Securing electronic property from unauthorized use

• US 10,592,700 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The ADT Security Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The ADT Security Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shapiro, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US14/992,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20170200025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 726 35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

An apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes processing circuitry including a processor and a memory that contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to receive an activation request including identification data from a device, determine whether functionality of the device is authorized for activation based on the identification data, and in response to determining the device is not authorized for activation, cause transmission of a message configured to cause functionality of the device to remain deactivated while keeping communication capability of the device activated. The memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to, in response to determining the device is authorized for activation, one of (a) cause transmission of a message configured to cause functionality of the device to activate and (b) prevent transmission of a message, the prevention indicating whether activation of functionality of the device is authorized.

Claims

1. An apparatus locatable at a premises, the apparatus being configured to communicate with a plurality of premises devices and control activation and deactivation of functionality of a premises device of the plurality of premises devices, the apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry including a memory and a processor, the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to, while the premises device is deactivated;

receive an activation request from the premises device, the activation request including identification data of the premises device;

determine whether functionality of the premises device is authorized for activation based on the identification data;

in response to determining the premises device is not authorized for activation, cause transmission of a message to the premises device, the message configured to cause functionality of the premises device to remain deactivated while keeping communication capability of the premises device activated for requesting activation;

in response to transmission of the message based on the determination that the premises device is not authorized for activation, receive a reply message from the premises device, the reply message indicating a location of the premises device and, if the premises device is not located on the premises, automatically provide a notification to a third party, the notification including the identification data and the location of the first premises device; and

in response to determining the premises device is authorized for activation, one of (a) cause transmission of a message to the premises device, the message configured to cause at least one more function of the premises device to activate while prohibiting activation of at least one other function and (b) prevent a transmission of a message to the premises device, the prevention indicating whether activation of functionality of the premises device is authorized.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message configured to cause functionality of the premises device to remain deactivated further enables the premises device to power up and power down, display a plurality of predefined messages and transmit at least one message with a final destination address of the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the memory containing further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, while the premises device is deactivated, notify authority of the received activation request if functionality of the premises device is not authorized for activation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a plurality of identifiers and a plurality of indicators, each identifier corresponding to a respective premises device, each indicator indicating whether functionality of a respective premises device has been flagged for deactivation;

and

the memory containing further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, while the premises device is activated;

receive a message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, the message indicating an identifier associated with the premises device;

in response to receiving the message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, update the indicator associated with the premises device to indicate functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation; and

the determination that functionality of the premises device is not authorized for activation being based on the indicator associated with the premises device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the processor, configured the processor to, while the premises device is deactivated and in response to determining the premises device is not authorized for deactivation, determine a location of the premises device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the determination of the location of the premises device includes at least one of determining the location based on a device location received from the premises device and determining the location based on an internet protocol address associated with the message received from the premises device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a plurality of identifiers and a plurality of indicators, each identifier corresponding to a respective premises device, each indicator indicating whether functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation;

the determination whether functionality of a respective premises device is authorized for activation includes searching the plurality of identifiers stored in memory for an identifier corresponding to the identification data; and

if an identifier corresponding to the identification data is not found in memory, determining functionality of the respective premises device is authorized for activation.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification data includes at least one of a MAC identifier of the premises device and serial number associated with the premises device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of identifiers are updatable by at least one of a consumer, manufacturer and vendor.

10. A method for communicating with a plurality of premises devices and controlling activation and deactivation of functionality of a premises device of the plurality of premises devices, the method comprising, while the premises device is deactivated:

receiving an activation request from the premises device, the activation request including identification data of the premises device;

determining whether functionality of the premises device is authorized for activation based on the identification data;

in response to determining the premises device is not authorized for activation, transmitting, to the premises device, a message configured to cause functionality of the premises device to remain deactivated while keeping communication capability of the premises device activated for requesting activation;

in response to transmission of the message based on the determination that the premises device is not authorized for activation, receive a reply message from the premises device, the reply message indicating a location of the premises device and, if the premises device is not located on the premises, automatically provide a notification to a third party, the notification including the identification data and the location of the premises device; and

in response to determining the premises device is authorized for activation, one of (a) causing transmission of a message to the premises device, the message configured to cause at least one more function of the premises device to activate while prohibiting activation of at least one other function of the premises device and (b) preventing transmission of a message to the premises device, the prevention indicating whether activation of functionality of the premises device is authorized.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the message configured to cause functionality of the premises device to remain deactivated further enables the premises device to power up and power down, display a plurality of predefined messages and transmit at least one message with a final destination address of the apparatus.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing a plurality of identifiers and a plurality of indicators, each identifier corresponding to a respective premises device, each indicator indicating whether functionality of a respective premises device has been flagged for deactivation;

receiving, while the premises device is activated, a message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, the message indicating an identifier associated with the premises device;

in response to receiving the message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, updating, while the premises device is activated, the indicator associated with the premises device to indicate functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation; and

the determination that functionality of the premises device is not authorized for activation being based on the indicator associated with the premises device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, while the premises device is deactivated, in response to determining functionality of the premises device is not authorized for deactivation, determining a location of the premises device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising notifying, while the premises device is deactivated, authority of the received activation request if functionality of the premises device is not authorized for activation.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the determination of the location of the premises device includes at least one of determining the location based on a device location received from the premises device and determining the location based on an internet protocol address associated with the message received from the premises device.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing a plurality of identifiers and a plurality of indicators, each identifier corresponding to a respective premises device, each indicator indicating whether functionality of the respective premises device has been flagged for deactivation;

the determination whether functionality of a respective premises device is authorized for activation includes searching the plurality of identifiers stored in memory for an identifier corresponding to the identification data; and

if an identifier corresponding to the identification data is not found in memory, determining functionality of the respective premises device is authorized for activation.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the identification data includes at least one of a MAC identifier of the premises device and serial number associated with the premises device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of identifiers are updatable by at least one of a consumer, manufacturer and vendor.

19. An apparatus locatable at a premises, the apparatus being configured to communicate with a plurality of premises devices and control activation and deactivation of functionality of a premises device of the plurality of premises devices, the apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry including;

a processor; and

a memory, the memory configured to store a plurality of identifiers and a plurality of indicators, each identifier corresponding to a respective premises device, each indicator indicating whether functionality of a respective premises device has been flagged for deactivation; and

the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to, while the respective premises device is deactivated;

receive an activation request from the premises device, the activation request including identification data of the premises device;

determine whether functionality of the premises device is authorized for activation based on the indicator associated with the identification data;

in response to determining functionality of the premises device is not authorized for activation, cause;

transmission of a first message to the premises device, the first message configured to cause functionality of the device to remain deactivated while keeping communication capability of the premises device activated for requesting activation;

in response to transmission of the message based on the determination that the premises device is not authorized for activation, receive a reply message from the premises device, the reply message indicating a location of the premises device and, if the premises device is not located on the premises, automatically provide a notification to a third party, the notification including the identification data and the location of the premises device; and

in response to determining functionality of the premises device is authorized for activation, one of (a) cause transmission of a second message to the premises device, the second message configured to cause activation of at least one more function of the premises device while prohibiting activation of at least one other function of the premises device and (b) prevent a transmission of the second message to the premises device, the prevention indicating whether activation of functionality of the premises device is authorized;

the memory containing further instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to, while the premises device is activated;

receive a message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, the message indicating an identifier associated with the premises device; and

in response to receiving the message indicating functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation, update the indicator associated with the premises device to indicate functionality of the premises device has been flagged for deactivation.