabilities of the user's mobile device; (4) receive 3 messages and signals from the repackaging systems and the event generating systems; and (5) 4 command and control the redirection of the user-selected data items to the mobile device via the repackaging systems. Other functions not specifically enumerated could also be integrated into 6 this program.
7 [0048] The E-Mail sub-system 44 is the preferred link to repackaging the user-selected data 8 items for transmission to the mobile device 24, and preferably uses industry standard mail 9 protocols, such as SMTP, POP, IMAP, MIME and RFC-822, to name but a few.
The E-Mail sub-system 44 can receive messages A from external computers on the LAN 14, or can receive 11 messages C from some external network such as the Internet 18 or a wireless data 12 communication network 22, and stores these messages in the primary data store 40. Assuming 13 that the redirector 12 has been triggered to redirect messages of this type, the redirector detects 14 the presence of any new messages and instructs the E-Mail system 44 to repackage the message by placing an outer wrapper B about the original message A (or C), and by providing the 16 addressing information of the mobile device 24 on the outer wrapper B.
As noted above, this 17 outer wrapper B is removed by the mobile device 24, and the original message A (or C) is then 18 recovered, thus making the mobile device 24 appear to be the desktop system 10.
19 [0049] In addition, the E-Mail sub-system 44 receives messages back from the mobile device 24 having an outer wrapper with the addressing information of the desktop system 10, and strips 21 this information away so that the message can be routed to the proper sender of the original 22 message A (or C). The E-Mail sub-system also receives command messages C
from the mobile 23 device 24 that are directed to the desktop system 10 to trigger redirection or to carry out some 24 other function. The functionality of the E-Mail sub-system 44 is controlled by the redirector program 12.
26 [0050] The TCP/IP sub-system 42 is an alternative repackaging system. It includes all of the 27 functionality of the E-Mail sub-system 44, but instead of repackaging the user-selected data 28 items as standard E-mail messages, this system repackages the data items using special-purpose 21730940.1 1 TCP/IP packaging techniques. This type of special-purpose sub-system is useful in situations 2 where security and improved speed are important to the user. The provision of a special-purpose 3 wrapper that can only be removed by special software on the mobile device 24 provides the 4 added security, and the bypassing of E-mail store and forward systems can improve speed and real-time delivery.
6 [0051] As described previously, the system can be triggered to begin redirection upon 7 detecting numerous external, internal and networked events, or trigger points. Examples of 8 external events include: receiving a command message from the user's mobile device 24 to begin 9 redirection; receiving a similar message from some external computer, sensing that the user is no longer in the vicinity of the host system; or any other event that is external to the host system.
11 Internal events could be a calendar alarm, screen saver activation, keyboard timeout, 12 programmable timer, or any other user-defined event that is internal to the host system.
13 Networked events are user-defined messages that are transmitted to the host system from another 14 computer that is connected to the host system via a network to initiate redirection.
[0052] The screen saver and keyboard sub-systems 46, 48 are examples of systems that are 16 capable of generating internal events. Functionally, the redirector program 12 provides the user 17 with the ability to configure the screen saver and keyboard systems so that under certain 18 conditions an event trigger will be generated that can be detected by the redirector 12 to start the 19 redirection process. For example, the screen saver system can be configured so that when the screen saver is activated, after, for example, ten (10) minutes of inactivity on the desktop system, 21 an event trigger is transmitted to the redirector 12, which starts redirecting the previously 22 selected user data items. In a similar manner the keyboard sub-system can be configured to 23 generate event triggers when no key has been depressed for a particular period of time, thus 24 indicating that redirection should commence. These are just two examples of the numerous application programs and hardware systems internal to the host system 10 that can be used to 26 generate internal event triggers.
27 [0053] Figures 4 and 5, set forth, respectively, flow charts showing the steps carried out by 28 the redirector software 12 operating at the host system 10, and the steps carried out by the mobile 21730940.1 1 device 24 in order to interface with the host system. Turning first to Figure 4, at step 50, the 2 redirector program 12 is started and initially configured The initial configuration of the redirector 3 12 includes: (1) defining the event triggers that the user has determined will trigger redirection;
4 (2) selecting the user data items for redirection; (3) selecting the repackaging sub-system, either standard E-Mail, or special-purpose technique; (4) selecting the type of data communication 6 device, indicating whether and what type of attachments the device is capable of receiving and 7 processing, and inputting the address of the mobile device; and (5) configuring the preferred list 8 of user selected senders whose messages are to be redirected.
9 [0054] Figure 4 sets forth the basic steps of the redirector program 12 assuming it is operating at a desktop system 10, such as shown in Figure 1. If the redirector 12 is operating at a 11 network server 11, as shown in Figure 2, then additional configuration steps may be necessary to 12 enable redirection for a particular desktop system 10, 26, 28 connected to the server, including:
13 (1) setting up a profile for the desktop system indicating its address, events that will trigger 14 redirection, and the data items that are to be redirected upon detecting an event; (2) maintaining a storage area at the server for the data items; and (3) storing the type of data communication 16 device to which the desktop system's data items are to be redirected, whether and what type of 17 attachments the device is capable of receiving and processing, and the address of the mobile 18 device.
19 [0055] Once the redirector program is configured 50, the trigger points (or event triggers) are enabled at step 52. The program 12 then waits 56 for messages and signals 54 to begin the 21 redirection process. A message could be an E-Mail message or some other user data item that 22 may have been selected for redirection, and a signal could be a trigger signal, or could be some 23 other type of signal that has not been configured as an event trigger.
When a message or signal is 24 detected, the program determines 58 whether it is one of the trigger events that has been configured by the user to signal redirection. If so, then at step 60 a trigger flag is set, indicating 26 that subsequently received user data items (in the form of messages) that have been selected for 27 redirection should be pushed to the user's mobile device 24.
21730940.1 1 [0056] If the message or signal 54 is not a trigger event, the program then determines at steps 2 62, 68 and 66 whether the message is, respectively, a system alarm 62, an E-Mail message 64, or 3 some other type of information that has been selected for redirection. If the message or signal is 4 none of these three items, then control returns to step 56, where the redirector waits for additional messages 54 to act upon. If, however the message is one of these three types of 6 information, then the program 12 determines, at step 68, whether the trigger flag has been set, 7 indicating that the user wants these items redirected to the mobile device. If the trigger flag is set, 8 then at step 70, the redirector 12 causes the repackaging system (E-Mail or TCP/IP) to add the 9 outer envelope to the user data item, and at step 72 the repackaged data item is then redirected to the user's mobile device 24 via LAN 14, WAN 18, wireless gateway 20 and wireless network 22.
11 Control then returns to step 56 where the program waits for additional messages and signals to 12 act upon. Although not shown explicitly in Figure 4, after step 68, the program could, if 13 operating in the preferred list mode, determine whether the sender of a particular data item is on 14 the preferred list, and if not, then the program would skip over steps 70 and 72 and proceed directly back to step 56. If the sender is on the preferred list, then control would similarly pass to 16 steps 70 and 72 for repackaging and transmission of the message from the preferred list sender.
17 [0057] Figure 5 sets forth the method steps carried out by the user's mobile device 24 in 18 order to interface to the redirector program 12. At step 80 the mobile software is started and the 19 mobile device 24 is configured to operate with the system, including, for example, storing the address of the user's desktop system 10.
21 [0058] At step 82, the mobile device waits for messages and signals 84 to be generated or 22 received. Assuming that the redirector software 12 operating at the user's desktop system 10 is 23 configured to redirect upon receiving a message from the user's mobile device 24, at step 86, the 24 user can decide to generate a command message that will start redirection. If the user does so, then at step 88 the redirection message is composed and sent to the desktop system 10 via the 26 wireless network 22, through the wireless gateway 20, via the Internet 18 to the LAN 14, and is 27 finally routed to the desktop machine 10. In this situation where the mobile device 24 is sending 28 a message directly to the desktop system 10, no outer wrapper is added to the message (such as 29 message C in FIGS. 1 and 2). In addition to the redirection signal, the mobile device 24 could 21730940.1 1 transmit any number of other commands to control the operation of the host system, and in 2 particular the redirector program 12. For example, the mobile 24 could transmit a command to 3 put the host system into the preferred list mode, and then could transmit additional commands to 4 add or subtract certain senders from the preferred list. In this manner, the mobile device 24 can dynamically limit the amount of information being redirected to it by minimizing the number of 6 senders on the preferred list. Other example commands include: (1) a message to change the 7 configuration of the host system to enable the mobile device 24 to receive and process certain 8 attachments; and (2) a message to instruct the host system to redirect an entire data item to the 9 mobile device in the situation where only a portion of a particular data item has been redirected.
[0059] Turning back to Figure 5, if the user signal or message is not a direct message to the 11 desktop system 10 to begin redirection (or some other command), then control is passed to step 12 90, which determines if a message has been received. If a message is received by the mobile, and 13 it is a message from the user's desktop 10, as determined at step 92, then at step 94 a desktop 14 redirection flag is set "on" for this message, and control passes to step 96 where the outer envelope is removed. Following step 96, or in the situation where the message is not from the 16 user's desktop, as determined at step 92, control passes to step 98, which displays the message 17 for the user on the mobile device's display. The mobile unit 24 then returns to step 82 and waits 18 for additional messages or signals.
19 [0060] If the mobile device 24 determines that a message has not been received at step 90, then control passes to step 100, where the mobile determines whether there is a message to send.
21 If not, then the mobile unit returns to step 82 and waits for additional messages or signals. If 22 there is at least one message to send, then at step 102 the mobile determines whether it is a reply 23 message to a message that was received by the mobile unit. If the message to send is a reply 24 message, then at step 108, the mobile determines whether the desktop redirection flag is on for this message. If the redirection flag is not on, then at step 106 the reply message is simply 26 transmitted from the mobile device to the destination address via the wireless network 22. If, 27 however, the redirection flag is on, then at step 110 the reply message is repackaged with the 28 outer envelope having the addressing information of the user's desktop system 10, and the 29 repackaged message is then transmitted to the desktop system 10 at step 106. As described

- 15 -1 above, the redirector program 12 executing at the desktop system then strips the outer envelope 2 and routes the reply message to the appropriate destination address using the address of the 3 desktop system as the "from" field, so that to the recipient of the redirected message, it appears 4 as though it originated from the user's desktop system rather than the mobile device.
[0061] If, at step 102, the mobile determines that the message is not a reply message, but an 6 original message, then control passes to step 104, where the mobile determines if the user is 7 using the redirector software 12 at the desktop system 10, by checking the mobile unit's 8 configuration. If the user is not using the redirector software 12, then the message is simply 9 transmitted to the destination address at step 106. If, however, the mobile determines that the user is using the redirector software 12 at the desktop system 10, then control passes to step 110, 11 where the outer envelope is added to the message. The repackaged original message is then 12 transmitted to the desktop system 10 at step 106, which, as described previously, strips the outer 13 envelope and routes the message to the correct destination. Following transmission of the 14 message at step 106, control of the mobile returns to step 82 and waits for additional messages or signals.

16 [0062] Referring now to Figures 13 and 14, one embodiment of a mobile device 24a is

17 shown in Figure 13, and another embodiment of a mobile device 24b is shown in Figure 14. It

18 will be appreciated that the numeral "24" will hereinafter refer to any mobile device 24,

19 including the embodiments 24a and 24b. It will also be appreciated that a similar numbering convention may be used for other general features common between Figures 13 and 14 such as a 21 display 180, a positioning device 182, and a cancel or escape button 184.
22 [0063] The mobile device 24a shown in Figure 13 comprises a display 180a and the cursor or 23 view positioning device 182 shown in this embodiment is a positioning wheel 182a. Positioning 24 device 182 may serve as another input member and is both rotatable to provide selection inputs to the processor 638 (see Figure 15) and can also be pressed in a direction generally toward 26 housing to provide another selection input to the processor 638. The display 180 may include a 27 selection cursor 750 (see Figure 17) that depicts generally where the next input or selection will 28 be received. The mobile device 24a in Figure 13 also comprises an escape or cancel button 21730940.1 1 184a and a keyboard 188. In this example, the keyboard 188 is disposed on the front face of the 2 mobile device housing and positioning device 182 and cancel button 184a are disposed at the 3 side of the housing to enable a user to manoeuvre the scroll wheel 182a while holding the mobile 4 device 24 in one hand. The keyboard 188 is in this embodiment a standard QWERTY keyboard.
[0064] The mobile device 24b shown in Figure 14 comprises a display 180b and the 6 positioning device 182 in this embodiment is a trackball 182b. Trackball 182b permits multi-7 directional positioning of the selection cursor such that the selection cursor can be moved in an 8 upward direction, in a downward direction and, if desired and/or permitted, in any diagonal 9 direction. The trackball 182b is preferably situated on the front face of a housing for mobile device 24b as shown in Figure 14 to enable a user to manoeuvre the trackball 182b while holding 11 the mobile device 24b in one hand. The trackball 182b may serve as another input member (in 12 addition to a directional or positioning member) to provide selection inputs to the processor 638 13 and can preferably be pressed in a direction towards the housing of the mobile device 24b to 14 provide such a selection input.
[0065] The mobile device 24b also comprises a menu or option button 186 that loads a menu 16 or list of options on display 180b when pressed, and a cancel or escape button 184b to exit, "go 17 back" or otherwise escape from a feature, option, selection or display.
The mobile device 24b as 18 illustrated in Figure 7, comprises a reduced QWERTY keyboard 190. In this embodiment, the 19 keyboard 130, positioning device 182, escape button 184b and menu button 186 are disposed on a front face of a mobile device housing.
21 [0066] The reduced QWERTY keyboard 190 comprises a plurality of multi-functional keys 22 and corresponding indicia including keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to 23 a QWERTY array of letters A to Z and an overlaid numeric phone key arrangement. The 24 plurality of keys that comprise alphabetic and/or numeric characters total fewer than twenty-six (26). In the embodiment shown, the number of keys that comprise alphabetic and numeric 26 characters is fourteen (14). In this embodiment, the total number of keys, including other 27 functional keys, is twenty (20). The plurality of keys may comprise four rows and five columns 28 of keys, with the four rows comprising in order a first, second, third and fourth row, and the five 1 columns comprising in order a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth column. The QWERTY array 2 of letters is associated with three of the four rows and the numeric phone key arrangement is 3 associated with each of the four rows.
4 [0067] The numeric phone key arrangement is associated with three of the five columns.
Specifically, the numeric phone key arrangement may be associated with the second, third and 6 fourth columns. The numeric phone key arrangement may alternatively be associated with keys 7 in the first, second, third, and fourth rows, with keys in the first row including a number "1" in 8 the second column, a number "2" in the third column, and a number "3" in the fourth column.
9 The numeric phone keys associated with keys in the second row include a number "4" in the second column, a number "5" in the third column, and a number "6" in the fourth column. The 11 numeric phone keys associated with keys in the third row include a number "7" in the second 12 column, a number "8" in the third column, and a number "9" in the fourth column. The numeric 13 phone keys associated with keys in the fourth row may include a "*" in the second column, a 14 number "0" in the third column, and a "#" in the fourth column.
[0068] The physical keyboard may also include a function associated with at least one of the 16 plurality of keys. The fourth row of keys may include an "alt" function in the first column, a 17 "next" function in the second column, a "space" function in the third column, a "shift" function in 18 the fourth column, and a "return/enter" function in the fifth column.
19 [0069] The first row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in order to letters "QW", "ER", "TY", "UI", and "OP". The second row of five keys may comprise keys corresponding in 21 order to letters "AS", "DF", "GH", "JK", and "L". The third row of five keys may comprise keys 22 corresponding in order to letters "ZX", "CV", "BN", and "M".
23 [0070] It will be appreciated that for the mobile device 24, a wide range of one or more 24 positioning or cursor/view positioning mechanisms such as a touch pad, a joystick button, a mouse, a touchscreen, set of arrow keys, a tablet, an accelerometer (for sensing orientation 26 and/or movements of the mobile device 24 etc.) or other whether presently known or unknown 27 may be employed. Similarly, any variation of keyboard 188, 190 may be used. It will also be 28 appreciated that the mobile devices 24 shown in Figures 13 and 14 are for illustrative purposes 1 only and various other mobile devices 24, presently known or unknown are equally applicable to 2 the following examples.
3 [0071] Figure 15 is a detailed block diagram of a preferred mobile station 602 of the present 4 disclosure. The term "mobile station" will herein refer to the operable components of, e.g.
mobile device 24. Mobile station 602 is preferably a two-way communication device having at 6 least voice and advanced data communication capabilities, including the capability to 7 communicate with other computer systems. Depending on the functionality provided by mobile 8 station 602, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular 9 telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with or without telephony capabilities) ¨ e.g. mobile device 24 shown in 11 Figures 6 and 7. Mobile station 602 may communicate with any one of a plurality of fixed 12 transceiver stations 600 within its geographic coverage area.
13 [0072] Mobile station 602 will normally incorporate a communication subsystem 611 which 14 includes a receiver 612, a transmitter 614, and associated components such as one or more (preferably embedded or internal) antenna elements 616 and 618, local oscillators (L0s) 613, 16 and a processing module such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 620. As will be apparent to 17 those skilled in field of communications, particular design of communication subsystem 611 18 depends on the communication network in which mobile station 602 is intended to operate.
19 [0073] Mobile station 602 may send and receive communication signals over a network after required network registration or activation procedures have been completed.
Signals received by 21 antenna 616 through the network are input to receiver 612, which may perform such common 22 receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion.
filtering, channel 23 selection, and like, and in example shown in Figure 15, analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/D
24 conversion of a received signal allows more complex communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in DSP 620. In a similar manner, signals to be 26 transmitted are processed, including modulation and encoding, for example, by DSP 620. These 27 DSP-processed signals are input to transmitter 614 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, 28 frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission over communication network 21730940.1 1 via anterma 618. DSP 620 not only processes communication signals, but also provides for 2 receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied to communication signals in 3 receiver 612 and transmitter 614 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control 4 algorithms implemented in DSP 620.
[0074] Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of mobile station 602. In one 6 embodiment, mobile station 602 uses a Subscriber Identity Module or "SIM"
card 662 to be 7 inserted in a SIM interface 664 in order to operate in the network. SIM
662 is one type of a 8 conventional "smart card" used to identify an end user (or subscriber) of the mobile station 602 9 and to personalize the device, among other things. Without SIM 662, the mobile station terminal in such an embodiment is not fully operational for communication through a wireless network.
11 By inserting SIM 662 into mobile station 602, an end user can have access to any and all of 12 his/her subscribed services. SIM 662 generally includes a processor and memory for storing 13 information. Since SIM 662 is coupled to a SIM interface 664, it is coupled to microprocessor 14 638 through communication lines. In order to identify the subscriber, SIM 662 contains some user parameters such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage of 16 using SIM 662 is that end users are not necessarily bound by any single physical mobile station.
17 SIM 662 may store additional user information for the mobile station as well, including datebook 18 (or calendar) information and recent call information. It will be appreciated that mobile station 19 602 may also be used with other types of network applicable mobile devices 24 such as those being code division multiple access (CDMA) enabled and should not be limited to those using 21 and/or having a SIM card 662.
22 [0075] Mobile station 602 is a battery-powered device so it also includes a battery interface 23 654 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 656. Such a battery 656 provides electrical 24 power to most if not all electrical circuitry in mobile station 602, and battery interface 654 provides for a mechanical and electrical connection for it. The battery interface 654 is coupled to 26 a regulator (not shown) which provides a regulated voltage V to all of the circuitry.
27 [0076] Mobile station 602 includes a microprocessor 638 which controls overall operation of 28 mobile station 602. Communication functions, including at least data and voice communications 21730940.1

- 20 -1 are performed through communication subsystem 611. Microprocessor 638 also interacts with 2 additional device subsystems such as a display 622, a flash memory 624, a random access 3 memory (RAM) 626, auxiliary input/output subsystems 628, a serial port 630, a keyboard 632, a 4 speaker 634, a microphone 636, a short-range communications subsystem 640, and any other device subsystems generally designated at 642. Some of the subsystems shown in Figure 15 6 perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide "resident" or 7 on-device functions. Notably, some subsystems such as keyboard 632 and display 622, for 8 example, may be used for both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message 9 for transmission over a communication network, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task list. Operating system software used by microprocessor 638 is preferably 11 stored in a persistent store such as flash memory 624, which may alternatively be a read-only 12 memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate 13 that the operating system, specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily 14 loaded into a volatile store such as RAM 626.
[0077] Microprocessor 638, in addition to its operating system functions, preferably enables 16 execution of software applications on mobile station 602. A
predetermined set of applications 17 which control basic device operations, including at least data and voice communication 18 applications, as well as the inventive functionality of the present disclosure, will normally be 19 installed on mobile station 602 during its manufacture. A preferred application that may be loaded onto mobile station 602 may be a personal information manager (PIM) application having

21 the ability to organize and manage data items relating to user such as, but not limited to, e-mail,

22 calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. Naturally, one or more memory

23 stores are available on mobile station 602 and SIM 662 to facilitate storage of PIM data items

24 and other information.
[0078] The PIM application preferably has the ability to send and receive data items via the 26 wireless network. In the present disclosure, PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, 27 synchronized, and updated via the wireless network, with the mobile station user's corresponding 28 data items stored and/or associated with a host computer system thereby creating a mirrored host 29 computer on mobile station 602 with respect to such items. This is especially advantageous 21730940.1 1 where the host computer system is the mobile station user's office computer system. Additional 2 applications may also be loaded onto mobile station 602 through network, an auxiliary 3 subsystem 628, serial port 630, short-range communications subsystem 640, or any other suitable 4 subsystem 642, and installed by a user in RAM 626 or preferably a non-volatile store (not shown) for execution by microprocessor 638. Such flexibility in application installation 6 increases the functionality of mobile station 602 and may provide enhanced on-device functions, 7 communication-related functions, or both. For example, secure communication applications may 8 enable electronic commerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performed 9 using mobile station 602.
[0079] In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail 11 message, or web page download will be processed by communication subsystem 611 and input 12 to microprocessor 638. Microprocessor 638 will preferably further process the signal for output 13 to display 622 or alternatively to auxiliary I/0 device 628. A user of mobile station 602 may also 14 compose data items, such as e-mail messages, for example, using keyboard 632 in conjunction with display 622 and possibly auxiliary I/0 device 628. Keyboard 632 is preferably a complete 16 alphanumeric keyboard and/or telephone-type keypad. These composed items may be 17 transmitted over a communication network through communication subsystem 611.
18 [0080] For voice communications, the overall operation of mobile station 602 is substantially 19 similar, except that the received signals would be output to speaker 634 and signals for transmission would be generated by microphone 636. Alternative voice or audio I/0 subsystems, 21 such as a voice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on mobile station 602.
22 Although voice or audio signal output is preferably accomplished primarily through speaker 634, 23 display 622 may also be used to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, duration 24 of a voice call, or other voice call related information, as some examples.
[0081] Serial port 630 in Figure 15 is normally implemented in a personal digital assistant 26 (PDA)-type communication device for which synchronization with a user's desktop computer is 27 a desirable, albeit optional, component. Serial port 630 enables a user to set preferences through 28 an external device or software application and extends the capabilities of mobile station 602 by 21730940.1 1 providing for information or software downloads to mobile station 602 other than through a 2 wireless communication network. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to load 3 an encryption key onto mobile station 602 through a direct and thus reliable and trusted 4 connection to thereby provide secure device communication.
[0082] Short-range communications subsystem 640 of Figure 15 is an additional optional 6 component which provides for communication between mobile station 602 and different systems 7 or devices, which need not necessarily be similar devices. For example, subsystem 640 may 8 include an infrared device and associated circuits and components, or a BIuetoothTM
9 communication module to provide for communication with similarly enabled systems and devices. BluetoothTM is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
11 [0083] Turning now to Figure 17, the mobile device 24 displays a home screen 700, which is 12 preferably the active screen when the mobile device 24 is powered up and constitutes the main 13 ribbon application. The home screen 700 generally comprises a status region 702 and a theme 14 background 704, which provides a graphical background for the display 180. The theme background 704 displays a series of icons 706 in a predefined arrangement on a graphical 16 background.
17 [0084] In some themes, the home screen 700 may limit the number icons 706 shown on the 18 home screen 700 so as to not detract from the theme background 704, particularly where the 19 background 704 is chosen for aesthetic reasons. The theme background 704 shown in Figure 17 provides a grid of icons. In other themes (not shown), a limited list of icons may be displayed in 21 a column (or row) on the home screen along one portion of the display 180. In yet another 22 theme, the entire list of icons may be listed in a continuous row along one side of the home 23 screen on the display 180 enabling the user to scroll through the list while maintaining a limited 24 number of currently visible icons on the display 180. In yet another theme (not shown), metadata may be displayed with each of a limited number of icons shown on the home screen.
26 For example, the next two appointments in the user's calendar may be accessed by the processor 27 638 and displayed next to the calendar icon. It will be appreciated that preferably several themes 28 are available for the user to select and that any applicable arrangement may be used.
21730940.1 1 [0085] One or more of the series of icons 706 is typically a folder 708 that itself is capable of 2 organizing any number of applications therewithin.
3 [0086] The status region 702 in this embodiment comprises a date/time display 710 and an 4 optional service provider logo 712. The theme background 704, in addition to a graphical background and the series of icons 706, also comprises a status bar 714. The status bar 714 6 provides information to the user based on the location of the selection cursor 750, e.g. by 7 displaying a name for the icon 706 that is currently highlighted.
8 [0087] An application, such as a profiles application 728 (see Figure 16 described below), 9 may then be initiated (opened or viewed) from display 180 by highlighting a profiles icon 716 using the positioning device 182, and providing a suitable user input to the mobile device 24.
11 For example, profiles application 728 may be initiated by moving the positioning device 182 12 such that the profiles icon 716 is highlighted as shown in Figure 17, and providing a selection 13 input, e.g. by pressing the trackball 182b.
14 [0088] Movement, navigation, and/or scrolling with use of a cursor/view positioning device 182 (e.g. trackball 182b or scroll wheel 182a) is beneficial given the relatively large size of 16 visually displayed information and the compact size of display 180, and since information and 17 messages are typically only partially presented in the limited view of display 180 at any given 18 moment. As previously described, positioning device 182 ¨ scroll wheel 182a and trackball 19 122b, are helpful cursor/view positioning mechanisms to achieve such movement. Positioning device 122, which may be referred to as a scroll wheel or scroll device 182a in one embodiment 21 (Figure 13), specifically includes a circular disc which is rotatable about a fixed axis of housing 22 and may be rotated by the end user's index finger or thumb. As noted above, in another 23 embodiment (Figure 14) the trackball 182b comprises a multi-directional member that enables 24 upward, downward and if desired, diagonal movements. The multi-directional movements afforded, in particular, by the trackball 182b and the presentation of the grid of icons 706 and 26 folders 708 provides the user with flexibility and familiarity of the layout of a traditional desktop 27 computer interface. Also, the positioning device 182 enables movement and selection operations 28 to be executed on the mobile device 24 using one hand. The trackball 182b in particular also 21730940.1 1 enables both one-handed use and the ability to cause the cursor 182 to traverse the display 180 in 2 more than one direction.
3 [0001] As shown in Figure 16, memory 624 includes a plurality of applications 726 4 associated with the series of icons 706 for the processing of data.
Applications 726 may be any variety of forms such as, without limitation, software, firmware, and the like. Applications 726 6 may include, for example, the contacts application 730, electronic mail (e-mail) 732, calendar 7 program 734, memo program 736, messages 738, search 740 etc. In one embodiment, the 8 calendar application 734 stores a trigger 733 for controlling features of the mobile device 24, e.g.
9 for certain calendar events; and stores a category 735 defining a set of rules for the user of that particular mobile device 24, which can be controlled by another entity. An operating system 11 (OS) 742 also resides in memory 624. The mobile devices 24 of the present disclosure are also 12 configured to enable communication between different ones of the applications, e.g. between 13 contacts application 730 and the email application 732. Also, the icons 706 for the applications 14 on the devices 24 can be modified, named, moved, sorted and otherwise interacted with for the purposes of organizing and/or manipulating the visibility of the icons for those applications 726.
16 [0002] Systems such as that described above with respect to Figures 1-5 often include mobile 17 devices 24 that are purchased, distributed, and administered by an employer, for certain of their 18 employees, as both a communication tool and/or as an incentive.
Consequently, in such 19 scenarios, the end user of the device 24 is not the sole owner of the device and, the employer typically has at least some discretion to control usage of the devices which have been purchased 21 for their employees, most notably during working hours.
22 [0003] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of one example of a system for monitoring and 23 controlling mobile device usage. In the example of Figure 6, desktop computer 28 is utilized by 24 a first employee who wishes to schedule a meeting with a second employee, the second employee utilizing desktop 26. It will be appreciated that the example provided herein for 26 scheduling a meeting using desktops 26 and 28 is purely for illustrative purposes only. For 27 example, a meeting may also be scheduled between a wireless device and desktop, e.g., device 28 164 and desktop 26; between wireless devices, e.g., between devices 24 and 164; between a 22110789.1 - 25 -1 desktop and a device, e.g. desktop 28 and device 24, etc. As such, it will be understood that the 2 principles described above in conjunction with Figures 1-5 may be used to schedule meetings 3 with or without accessing a desktop computer.
4 [0092] In this example, the first employee associated with desktop computer 28 has at least some authority over the second employee associated with desktop computer 26, e.g. supervisor, 6 manager, senior partner, etc. The first employee associated with desktop computer 28 will 7 hereinafter be referred to as a "Manager" and the second employee associated with desktop 8 computer 26 will hereinafter be referred to as "Employee A". Desktops 28, 26 are connected to 9 LAN 14 as described above. The Manager has a first mobile communications device 164 and Employee A has a second mobile communications device 24. It will be appreciated that in this 11 example, both of the Manager and Employee A are employed by the same entity (not shown) and 12 this entity has at least some discretion as to the usage of the devices 24, 164. In this first 13 example, data items are redirected between the desktops 26, 28 and devices 24, 164 respectively 14 through the server 11, redirector software 12, network 18 and gateway 20, using the principles outlined above in conjunction with Figures 1-5. It will be appreciated that, in another example 16 (described below), data items can also be sent locally between devices (e.g. devices 24 and 164), 17 in real-time; without utilizing the server 11, software 12, network 18 and gateway 20.
18 [0093] Employee A has a mail program running on desktop computer 26, which includes an 19 inbox 120 for sending, receiving and viewing mail and other data items, and a calendar 124 for storing, viewing and organizing appointments and events. The Manager also has a calendar 126, 21 and it will be appreciated that although not shown in Figure 6, the Manager has a mail program 22 similar to Employee A, including an inbox (not shown). Such a mail program is typically 23 provided by the employing entity in which case it runs from a server (e.g. server 11) on the LAN
24 14. In one example, the Manager interacts with a graphical user interface (GUI) 132 is displayed on desktop 28 for generating a meeting request 140a that includes rules for controlling the usage 26 of Employee A's device 24 by initiating a lock to inhibit features or services provided by device 27 24 such as phone, email, games etc. It will be appreciated that a meeting request 140a may 28 alternatively be generated using mobile device 164 (or device 24). GUI
132 is typically a 21730940.1 1 network administered program that runs on a server (e.g. server 11) connected to the LAN 14, 2 and is accessible to the Manager and Employee A over the LAN 14.
3 [0094] Also connected to the LAN 14 is an administrator 130. The administrator 130 may be 4 used to monitor and control usage of the devices 24, 164 by initiating a lock to inhibit selected ones of features or services provided by devices 24, 164. The administrator 130 includes a data 6 storage device 134 that stores a rules database 136 and an administration log 138. The 7 administrator 130 may alternatively take the form of a program running from any one or all of 8 the desktops 26, 28 and devices 24, 164. In this alternative, the log 138 includes messages that 9 are sent to a meeting coordinator (e.g. Manager) so that they can track device usage without relying on an administrator such as administrator 130. In this example, administrator 130 is 11 shown as a separate entity to illustrate tasks for which it may be responsible.
12 [0095] The rules database 136 contains rule sets corresponding to selected features that are to 13 be locked, permissions defining other users whose devices can be locked, and time/date 14 information related to meetings or other restricted period for employees of the employing entity such as the Manager and Employee A. The time/date information includes a list of restricted 16 periods that correspond to time periods during which certain features or services provided by the 17 devices 24, 164, are to be disabled, restricted or locked (i.e.
inhibited), e.g. during scheduled 18 meetings. The administration log 138 contains time and date information related to such 19 restricted periods and whether or not the rule sets have been complied with by certain employees.
The information contained in the administration log 138, when available, is analyzed to enable 21 the administrator 130 or other interested party to monitor the usage of the features or services 22 intended to be locked on the devices 24, 164 during the restricted periods. The administrator 130 23 initiates the lock for inhibiting features of the devices 24, 164 by pushing policies, in this 24 example policy packets 144, thereto. In general, policy packets 144 include data structures that include enabling/disabling events, and these data structures can alter device configuration to 26 enable and disable features of the devices 24, 164.
27 100961 As also shown by way of example in Figure 6, the device 24 includes a display 28 interface 150 for displaying icons enabling a user to select various device features. In Figure 6, 1 the device 24 provides a mail program 152, a games option 158, an optional cancel lock feature 2 160 for manually disabling rules imposed by policy packet 144, and a telephone feature 162.
3 The mail program 152 includes an inbox 154 for viewing mail items, and a send mail option 156 4 for composing and sending mail items.
[0097] If Employee A chooses to select the cancel lock option 160, they are preferably 6 presented with a confirmation dialog (not shown) requesting final confirmation that they wish to 7 disable the administrator imposed lock. In Figure 6, the games option 158 and phone option 162 8 icons are highlighted, indicating that a lock has been placed on those features, and thus they 9 cannot be used whilst the lock is active. For example, a lock on the phone would typically at least inhibit the device from ringing when an incoming call is received, and may also completely 11 inhibit use of the phone for a restricted period of time. The send mail option 156 is highlighted 12 with a broken border indicating that a conditional lock is being imposed on this feature. A
13 conditional lock allows a user to use this option only a particular, predetermined number of times 14 or under certain conditions. Typically, if this predetermined amount of usage is exceeded, the option is then locked as will be explained in greater detail below.
16 [0098] The cancel lock option 160 may be configured to only apply to certain features, such 17 as email. For example, a default locking rule may be imposed on the device 24 that forbids 18 Employee A to be able to cancel a lock inhibiting the play of games on the device 24 during a 19 meeting. Such a default locking rule can be imposed at the employing entity's discretion. In another example, the device 24 may be initially configured to have a back-up default lock that 21 will automatically trigger when a meeting starts and especially in the case where a policy packet 22 144 has not been sent.
23 [0099] For example, an employee (not shown) enters a meeting without having any prior 24 meeting details. In this case, another attendee (e.g. Employee A) sends meeting details directly to the new attendee via link 170 (explained below), which would then initiate the default locking 26 rules for the new attendee's device (not shown). This option allows for certain features, e.g.
27 games, to be locked in every meeting, whether or not the particular attendee has previously 28 entered the meeting information into their device 24 or desktop 26. In addition, a location 21730940.1 1 sensing device included in a mobile device, such as a global positioning system (GPS) or radio 2 frequency (RF) identification (ID) can also be used to determine when a mobile device has 3 entered a "meeting zone", which would then automatically trigger the default lock. Therefore, at 4 the employer's discretion, any set of rule guidelines can be implemented to suit their needs or corporate policies.
6 [00100] The devices 24, 164 typically include a direct, non-network supported link 170 7 between each other, such as a WiFi, Bluetooth or Infrared (IR) link. In another example 8 described in greater detail below, the link 170 is also used to apply a lock, particularly when 9 access to the wireless gateway 20 is limited or non-existent or to intentionally impose rules for limiting or disabling features of another user's device in real-time. For example, a meeting room 11 below ground may temporarily inhibit the devices 24, 164 from communicating with the wireless 12 gateway 20. In this scenario, the policy packets 144 typically cannot reach the devices 24, 164.
13 Alternatively, the Manager may wish to invoke a locally generated policy packet 144a in real 14 time to lock device 24 during the meeting, in order to disable devices that are being used and have since become a distraction. Policy packet 144a is generated by a lock program 168 16 accessible through interface 166 provided by device 164. The lock program 168 either pushes a 17 policy packet 144a directly to Employee A, or broadcasts packet 144a within a particular area, 18 thereby locking any device that is being used within that area. It will be appreciated that such 19 options are at the discretion of the employing entity and are typically monitored and controlled by the administrator 130, and would be subject to pre-established permissions and policies.
21 1001011 As shown in Figure 6, the Manager may schedule a meeting using device 164, 22 producing a meeting request 144d that can be sent directly to device 24 over link 170. The link 23 170 is particularly useful for scheduling meetings and forwarding policies (e.g. policy packet 24 144a) during a meeting, or to impose additional rules etc. in real time.
For example, a meeting request 140a may be initially generated without imposing any rules. At some other time, or even 26 during the meeting, the Manager may wish to change, update, add or remove certain rules for 27 locking certain devices. Moreover, the Manager can first schedule a meeting and then delegate 28 the responsibility of applying a lock to another employee, e.g. a meeting coordinator or secretary.
29 Therefore, any device used by any entity can be suitably adapted for sending policy packets, e.g.

1 over link 170, in order to restrict or disable features of the device 24 and need not rely on an 2 administrator 130.
3 [00102] An exemplary GUI 132 is shown in greater detail in Figure 7. The GUI 132 provides 4 an entry box 200 for entering the name of the organizer of the meeting.
The box 200 is populated with the name of the user interacting with the GUI 132 (e.g. the Manager) but may 6 also allow a user to change the name of the organizer, e.g. when scheduled by a secretary or 7 other employee on that user's behalf. An attendee entry box 202 allows a user to enter one or 8 more requested attendees for the meeting (e.g. Employee A). A time/date option 204 allows the 9 user to set the time and date for the meeting. The duration of the meeting will define a "restricted period" which represents a certain period of time where a lock is initiated for 11 inhibiting certain features or services provided by the devices 24 and 164 in order to limit and/or 12 control usage of the devices 24 and 164.
13 [00103] In the present example, the Manager may, for example, choose to hold a meeting 14 between 2 pm and 5 pm on Monday. Consequently, a three hour restricted period is defined in which a set of rules is imposed on the devices belonging to the attendees of the meeting by 16 initiating a lock. A rule set option 206 allows the Manager to select a pre-defined set of rules 17 (defined by a rule set), or individual rules to impose during the meeting. For example, the 18 Manager may wish to lock distracting features such as telephone and games options, but may 19 allow an attendee to view mail in case an emergency arises. The effects of these rules will be explained in greater detail below. A message box 208 is also provided to enable the Manager to 21 append a message to the meeting request 140a, such as a warning about the rules imposed or an 22 agenda for the meeting. It will be appreciated that the features provided by the GUI 132, shown 23 in Figure 7 are for illustrative purposes only, and any number of variations may exist as desired.
24 [00104] The above features would typically impose a particular rule or rule set to all attendees listed in the attendee box 202. If the Manager wishes to apply different rule sets to different 26 employees, a customize option 212 may be used instead. The customize option 212 includes a 27 list of the attendees 214 and a rule set selector 216 for each attendee.
Typically, the extent to 28 which the rules can be applied is limited by the nature of the user's position within the 21730940.1 1 employing entity. For example, the Manager may be allowed to impose any lock on Employee 2 A, since Employee A (in this example) reports to the Manager. However, if the Manager was 3 inviting an executive or vice president (not shown) to attend the meeting, e.g., as a speaker, they 4 may not have permission to impose certain (or any) rules on such a user.
[00105] In these types of scenarios, the customize feature 212 allows the Manager to tailor the 6 policy packets 144 to suit not only the nature of the meeting but also to accommodate 7 permissions and any exceptional circumstances. For example, it may be known in advance that 8 Employee A is expecting a very important email that they must acknowledge receipt of. In this 9 case, the Manager can waive rules pertaining to viewing and sending mail, or may impose a conditional lock, which will be explained in greater detail below. Once the data is entered in the 11 GUI 132, the user then chooses a send option 210, which will generate and send the meeting 12 request 144a to the requested attendees. When sending a meeting request 144d over link 170, it 13 will be appreciated that the options provided by GUI 132 are preferably available to the user in 14 the lock program 168.
[00106] An example of the rules database 136 is shown in Figure 8. The rules database 136 16 generally comprises device related data 228 and user related data 220.
For example, the user 17 related data 220 includes records 222 of restricted periods for Employee A, a record 224 of 18 cancelled locks for Employee A, and a list 226 of permissions for Employee A. The permissions 19 include a hierarchical tier indicating Employee A's relative position or seniority within the company. For example, if there are five (5) tiers and Employee A is in tier three (3), Employee 21 A may set rules and thus be able to lock employees in tiers one (1) and two (2) and restrictively 22 in tier three (3). However, in the case where generation of a meeting request 140a is delegated to 23 another employee, there should be an option to enable a user to impose a lock on another user 24 that is in a higher tier.
[00107] The device related data 228 includes a set of predefined rules and/or sets of rules that 26 can be imposed on the devices 24, 164. For example, devices that include games can impose a 27 games lock. Preferably, the administrator 130 governs the establishment of, and discretion for, 28 creating and applying the rules. However, a manifestation of the rules database 136 may also be 21730940.1 1 included or be accessible to the lock program 168 to enable a user (e.g.
the Manager) to select or 2 view the rule sets when generating a meeting request 140d and policy packet 144a.
3 [001081 The rule sets should be flexible and adaptable depending on the nature of the 4 employing entity and the nature of the restricted period. For example, if a meeting request 140a is used by the Manager to schedule a social function, the rules should be more relaxed than those 6 imposed during a meeting having a specially invited speaker. The rules should also be able to 7 vary in degree throughout a restricted period, and thus different rule sets are applied for certain 8 intervals within the meeting. For example, if a speaker is scheduled for the first 30 minutes, a 9 strict set of rules may be applied for that interval and certain rules relaxed thereafter.
[00109] An exemplary method for pushing a policy packet 144 to device 24 for imposing a set 11 of rules requested by the Manager using GUI 132 is shown in Figure 9, making reference to 12 Figures 6 and 7. In the example shown in Figure 9, the Manager wishes to schedule a meeting 13 with Employee A. The Manager first prepares a meeting request at step 300, by accessing GUI
14 132 and selecting the preferred criteria. For example, the organizer box 200 would indicate the Manager's name and optionally their title; the attendee box 202 would indicate Employee A and 16 optionally their title; and the time/date option 204 would indicate a day and time for the meeting.
17 Since the meeting includes only one attendee, the rule set option 206 can be used to select a rule 18 set. Preferably, certain rule sets will include a minimum rule set plus other additional rules. For 19 example, all meeting related requests can include a default lock on games 158, a default "silent"
setting for phone 162, and other discretionary rules based on the perniissions 226. The 21 permissions 226 for the Manager and Employee A are preferably determined by the GUI 132 in 22 order to tailor a rule set for the particular meeting. The rules database 136 is preferably accessed 23 by the GUI 132 in order to obtain the user related data 220 pertinent to the selection of 24 appropriate rules. Alternatively, the employing entity may impose a strict selection of rule sets that are automatically presented to the meeting organizer, based on the permissions 226 and the 26 type of meeting request 140a.
27 [00110] At step 302, the meeting request 140a is sent to (or sent by) the administrator 130.
28 When the meeting request 140a is sent, the Manager's calendar program 126 is populated with 21730940.1 1 details of the meeting at step 304 and may include a notice indicating that certain features of the 2 devices 24, 164 will be restricted during the meeting. The meeting request 140b, which 3 represents a copy of the request 140a possessed by the administrator 130, is used by the 4 administrator 130 to update the databases 136 and 138 and to generate a policy packet 144 that will be pushed to the device 24 at step 306.
6 [00111] In this example, another copy of the request 140c is received by Employee A through 7 inbox 120 at step 308, and Employee A will choose to accept, decline, or tentatively accept the 8 meeting request by making a selection in option 142. The meeting request 140c will preferably 9 indicate to Employee A that certain functionality is restricted during this meeting. For the purpose of this example, Employee A accepts the meeting request 140c, and its calendar program 11 124 is updated at step 310. An indication that the meeting has been accepted (e.g. an acceptance 12 message) is sent back to the administrator 130 at step 312 and a copy is sent back to the Manager 13 at step 314.
14 [00112] Details of the meeting request are pushed to the devices 24 and 164 at step 320 using the principles outlined with respect to Figures 1-5 above. The Manager and Employee will then 16 also have the meeting details available to them on their respective devices 164, 24 in order for 17 them to view such details when they are away from their respective desktop computers 28, 26.
18 The meeting details are added to the device calendars at steps 322 and 324. The meeting details 19 will preferably include an indication that certain functionality will be disabled for the duration of the meeting. For example a "lock" icon may be displayed or a note including text that lists the 21 functions that will be disabled. The lock icon may also be presented to the user prior to the time 22 at which the rules are triggered in order to present a "lock reminder"
to the user. This reminder 23 is preferably implemented with a conventional calendar reminder that indicates that a meeting is 24 forthcoming.
[00113] Preferably, Employee A and the Manager are provisioned a security key that is only 26 known to them and the server 11. This key can be provided either in the meeting request 140a or 27 140c, or may be included in an initialization (not shown) that occurs prior to the meeting being 28 scheduled. The security key is used to authenticate the policy packet pushed at step 316 to verify 21730940.1 1 the validity of the request by the administrator 130 to lock certain features provided by the 2 device 24. The packet 144a may also be validated in this way, thus the packets 144, 144a are 3 preferably medium independent since in this case they are authenticated on the device 24 or 164.
4 [001141 The administrator 130 then also pushes the policy packet 144 generated in step 306 to the device 24 at step 316. The policy packet 144 is either pushed immediately upon generation 6 of the meeting request, or is pushed at a later time, closer to the start time for the meeting or 7 when Employee A confirms that they will be attending the meeting.
Preferably, the policy 8 packet 144 places a trigger 733 (see Figure 16) within the device 24 that will automatically lock 9 features based on the rules imposed when the restricted period begins.
The rules carried by the policy packet 144 are preferably stored in a policy/category definition 735 (see Figure 16). The 11 trigger 133 is stored in the device 24 at step 318. Preferably, the device 24 will first authenticate 12 the packet 144 at step 318 to validate that the policies included in the packet come from a 13 recognized entity (e.g. administrator 130 or Manager).
14 [00115] The device 24 then parses the commands included in the packet 144 which will indicate what features are to be inhibited. The commands may be conveyed in any manner that 16 is suitable to the architecture employed by the device 24. For example, a list of services may be 17 included in the packet with a Boolean "0" or "1" to indicate disable and enable respectively.
18 Alternatively, the device 24 includes pre-existing knowledge of the rule sets 228 and the packet 19 144 then simply sends a profile identifier indicating which rule set will be applied. The pre-existing knowledge is obtained either when the device 24 is provisioned or at any other suitable 21 time. For example, the commands included in the packet 144 are stored in the trigger 733 in the 22 calendar application 734 as shown in Figure 16, and have respective unique identifiers associated 23 therewith. A timer for the lock stored in the trigger 733, is registered with the operating system 24 732 that is continually running. The identifier indicates what entry (including a set of commands) in the trigger 733 is linked to a particular execution time. The operating system 732 26 then provides a call back to check with the timer to see if it is within the restricted period, e.g., 27 every 10ms. If the timer indicates that it is within the restricted period then the commands 28 related to the policy are initiated by having the processor 238 initiate the trigger 733, which in 21730940.1 ..
1 turn identifies the rules from the stored policy 735 and, when the restricted period finishes, the 2 timer de-registers itself with the operating system 732.
3 [00116] As noted above, the trigger 733 will preferably include a warning prior to the meeting 4 that certain rules will be imposed, in case Employee A is not attending the meeting and thus a lock on device 24 is not necessary. Such a warning is included in a routine reminder dialog that 6 appears at a certain time prior to the meeting. This dialog allows Employee A to decline the 7 meeting and thus cancel the lock. Also, the device 24 may be synchronized at desktop 26, which 8 indicates that the device cannot be present in the meeting, in which case a lock on the device 24 9 is either unnecessary or inconsequential. In an alternative embodiment, the policy packet 144 may be sent at the time which the meeting reminder is provided. It will be appreciated that the 11 policy packet 144 is sent at any suitable time prior to the commencement of the meeting and 12 subsequent to the generation of the meeting request 140a.
13 [00117] In another example, a meeting organized by the Manager, and including Employee A
14 takes place in an area that does not provide wireless coverage, and thus the devices 24 and 164 cannot access wireless gateway 20. It will be appreciated that the following principles are also 16 applicable to generating and imposing policies in real-time and thus any entity may be employed 17 for creating a policy to restrict or disable the usage of a device 24.
In this example, the Manager 18 selects only the minimum default lock, namely to lock games and phone during the meeting. If 19 the Manager at some time during the meeting wishes to add a lock (e.g.
conditional lock) for mail usage, they send an additional policy packet 144a as shown in Figure 11.
The Manager 21 would first access the lock program 168 using their display 166 at step 440. The lock program 22 168 allows the Manager to push policies to Employee A without the need to synchronize with the 23 desktops 26, 28 since access to the redirector software 12 is unavailable in this scenario. The 24 lock program 168 preferably provides a version of the GUI 132 enabling the Manager to set and/or refine the parameters shown in Figure 11 at step 442.
26 [00118] The device 164 would then prepare a local policy packet 144a at step 444 and push 27 the packet 144a over link 170 to the device 24 at step 446. The packet 144a will then place a 28 trigger 733 in the device (or immediately trigger 733 if done in real time) as discussed above and 21730940.1 1 shown in Figure 10. It will be appreciated that preferably, the Manager and Employee A are 2 provisioned with a security key prior to the meeting in order for Employee A to authenticate 3 packet 144a sent by the Manager. The lock program 168 therefore allows the Manager to 4 remove, apply or revise the rule sets in real time during a meeting. This feature is applicable whether or not service is available to the devices 24, 164. Preferably, the packets 144a are able 6 to be broadcast to multiple attendees at the same time, within a certain range of the device 164.
7 Preferably, the devices 164 and 24 are also able to authenticate each other using cryptographic or 8 other secure measures, e.g., certificates, digital signatures, etc.
9 [00119] In a variation of the above example, the Manager and Employee A
spontaneously schedules a meeting without sending a prior meeting request. In this case, the Manager 11 generates a meeting request 140d, which includes the opportunity to apply certain rules at that 12 time. Alternatively, the Manager accesses the lock program 68 and proceeds with the steps set 13 forth in Figure 11.
14 [00120] An exemplary method for implementing a policy trigger 733 on device 24 is shown in Figure 10. As indicated above, preferably, the policy packet 144 is triggered in the device 24 at 16 the time of the meeting. However, prior to triggering, a locking reminder is preferably 17 presented to Employee A. At step 400, a warning dialog is presented on the display 150 for 18 Employee A to confirm their attendance. If Employee A indicates that they are still planning to 19 attend the meeting, the rules are applied at step 402. As shown in Figure 6 and mentioned above, the games 158 and phone 162 features are locked for the duration of the meeting, and a 21 conditional lock is placed on the send mail option 156.
22 [00121] In this example, the Manager has chosen a rule set that allows Employee A to send 23 mail messages a limited number of times in order to allow Employee A to respond to a certain 24 number of messages. As also shown in Figure 6, Employee A preferably has unrestricted access to their inbox 154 (i.e. no lock has been placed on inbox 154). The conditional lock on the send 26 mail option 156 allows the organizer of the meeting (e.g. the Manager) to place the onus on the 27 attendee for triggering a lock on certain features of device 24. This allows the Manager to 21730940.1 1 portray a sense of trust towards Employee A and allow for certain discretions in the case of 2 important emails, but also to ensure that distracting behaviour can be limited or inhibited.
3 [00122] For example, during a two hour meeting, it would be reasonable to allow attendees to 4 view their inbox and respond to a few (e.g. five or six) emails over the course of the meeting. In this case, a conditional lock allows the organizer to provide some flexibility, while restricting 6 frequent messaging. Preferably, if a conditional lock is breached then a conditional breach 7 packet 163 is pushed by the device 24 back to the administrator 130 to update the administration 8 log 138.
9 [00123] At step 404, the rules imposed by the policy packet 144 are active for the duration of the meeting. However, as shown in Figure 10, step 406 allows Employee A to use features 11 within the defined conditional rules. The conditional rules would also typically include 12 unlimited use of features that are not locked, such as the inbox 154 in this example. During 13 conditional usage, the device 24 continually checks to see if any conditions have been breached 14 at step 408. If use of the conditional feature is below a pre-determined threshold defined by the conditions, then the conditional usage resumes. However, if a conditional lock is breached, an 16 additional lock is added at step 409 and step 404 continues. The additional lock would typically 17 change the conditional restriction on the feature (e.g. send mail) to a full lock thus restricting any 18 further use.
19 [00124] During step 404, another option is permitted, namely an option to cancel the lock 160.
If the cancel option 160 is not selected, the rules 404 are maintained in force for the duration of 21 the meeting. If the cancel option 160 is selected at step 410, a cancel indicator, such as cancel 22 packet 161 is prepared at step 412 and the cancel packet 161 is pushed to the administrator 130 at 23 step 414. It will be understood that the cancel option 160 should only apply to those features that 24 can be unlocked according to the policies set by the employing entity.
If default rules are implemented, certain features, e.g. games or cell phone, should remain locked despite any 26 attempt to cancel the lock during a restricted period.
27 [00125] For example, Employee A may wish to step out of the meeting, leave early, or a break 28 may occur. In such scenarios, Employee A continually has the option to cancel the lock and 21730940.1 1 resume use of all functions offered by the device 24. As mentioned above, by selecting the 2 cancel lock option 160, a cancel packet 161 is pushed back to the administrator 130. Certain 3 cancel packets 161 may be expected during scheduled breaks, and may also be required during 4 exceptional circumstances. In any case, the cancel packet 161 indicates to the administrator 130 that the lock was removed, and allows the administrator 130 to investigate further if necessary.
6 Alternatively, a lock that has been triggered, relinquishes at certain predetermined intervals to 7 accommodate scheduled breaks, e.g., lunch periods. The policy packets 144 may be tailored to 8 offer such flexibility so as to minimize disruptions in service to the attendees while also 9 minimizing distractions during the meeting.
[00126] Therefore, device usage can be monitored and the use of certain services or features 11 restricted by pushing policy packets 144 from an administrator 130 to the device 24. The policy 12 packets 144 impose a certain set of rules that "lock" certain features provided by the device, 13 according to permissions and pre-established policies, for a certain period of time. Such 14 restricted periods coincide with meetings or other events in which distractions should be kept to a minimum. Preferably, the rules include conditional locks that allow a user to use a feature a 16 reasonable number of times before the lock is activated to place the onus on the user for 17 minimizing such distractions, while enabling the user to maintain access to an often important 18 communication tool. Moreover, the use of cancel packets 161, conditional packets 163, and the 19 administration log 138 allows an administrator 130 to not only control but to monitor the application of the rule sets and when certain conditions are breached, which provides an 21 employer with sufficient information to use in auditing device usage or in reprimanding users for 22 misuse of a privilege such as the use of a mobile data communications device 24, 164.
23 [00127] A further embodiment shown in Figure 12 enables a service provider to restrict access 24 to a service during restricted periods. In the embodiment shown in Figure 12, users access a service through a network and the service provider controls access to and limits and/or monitors 26 the period of time during which the service is provided. An Internet service is provided to a 27 campus network 500, such as that provided at a university. The network 500 is embodied as a 28 LAN and includes a first user operating a first computer 502 (hereinafter User A) and a second 29 user operating a second computer 504 (hereinafter User B). Typically, the network 500 includes =
1 wireless access for laptops and other portable computing devices, and thus the computers 502, 2 504 are preferably laptop computers that may be used by User A and User B
respectively when 3 in the range of the wireless service. A campus Internet service provider 508 operates a server 4 506 for providing access to the Internet and other network resources. The provider 508 also controls access to the Internet. The provider 508 includes a data storage device 510 that includes 6 a timetable database 512 that outlines restricted periods for User A and User B.
7 [00128] Typically, a student such as User A, has designated lecture periods, and has the 8 option to use their laptop 502 for taking notes etc. However, often if a wireless network is 9 present, User A is able to use instant messaging or browse the Internet during a lecture, which is often distracting to other participants in the same environment. Since the Internet service is 11 provided to User A, is usually free of charge, the provider 508 often has the discretion to restrict 12 Internet access during lecture periods. In order to do so, the provider 508 will typically have 13 access to the timetable database 512. Certain measures should be taken to ensure privacy, e.g. by 14 associating a timetable with a user ID that does not reveal the student's name. As shown in Figure 12, when User A wishes to access the Internet, a connection attempt 514 is made with the 16 server 506. The provider 508 consults the database 516 when a connection attempt 514 is made 17 to determine if User A is scheduled to be in a lecture. If they are, the provider denies access 518 18 during that period.
19 [00129] In some cases, User A may be connected prior to the lecture, and thus could maintain their connection during the lecture. In such cases, the provider conducts a regular poll in order to 21 determine if connections do exist, and then disconnects users during restricted periods. In other 22 cases, User A that does not attend a lecture in order to work on another project may need Internet 23 access in a lab or other room. Preferably, users will be able to exercise a cancel lock option (not 24 shown) similar to that described with reference to Figure 6.
Alternatively, a user's location within the network 500 may be detectable through RF ID or through other detection means at 26 local network access points, in which case a user's access may only be restricted if they are 27 trying to connect to the network 500 from within the expected location of the lecture.
28 Accordingly, rule sets are defined that can be exercised by the provider 508 to minimize 29 unnecessary service interruption while also minimizing distractions and disruptions.
21730940.1 1 [00130] In another scenario, User A and User B are logged onto PCs 502 and 504 respectively 2 in a computer lab. In this scenario the location of the PCs 502 and 504 is fixed, and, Internet 3 usage as well as the use of other programs such as games can be inhibited in a manner similar to 4 that described above with respect to Figure 12. Accordingly, e.g., when User A is logged on during a schedule lab period, the service provider 508 is able to inhibit distracting behaviour by 6 controlling the use of certain programs that are likely to cause a distraction.
7 [00131] In another embodiment, the devices 24 and 164 includes a GPS or other suitable 8 location determining feature (not shown) for engaging and disengaging a lock that is imposed on 9 the devices 24 and 164. For example, when Employee A enters a meeting room during a scheduled meeting, the device 24 (or a network connected detector, not shown) detects the 11 presence of Employee A in the meeting and then initiates a policy packet 144. If the policy 12 packet originates from the network 14, the packet is pushed through the redirector server 13 software 12 as described above. If the device 24 itself triggers the lock, the device 24 imposes a 14 default lock as also described above. In this example, when Employee A
enters the meeting, features such as games and phone are disabled until they exit the meeting.
16 [00132] Likewise, if Employee A leaves a meeting prior to completion, such a change in 17 location could be tracked in order to automatically disengage the lock without requiring 18 Employee A to manually choose the cancel lock 160 option.
19 [00133] Accordingly, various implementations of the principles discussed above may be incorporated to include any suitable level of sophistication as desired by the employing entity. In 21 the result, device usage may be controlled by any entity with the appropriate permissions to do 22 so, for inhibiting distracting behaviour and to encourage only necessary usage of the device 23 during particular restricted time periods.
24 [00134] In yet another embodiment, shown in Figure 19, the principles discussed above for controlling use of the mobile device 24 can be extended to control the mobile device 24 during 26 any predetermined period of time, in addition to, or rather than, as dictated by calendar 27 appointments.

1 [00135] In the example shown in Figure 19, an administrator 130 having a data storage device 2 14 storing a rules database 136 and administration log 138, controls the use of the mobile device 3 24, similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 6. In the embodiment of Figure 19, the 4 administrator 130 pushes or sends a specific type of policy packet, in this example, a category packet 760 to the mobile device 24 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to 6 Figure 6. The category packet 760 may be a modified policy packet 144 or may comprise its 7 own configuration. The category packet 760 is received by the processor 638 and stored in 8 memory 624, e.g. in the calendar application 734 as a category definition 735 with associated 9 trigger 733. It will be appreciated that the category definition 735 may be stored in any portion of memory 624 and is shown stored in the calendar application 734 for illustrative purposes only.
11 [00136] The category definition 735 is shown in Figure 18, and comprises generally one or 12 more feature restrictions 752, one or more time restrictions 754 and one or more exemptions 756 13 if applicable. The category definition 735 is associated with the mobile device's internal clock, 14 similar to the trigger 733, however, the time restrictions 754 are predefined and are not associated with a particular calendar event as is the policy packet 144 shown in Figure 6.
16 [00137] For example, the time restrictions 754 may cause the trigger 733 to restrict certain 17 features (i.e. implement feature restrictions 752) for predefined blocks of the day, such as during 18 working hours. For example, where the administrator 130 wishes to control use of email, games, 19 phone etc. while Employee A is supposed to be at work, the category definition 735 can be imposed on the mobile device 24 by pushing the category packet 760 to the mobile device 24.
21 Similar to the calendar-associated policy packets 144, a cancel packet 161 can be generated for 22 emergency or urgent purposes to "unlock" the features. The exemptions 756 may include 23 information related to vacation days, statutory holidays or special circumstances where the 24 trigger 733 should not be implemented.
[00138] The administrator 130 can apply a single category to each user over which it has 26 control, or may provide multiple category levels for varying permissions. For example, a normal 27 user, e.g. Employee A, may be restricted from sending emails, web surfing and playing games 28 during the hours of 9 am to 5 pm but those features released after work hours. In this way, the 21730940.1 1 administrator 130 can inhibit Employee A from pretending to be in the office when they are not 2 by virtue of the connectivity provided by the mobile device 24. However, if Employee A needs 3 to leave work for an emergency, or for an external meeting away from their desk, they can select 4 the cancel lock 160 using a suitable input mechanism, and a cancel packet 161 is created and sent back to the administrator 130 to log the event in the administration log 138.
In this way, 6 Employee A can get access to features when appropriate, but if done repeatedly, this behaviour 7 can be audited by the administrator 130, and appropriate action taken if necessary.
8 [00139] Another category level, e.g. for Manager, may have no restrictions on email but only 9 for games and web surfing. Similarly, an executive, owner etc. may have absolutely no restrictions and thus the category definition 735 would comprise an empty entry in the time 11 restrictions 754 or an empty entry in the feature restrictions 752, thereby avoiding 12 implementation of the trigger 733 at any time (unless a policy packet 160 is appropriately 13 applied). For users having no restrictions, the category definition 735 may instead be blocked by 14 the mobile device 24 or the administrator 130 may be unable to create the category packet 760.
[00140] It will be appreciated that the category definition 735 may be stored in the mobile 16 device 24 at the time of manufacture, stored during a provisioning or set up procedure or may be 17 empty initially and have to be set using the category packet 760.
Preferably, the category packet 18 760 can be used to dynamically change the category definition 735 as desired, e.g. when a user's 19 status in the company changes. Similarly, category packets 760 can be used to update the exemptions 756 for holidays etc. such that the trigger 733 can be suppressed at appropriate times.
21 [00141] It can therefore be seen that mobile device usage can also be restricted on a regular 22 basis according to predefined time intervals to limit the use of the mobile device 24 when 23 appropriate. In this way, a user can be profiled based on the nature of their job to inhibit 24 unaccounted absences made available through the connectivity provided by the mobile device 24. The administration log 138 may also be used to keep track of deviations from the 26 restrictions, e.g. when a cancel packet 161 is initiated for auditing and/or to track suspect 27 behaviour. It will be appreciated that the category packet 760 may be created and pushed to the 21730940.1 1 mobile device 24 by any other entity and may even be another mobile device 24, similar to the 2 communication link 170 shown in Figure 6 and described above.
3 [00142] Similarly, it will be appreciated that the conditional packets 163 are equally 4 applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 19 and thus may also be used to enable controlled conditional access to certain features during the predetermined restricted periods, e.g. during the 6 work day.
7 [00143] It will be appreciated that the particular options, outcomes, applications, screen shots 8 and icons shown in the figures and described above are for illustrative purposes only and many 9 other variations can be used according to the principles described.
[00144] Although the above has been described with reference to certain specific 11 embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art as 12 outlined in the appended claims.
21730940.1

Claims (27)

Claims:

1. A method for controlling usage of features provided by a first mobile device in a communication system, said method comprising:
receiving a set of rules at said first mobile device from a second device, said set of rules having been selected from a user interface on said second mobile device and having been broadcast by said second mobile device to a plurality of mobile devices for controlling usage of particular features on said plurality of mobile devices, said set of rules comprising one or more feature restrictions and one or more time restrictions for restricting usage of said particular features during one or more predetermined restricted periods, said set of rules being selected on said second device from a plurality of rules, wherein which of said plurality of rules can be assigned to said plurality of mobile devices is limited by permissions to impose particular rules;
storing said set of rules on said first mobile device; and applying said feature restrictions for the duration of said one or more predetermined restricted periods according to said set of rules.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising upon receiving a policy packet comprising a change to the set of rules, applying one or more changes to at least one of said one or more feature restrictions and said one or more time restrictions in said set of rules on said first device, to thereby dynamically change said set of rules on said first mobile device to accommodate a change in a category level or enable a temporary exemption.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising said first mobile device authenticating said set of rules to validate an origin of said set of rules.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said feature restrictions are implemented on a regular basis.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said regular basis comprises one or more predefined blocks of a day.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprising, during said one or more restricted periods, providing an option to cancel one or more of said feature restrictions to thereby enable one or more features that have been inhibited by said set of rules.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein upon selection of said option, said first mobile device generates a cancel indicator and sends said cancel indicator to said second mobile device for monitoring usage.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said set of rules comprises at least one conditional rule, said conditional rule allowing a conditional feature to be used a predetermined number of times during said restricted period, wherein if said predetermined number of times is exceeded, said conditional feature is disabled thereafter and a conditional indicator is provided to said second mobile device for monitoring said usage.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said set of rules is chosen from multiple category levels for varying permissions.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said set of rules further comprises one or more exemptions related to circumstances where triggering said feature restrictions should not be implemented.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said set of rules is received from said second mobile device via a direct non-network supported link.

12. A first mobile device for a communications network in which usage of features provided by the first mobile device is controllable, the first mobile device comprising:
a processor; and a memory for storing computer readable instructions executable by the processor for causing the first mobile device to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions executable by a processor of a first mobile device for causing said first mobile device to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A method of controlling usage of features provided by a plurality of first mobile devices in a communication system, said method comprising a second mobile device:
detecting in a user interface on the second mobile device, selection of a set of rules from a plurality of rules to be broadcast to said plurality of first mobile devices, wherein which of said plurality of rules can be assigned to said plurality of first devices is limited by permissions to impose particular rules, said set of rules comprising one or more feature restrictions and one or more time restrictions for restricting usage of said particular features during one or more predetermined restricted periods; and broadcasting said set of rules to said plurality of first mobile devices to have said set of rules stored on respective ones of said plurality of first mobile devices.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising sending a policy packet to said plurality of first mobile devices, said policy packet comprising a change to said set of rules for applying one or more changes to at least one of said one or more feature restrictions and said one or more time restrictions in said set of rules on said plurality of first mobile devices to thereby change said set of rules on said plurality of first mobile devices to accommodate a change in a category level or enable a temporary exemption.

16. The method according to claim 14 or claim 15, further comprising using a security key to enable said second mobile device to authenticate said set of rules.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein said feature restrictions are implemented on a regular basis.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein said regular basis comprises one or more predefined blocks of a day.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, further comprising providing an option to cancel one or more of said feature restrictions inhibited by said set of rules.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising receiving a cancel indicator from at least one of said plurality of first mobile devices indicative of selection of said option.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein said set of rules further comprises at least one conditional rule, said conditional rule allowing a conditional feature to be used a predetermined number of times during said restricted period, wherein if said predetermined number of times is exceeded, said conditional feature is disabled thereafter and a conditional indicator is received by said second mobile device for monitoring said usage.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21 further comprising selecting sai d set of rules from a plurality of rule sets contained in a rules database.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22 further comprising monitoring usage by updating an administration log.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 23 wherein which of said plurality of rules is selected is dictated by an organizational structure.

25. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein said set of rules is broadcast by the second mobile device via a direct non-network supported link.

26. A second mobile device in a communications network for controlling usage of features provided by a plurality of first mobile devices, the second mobile device comprising:
a processor; and a memory for storing computer readable instructions executable by the processor for causing the second mobile device to implement the method of any one of claims 14 to 25.

27. A computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions executable by a processor of a second mobile device for causing said second mobile device to implement the method of any one of claims 14 to 25.