Customer representative remote access for troubleshooting smartphones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832314-B2
Application number	US-201514962418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2015
Priority date	Dec 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A middleware device opens, based on an assistance call from a mobile device, a first leg of a websocket with a system associated with a call center customer representative, and sends a SMS text message to the mobile device that includes a first authentication token. The middleware device receives, while attempting to establish a second leg of the websocket between the first middleware device and the mobile device, a second authentication token from the mobile device, authenticates the mobile device based on the second authentication token, and opens the second leg of the websocket between the middleware device and the mobile device based on whether the authentication is successful. The middleware device receives a captured display screen from the mobile device via the second leg of the websocket, and sends the captured display screen to the system associated with the customer representative via the first leg of the websocket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
opening, at a first device based on a call to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to receive assistance for a customer at a mobile device, a first leg of a websocket with a system associated with a call center customer representative;
sending a first Short Message Service (SMS) text message from the first device to the mobile device, wherein the first SMS text message includes a first authentication token;
receiving, while attempting to establish a second leg of the websocket between the first device and the mobile device, a second authentication token from the mobile device;
authenticating, by the first device, the mobile device based on the received second authentication token;
opening the second leg of the websocket between the first device and the mobile device based on whether the authentication of the second authentication token is successful;
sending, from the first device to the mobile device, an access permission request, wherein the access permission request includes an indication of a plurality of types of remote access, wherein the plurality of types of remote access includes a first type of remote access and a second type of remote access, wherein the first type of remote access comprises provisioning of captured screen displays of the mobile device to the call center customer representative, and wherein the second type of remote access comprises enabling remote controlling of the mobile device by the call center customer representative;
receiving, by the first device from the mobile device, a grant of remote access from the customer at the mobile device, wherein the grant of remote access includes a customer-specified indication of either the first type of remote access or the second type of remote access; and
selectively performing, based on whether the grant of remote access includes the customer-specified indication of the first type of remote access or the second type of remote access, one of the following:
1) receiving, at the first device via the second leg of the websocket, captured display screens from the mobile device and sending, from the first device via the first leg of the websocket, the captured display screens to the system associated with the call center customer representative for presentation to the call center customer representative, or
2) receiving, at the first device from the call center customer representative via the first leg of the websocket, remote access control input, and providing, from the first device to the mobile device via the second leg of the websocket, the remote access control input for remote controlling of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, from a second device to the mobile device and responsive to the call to receive assistance, a second SMS text message, wherein the second SMS text message requests access to diagnostics data at the mobile device;
receiving, at the second device from the customer, an acceptance of the request for access;
establishing, based on the acceptance of the request for access, a connection between the second device and the mobile device;
receiving, at the second device, diagnostics data from the mobile device via the connection; and
sending the diagnostics data, from the second device, to the system associated with the call center customer representative.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assistance relates to troubleshooting assistance regarding operation of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first device, manual input from the customer to terminate a remote access session; and
closing the second leg of the websocket between the first device and the mobile device based on the manual input.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remote access control input comprises input for controlling the operation of the mobile device received from the call center customer representative.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating the mobile device comprises:
comparing the first authentication token with the second authentication token, wherein comparing the first authentication token with the second authentication token comprises determining if the first authentication token and the second authentication token are a same authentication token, and
authenticating the mobile device based on results of the comparison.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, at the first device, the captured display screens further comprises:
receiving first frames, associated with the captured display screens from the mobile device, via the second leg of the websocket;
dynamically controlling, by the first device, a first rate at which the first frames are received from the mobile device at the first device to match a second rate at which the first frames are processed by a user interface of the system associated with the call center customer representative; and
sending the first frames, received at the first rate, to the system associated with the call center customer representative via the first leg of the websocket for presentation to the call center customer representative.

8. A system, comprising:
a first device comprising:
a first communication interface; and
a first processing unit configured to:
open, via the first communication interface based on receiving an assistance call from a customer at a mobile device, a first leg of a websocket with a system associated with a call center customer representative,
open, via the first communication interface, a second leg of the websocket between the first device and the mobile device,
send, via the first communication interface to the mobile device, an access permission request, wherein the access permission request includes an option for choosing a type of remote access of a plurality of types of remote access, wherein the plurality of types of remote access includes a first type of remote access and a second type of remote access, wherein the first type of remote access comprises provision of captured screen displays of the mobile device to the call center customer representative, and wherein the second type of remote access comprises enabling remote controlling of the mobile device by the call center customer representative,
receive, via the first communication interface from the mobile device, a grant of remote access from the customer at the mobile device, wherein the grant of remote access includes a customer-specified indication of either the first type of remote access or the second type-of remote access that is granted, and
selectively perform, based on whether the grant of remote access includes the customer-specified indication of the first type of remote access or the second type of remote access, one of the following:
1) receive captured display screens from the mobile device via the second leg of the websocket, and send the captured display screens to the system associated with the call center customer representative via the first leg of the websocket for presentation to the call center customer representative, or
2) receive, from the call center customer representative via the first leg of the websocket, remote access control input, and provide, via the second leg of the websocket to the mobile device, the remote access control input for remote controlling of the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a second device comprising:
a second communication interface; and
a second processing unit configured to:
receive, from the call center customer representative via the second communication interface, a request for diagnostics data related to the mobile device,
send, responsive to the request, a Short M

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Shanmugam Sankar
• Shukla Amit Kumar
• Chandrasekaran Gayathri
• Sekender Zulfiqer
• Latheef Sudhin Vellooparambil
• Sun Ying

Classifications

• H04M2203/053

  remote terminal provisioning, e.g. of applets · CPC title

• H04M2207/18

  wireless networks · CPC title

• H04L41/5074

  Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title