Telecommunication device utilization based on heartbeat communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10601978-B2
Application number	US-201414296018-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2014
Priority date	Jun 4, 2014
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A secure component of a telecommunication device is described herein. The secure component is configured to determine that a threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server. In response to determining that the threshold amount of time has passed, the secure component performs at least one of preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device or deleting user data from the telecommunication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A telecommunication device comprising:
a processor;
a transceiver to communicate with a remote telecommunication server;
a secure component configured to be operated by the processor to engage in heartbeat communications with the remote telecommunication server via the transceiver; and
a user interface configured to be operated by the processor to:
receive at least one of a photo or a biometric,
enable a first user input of a list of a portion of user data that is less than an entirety of user data, the portion of user data to be deleted in response to an expiration of a first threshold amount of time, and
enable a second user input to configure a first threshold amount of time and a second threshold amount of time that correspond to amounts of time that the secure component is to wait following the heartbeat communication before restricting data access to the telecommunication device,

wherein the secure component performs:
correlating the first threshold amount of time and the portion of the user data, based at least in part on the first user input and the second user input,
correlating the second threshold amount of time and the remaining portion of the user data, based at least in part on the first user input and the second user input,
in response to determining that the first threshold amount of time has passed since reception of one of a photo or a biometric, deleting the portion of user data,
in response to determining that the second threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server
deleting the remaining portion of user data from the telecommunication device.

2. The telecommunication device of claim 1 , wherein the secure component is further configured to further perform:
preventing access to one or more services of the telecommunication device except emergency services.

3. The telecommunication device of claim 1 , wherein the secure component is an operating system boot loader or a component of a trusted operating system.

4. The telecommunication device of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive a photo, and
wherein deleting the portion of user data that is less than the entirety of user data is based at least in part on a failure to receive, via the user interface, a combination of the biometric and the photo.

5. A method comprising:
determining, by a secure component of a telecommunication device, that a first threshold amount of time has passed since reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server;
preventing, by the secure component, access to at least a voice calling service via the telecommunications device, while contemporaneously permitting access to a normal operation of a text messaging service via the telecommunications device;
determining that a second threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server, the second threshold amount of time being greater than the first threshold amount of time; and
preventing, by the secure component, access to the text messaging service via the telecommunications device,
wherein the secure component is a trustlet application executing in a trusted execution environment of the telecommunication device, the trusted execution environment executing the secure component independently of a boot loader of the telecommunication device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the heartbeat communication is a heartbeat message from the remote telecommunication server or a response from the remote telecommunication server to a heartbeat message from the telecommunication device.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server that set the first or the second threshold amount of time.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are included in a heartbeat communication.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising enabling a user of the telecommunication device to configure the first or the second threshold amount of time.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
preventing access to one or more telecommunication device services based at least in part on a user of the telecommunication device failing to enter a combination of a photo and a biometric.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
preventing access to an email messaging service via the telecommunications device, in response to determining that the first threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server.

12. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, subsequent to preventing access to the voice calling service via the telecommunications device, receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server enabling access to the voice calling service via the telecommunications device.

13. The method of claim 5 , wherein the trusted execution environment executes the secure component independently of the boot loader and separate and distinct from a device operating system of the telecommunication device.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for a secure component stored thereon which, when executed by a telecommunication device, perform operations comprising:
configuring, via user input, a first threshold amount of time and a second threshold amount of time that correspond to amounts of time that the secure component is to wait following reception of a heartbeat communication from a remote telecommunication server before restricting data access to the telecommunication device;
determining that the first threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server and receipt of a combination of a photo and a biometric of a user of the telecommunication device;
deleting a portion of user data that is less than an entirety of user data from the telecommunication device, the portion of user data having been identified via a user selection on a user interface of the telecommunication device;
determining that the second threshold amount of time has passed since reception of the heartbeat communication from the remote telecommunication server, the second threshold amount of time being greater than the first threshold amount of time; and
deleting an additional portion of user data from the telecommunication device,
wherein an entirety of the secure component is executable via an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM).

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server setting the first threshold amount of time; or
enabling a user of the telecommunication device to configure the first threshold amount of time.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving instructions from the remote telecommunication server or input from a user of the telecommunication device, the instructions or input configuring what user data will be deleted.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise deleting the portion of user data or the additional portion of user data from the telecommunication device based at least in part on a failure of the user of the telecommunication device to enter the combinat

Assignees

• T Mobile Usa Inc

Inventors

• Mosher Michael
• Obaidi Ahmad Arash
• Yocam Eric W

Classifications

• H04M1/66 Primary

  with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling (verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W4/50 Primary

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• H04W8/183

  Processing at user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title