Controlling access to a mobile device
View Patent ↗A method of controlling user access to a mobile device includes detecting at the mobile device the presence of a wireless device via a short-range wireless signal; identifying the wireless device from the wireless signal; accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices and is stored at the mobile device; comparing the identity of the detected wireless device with the identity or identities include with the list of trusted wireless devices; determining that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices; and deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determination that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices.
1. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting at the mobile device the presence of a wireless device via a short-range wireless signal;
(b) identifying the wireless device from the wireless signal;
(c) accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices;
(d) comparing the identity of the detected wireless device with the identity or identities included with the list of trusted wireless devices;
(e) determining that the identity of the detected wireless device is included with the list of trusted wireless devices;
(f) determining that the mobile device is located within a user-defined geofence; and
(g) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determination of steps (e) and (f).
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of detecting the presence of the wireless device based on the existence of a short-range wireless link between the mobile device and the wireless device.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the wireless device is no longer in the presence of the mobile device or the mobile device leaves the user-defined geofence.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device further comprises a vehicle telematics unit.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of designating the wireless device as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of receiving the geo-fence at the mobile device from the user.
8. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
(a) designating a vehicle telematics unit as a trusted wireless device using the mobile device;
(b) receiving a user-defined geofence at the mobile device from a user;
(c) establishing a short-range wireless link between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device after designating the vehicle telematics unit as the trusted wireless device;
(d) detecting that the short-range wireless link currently exists between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device;
(e) determining whether the mobile device is within the user-defined geofence; and
(f) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device while the short-range wireless link exists between the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device is within the user-defined geofence.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the short-range wireless link between the vehicle telematics unit and the mobile device ends or the mobile device leaves the user-defined geofence.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of designating the vehicle telematics unit as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of receiving the geo-fence at the mobile device from the user.
13. A method of controlling user access to a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting at the mobile device the presence of a vehicle telematics unit via a short-range wireless signal;
(b) identifying the vehicle telematics unit from the short-range wireless signal;
(c) accessing at the mobile device a list that includes the identity of one or more trusted wireless devices;
(d) comparing the identity of the vehicle telematics unit with the identity or identities included with the list of trusted wireless devices;
(e) determining that the identity of the vehicle telematics unit is included with the list of trusted wireless devices;
(f) determining that the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit are located within a user-defined geo-fenced area; and
(g) deactivating a passcode requirement used by the mobile device based on the determinations made in steps (e) and (f).
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of re-activating the passcode requirement used by the mobile device when the short-range wireless signal is no longer present or the mobile device and the vehicle telematics unit are no longer located within the user-defined geo-fenced area.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mobile device further comprises a smart phone.
16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of designating the vehicle telematics unit as trusted during an initial wireless pairing in response to input from a user of the mobile device.
17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of receiving the user-defined geo-fenced area at the mobile device.