Geo-fenced Mobile Device Application Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile device management systems inadequately address the security risks associated with personal mobile devices used in and around controlled areas and networks, as they often require total control from administrators, which users are unlikely to allow.
Innovation Solution
A device management system that controls application accessibility and use on mobile and portable devices by imposing restrictions such as disabling, deleting, or limiting applications when the device is within or outside controlled areas and networks, using a combination of user and administrator devices with communication links to enforce geo-fencing and application inventory management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If administrators implement tight control over mobile devices to enhance security, then security risk is reduced, but user autonomy and device functionality are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments device management into two distinct modes: a first set of restrictions applied when the device is outside the geographic area, and a second set of restrictions applied when the device is inside the geographic area. This segmentation allows different security policies to be applied in different contexts, balancing security requirements with user autonomy without requiring total control over the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic restriction management where the applied restrictions change based on the device's geographic location. The system automatically transitions between different restriction sets based on whether the device is inside or outside the defined geographic area, allowing security measures to be applied only when and where necessary, thereby maintaining user autonomy outside controlled areas while ensuring security inside them.
2Reliability
If administrators enforce application restrictions on personal devices, then security risks are reduced, but users are unlikely to allow such control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality levels of restriction control to different geographic locations. Outside the geographic area, users experience minimal restrictions and maintain full autonomy over their personal devices. Inside the geographic area, enhanced security restrictions are applied. This local differentiation makes the system more acceptable to users who are not required to surrender control of their personal devices entirely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial control by applying restrictions only in specific geographic contexts rather than continuously. The first set of restrictions outside the area is less intrusive than the second set inside the area, allowing users to maintain normal device operation during most of their usage time while still providing enhanced security when needed.
3Reliability
If geo-fencing solutions are implemented to control application use, then security is improved, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal device management system that can enforce different restriction sets based on geographic location. The same system infrastructure handles both the first set of restrictions (outside area) and the second set of restrictions (inside area), making the system scalable and adaptable to different organizations' needs without requiring separate systems for different security scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, software, and methods of the present invention enable users and owners/operators, such as employers, vendors, and other administrators to restrict the accessibility and use of applications residing on mobile and portable user devices, when those user devices are near or within a controlled area, such as non-residential and residential properties, and/or access a controlled network, either locally or remotely. The device management system may impose restrictions on one or more user devices that may include, for example, one or more of disabling applications, preventing applications from being enabled, deleting applications, limiting or preventing applications from being downloaded, and/or performing application inventories on the user device. When the user device is no longer in, on, and/or around their facilities and/or networks, the device management system may remove or impose the restrictions on the user device.