Secure remote control of notification operations of communication devices
A network service provider computer remotely overrides and controls user notification settings of a mobile communications device by establishing one or more authentication keys by a server computer for a specific mobile communication device; transmitting the one or more authentication keys to the specific mobile communication device to establish a trusted relationship; responsive to an event or signal requiring overriding of user notification settings, preparing a notification control message including at least one notification control parameter; and transmitting to the specific mobile communications device the notification control message to cause it to implement and override one or more user notification settings according to the at least one notification control parameter.
1. A method for a mobile communications device to receive and implement a remote override of user notification settings from a network service provider computer, the method comprising:
receiving by a mobile communications device a public authentication key from a server computer to establish a trusted relationship with the server computer;
receiving from the server computer by the mobile communications device a first notification control message;
verifying by the mobile communications device authenticity of the first notification control message by unsigning the first notification control message with the public authentication key;
responsive to authenticity being verified, the mobile communications device:
extracting at least one notification control parameter from a metadata area of the first notification control message;
extracting digital audio file from the metadata area of the notification control message; and
overriding at least one user notification setting to employ the extracted digital audio file as an audible alert message, wherein the overriding is performed according to the at least one notification control parameters extracted from the first notification control message; and
subsequent to a pre-determined time period and responsive to detecting no interaction by a user:
receiving a second notification control message from the server computer;
extracting a second notification control parameter from a second metadata area of the second notification control message; and
overriding one or more user notification settings according to the second notification control parameter.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the overriding comprises at least one primary action selected from the group consisting of implementing a relative volume change, implementing an absolute volume, implementing a relative screen brightness change, implementing an absolute screen brightness, implementing a rumble device strength, implementing a rumble device pattern, and implementing a ringtone selection change command.
3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising:
waiting by the mobile communications device a first period of time to receive a user response to a user notification; and responsive to the receiving a user response to the user notification or responsive to expiration of the first period of time, implementing by the mobile communications device at least one secondary action selected from the group consisting of implementing a relative volume change, implementing an absolute volume, implementing a relative screen brightness change, implementing an absolute screen brightness, implementing a rumble device strength, implementing a rumble device pattern, and implementing a ringtone selection change command.
4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further comprising:
waiting by the mobile communications device for a second period of time to receive a user response to a user notification; and
responsive to receiving a user response to the user notification or responsive to expiration of the second period of time, implementing by the mobile communications device at least one reset action to return one or more user notification parameters to a previous state, the reset action being selected from the group consisting of implementing a relative volume change, implementing an absolute volume, implementing a relative screen brightness change, implementing an absolute screen brightness, implementing a rumble device strength, implementing a rumble device pattern, and implementing a ringtone selection change command.