Multi-Persona Devices and Management
Apparatuses and devices configured with multiple user personas may be provided. For example, a device may comprise a housing embedding a display, one or more processors, and one or more memory storages. A first processor and/or memory storage may be dedicated to a first unique user persona and a second processor and/or memory storage may be dedicated to a second unique user persona.
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This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/878,521, filed Sep. 16, 2013, and entitled “Multiple Persona Mobile Devices and Methods for Managing Same”, which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth herein in its entirety.
This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/074,110, filed Nov. 7, 2013, and entitled “Multi-Persona Management,” which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDMany individuals and employers utilize mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc., to conduct business and personal related endeavors. Today's business obligations routinely require individuals to travel, attend various meetings, and perform tasks that frequently require individuals to be out of offices and away from their computers and other devices. It is becoming increasingly important for working individuals to have a means of connecting to various enterprise resources (e.g., corporate email, Share Point sites, work documents, etc.), regardless of the person's location. Corporations want to maximize productivity while enabling workers to leave the office during business hours and maintain their necessary responsibilities. Accordingly, many companies implement solutions (e.g., providing corporate user devices to their employees, utilizing mobile device management (MDM) applications, and incorporating Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, etc.) that enable employee access to corporate content on mobile user devices. Further, the proliferation of mobile devices in every aspect of life, including home and personal use, is ever present.
Companies that allow workers to access corporate networks and resources need to ensure such access is secure and sensitive material is protected from external intrusion. Providing corporate mobile devices with secure access to enterprise servers creates an efficient means of monitoring and regulating security, but this option is typically more costly for the employer with regards to wireless plans and employing sufficient IT personnel to monitor devices and server access attained by user devices. Thus, device management becomes a priority, responsibility, and obligation for the corporation. For example, if a problem occurs with a device, either hardware or software related, it is the duty of the employer to rectify the employee's need, thereby creating additional responsibilities for IT administrators and possibly a need for more IT personnel.
BYOD programs allow employees to utilize personal mobile user devices to access enterprise resources. As BYOD programs gain momentum and popularity amongst employers and employees, the concern and desire to ensure enterprise resources and personal content are kept separate grows as well. Generally, an organization's primary concerns relate to worker productivity, specific duties, and availability, while maintaining a secure and manageable user device environment. Employees appreciate the availability and convenience associated with wirelessly accessing enterprise resources and content, but desire assurance that the privacy of their personal content is upheld, even with corporate applications installed on their personal user devices.
Further, many households share personal user devices between some or all of the members of a household. Different users within the household may want personalized settings and attributes applied to the device while that particular individual utilizes the personal user device. Generally, with regards to most personal user devices, the active settings, characterizations, and attributes remain active on the personal user device until a user modifies them. Furthermore, there does not exist a mechanism to separate and containerize multiple individual internal compartments to serve as a unique repository, each exclusively assigned to one user. Therefore, in the scenario concerning multiple members of a family utilizing the same device, each time a new user engages the device, said user will be required to change the settings to their preferred configuration. Often, such actions are highly undesirable and time consuming, and leave individual users dissatisfied with the operation or configuration of the shared personal user device.
Due to the aforementioned concerns, many users retain multiple devices to maintain a separation of entities. This approach provides a complete separation of personal and enterprise matters, ensuring a company cannot access personal content. The multiple device methodology also presents a clear visual and physical indication of separation. Additionally, many families own multiple identical user devices offering the various members of the household a unique user experience. While this presents a clear separation of entities and promotes individualism, this also proves to be more costly for the family. Other conventional approaches address this problem by utilizing a containerized application on personal user devices, wherein the enterprise or alternate environment is only accessible via user initiation of the application. This approach does not offer the user an autonomous notification of incoming data in the alternate environment, nor does it present an obvious physical and visual distinction of separation.
Therefore, there is a long-felt but unresolved need to create and implement a plurality of separate entities or personas on an individual user device to preserve individualized attributes and present a clear distinction between the multiple entities. Likewise, multiple separate entities may be implemented on one individual user device ensuring enterprise data is separately, yet securely managed and preserving user's personal privacy.
SUMMARYThis Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Neither is this Summary intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.
Apparatuses and devices configured with multiple user personas may be provided. For example, a device may comprise a housing embedding a display, one or more processors, and one or more memory storages. A first processor and/or memory storage may be dedicated to a first unique user persona and a second processor and/or memory storage may be dedicated to a second unique user persona.
Briefly described, and according to some embodiments, the present disclosure generally describes methods and systems for isolating, implementing, and provisioning multiple entities or personas on an individual user device, thus enabling multiple individual end-user environments to remain quarantined while simultaneously remaining active. As referred to herein, a “persona” generally relates to various settings, policies, rules, configurations or attributes associated with a particular end user environment. Accordingly, groups of individual personas may be categorized based on defined rules and policies applicable to said group and managed simultaneously. Other embodiments enable remote access to end user devices to deploy changes to current attributes and/or configurations either by group definition or on an individual basis.
According to one example embodiment, multiple personas may be managed via a central server (e.g., a content server or management module), which may serve as an intermediary between the multiple personas. The central server receives data from the device, identifies which persona initiated the data transfer, and sends the data on behalf of the identified persona. Similarly, the central server receives data from outside sources, identifies for which persona the data is intended and pushes said data to the appropriate persona. Further, one example embodiment virtually separates one set of hardware components (e.g., a single processor, memory, battery, etc.) into individual segments. Consequently, each segment houses and embodies a separate and quarantined persona. Yet other embodiments encompass multiple hardware sets (e.g., multiple processers, multiple memories, multiple batteries, etc.) independently coupled and dedicated for one or more respective persona.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples and explanatory only, and should not be considered to restrict the disclosure's scope, as described and claimed. Further, features and/or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments of the disclosure may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following diagrams. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating certain features of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. In the drawings:
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While example embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.
OverviewThe technical effects of some example embodiments of this disclosure may include establishing control of access to networks and resources when access lists may not be predefined, and reducing and/or eliminating the burden of predefining access lists to control access to networks and resources. Moreover, the technical effects of some example embodiments may include enhancing network access control by assigning specific access rights based on access lists to client devices authorized to access associated network beacons and resources.
Other technical effects of some example embodiments of this disclosure may include offering group management solutions to managing content access and distribution. For example, users of a sales group may have read access to marketing documents and presentations, while users in a marketing group may be able to edit and/or annotate the market documents. Similarly, users in an accounting or business services group may be the only ones with access to enterprise financial documents. These access controls may be provided by distributing authorization credentials to devices associated with users of the respective group. Each user may then authenticate to their device, such as by inputting a username, password, authentication key, and/or biometric data, before the device may access and/or retrieve the content authorized for distribution to that device. These authentication types are provided as examples only and are not intended to be limiting as many other types of user authentication are in use and/or may be contemplated in the future.
According to one example embodiment, aspects of the present disclosure relate to mobile device hardware and/or software or functionality for managing multiple personas on a given mobile device. Multiple persona device management generally comprises methods and systems for isolating, implementing, and provisioning multiple entities or personas on a single user device. Thus, enabling a persona to remain quarantined while simultaneously remaining active on the back-end of the device. As referred to herein, a “persona” generally comprises various settings, policies, rules, configurations and/or attributes associated with a particular end user environment. Accordingly, groups of individual personas can be categorized based on defined rules and policies applicable to those groups and managed simultaneously. Furthermore, some embodiments enable remote access to the personal user device to deploy changes of current attributes and configurations either by group definition or on an individual basis.
According to one example embodiment, multiple personas may be managed via a central server (e.g., a content server or management module), which may serve as an intermediary between the multiple personas. The central server receives data from the device, identifies which persona initiated the data transfer, and sends the data on behalf of the identified persona. Similarly, the central server receives data from outside sources, identifies for which persona the data is intended and pushes said data to the appropriate persona. Further, one example embodiment virtually separates one set of hardware components (e.g., a single processor, memory, battery, etc.) into individual segments. Consequently, each segment houses and embodies a separate and quarantined persona. Yet other embodiments encompass multiple hardware sets (e.g., multiple processers, multiple memories, multiple batteries, etc.) independently coupled and dedicated for one or more respective persona.
Content access may be further limited by policies that enforce other compliance restrictions based on properties of the device such as time, location, device security and/or integrity, presence of another device, software versions, required software, etc. For example, educational settings may designate student and instructor groups. These groups may be further assigned to specific classes such that only student group members associated with a given class may access content associated with that class. Further, edit access to the content for the class may be restricted to the user(s) in the instructor group and/or student group members may be permitted to add content that only the instructor may view (e.g., homework assignments). In some embodiments, the instructor group user(s) may be able to push content to student group user(s) and/or activate temporary control of the students' devices to prevent the devices from accessing non-class related content during class time.
To reduce the cost of ownership of user devices and cellular and/or data service charges associated with use of such user devices, an enterprise such as an educational institution and/or a business may implement a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy to allow an employee to use his/her personal device to access enterprise resources rather than provide the user with an enterprise owned user device for such purpose. To support such a BYOD policy, a user device administrator (i.e. IT administrator) may manage a group of personally owned user devices, via a management application executed by a management server in communication with the user devices over a network, to provide the user devices with secure access to enterprise resources.
The user device administrator may enroll user devices into the management system to monitor the user devices for security vulnerabilities and to configure the user devices for secure access to enterprise resources. The user device administrator may create and/or configure at least one configuration profile via a user interface provided by the management system. A configuration profile may comprise a set of instructions and/or settings that configure the operations and/or functions of a user device, which may ensure the security of the accessed resources. The user device administrator may, for instance, configure an enterprise email configuration profile by specifying the network address and access credentials of an enterprise email account that the users of the user devices are authorized to access. Other configuration policies may include, but are not limited to, hardware, software, application, function, cellular, text message, and data use restrictions, which may be based at least in part on the current time and/or location of the restricted user device. The user device administrator may thereafter deploy the configuration profiles to specific user devices, such as to groups of user devices of users with similar roles, privileges and/or titles.
The user devices may also have access to personal configuration profiles that may be created by the users of the user devices. The user devices may, for instance, have access to a personal email configuration profile that was created by a user of the user device to provide access to her personal email account. Thus, a user device enrolled in a BYOD management system may have more than one configuration profile for a given use of the user device, such as a personal email configuration profile and an enterprise email configuration profile that are both used for accessing email accounts on the user device.
The user devices may be instructed to enable and/or disable certain configuration profiles according to authorization rights specified by the user device administrator, such as location and/or time-based authorization rights. For example, a BYOD policy may specify that user devices enrolled in the BYOD management system are authorized for personal use outside of the workday and are authorized for business use during the workday. Similarly, a BYOD device may be restricted to enterprise uses while in work locations and/or prohibited from accessing enterprise resources while outside of secure work locations. To implement such a policy, a user device administrator may instruct the user devices to toggle between personal configuration policies and enterprise configuration policies based on factors such as the current time and/or location associated with the user device.
The current time may be based on the current time at the current location of the user device, which may be determined by GPS, Wi-Fi, Cellular Triangulation, etc., or may be based on the current time at a configured primary location associated with the user device, which may be the primary office location of an employee user of the user device. As an example, time-based configuration profile toggling may be provided by instructing a user device to enable business configuration profiles and disable personal configuration profiles while the current time is between 9 AM and 5 PM at the current location of the user device, and to disable business configuration profiles and enable personal configuration profiles while the current time is between 5 PM and 9 AM at the current location of the user device.
According to one example embodiment, aspects of the present disclosure relate to mobile device hardware and/or associated software or functionality for managing multiple personas on a given mobile device. Multiple persona device management generally comprises methods and systems for isolating, implementing, and provisioning multiple entities or personas on a single user device, thus enabling a persona to remain quarantined while simultaneously remaining active on the back-end of the device. As referred to herein, a “persona” generally comprises various settings, policies, rules, configurations or attributes associated with a particular end user environment. Accordingly, groups of individual personas can be categorized based on defined rules and policies applicable to those groups and managed simultaneously. Furthermore, some embodiments enable remote access to a personal user device to deploy changes of current attributes and configurations either by group definition or on an individual basis.
According to one example embodiment, multiple personas may be managed via a central server (e.g., a content server or management module), which may serve as an intermediary between the multiple personas. The central server receives data from the device, identifies which persona initiated the data transfer, and sends the data on behalf of the identified persona. Similarly, the central server receives data from outside sources, identifies for which persona the data is intended and pushes said data to the appropriate persona. Further, one example embodiment virtually separates one set of hardware components (e.g., a single processor, memory, battery, etc.) into individual segments. Consequently, each segment houses and embodies a separate and quarantined persona. Yet other embodiments encompass multiple hardware sets (e.g., multiple processers, multiple memories, multiple batteries, etc.) independently coupled and dedicated for one or more respective persona.
Multiple persona device management generally relates to the implementation and management of a plurality of personas on a singular user device to segregate and quarantine a set of attributes relating to a singular persona from other personas accessible on the same user device. A persona may comprise a collection or group of data sets, configurations (assignment of resources, policies, rules, etc.), appearances, particular functionality, branding, billing parameters, physical components, and/or preferences with which a user device or a portion of a user device is associated. There exists a plurality of embodiments regarding multiple persona device management implementations, which may be executed on an individual user device, offering different mechanisms for a user possessing the desire to access divergent sets of attributes while maintaining a separation of said attributes. An example embodiment of multiple persona device management involves the ability, at an end user's discretion, to toggle between the various personas. Furthermore, the device may autonomously toggle between personas or present the option to toggle between personas based on predetermined triggering events embedded within the multiple persona device management technology.
One example of implemented multiple persona device management comprises a family owning a single tablet device consisting of exclusive personas representing each family member. Thereby, each family member retains a unique set of applications, settings, and customizations associated with his or her respective persona. Another example entails a user device enrolled in a BYOD program in a work setting in which a mobile device management system merges multiple personas. The user device can separate an enterprise persona for receiving, accessing, and distributing corporate content and a personal persona for maintaining interaction with personal matters as shown in
Generally, multiple persona management on a mobile device, according to aspects of the present disclosure, can be divided into at least two broad categories: (1) physical persona separation via either multiple physical components within a single mobile device, and/or (2) virtual persona separation via virtual division of components, data segregation, or the like. As described in greater detail below, physical separation may include a device with multiple screens, multiple processors, multiple memories, etc. Generally, the virtual separation embodiments provide a virtual separation of components (e.g., virtual processors), or a data separation coupled with some visual or audible separation designation, or the like. These aspects and others will be described in greater detail below.
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In one embodiment shown in
The described mobile device management system (MDMS) 121 empowers enterprises to securely monitor, manage, and support a plurality of devices via wireless deployment of data configurations, applications, settings, permissions, and policies. Enterprises may deploy an MDMS 121 on a plurality of devices, such as mobile phones, smart tablets, laptops, etc., to ensure secure wireless access and distribution of corporate content. Further, enterprises utilize the MDMS 121 for managing third-party content accessibility on enterprise user devices. While these restrictions on enterprise content would not be objectionable to most users, some may object to applying the same restrictions to personal user devices. Therefore, multiple persona device management as described herein supports the notion of segregating managed, secure mobile access to enterprise content to an enterprise persona while personal matter immunity is maintained on personal personas.
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In one example embodiment of the present system, the management module 127 (also called the admin console) recognizes a plurality of individually assigned personas associated with a plurality of user devices. An administrator can aptly engage the management module 127, select a persona on a user device or group of personas on different user devices, and define rules and characterizations for the selected user devices. Accordingly, the management module 127 determines which policy is applicable to particular personas and subsequently distributes said policy to the appropriate personas on a given user device. In some embodiments, the management module 127 recognizes and addresses different operating systems embodied on user devices, thereby defining proper enforcement of rules and access to non-native data. (Details regarding the various processes carried out by the management console will be described in greater detail in connection with
According to one embodiment illustrated in
It is well known and understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that many corporate entities utilize enterprise dedicated electronic mail systems whereby traffic is regulated through a managed email portal (e.g., Microsoft Exchange). Accordingly, the presently-described embodiment includes a secure email gateway 133 that enables secure email access and distribution through the data network 150 within a corporate email exchange. In one example embodiment, the secure email gateway 133 behaves as a proxy server linking the enterprise email server and the data network. The coupled management module 127 has the ability to push enterprise policies set by an administrator to the secure email gateway 133 to enforce said enterprise policies.
Further, some embodiments of the MDM central module 122 comprise an application catalog 136 that is also integrated with the management module 127. The application catalog 136 supports access to applications both enterprise specific applications and public applications. The enterprise persona 2 118 through the encapsulated rules and policies as set forth by an administrator sends requests to access and download applications to the application catalog 136. To increase mobile productivity, the application catalog 136 serves as a portal governed by enforced policies to allow approved access to applications for a user's benefit.
Generally, users 109 utilize a variety of third-party systems, applications, and email platforms via their personal user devices 103. Often access to third party content is not as secure as most enterprise platforms and presents vulnerabilities concerning a device that can also access enterprise content. As illustrated in
The discussions above in association with
Basic functionality of user device 103 may be provided by an operating system 221 contained in memory 218. One or more programmed software applications may be executed by utilizing the computing resources in user device 103. Applications stored in memory 218 may be executed by processor 209 (e.g., a central processing unit or digital signal processor) under the auspices of operating system 221. For example, processor 209 may be configured to execute applications such as web browsing applications, email applications, instant messaging applications, and/or other applications capable of receiving and/or providing data.
Data provided as input to and generated as output from the application(s) may be stored in memory 218 and read by processor 209 from memory 218 as needed during the course of application program execution. Input data may be data stored in memory 218 by a secondary application or other source, either internal or external to user device 103, or possibly anticipated by the application and thus created with the application program at the time it was generated as a software application program. Data may be received via any of a plurality of communication ports 215 of user device 103. Communication ports 215 may allow user device 103 to communicate with other devices, and may comprise components such as an Ethernet network adapter, a modem, and/or a wireless network connectivity interface. For example, the wireless network connectivity interface may comprise one and/or more of a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card, USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card, SDIO (Secure Digital Input-Output) card, NewCard, Cardbus, a modem, a wireless radio transceiver, and/or the like.
User device 103 may also receive data as user input via an input component 242, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a stylus, a sound input device, a touch input device, a capture device, etc. A capture device may be operative to record user(s) and capture spoken words, motions and/or gestures, such as with a camera and/or microphone. The capture device may comprise any speech and/or motion detection device capable of detecting the speech and/or actions of the user(s).
Data generated by applications may be stored in memory 218 by the processor 209 during the course of application program execution. Data may be provided to the user during application program execution by means of a display 206. Consistent with embodiments of this disclosure, display 206 may comprise an integrated display screen and/or an output port coupled to an external display screen.
Memory 218 may also comprise a platform library 224. Platform library 224 may comprise a collection of functionality useful to multiple applications, such as may be provided by an application programming interface (API) to a software development kit (SDK). These utilities may be accessed by applications as necessary so that each application does not have to contain these utilities thus allowing for memory consumption savings and a consistent user interface.
Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program and is not limited to any particular application or system. The devices described with respect to the Figures may have additional features or functionality. For example, user device 103 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape (not shown).
User device 103 may comprise a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a set-top box, a music player, a web pad, a tablet computer system, a game console, a mobile device, and/or any other device with like capability.
User device 103 may store in a data store 227 a device profile 230 and a plurality of user preferences 233. Device profile 230 may comprise an indication of the current position of user device 103 and/or indications of the hardware, software, and security attributes which describe user device 103. For instance, device profile 230 may represent hardware specifications of user device 103, version and configuration information of various software program and hardware components installed on user device 103, data transmission protocols enabled on user device 103, version and usage information of various resources stored on user device 103, and/or any other attributes associated with the state of user device 103. The device profile 230 may further comprise data indicating a date of last virus scan of user device 103, a date of last access by an IT representative, a date of last service by the IT representative, and/or any other data indicating maintenance and usage of user device 103. Furthermore, the device profile 230 may comprise indications of the past behavior of associated users, such as resources accessed, charges for resource accesses, and the inventory accessed from such resources. User preferences 233 may comprise a listing of factors that may affect the experience of the user. In particular, user preferences 154 may include indications of the user's age, gender, bodily traits, preferred resource types, preferred venue resources, and combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, a persona may comprise a “SIM persona” that is managed on a back-end and is portable to other devices. A “SIM persona” may comprise a physical SIM card, it may comprise a virtual SIM card entity, or a virtual entity embedded on a user device 103. In another embodiment, several SIM personas may be implemented on a single device. A SIM card may possess one persona or multiple personas wherein the card is virtually split into separate representative entities containing the attributes and characterizations of the given personas. For the example wherein a SIM card contains one sole persona, an end user may carry multiple SIM cards and exchange them within the user device 103 based on location or time. In another embodiment, a user device 103 may have the capability to support more than one SIM card simultaneously, maintaining persona 1 115 on one SIM card and persona 2 118 on another SIM card. In such an embodiment, as information travels through the data network 154, the information subsequently propagates to the appropriate SIM card inside the user device 103.
In some embodiments, an overarching process determines the routing of incoming data to the user device 103. According to some embodiments of dual persona device management, a persona management module 245 is employed to decide to which persona content should be delivered on the device. The persona management module 245 exercises back-end differentiations between shared and distinct features and/or functionality among personas. In some embodiments, an agent resides on the dual persona implemented user device 103 for management of resources in connection with different personas. For example, a hypervisor may serve as a persona management module 245 and embody a centralized means to deliver data to the appropriate persona. The user device 103 hence becomes a host machine on which the hypervisor resides and controls the related functionality in part or completely. The hypervisor creates “guest machines” or virtual machines on the user device 103 enabling the virtual machines to behave as their own separate operating system comprising their own persona. The hypervisor can represent a firmware, software, or hardware implementation wherein the input data and output data is recognized, identified and pushed by the hypervisor to its appropriate destination.
For example purposes and as illustrated in this disclosure, persona 1 115 is as shown as personal persona and persona 2 118 is shown as an enterprise persona. Thus, as a corporate email transmits to the user device 103, the hypervisor recognizes the data as enterprise communication (based on tags or identifiers in the data), and subsequently routes the data to persona 2 118. In some embodiments, policies implemented with multiple persona device management are identified by an administrator and pushed to the hypervisor, allowing the hypervisor to act as the decision-making agent performing actions as the persona management module 245.
According to the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, the persona management module 245 integrates the policies and rules set by the administrator through MDMS and precludes access and distribution of data for particular personas. For example, if a policy is set which does not allow third-party email exchange access by persona 2 118, when a request for access has propagated to the persona management module 245, the request may be denied and the proper executable steps are initiated.
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In some embodiments of the present disclosure wherein multiple hardware sets are implemented on the user device 103 and as illustrated in
According to some embodiments, a user device 103 may comprise various combinations of a plurality of components. For example, in some embodiments the user device comprises dual screens that are independently assigned to a persona. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user device 103 may comprise separate controls for each screen or each persona. Each independent set of controls may be embedded and assigned to manipulate actions within their designated persona. Another embodiment comprises a user device housing or form that will fit additional add-on components to expand or further facilitate the persona within the user device. One example comprises a keyboard comprising a toggle button that can engage the desired persona when the button is depressed or moved to a designated position. Further, a user device may comprise a combination of embodiments (e.g., common controls that manipulate dual screens, dual controls dedicated to one screen, etc.).
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the system illustrated in
In some embodiments, the management module 127 in the MDMS 121 may push policies to some or all personas, specifying shared resources among personas and setting boundaries regarding the permitted level of communication among the personas. Yet according to another embodiment, the management module 127 may also push personal policies, enterprise policies, and meta-policies between the personas. Generally, meta-policies govern the shared resources, communication, and device-level functionality among the personas. The recently discussed embodiments exemplify different means of creating a native experience for the end user, where data intended for a specific persona is identified either before reaching the user device or upon reaching the user device and transferred to the appropriate persona within the user device.
In some embodiments illustrated in
Generally, in connection with the functionality of the management module 127, operations may be broken into two different spaces—a server side and a device side. As will be discussed later in the present disclosure in connection with
In some embodiments (not shown), the management module 127 also contains a self-service application that is available for utilization by device users. In some embodiments, the self-service application comprises a user interface that is a pared-down version of the administrator management console interface. Users may log into the self-service application and view specific information about the enterprise persona, persona 2 118, of the device and/or the personal persona, persona 1 115. In another embodiment, users may only access the enterprise persona, while being unable to view the content of the personal persona. In some embodiments, the self-service application comprises a limited set of mobile device management options available to the user. For example, users may acquire the GPS location of the user device 103, lock the user device 103, perform an enterprise wipe or wipe the entire user device 103, send messages to said device, etc. In another embodiment, the enterprise wipe may de-partition the user device 103 and leave the personal persona as the only remaining persona. An enterprise wipe is a function wherein all enterprise data, characterizations, enterprise attributes, preferences, and settings are remotely erased from the enterprise persona. Likewise, an entire device wipe remotely erases all data on both persona 1 115 and persona 2 118, reverting the device to its original OEM state. In the self-service application of the management module 127, a user does not have the ability to assign or change rules and policies with respect to any managed persona. In some embodiments, the self-service feature offers users the ability to track user content or their user device and minimally manage the user device.
Further, another embodiment of the self-service application enables the management module 127 to configure a pre-defined limited set of options relating to multiple virtual hardware sets. In the instance where the management module 127 transmits commands to the user device 103 to create multiple virtual hardware sets, an end-user may log into the self-service section of the management console and access the pre-defined functionalities related to the multiple virtual hardware sets. As previously described, the self-service component of the management module 127 enables users to access an interface and view specific data concerning their user device 103 and respective personas 115 and 118.
According to one embodiment shown in
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Rules and policies assigned to personas dictate persona interaction with content repositories, including third-party content repositories. In some embodiments, communication is generally sent through the content server 130; hence, the content server 130 verifies whether the communication transmitted to a given persona is permissible. For example, if the content store 345 included an enterprise Share Point site, the enterprise persona may possess policies granting access to the third-party content server 142 and the enterprise content 336 repository. Persona 2 (the enterprise persona), may initially “shake hands” with the content server 142 and the content server may authenticate the credentials of persona 2 118. Consequently, persona 2 118 may fetch a document from the content store 345, save said document in memory 2 222B, and/or in the persona 2 content store 311B, modify said document, and transfer it to the enterprise content 336 repository.
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Many companies enable employees to utilize productivity applications (apps) to facilitate work demands. Some embodiments of the MDM central module 122 include an application catalog 136 for managing the applications of end users 109. In some embodiments, a graphical user interface 342 enables interaction with the application catalog 136 and provides an interface, such as a website or the like, presenting users with a list of authorized applications for chosen personas. In another embodiment, an application portal resident on a user device 103 comprises a host of authorized downloadable apps. In some embodiments, the application catalog 136 receives compliance rules and policies set by an administrator via the management module 127. The application catalog 136 may provide access to public application stores 145 such as Google Play or the Apple Store. In some embodiments, the application catalog 136 may contain links to public apps recommended for employee productivity. Alternatively, the enterprise persona may have policies permitting retention of all public apps or retention of specifically designated public applications.
In some embodiments, the application catalog 136 may comprise enterprise applications developed specifically for a company and may preclude access to such enterprise applications by a personal persona 115. In some embodiments, the application catalog authenticates a persona's credentials before permitting a download of enterprise apps. In another embodiment, a user can pull enterprise content 336 through the content server 130 and modify it using annotation features within a secure content application. In some embodiments, the persona app stores 309A and 309B comprise applications downloaded from the application store 351 for their respective personas.
Furthermore, one example embodiment of the present device may provide a lost device persona. A user device 103 may switch to a lost persona if the device moves outside of a recognized pattern as determined by GPS, or the user device 103 recognizes a period of inactivity, or exhibits some other atypical behavior. In some embodiments, the GPS system will actively track and keep a dynamic record of each user's travel routine and, in the event of an identified deviation, automatically toggle to the lost persona. The lost persona may, for example, comprise settings and/or configuration information that may facilitate locating the device. For example, toggling the lost persona may cause one or more location services on the user device 103 to be engaged, such as a GPS coordinate transmission mode or the like. In some embodiments, if the user device 103 is in the lost device persona, authentication may be required to toggle back to a managed user persona. For example, authentication may occur by inputting biometric metadata, a PIN or password, a programmable swipe gesture, or any similar authentication means. In another embodiment, the device may also toggle to the lost device persona if initiated by the user or an administrator via the self-service application of the management module 127 (i.e., the user identifies the device as lost and sends instructions to the device indicating the same). The self-service application of the management module 127 may contain a map add-on or a map software application in which the user and/or the administrator may utilize to find lost user devices. The lost device persona offers additional security for enterprises and users who wish to keep access, devices, and content secure.
As described previously, in one example embodiment, the user device 103 may contain multiple physical hardware sets within the user device. Each hardware set generally represents a separate and independent persona. The embodiment comprising multiple physical hardware sets within a single user device 103 generally functions in a similar manner as embodiments of the device embedded with virtual machines. Further descriptions regarding functionality of both embodiments will be described in connection with
Referring to
In some embodiments, the dual displays may optionally comprise dual cameras on the user device 103 and may be used to present an augmented reality experience. Using the dual cameras on either side of the device, one screen may display what the camera on the opposing side views. For example, the screen may show the inside of the user's hand or images of the environment he/she is in, lending the impression there is no user device or the user device 103 is see-through. Further, the camera may incorporate technology that will automatically dim or turn off the backlight of the persona not in use based on identifiable features, such as the palm of a user's hand or recognizing a face in front of the camera. The cameras may recognize the lack of light and dim the screens such as when the user device 103 is in a pocket or handbag.
In various embodiments, personas may be identified and/or delineated in a variety of ways. For example, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, each persona may have a distinct and distinguishable ringtone. Persona display backgrounds may also change when toggling personas. For example, an enterprise persona may display a company logo as a background, while a personal persona may display a personal picture of the user. Within multiple persona device management, all of the disclosed embodiments may be incorporated on the user device 103 or some combination of embodiments thereof. Further, the described examples are not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. As will be understood and appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, other embodiments may be implemented to distinguish between multiple personas on a single user device 103.
As previously described, a persona generally relates to a collection of settings implemented in software and/or hardware that can be switched in and/or on a user device 103 based on a trigger event. As shown in
The central module (management module) 122 enables personas to be selected, communication rules and policies to be assigned to the personas within the user device 103, and personas to interact within the limits of the selected rules and policies. In some embodiments, the personas are able to interact with each other (e.g. share data, share contacts, etc.). Conversely, in another embodiment, the personas remain segregated with no communication between the two (or multiple). While personas may incorporate individual contact lists, in some embodiments, it may possible for a communal contact list accessible to any persona embedded on the user device 103.
In some embodiments, toggling between personas may be executed via physical gestures that are recognized by the assimilated hardware and software in the user device 103. In some embodiments, flipping the user device 103 over creates an identical replica of the user device 103 with a second display on the other side. In another embodiment, consecutive flipping of the user device 103 may cycle through embedded personas. An accelerometer or some other user device position detecting mechanism integrated in the hardware may be used to sense the rotation of the user device 103. The hardware communicating via the operating system to a persona management module 245 expresses that the user has initiated a change in persona and the persona management module will activate another persona. Likewise, initiating a change in persona may be executed by flipping or rotating the user device 103 a set number of multiple rotations for each toggle. In another embodiment, a user with persona 1 501 active may shake the user device 103 a preset number of times. The shakes are recognized by the hardware and the hardware communicates with the persona management module 245 thereby switching the active persona to persona 2 503 (or some other persona).
According to various other embodiments, a plurality of gestures or actions may toggle between multiple personas. Toggling of personas may occur by holding down a button one the user device 103 for a set period of time, or depressing said button a number of times. The device may have a specifically designated button that may be used exclusively for the purpose of toggling personas. Another example embodiment utilizes swiping gestures at the top or bottom of the screen on the user device 103 to toggle through personas.
As generally understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, many user devices 103 feature embedded GPS components in the device hardware that are used to identify the position of a user device 103 whenever the device is powered on. According to some embodiments, persona 1 501 may be geolocation-based, such that persona 1 501 is active when a user device 103 is within a given distance of a designated location. In one aspect, a user device 103 switches virtual or physical SIMs assigned to different personas. Further, when the user is traveling abroad, a user device 103 may switch to a SIM appropriate for the visiting region, thereby receiving cheaper rates based on local service.
In another embodiment, persona 2 may be active during an established window of time on given days. For example, persona 2 502 (an enterprise persona) may be active Monday through Friday during normal business hours and persona 1 501 (a personal persona) maybe the active persona otherwise. User selection is also an option for selecting a persona, wherein the user device 103 prompts a user 109 to specify which persona is requested, followed by a PIN or password input into the device and processed by the persona management module 245 to access the requested persona. In another embodiment, the persona management module 245 may require biometric data such as a fingerprint or a user's voice to toggle personas, or may use an electronic fob or watch (e.g., electronic timepiece) having near field communication (NFC) capability or other similar communication capability to toggle personas.
According to another aspect in this regard, the persona management module 245 may utilize signals from a fingerprint reader such as that provided in the Apple® iPhone 5S, or other similar biometric device, to toggle personas. For example, different fingers may be used to toggle to, or switch between, different personas. A right thumbprint may correspond to a trigger actuation of a work persona, while a left thumbprint may correspond to and trigger actuation of a personal persona. Likewise, a work-related electronic fob may correspond to and trigger actuation of a work persona, and a digital watch may correspond to and trigger actuation of a personal persona, for example upon removal of the work-related fob from proximity of the device, such that the personal persona triggering device remains within the operative proximity.
Still referring to
According to some embodiments, at step 609, the administrator defines the rules to be implemented for the selected personas. For example, rules might include access to secure email gateways 133, content servers 130, application catalogs 136, etc. In other embodiments, default rules will apply. Once rules and policies have been designated, the administrator initiates the process of deploying the rules to the respective personas.
At step 611 of process 600, rules defined by the administrator are compiled within the management module 127 based on operating systems of given personas. In some embodiments, the management module 127 interacts with the MDM database 139 to assemble definitions representing the administrator defined rules and policies. After compiling the rules, the compiled rules and policies are deployed to the selected personas (step 613). In some embodiments, data is received from the user device at step 615. This data may include authentication checks, acknowledgement of enrollment, a server ping, etc. In certain embodiments, the management module 127 may receive data from the user device comprising acknowledgment of deployed rules and policies, a request for further instructions, etc. In some embodiments, method 600 moves to the next step 617 and pushes commands back to the user devices and personas based on the received data and/or rules.
According to some embodiments, the management module 127 deploys the already compiled rules via the data network 154 to the user device 103. Successively, the compiled rules and policies are received at the user device 103. Method 700 progresses to the next step 709, where the compiled rules and policies are implemented on the user device 103 in association with the appropriate persona. In some embodiments, various rules are associated with respective personas.
At step 711, after the given rules and policies have been implemented on each respective persona, the user device 103 containing multiple embedded personas is able to toggle between personas. As data is received at the given device 103 during operation, the device identifies and acknowledges data based on the compiled rules and policies designated for the individual persona (step 715). In some embodiments at step 715, the persona/device can utilize one or both of two different paths; it can relay necessary data back to the console (step 713) or take some action based on the rules and/or data (step 717). This data could be an acknowledgement of receipt sent over the data network 154 back to the management module 127 and thereby ending the process. As described, the persona can take a specific action based on the rules or data applied to the persona (step 717).
Step 809 optionally requires user device 103 authentication to proceed to the next stage. According to various embodiments, authentication can be performed utilizing a plurality of processes such as a fingerprint scan, entering a PIN or password, swiping a specific pattern on the screen, a biometric access functionality, or the device may be configured for an automatic authorization without user input. If the authentication fails, method 800 propagates to step 810, wherein a deny access or error message is displayed and the user device returns to the start state. If user authentication is successful, method 800 proceeds to step 811 and allows access to the managed and requested persona.
According to some embodiments at stage 813, the newly activated persona may require actions to be taken based on predetermined rules or receiving a set of data. For example, email communications may need to be sent to the persona at issue from the MDMS 121. If so, then an indicator or identifier may be associated at the MDM database 139 with the data to be sent to the mobile device persona, and subsequently the data will be sent to the device. At step 817, the persona waits for a trigger event to change personas. If a trigger event does not occur, the device will return to step 813 and repeat steps 813-817 as necessary. If a trigger is received, the device will propagate to step 819, which is analogous to step 807.
In some embodiments at step 819, the device checks if the trigger is from a managed persona. If the trigger is from a managed persona, method 800 advances to step 809. In another embodiment, if the trigger is not from another managed persona, the device will move to step 821, may cease monitoring the managed persona, and may disable communication, ending method 800.
As has been described, and according to some embodiments, the present disclosure generally describes methods and systems for isolating, implementing, and provisioning multiple entities or personas on an individual user device, thus enabling multiple individual end-user environments to remain quarantined while simultaneously remaining active. As will be generally understood, a persona encompasses various settings, policies, rules, configurations or attributes associated with a particular end user environment. Accordingly, groups of individual personas may be categorized based on defined rules and policies applicable to said group and managed simultaneously. Other embodiments enable remote access to deploy changes to current attributes and configurations either by group definition or on an individual basis.
According to one example embodiment, multiple personas may be managed via a central server (e.g., a content server or management module), which may serve as an intermediary between the multiple personas. The central server receives data from the device, identifies which persona initiated the data transfer, and sends the data on behalf of the identified persona. Similarly, the central server receives data from outside sources, identifies for which persona the data is intended and pushes said data to the appropriate persona. Further, one example embodiment virtually separates one set of hardware components (e.g., a single processor, memory, battery, etc.) into individual segments. Consequently, each segment houses and embodies a separate and quarantined persona. Yet other embodiments encompass multiple hardware sets (e.g., multiple processers, multiple memories, multiple batteries, etc.) independently coupled and dedicated for one or more respective persona.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples and explanatory only, and should not be considered to restrict the disclosure's scope, as described and claimed. Further, features and/or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments of the disclosure may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.
The embodiments and functionalities described herein may operate via a multitude of computing systems, including wired and wireless computing systems, mobile computing systems (e.g., mobile telephones, tablet or slate type computers, laptop computers, etc.). In addition, the embodiments and functionalities described herein may operate over distributed systems, where application functionality, memory, data storage and retrieval and various processing functions may be operated remotely from each other over a distributed computing network, such as the Internet or an intranet. User interfaces and information of various types may be displayed via on-board computing device displays or via remote display units associated with one or more computing devices. For example, user interfaces and information of various types may be displayed and interacted with on a wall surface onto which user interfaces and information of various types are projected. Interaction with the multitude of computing systems with which embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced include, keystroke entry, touch screen entry, voice or other audio entry, gesture entry where an associated computing device is equipped with detection (e.g., camera) functionality for capturing and interpreting user gestures for controlling the functionality of the computing device, and the like. The Figures above and their associated descriptions provide a discussion of a variety of operating environments in which embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and discussed with respect to the Figures are for purposes of example and illustration and are not limiting of a vast number of computing device configurations that may be utilized for practicing embodiments of this disclosure as described herein.
The term computer readable media as used herein may include computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory, removable storage, and non-removable storage are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium, which can be used to store.
The term computer readable media as used herein may also include communication media. Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, non-transitory media, and/or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media.
A number of applications and data files may be used to perform processes and/or methods as described above. The aforementioned processes are examples, and a processing unit may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure may include electronic mail, calendar, and contacts applications, data processing applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.
Generally, consistent with embodiments of this disclosure, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced within a general-purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
Embodiments of this disclosure may, for example, be implemented as a computer process and/or method, a computing system, an apparatus, device, or appliance, and/or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. Accordingly, the present disclosure may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. A computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific computer-readable medium examples (a non-exhaustive list), the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
Embodiments of this disclosure may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each and/or many of the elements described above may be integrated onto a single integrated circuit. Such an SOC device may include one or more processing units, graphics units, communications units, system virtualization units and various application functionalities, all of which may be integrated (or “burned”) onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. When operating via an SOC, the functionality, described herein, with respect to training and/or interacting with any element may operate via application-specific logic integrated with other components of the computing device/system on the single integrated circuit (chip).
Embodiments of this disclosure are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
While certain embodiments have been described, other embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, a carrier wave from the Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been described, other embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, a carrier wave from the Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the disclosure.
All rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vested in and the property of the Assignee. The Assignee retains and reserves all rights in the code included herein, and grants permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.
While the specification includes examples, the disclosure's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the disclosure.
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
- a display visible on a surface of the housing;
- a processor embedded within the housing; and
- a plurality of memory storages embedded within the housing coupled to the processor, wherein at least one first memory storage is dedicated to a first unique user persona and at least one second memory storage is dedicated to a second unique user persona.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first memory storage comprises a non-volatile memory storage.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first memory storage and the second memory storage are each communicably coupled to a wireless carrier network.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to output a user interface associated with the first unique user persona to the display.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a second display.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is operative to output a second user interface associated with the second unique user persona to the second display.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user interface and second user interface are respectively located on opposing sides of the mobile device housing.
8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is operative to toggle between output of the user interface associated with the first unique user interface to the display and output of a second user interface associated with the second unique user persona to the display.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further operative to output an on-screen identifier associated with a respective unique user persona being accessed via the display.
10. An apparatus comprising:
- a wireless communication module;
- a display;
- a memory storage, wherein the memory storage is segmented into a plurality of virtual partitions each associated with a unique user persona; and
- a processor coupled to the memory storage, the processor configured to output a user interface associated with at least one of the plurality of virtual partitions to the display, wherein the user interface is configured to control a plurality of functions associated with the wireless communication module.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user interface comprises a partitioned on-screen display, wherein each partition corresponds to a respective unique user persona.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of virtual partitions of the memory storage is associated with a unique respective operating system.
13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of virtual partitions of the memory storage is communicably coupled to a unique respective wireless carrier network.
14. A mobile device comprising:
- a mobile device housing;
- at least one wireless communication module embedded within the device housing;
- a memory storage embedded within the device housing, wherein the memory storage comprises data associated with a plurality of unique user personas; and
- a processor embedded within the mobile device housing configured to: provide a plurality of user interfaces accessible by a user of the mobile device, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces is associated with a respective one of the plurality of unique user personas, provide an indication associated with each of the plurality of unique user personas identifying the respective one of the plurality of unique user personas currently being provided, and toggle between a first user interface associated with a first respective unique user persona and a second user interface associated with a second respective unique user persona in response to a toggle indication.
15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the toggle indication comprises an interaction with the first user interface.
16. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the toggle indication comprises an operation of a physical toggle button retained in a housing of the apparatus.
17. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the toggle indication comprises an instruction received via the wireless communication module.
18. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of unique user personas is associated with a subscriber identity module (SIM).
19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein at least one first subscriber identity module (SIM) comprises a physical SIM and at least one second SIM comprises a virtual SIM.
20. The mobile device of claim 14, further comprising at least one second processor, wherein each respective processor is operatively dedicated to a respective unique user persona of the plurality of unique user personas.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 11, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 10, 2014
Applicant: SkySocket, LLC (Atlanta, GA)
Inventors: William DeWeese (Haltom City, TX), Jonathan Blake Brannon (Mableton, GA), Erich Stuntebeck (Marietta, GA)
Application Number: 14/203,836
International Classification: G06F 3/0482 (20060101); G06F 1/16 (20060101);
